The few and the many

On this 70^th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day, I felt it was appropriate to write about recent developments in my life and, more to the point, my recent travels.

First, I’m happy to report that the tough times are over and that Dan and I are still happily living in our flat in Notting Hill and that we are now both employed! I think it might be good to note for future Swappers or anyone planning to move to the UK that the norm is to be paid monthly, usually at the end of the month. You do learn to adjust to this even if, like me, you were used to being paid every two weeks; however, it’s good to keep in mind that when you start a new job, you may not get paid for a month or even longer depending on what time of the month you start your job. This is just another reason why having savings (more than you think you’ll need) is very useful and maybe even necessary! It did take a long time for Dan to find this job (about 3 months) but this isn’t uncommon. While there are obviously a lot of jobs in a big city like London, there is also a lot of competition! I found that it is important not to get discouraged and to keep trying and adapting your applications to suit what employers are asking for. It’s always good to ask for feedback when you get rejected and ask how you can improve. I think this was a good strategy for Dan and he succeeded in finding a job he really enjoys.

Second, my dad and his girlfriend came to London for a visit last week and then we all travelled to France. While we did take the time to enjoy some tasty French food and wine along the way, we spent the majority of our time in Normandy visiting WWI and WWII sites such as Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach, Ste Mere Eglise & the Airborne Museum and some military cemeteries. The majority of our visit was very solemn and I think we all developed a deeper-than-ever respect for the men and women who selflessly fought for the freedoms, rights and liberties we enjoy every day and who helped shape our world into what is it today. I am grateful than ever and am remembering them today, on this anniversary of VE Day.

In London, we visited the usual suspects like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London but we also visited the lesser known Churchill War Rooms. This is one of my favourite museums in London. Essentially, the bunker was sealed at the end of WWII and only reopened as a museum in the 1980s. This means that everything is as it was on the day the war ended; think coffee cups, cigars, litter but also, more interestingly, maps where Allied and German positions were marked based on best guesses. Here are a few pictures from London and the war rooms:

In Normandy, we started our visit at Vimy Ridge (I encourage everyone to read about Vimy Ridge if you don’t know the full story, it is fascinating), a WWI site of great importance to Canadians as it is the first time that Canadians fought together as one and defeated the Germans in a very difficult battle. We were fortunate to see the stunning and enormous monument and then we went for a (free!) guided tour of the trenches, underground bunkers and tunnels/subway systems. Here are a few pictures from Vimy Ridge:

We also stopped by a lovely fishing town called Honfleur for lunch. It had a wonderful Normandy small-town vibe and could only have been improved by better weather. I would definitely recommend stopping here if you find yourself in Normandy.

We then travelled west and stationed ourselves in Caen from where, over the next couple of days, we visited Juno Beach, the Canadian beach on D-Day. We also visited Ste Mere Eglise (of Band of Brothers fame) which was the first French town liberated during the Battle of Normandy.

And we visited a Canadian WWI war cemetery, a German WWII war cemetery and a Commonwealth (mostly Britiish) WWII war cemetery. IT was emotional to see the amount of graves in each cemetery and to read the personal messages on some of them. Personally, I was touched by the grave of a 21 year old Canadian soldier from Ottawa.

I think visiting significant historical sites such as the ones above is something everyone should do at least once in their life. It puts things in perspective and makes us appreciate what we have, which we sometimes forget to do. In closing, I leave one of my favourite war-time quotes:

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

Winston Churchill

A Bittersweet End to the Summer

And just like that, my first summer living in Europe has passed. I had a bit of a shock in July when I realized that I have been living in London for six months already! It got me thinking about what I have accomplished in those six months; I can proudly say that I:

• Found a permanent and well-paying job;
• Have a great boyfriend: Dan;
• Made some good friends;
• Visited new (Wales) and old (Paris, England) places;
• Got hooked on some aspects of British culture (Percy Pigs, BBC, the Tube);
• Missed some aspects of Canadian culture (Kraft Dinner, proper peanut butter, clothes dryers); and
• Somewhat embarrassingly started using British words in my everyday vocabulary (although I still have my Canadian accent!) such as: "hiya" (hello), "I'm not bothered" (I have no preference), "ring" (call), "ga-ridge" (garage) and "alright?" (how are you) just to name a few.

All that said, I haven't written all summer so here's a bit of what I've been up to:

• Geeked out a bit at the London Film & Comic Con where we saw some amazing costumes and met Hodor from Game of Thrones.

• Injured my hand in the most British way possible: a tea-related incident! (Boiling water spilled all over my hand)

• Went to a few great BBQs, despite the traditionally wet British weather.

• Celebrated Dan's parents' 50th wedding anniversary, semi-tortured a dog (Daisy) by making her wear hats and visited Haylings Island which is one of the beaches where the Allies practiced the D-Day landings.

• Had a wonderful visit from my friends Lauren & Nick who replenished my Canadian supplies.

• Met Casper the pub cat (this one is just too cute for me not to share).

As the rain drizzles outside ("drizzle" is me downplaying the water pouring out of the sky for my own sanity) and the temperature drops several degrees, it has become clear that summer is over in London. Not to worry though, it has been a great summer and the next few months will be very fun and exciting! What's next for me this year?

September

• A visit from my friend Jen and a trip to Oktoberfest in Munich

October

• A visit from my friend Breanne
• A move - my flat has officially been sold and I have to find a new place to live. While this is still a bit of a stressful process, it's nothing like when I first got here in January!

November

• Wallet recovery!
• London sightseeing (I have really been neglecting this)

December

• A Day trip to Bruges to see the Christmas markets
• A visit from my mom, my brother and his girlfriend then travelling around the Scottish highlands for Christmas.

I am still shivering and soaked from the rain as I write this so I feel that this is the perfect quote to end this blog post:

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.
John Steinbeck

Does June Exist in Europe?

I've been meaning to write since the peanut butter tragedy to update everyone on that situation but it seems that June just came and went in a flash! First things first, my mom has replenished my peanut butter supply so I have been saved - thank you Mom!

Now, on to the fun stuff! June was a terrific month, My friend Jen visited in the earlier part of the month and it was really nice to see a friendly, Canadian face. We hit the London shopping scene, went to see a show (Wicked) which I really enjoyed and I was treated to a very nice meal at Scott's. Here are a few pictures from that meal - it wouldn't be right if I didn't post a few food pictures on here:

 

Jen and I also travelled to Dublin (yay cheap Ryanair flights!) for what we called "O'Chan & McNewtown's Irish Adventure". I had always wanted to visit Dublin/Ireland I was very excited for this trip. The big highlight in Dublin, for me, was the Trinity College Library Long Room. The Book of Kells is housed thre and amazing in its own right but for me, seeing the Long Room was a dream come true. I have always had a fascination with libraries (I blame Beauty and the Beast - my favourite movie - for this) and this library was at the top of my list. Seeing it in person was everything I hoped it would be and it was truly breathtaking. Here is a picture of the library:

Fun fact: I had always wondered how you get between the bookcases on the upper level given that there are only staircases at each end of the library. A friendly security guard let us through the velvet rope where, from from within the alcoves, you can see that there are "secret" doors built within the bookcases that allow for people to make their way around the upper level.

Another thing not to miss in Dublin is the Guinness Storehouse. While I have never been a Guinness drinker (I like my beer liquid), I learned how to properly poor my very own pint of Guinness in the Guinness Academy and it tasted amazing! I learned that the Guinness Stout in Ireland is actually a different brew than the one you drink abroad and it is MUCH better and easier to drink! The Guinness storehouse is worth the visit and there are also several very good restaurants in there; we had delicious Guinness Irish stew! Here are a few pictures from that adventure:

While Dublin was a good destination for a short trip, the day trip we took through the Irish countryside was a big highlight and I will definitely return to Ireland to visit more small towns and mountains. Irish people are also extremely funny, friendly and very welcoming. Here are a few pictures from the day trip through the Wicklow Mountains:

For the later part of June, my mom came for a visit bringin loads of Canadian supplies with her, including the peanut butter mentionned above. I was excited for my mom to visit, especially since this was her first visit to London and to Paris, where we went for the weekend using the extremely conveninent Eurostar. In London we visited The Wolseley for dinner and went to see my favourite musical: Les Misérables. Here is a picture of the amazing cheese soufflé at The Wolseley:

For our weekend in Paris, we visited all the of the major landmarks and got a lot of shopping done on the Champs Élysées. We also ate VERY well, here are a few pictures bound to get your mouth watering:

          

This week was the first time I spent Canada Day outside of Canada. I met up with some fellow Canadians and we had some pitchers of Pimms (my new favourite British discovery) and then made our way to Maiden Lane where we found hundreds of Canadians celebrating our nation's birthday. It was really nice to hear the familiar Canadian accent, drink proper Canadian beer (Sleeman's and Moosehead were available) and to sing our national anthem with pride. If I couldn't be in Ottawa to watch the fireworks display, this was truly the place to be for Canada Day!

Now that everyone has gone back to Canada, I think July will be spent dieting (June was very much a culinary indulgence month!) and budgeting for future trips! I can't wait to see what else this summer holds for me! As usual, a quote to cap things off:

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.
F. Scott Fitzgerals (The Great Gatsby)

Nostalgia...?

It's funny, a year ago at this time I was just wrapping up a great trip to Paris and London and I had no idea that exactly a year later, I'd be preparing to go live in London for a while. That's been on my mind a lot these past few weeks as I think about how life is funny sometimes and opportunities present themselves at just the right time.

I now officially have my work visa and got a great deal on my plane ticket thanks my SWAP/TravelCuts advisor, Maryse. I have since received my BritBound information and can’t say enough about how helpful the services they provide are. From helping me set up a cell phone (I already have my UK phone # and I'm not leaving until January!), bank account, an orientation session and pub night to a million other things, I haven’t regretted registering for SWAP/BritBound for one second and recommend it to anyone who is planning on working and travelling abroad.

I’ve actually been to the UK a few times and it’s not my home (yet) but somehow, I feel homesick for it as I prepare to leave. Every day I think of London at least once and about how my daily activities (drinking my morning tea, buying groceries, commuting) will be so different and fun, for a while anyway. 

 

Right at the top of my list is making sure that I visit London sights every week and that I travel to a different European country at least once a month; not including regular trips to Paris. The thought of being at Europe’s door and having amazing French pâtisseries and beautiful Paris so easily accessible is unreal. 

 

Scotland will also only be a few hours away, I will be able to get my fill of Scottish greenery, amazing accents, scotch whisky, kilts and highland cows (not highland cows wearing kilts…) anytime I want! I couldn’t be more eager to leave…but for now, I keep waiting semi-patiently.

As I experience this strange sense of nostalgia, I leave you with the following two quotes which are oddly similar to each other and are really resonating with me lately:

Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.

-Judith Thurman

How is it possible to feel nostalgia for a world I never knew?

-Che Guevara