All good things must come to an end

As I wrap up my two years in London, I am amazed at how quickly it all went by. I have had a wonderful time and cannot recommend this experience enough. As I’ve said before, I think it’s something everyone should do; not only because it’s fun, but because it allows for personal growth (developing problem-solving skills and forcing us to become comfortable outside of our comfort zone), for professional growth (varied work experience and a new source of answers for interviews for example) and it makes you a stronger and more well-rounded person no matter where life takes you. I know I feel more confident and I have accomplished on of my lifelong dreams which is a wonderful feeling.

Before I cap things off for the final time, here are a few of the things I’ve been up to over the last few months:

In September I finally visited the Tate Gallery and the Tate Modern. I was very impressed by the Tate Gallery (Turners and Constables being some of my favourites) but the Tate Modern was a bit over the top for me. I’m not sure I can fully appreciate modern art. That said, the Tate Modern’s gift shop was much more fun!

In October I went to an ITV event for a new show called Jekyll and Hyde. The show itself is fine but the event was outstanding! There were mad scientist bartenders, dress-up photo ops and it was all hosted in The Vaults, a cool and creepy underground venue. It was a really different and fun night out.

In October I also went for afternoon tea at The Ritz. This was a fantastic experience. The Palm Court is grand, the sandwiches, crumpets, cakes and tea were delicious and I loved every minute of it. While it’s not cheap at about £50/person, it’s definitely a treat that I will remember for a very long time.

For Dan’s birthday we went to see The Book of Mormon. While the show is highly offensive, it was also very funny and I found myself humming a few of the tunes days later. If you’re not overly sensitive and looking for a fun show to see in London, then I recommend it.

Being away from home for the holidays can be difficult but, luckily, the London ExpatCanadian Meetup Group organized a Canadian Thanksgiving meal in a pub. The turkey was delicious and we loved it so much that a group of us decided to recreate it ourselves a month later, cranberry sauce and all! I’m sorry, turkeys, but you shouldn’t be so delicious!

Speaking of holidays, Christmas has snuck up on me and it’s almost time to head back to Canada to celebrate Christmas with my family. Before I do though, I made a couple of visits to London’s Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. I discovered this last year and have been semi-obsessed ever since. It’s basically a Christmas-themed Octoberfest with rides, beer tents (serving mulled wine and cider too), Christmas markets and all kinds of other fun and games. I had a blast once again and will definitely be back!

It’s now time to thank you for reading my blog and following me on this amazing adventure. I’ve had a blast sharing it with those who read it and hope it has been helpful and/or entertaining. I'd also like to thank everybody who encouraged and supported me along the way. I'm not sure I would have had the courage to do it without you and I am eternally grateful. I went into this a very shy and nervous person and I have come out more outgoing and confident. I'm even engaged! I can't believe how lucky I am to have had this opportunity.

As always, I will cap things off with a quote but first, I will wish you all a Merry Christmas (or Happy Christmas as they say here) and a very Happy 2016!

"Good night, and good luck."

Edward R. Murrow 

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

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It’s been a while since I last wrote and fall has come and gone in London. While this typically means more rain (and then lots more for winter!), it was still wonderful to see the fall colours around the city. Here are a few pictures of autumn:

What have I been up to these past few months? Well, September was a busy month as my friend Jen visited and we went out exploring quite a bit. First, we went for fancy afternoon tea at Brown’s Hotel. It was very luxurious and everything tasted amazing – definitely worth the expense.

Second, we went on a day trip to Oxford, Stratford (where we visited the house Shakespeare grew up in) and Warwick Castle. It was great to get out of London for a day and see the English countryside. I think living in London has made me forget that there is so much to see and do outside the city.

Third, we travelled to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. That was quite an adventure and great fun. I definitely recommend everyone go at least once in their life. It’s a rich cultural event and not only about the drinking (although the delicious beer and food are a big part of it). We also had an opportunity to visit the former Dachau Concentration Camp while we were there and that was a very solemn and somewhat overwhelming experience. Again, this is something that everyone should do. We all learn about war and other atrocities in school but it’s quite a different thing to see it in person. It definitely made me realize how lucky I am to have been born in Canada and made me appreciate even more the rights and liberties that come along with it (I love you Charter of Rights and Freedoms!). On a happier note, this was my first trip organized through BritBound and I was very impressed. Everything was very well organized and we had a blast. I will definitely be participating in future BritBound travels (including the trip to Bruges in December!).

October was a bit of an emotional month for me as there was a tragedy in Ottawa which made international news; a soldier who was guarding the war memorial was shot and killed and the gunman then terrorized the city for hours while he hid in the Parliament. I was glued to the news for a couple of days as I watched the events unfold and it was difficult to be far away from home when something like that was happening only a couple of blocks away from where I used to live and work. I’m happy and grateful my family and friends are all safe and hope that something like this never happens again. I saw this the day after the shooting and just have to share it because I think it’s simply amazing:

In October I also moved into my new flat and I’m happy to say that it’s going great. Here are a few pictures of my new neighbourhood: Finsbury Park. I definitely find it more “British” than where I used to live. As a side note, it is unbelievable the amount of stuff I have managed to gather (hoard?) in my short time here. I’m also including a picture of Dan looking less than impressed at all the stuff he has to help me move (this is only some of it!).

November has really flown by. A quick yet quick visit from my friend Breanne

and I also had a chance to see the poppies at the Tower of London which was a great experience. This was in honour of the 100^th anniversary of WWI.

The fact that winter is coming (insert corny Game of Thrones joke here) means that Christmas isn’t far off either! I love Christmas and I am especially excited for Christmas this year as it means that my mom, my brother and his girlfriend are visiting and we are going to Scotland. While snow isn’t very common in London, there is a (small) chance that there will be snow in the Scottish Highlands for Christmas. I have to say, I will be a little disappointed if there is no snow on Christmas eve/Christmas morning. Speaking of snow, it snowed for a whole 2 minutes this week. Like all of the other people on the street, I snapped a picture as quick as I could (after I stopped squealing with delight and running around like a person who’s never seen snow before). While we got a few flurries here, people were quick to send me pictures of what it looked like back home – I definitely don’t miss that!

My next post will likely be after Christmas since I will have pictures of the Bruges Christmas Markets and Scotland to share. London has already started to “Christmasize” which is getting me really excited. The smell of hot cider and mulled wine is in the air and there was even a real reindeer in Covent Garden the other day!

So, for those of you reading this: Merry Christmas and thanks for reading along as I wrap up a wonderful first year living in the UK. It has been an amazing year and I look forward to another great year ahead. As always, here is a quote to end the blog post:

Ho Ho Ho

Kris Kringle

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)