Towers, Thames, and Other Touristy Things

Hi guys,

Another day, another adventure.

Tanja is more of an outdoorsy person which is perfect because this weather has been amazing. I don’t know if London got them memo that I was coming or not but seriously, it’s been sunny and 75 all weekend long (knock on wood I don’t jinx it now). We are staying in Brick Lane which is only a mile from the Tower of London.

So in true and proper European form we decided to walk there. They had these weird lion sculptures which caught my eye, while Tanja was actually taking pictures of what we were supposed to be looking at…oops.

We crossed the bridge on foot and continued to walk around the River Thames on the other side. The river gets a meh, but crossing a bridge like that on foot was pretty cool. You think I would be less impressed after going to places like the Golden Gate Bridge, but nope, it looks like I am still impressed with the littlest things.

One of the benefits of walking around a town is that you can happen upon random places and surprises. Mind you we had both just eaten a very large breakfast and were only two hours into our day but the smells wafting from Green Market were irresistible. Seriously, I’m going back it was that good. There were so many food stalls with practically everything you can imagine. It’s one of those things were you aren’t even hungry but as soon as your near suddenly you decided you have room for another three or four meals. We couldn’t help but buy freshly made pasta, spinach and cheese ravioli of course with only olive oil (gotta stay true to the Italian I was meant to be). Tanja legitimately bought a whole slab of rosemary focaccia and I couldn’t help but splurge with an Eaton Mess doughnut. Best 2348384578 calories of my life.

Here's some more snippets of cute scenes we saw along the way:

We stopped off at Tate Modern. I'm not the biggest fan of modern art but on the 10th floor we had this AMAZING view of the entire city. The elevators were full and slow, so Miss Tanja kicked my butt into gear 6 flights up the stairs. Let's just say my thighs were burning and I couldn't help but think back to my days in Peru, oh how the mighty have fallen, 6 flights would have been nothing two summers ago! Yikes. Don't worry guys, it seems as though Tanja has come to keep me in shape, along with providing me company lol. I will have to concede that the view from the top was totally worth it.

We walked past the London eye and found out that it takes 30 minutes to make a full rotation. 30 minutes standing in a small box with a bunch of strangers…mmm no thank you. But I got this pretty picture!

We ambled on to what I was very very excited to see, the Houses of Parliament. Literally out of all of London this was the one thing on my list. Well family, it seems as though I have impeccable timing…the entire thing was totally under construction. Yup, just my luck. Big Ben too. And Westminster Abbey was closed. Tanja and I definitely felt as though we had really missed out, or maybe missed the main attraction? It was weird, I think I’ll go back to Westminster and try again but it was no doubt disappointing. Sorry guys, not every story can be a win, plus wouldn’t you rather know where not to go? Anyways, my friend Kari says to give Westminster Abbey another go when my mom comes into town, so I think that’s what I’ll do. I haven’t given up on Westminster as a whole just yet and I did get some good pictures which cut out all of the construction, don't be fooled friends, the cropping tool is magic. 

Being able to spend time with my best friend Tanja has been amazing. It’s only been four months apart but it felt like forever…no clue how I’ll make it a whole year before I see her again! Back in Los Angeles we were total adventure buddies, she did a great job getting me outdoors and exploring (even if I did all of the driving lol). I am on strict orders to enjoy the beach more when I go back, I know I literally live 15 minutes away and have been there twice? It’s bad. Who knows, maybe this new public transportation and adventurous side of myself will get translated over to my 2L self. I’ve still got another whole day before Tanja leaves so stay tuned for the tales of Adventure Tanja and Carolyn!

Lots of Love,

Carolyn

Parks and Palaces

Hi everyone,

I would like to know if there is such a thing as death by walking. 11.6 miles. I repeat 11.6 miles. D.E.A.D. On that note, let me walk you through my day.

Time for an insider story, when Tanja left for Germany we became commute buddies…she calls me when she commutes from her home to work and I am commuting from my study desk to bed (hey I never said my commute was long). Anyways, every day for months I heard about this special German bread that she has with cheese every morning. I am happy to report that four months later I finally got to try this world class breakfast. It was so different! Their bread is soft, but loaded with seeds so it has got this crunch to it. After all the build up, I was not disappointed.

We started the morning at St James Park, it was gorgeous and the trees were huge. I wish we had more real parks in our cities back at home. It’s so nice to have the greenery amidst so much city, it’s like a free Descanso Gardens. Our walk was mostly me slowing poor Tanja down as I stopped to gaze up at every big tree or watch the baby swans swim or literally smell the roses. There was this one tree served as the cutest natural hut.

 We then made our way to Buckingham Palace, the flag was up so the queen was there! Apparently she wasn’t notified of my arrival so I was waiting outside the gates like all the normal plebeians.

Funny story. Tanja and I read the signs and knew that since it was a Thursday there would be no changing of the guards. But, there was a huge crowd, and police, and crowd control. It was 10:45 and curiosity got the best of us. So we waited a full 15 minutes just in case something happened. Newsflash, we should have stuck to our guns, the best thing that happened in that wait was this carriage passing through. I cannot believe we fell for it! Lemmings hahah. At least we got to rest our tired feet for a bit and chat, while all the other tourists were legitimately waiting for something that would not happen today, gotta love group think >.< our bad haha. Tanja and I had a good laugh at 11:05 when we realized we had both waited for nothing. 

We then passed through the Wellington Arch.

Then moseyed our way through Hyde Park to Kensington Palace. Tanja would live in Kensington Palace, but since part of it is a museum and the other part hosts royalty, I’m not sure it would be enough space for me. I mean, if I’m going to live in a palace might as well have the whole thing hehehe.

Actually, as we continued our merry way through Kensington, Tanja and I decided that we would much rather live in one of these cute pastel houses. It is simply too much work to be royalty.

Also, love being in a place where a chocolate torte, madeleine, and coffee count as lunch. Can this be my lunch everyday? Don't mind me, just living my best European life here.  

We made our way to Trafalgar square and just enjoyed the street artists before eating the world’s spiciest ramen for dinner. Let’s just say it did not take much for the two of us to fall asleep after the entire day. Tanja literally had to force me to watch five episodes of How I Met Your Mother so that I would not go to bed before 9:30 pm. Need I remind you 11.6 miles. More adventures to come!

Love you lots,

Carolyn

Aubergines and Other Silly Things

Hello Family!

Guess what? My best friend Tanja flew in from Germany today and I was SO EXCITED! So this little baby took some big steps today and used public transport all by herself to pick up Tanja. Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you are that I actually made it to the train station successfully.

I switched neighborhoods for the duration of Tanja's stay and am now located in the “hip” Brick Lane area. Verdict? Being hipster is just way overrated…but don’t tell the people of Brick Lane that I said that. Think grungy neighborhood, lots of street art (aka graffiti but pretty graffiti), and way overpriced clothes you could probably get at target and never know the difference, and let’s not forget the most important accessories, man-buns and vapes. Hilariously, the worst insult we got was being told we were “a healthy lot” after a group of guys asked us for a lighter only to find that none of us smoked. The disdain in that phrase was rather ironic in a borough full of vegan places called “honest burger.” I’m sorry, but no way in heck am I eating a non-meat burger…that’s just wrong, and as an American, simply blasphemous. Walking around Spitalfields, I took Tanja to the markets where they had a live band and classic dancing. It was so cute, I almost jumped in (looks like all those Cotillion classes paid off after all mom), except between Tanja and I, we realized that neither of us actually learned how to lead (guess they were useless after all mom…told you so).

We wandered into the work district going through Shoreditch, Hackney, and Hoxton. Except everything was under construction. Tanja was amazed and has a theory that the amount of construction London is going under is to mask the fact that the economy is suffering with Brexit. The longer I stay here the more I am convinced that she just might be right. I will let you know if I get the inside scoop at work.

Something that continues to be a constant source of amusement for my European friends, is my hesitancy in crossing the road without a green signal or even the cars stopping for you at a crosswalk without a light. I’m the chicken that won’t cross the road. So even though I’ve been navigating my way through London acting as a tour guide for Tanja, most of the time my view looks likes this…

This picture is honestly worth a thousand words. Also if you think me being a tour guide for Tanja is the blind leading the blind situation…let me assure you that you are totally correct.

After a day of casual exploring we had a Mediterranean dinner that was AMAZING. Fun Fact: I hate eggplants, you can thank my dad for that. Fun British Fact: aubergine means eggplants. New Fun Fact: Carolyn didn’t know that aubergine means eggplants so Tanja ordered three aubergine dishes and Carolyn ate all of them….so apparently Carolyn likes eggplants. I blame it on the Brits for using their sneaky ways to get us children to eat vegetables lol. 

And with that fascinating tale I am off to bed. Goodnight friends, I love you all.

Xx,

Carolyn

The Posh

Hello everyone!

Monday was a bank holiday here so that meant that everyone was out and about and it was the perfect time to check out the downtown area. I walked to my future workplace and almost made it without getting lost. Does someone want to explain to me why straight doesn't actually mean straight on these London city roads? Like who decided that instead of putting everything on a grid you would have to choose between straighish left, straightish right, or a leftish straightish left aka the road which isn't as far left as the straightish left. Confused? Yeah I was too. Jes mostly chuckled beside me as I tried to navigate the downtown streets. Apparently she had already memorized the way to work and let me walk almost a whole block in the wrong direction before gently suggesting I check my GPS. Don't worry guys, I'm sure I'll get it right on the actual day I report to work...but I'm leaving extra early just in case. 

After finding my future firm we decided to reward ourselves with some Duck and Waffle coffee. It's some samba sushi lounge on the 38 floor in a skyscraper. And yeah, the Brazilian and Japanese combo was super weird. No clue whose idea it was to mix the two, but rich people pay a fortune to eat snails and monkey brains...so I guess samba sushi is relatively tame. Side note: glass elevators are the best! Especially when you get to ride them twice because you missed the exit for your floor...oops? Overall the samba music was perfect, but the expensive coffee life was just not all it's cracked up to be, especially when you can get a perfectly brewed latte for 2.50 about four blocks over. 

Jes had me walk all through the next few neighborhoods, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Brick Lane, and Spitalfield. I totally failed at taking pictures for you guys, so sorry! The good news is I get to do it all over again when my friend Tanja comes into town, so I promise to take pictures. Although, some of the areas were "hipster" or "punk," so there really was not that much to see. After she had me walk 8 million miles, jet lag began to creep in hard. I was allowed an hour nap and then forced out of bed to do work on my refugee case. On the plus side, we found this really cute non-alcoholic bar! I got a fiery martini to match my dragon-breath, jet-lagged self. Jes is one brave lady who I can happily report lived to tell the tale of waking a dragon from her nap. 

 

Day 2:

If I thought London skyscrapers were posh, I was not adequately prepared for Covent Garden. Since Jes had a meeting in the area early in the morning, we took the tube during the morning work rush. Let's just say this A/C car girl will be walking to work. I did not know that many humans could fit on one subway car. All bets were off for personal space and I was absolutely sure when the doors closed Jes, who pushed me onto the car and followed behind my hesitant self, would be crushed. Don't worry, she wasn't and apparently an inch of space between her and the door was "loads of room." The tube ride was worth it, as in the end we beat everyone to the market.

Apparently if you live in the middle of the city and have loads of money and feel like you are missing out on spring, you turn the city center into a version of Descanso gardens. Like what the heck, I cannot imagine how much all these fresh flowers cost.

The whole morning tube ride was made worth it for this piano! How amazing is this? Of course I had to play at least a bit of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata...I simply could not resist, even if it was dark and broody for 8 am song hehe. 

You name the designer brand, they've got it here...kind of like Rodeo Drive, except older. It was funny, the people here were drawn to the shops whereas little ole me only cared about all these flowers! I mean seriously, it's like walking into a homey English cottage, but the cottage is everything from Burberry to Dior and spans a few blocks. 

Our day got even better with free Pret coffee!! Apparently if you're nice and treat your cashier like a human being, they have permission to give you free coffee. Also talk about socially conscious businesses, they donate the food that does not sell every night to homeless shelters across the area instead of just throwing it away and work with lots of local charities. Why can't all coffee shops be this cool? 

The rest of the day was just spent moseying around and enjoying all the greenery while window shopping. It's not that exciting I know, but honestly it was exactly the low key day I needed. Plus it's fun to pretend like I was a part of the British elite for a day. More adventures to come so stay tuned :)

Love you all!

Carolyn

LONDON

Hello Fam!

I'm traveling again and you know what that means, the blog is back in action. This time I'm a little older, a little wiser, and still the same traveling procrastinator. Literally packed my bags at 10 am before my evening flight. You think I would learn from all my travels but nope, spent five days before my flight putting everything in order and calling in the village for reinforcements when booking hotels and packing my apartment seemed impossible. 10 hours and a whole ocean later; Voila! I'm in London!

Jes picked me up in style with a homemade cardboard sign and all. For those of you who don't read bangla (a group in which I myself am included) the bottom of my sign says "don't get kidnapped," a throwback to our 2014 days of working in Bangladesh where that phrase was the best BRAC had to give us during our preventative security measures lecture -.- At least I can thank them for helping me find a British best friend, five years later and we can still tolerate one another (just kidding, love you Jes hehe).

For those of you who have yet to meet Jes, let me tell you one thing, she's a walker. So my very first day in London, after this 10 hour flight, I arrived at noon and stayed out until midnight. Not only did we take a train and three subway lines to get from the airport to our airbnb, but also we walked six miles along the canal. Looks like there's no more A/C car girl here. The weather was actually phenomenal, as in sunny and 75, so we just lazed in the grass, ate ice cream, and checked out the house boats. There was even a bookstore boat! (which is pictured below)

Day 2: Jet lag isn't too bad, but that didn't stop me from waking up at the crack of dawn today. I forced myself to go back to bed for a few more hours, especially since early wake-up calls will be the norm once work starts. Around 9:30 we decided to get dressed and adventure! Not even 24 hours together and we are already accidentally matching.

We started our morning at the Sunday flower market. Trust me when I say I will be back EVERY Sunday. They had orchids for five pounds! ORCHIDS. I'm talking the potted plant kind that you pay twenty-five dollars for in the grocery store when you're running late to a party and need a quick gift for the hostess but BIGGER. Seven pound bouquets of roses and four pound peonies! This girl is going to have fresh flowers every week hehehe.

I think Jes really wanted me to appreciate her country bumpkin roots, because we went to a city farm next! It is literally just as it is named, a farm in the middle of city.

For those of you that remember my Paso Robles County Fair days, you know that pigs aren't really my thing. So imagine my terror when the farmers asked us to stand behind the gate as they moved the two hundred pound pig into another pen. I was on the other side of the farm faster than you can imagine! I'm not about to wait around and see if cujo the pig wanted to crash the gate and eat me for breakfast. I promise you the pig was massive and the picture just does not do her justice. 

Okay the next part is my favorite because I GOT TO PET THE FILLY AND SHE LOVED ME. Also hilarious to watch her prance around because she still couldn't quite figure out how to handle her legs yet, hence the weird stance she took while grazing. 

We had lunch at the farm next and I had real coffee...finally! I seriously need to figure out why it is just so much better in Europe. Maybe I need to up my barista skills because really there is nothing like a European latte or cortado. 

Found this cute scenery on our walk home. Don't be fooled though, most of London is just a regular city. But I'm hoping to find more spaces like these during my time here.  

That's about it for now, it's raining, so I'm inside sipping my tea and blogging through the afternoon. I think that makes me practically British now. I'll keep you guys posted!

Love you lots,
Carolyn