Well, I got my shipment of boxes yesterday - delivered safe and sound! Only one box was slightly damaged. It's the one that I haven't opened yet, so we'll see what's wrong, but it is full of books and it doesn't seem like anything was destroyed, just maybe a little bent up or wet.
I have unpacked everything except for that one box of books and DVDs. I am very happy that I have so much room here...I actually have extra shelf space in my closet! I did have to order a new bookshelf and DVD stand and some underbed storage, but it was all inexpensive (and a reimbursable moving expense to boot!). I am looking forward to having those things on Thursday and hopefully being all settled in by the weekend. I am going to take some pictures when everything's done so you can see my room and the rest of my flat. It's really not that exciting, though. Looks like something I might have lived in in the States!
Work has been plodding along, but I expect to have a huge influx of work any day now and the anticipation of that is just looming over me. In the mean time, I've been enjoying normal days and the ability to work out and relax in the evening!
I noticed my Bath pics were a bit small. I'll have to go back to the "medium" setting next time - sorry about that!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Bath
Saturday I took a day trip to Bath, a smaller town west of London - about 90 minutes by train. I met my friends Laurie and Chad there and we spent the day exploring the Roman baths, the Jane Austen center and the rest of the town. It was a great place with loads of history (and some great modern shopping too!) and amazing architecture and scenery.
View of Bath from the train station. There are a lot of churches here - you can see the steeple and spires poppin up everywhere around the city.
With Laurie at the Roman baths. These date from something like A.D. 400 when the Romans settled here and made use of the only hot spring in Britain. The water is full of minerals and was thought to have healing powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. People would travel from all over to bathe and drink the water. There was so much history at these baths - it was amazing to think of all of the hundreds of years of people who have been here to bathe!
This is the Pump Room at the baths. It is a restaurant now and you can drink the hot springs water here. In Jane Austen's day, it was a social gathering place to see and be seen.
We watched a glass-blowing demonstration. This company puts copper oxide in the glass and the way it mixes with the minerals in the water, it makes an aqua color after it cools. All of the things they made were so beautiful (and so expensive!).
Me by the River Avon. In the background you can see one of the many churches. And off to the right, some of the old architecture of Bath.
A view of the outskirts of Bath from the rugby field. There are quite a few hils around so the houses are built in terraces (sort of hard to see here I guess). They also all use a similar sort of stone and the whole town looks the same.
View of Bath from the train station. There are a lot of churches here - you can see the steeple and spires poppin up everywhere around the city.
With Laurie at the Roman baths. These date from something like A.D. 400 when the Romans settled here and made use of the only hot spring in Britain. The water is full of minerals and was thought to have healing powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. People would travel from all over to bathe and drink the water. There was so much history at these baths - it was amazing to think of all of the hundreds of years of people who have been here to bathe!
This is the Pump Room at the baths. It is a restaurant now and you can drink the hot springs water here. In Jane Austen's day, it was a social gathering place to see and be seen.
We watched a glass-blowing demonstration. This company puts copper oxide in the glass and the way it mixes with the minerals in the water, it makes an aqua color after it cools. All of the things they made were so beautiful (and so expensive!).
Me by the River Avon. In the background you can see one of the many churches. And off to the right, some of the old architecture of Bath.
A view of the outskirts of Bath from the rugby field. There are quite a few hils around so the houses are built in terraces (sort of hard to see here I guess). They also all use a similar sort of stone and the whole town looks the same.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Skype-ing
Today I finally was able to get Skype downloaded onto my computer. Supposedly we're not supposed to have non-Deloitte software downloaded, but we'll see what happens. Anyway, I signed up for Skype Pro which gives me call forwarding to my cell and a number that I can call in the UK and then connect at my (cheap) Skype rates to the US. Sort of like a calling card. Also, I bought a Colorado number that people should be able to call and text me at.
Currently neither my calling card feature or my US number are working, but I have a question in about that so hopefully it will get sorted out and I can be in better contact with many of you! However, my Skype is working on the computer. So if you want to talk, you can download Skype and we can arrange a time to talk via the computer since Skype-to-Skype calls are always free! Downloading Skype is free too...you just need a headset with mike I think. I just talked to my mom and the connection was very good, better than the cell phone even!
My user name is kathy.vawter if you're interested.
Currently neither my calling card feature or my US number are working, but I have a question in about that so hopefully it will get sorted out and I can be in better contact with many of you! However, my Skype is working on the computer. So if you want to talk, you can download Skype and we can arrange a time to talk via the computer since Skype-to-Skype calls are always free! Downloading Skype is free too...you just need a headset with mike I think. I just talked to my mom and the connection was very good, better than the cell phone even!
My user name is kathy.vawter if you're interested.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Commuting
As most of you know, my commute in Denver was a one mile walk down the hill that took me about 17 minutes unless it was snowy or icy. I loved not having any hazards and always knowing what time I would be at work.
In London, I can do a combo of walking, taking a bus or taking the tube. I have experimented with different ways and they all take between 30 and 45 minutes. Today, however, I had a commuting adventure that lasted 90 minutes! The busses were running behind and then they were full. So I had to wait for the 6th bus to come by before I got on. Needless to say, that waiting too about 25 minutes! Then I got on the tube and the train I was on was suddenly shut down at one station. So we all had to get off and wait for the next train which was another 15 minutes of waiting!
So after that adventure, I was glad to get to work and thought I'd just take one bus home to not complicate matters. But wouldn't you know, that bus broke down!!! Just not my day for commuting; I should have stayed in bed I guess!
In London, I can do a combo of walking, taking a bus or taking the tube. I have experimented with different ways and they all take between 30 and 45 minutes. Today, however, I had a commuting adventure that lasted 90 minutes! The busses were running behind and then they were full. So I had to wait for the 6th bus to come by before I got on. Needless to say, that waiting too about 25 minutes! Then I got on the tube and the train I was on was suddenly shut down at one station. So we all had to get off and wait for the next train which was another 15 minutes of waiting!
So after that adventure, I was glad to get to work and thought I'd just take one bus home to not complicate matters. But wouldn't you know, that bus broke down!!! Just not my day for commuting; I should have stayed in bed I guess!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Weekend Wanderings
Pretty much "all" I needed to do this weekend was buy some household items - dishes, clothes drying rack, etc. So my task was to 1) find where to buy this stuff, 2) figure out how to get there and 3) figure out how to get it home. Without boring you with the details, it was a very frustrating, long process. Which isn't complete yet. I have dishes, but no glasses and I still need to get out to buy some other things tomorrow.
I did go to a dinner people at the home of a work friend tonight. It was nice to get to know some other people more informally. All of them have had the same struggles I am going through of getting settled and learning the city, so it's nice to take comfort in that.
I did go to a dinner people at the home of a work friend tonight. It was nice to get to know some other people more informally. All of them have had the same struggles I am going through of getting settled and learning the city, so it's nice to take comfort in that.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Moved in
Well, I finally moved into my new apartment on Sunday morning. My (new) good friends Sarah and Sam graciously allowed me to stay with them all of last week since my corporate housing ran out and I needed somewhere to live while I went to work and waited to move in here. Sarah and I went shopping for bedding on Saturday and Sam drove me and all of my suitcases up here on Sunday. I unpacked and promptly went back down to their house for lunch before church in the evening, since we had planned that 2 weeks ago!
I now live on the east side of Islington, on the border of Shoreditch. There is a park a couple blocks behind me, right in front of me and a canal with a path alongside right behind here. There is a bus stop 5 steps from the front door and a tube stop about a 12 minute walk (or 5 minute bus ride) away. It is close to Old Street and Upper Street (both trendy locations in the shopping/dining world of London) and easy to get to from almost anywhere in London. My flatmate is nice, although we haven't spent much time together. She is an investment banker at UBS and if you think that I work a lot... Let's just say she's not home tonight at 11:00 and I must have been sound asleep before she came in last night.
I'm busy trying to decide where my first trip will be. I'm leaning towards Italy in mid-May. I'd also like to do Spain this summer and maybe choose somewhere else for the fall. Somewhere warmer...Turkey? I have already been invited to Cornwall (on the southern coast of England) for what is Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. We have a bank holiday here, which is when everyone takes long weekends from work.
If you would like my new address or phone number, send me an email or leave me a message here with your email. I enjoy seeing your comments, even if it's just to say that you've been checking in on me!
I now live on the east side of Islington, on the border of Shoreditch. There is a park a couple blocks behind me, right in front of me and a canal with a path alongside right behind here. There is a bus stop 5 steps from the front door and a tube stop about a 12 minute walk (or 5 minute bus ride) away. It is close to Old Street and Upper Street (both trendy locations in the shopping/dining world of London) and easy to get to from almost anywhere in London. My flatmate is nice, although we haven't spent much time together. She is an investment banker at UBS and if you think that I work a lot... Let's just say she's not home tonight at 11:00 and I must have been sound asleep before she came in last night.
I'm busy trying to decide where my first trip will be. I'm leaning towards Italy in mid-May. I'd also like to do Spain this summer and maybe choose somewhere else for the fall. Somewhere warmer...Turkey? I have already been invited to Cornwall (on the southern coast of England) for what is Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. We have a bank holiday here, which is when everyone takes long weekends from work.
If you would like my new address or phone number, send me an email or leave me a message here with your email. I enjoy seeing your comments, even if it's just to say that you've been checking in on me!
Paris
Another load of pictures from my 24 hour whirlwind tour of Paris!
Mona Lisa hanging in her spot in the Louvre. The Louvre was a very cool place to wander around, even for someone like me who really isn't that into art. It is a beautiful building inside and out and houses some of the world's most famous art. Thankfully, we were in Paris on the night that the museum was open late, otherwise we might not have been able to fit it in!
I was amazed at how beautiful the streets and buildings in Paris are. I'm sure these are very pricy apartments, but they seem like they would be fun to live in...
The Eiffel Tour lights up with sparkly lights at night - it was gorgeous even from 2 streets over!
Mona Lisa hanging in her spot in the Louvre. The Louvre was a very cool place to wander around, even for someone like me who really isn't that into art. It is a beautiful building inside and out and houses some of the world's most famous art. Thankfully, we were in Paris on the night that the museum was open late, otherwise we might not have been able to fit it in!
I was amazed at how beautiful the streets and buildings in Paris are. I'm sure these are very pricy apartments, but they seem like they would be fun to live in...
I liked Paris very much. It is a beautiful city with a lot of old style character. However, it is very hard to navigate (much like London actually) and these maps usually told us nothing at all! This is within a couple hours of leaving and I was very frustrated. I'm glad Ben was with me and I didn't try to go on my own the first time!
Eiffel Tower by day. We also saw the Arc de Triomphe, the Bastille, the Marmottan Museum (where a good portion of Monet's paintings hang), ate crepes and had the most amazing meal of our entire trip. Neither of us speak any French at all, but we went into a very traditional French restaurant in an out of the way street (it was recommended in our guide book). We couldn't read the menu since it was all in French, so we asked the waiter to order us the best 2 things from each of the 3 courses on the menu. We had a fabulous meal and each item they brought was so delicious! I will definitely visit that restaurant again...
Not only are the maps difficult to understand and the streets going every which way, all of the descriptions and plaques, etc. in museums are in French ONLY! I enjoy reading about different things and maybe the background to paintings or other things, but there was none of that to be had. We had to satisfy ourselves with seeing the name, artist and perhaps a date. Just goes to show how proud the French are of their culture and language, and rightfully so!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Pictures!
That is the Tower Bridge at dusk. The first week I was here, Ben's friend Chad came down from where he and his wife live near Birmingham and met us in London for some sightseeing. We did a few of the major spots in central London and the next night we all headed up to Chad & Laurie's (about 2 hours on the train) for dinner. It was nice to have someone show us around a bit!
Me & Ben by the Tower of London. This was the only day that it really rained much in the last 3 weeks.
Chad & Ben at St. Katherine's Docks
Me on the walkways over Tower Bridge - looking down towards Canary Wharf
View of the City from the bridge. The "City of London" is about a square mile of land that comprises most of the downtown business area, but not a lot of people live there and it gets fairly dead on the weekends.
Big Ben
Typical view from the top of a double decker bus
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
More London Observations
Only a couple tonight because I keep forgetting the others!
6. Engagement rings/diamonds here are VERY small. Now that I have noticed this over and over, I remember reading something about in a book about British vs. American culture. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I'll have to find that book to see what they said about why this is. Perhaps it's the cost...but it's not that expensive to fly to NYC and buy a ring there! Probably cheaper than buying a smallish ring here. Anyway, they are small.
7. "Cheers" can mean a number of different things. We as Americans use it primarily in toasts, and might think of it being used in the UK as goodbye perhaps. BUT I have heard it used for the following, somewhat contradictory, things: hello, goodbye, thanks, you're welcome, enjoy (as in a restaurant setting) and as a toast. So it seems to me you can walk into a restaurant, say cheers, say cheers when your order is taken, say cheers when your water is brought (and the waiter will say cheers back to you), when your food is brought, when you pay the bill and when you walk out the door.
6. Engagement rings/diamonds here are VERY small. Now that I have noticed this over and over, I remember reading something about in a book about British vs. American culture. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I'll have to find that book to see what they said about why this is. Perhaps it's the cost...but it's not that expensive to fly to NYC and buy a ring there! Probably cheaper than buying a smallish ring here. Anyway, they are small.
7. "Cheers" can mean a number of different things. We as Americans use it primarily in toasts, and might think of it being used in the UK as goodbye perhaps. BUT I have heard it used for the following, somewhat contradictory, things: hello, goodbye, thanks, you're welcome, enjoy (as in a restaurant setting) and as a toast. So it seems to me you can walk into a restaurant, say cheers, say cheers when your order is taken, say cheers when your water is brought (and the waiter will say cheers back to you), when your food is brought, when you pay the bill and when you walk out the door.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Reconnected!
I finally have a computer again! I began work yesterday with 2 days of induction (or what I would call orientation). We were in an outside venue and it was all of the experienced hire people from the whole UK. It was good to meet people from all over the world (literally!) and UK who are working around here in various parts of the firm. AND I got my computer today! :) So now I can be more connected and begin uploading photos, etc. No promises on when that will happen though, so continue with your patience...
Friday, February 1, 2008
London Observations
I've noticed a few quirky things about London over the last couple of weeks. They are things I observe over and over every day. I'm sure every city has these, but here are my observations:
1. This city (of 7 million + people) has very few public trash cans! I can grab something to eat or drink and then walk around all day (not joking) without seeing somewhere to throw the wrapping or whatever. There are bus stops and tube stations and train platforms everywhere, which are common places for trash cans in the US, but none to be found here!
2. Needless to say, the city is very clean for the amount of people and the lack of trash cans. The most common piece of litter I see is Red Bull cans. No joke. And evening newspapers too, but only at the top of escalators in tube stops and only after 6 PM. Red Bull cans take the crown.
3. I am happy and surprised when I hear English spoken. London is an extremely international city and you will hear every language in the neighborhoods and shopping districts. The main place to hear English is in the City itself ("downtown" we'll call it). I have usually thought that I can recognize most languages and distinguish them, but here I cannot do that.
4. The TV is mostly American. The British TV is generally bad. Prime time dramas are filmed in a poor manor, very similarly to an old soap opera. Prime time comedies are crass and poorly scripted. I've been watching a fair amount of TV lately and I find myself hunting for cooking shows and old American movies. All American movies and current TV shows are quite easy to find, which is probably good given the quality (generally) of British TV. Oh and they LOVE game shows - mostly of the quiz/trivia variety. Those are British, not American.
5. And the best of all: So far the weather is better than I expected! It's sunny about 1/3 of the time, cloudy but not raining about 1/2 the time and raining or threatening to rain the rest, so really not that bad! And with temps in the mid 40s-mid 50s, I'm pretty comfortable being outside all day. I'm still working on that celcius to fahrenheit conversion though...
1. This city (of 7 million + people) has very few public trash cans! I can grab something to eat or drink and then walk around all day (not joking) without seeing somewhere to throw the wrapping or whatever. There are bus stops and tube stations and train platforms everywhere, which are common places for trash cans in the US, but none to be found here!
2. Needless to say, the city is very clean for the amount of people and the lack of trash cans. The most common piece of litter I see is Red Bull cans. No joke. And evening newspapers too, but only at the top of escalators in tube stops and only after 6 PM. Red Bull cans take the crown.
3. I am happy and surprised when I hear English spoken. London is an extremely international city and you will hear every language in the neighborhoods and shopping districts. The main place to hear English is in the City itself ("downtown" we'll call it). I have usually thought that I can recognize most languages and distinguish them, but here I cannot do that.
4. The TV is mostly American. The British TV is generally bad. Prime time dramas are filmed in a poor manor, very similarly to an old soap opera. Prime time comedies are crass and poorly scripted. I've been watching a fair amount of TV lately and I find myself hunting for cooking shows and old American movies. All American movies and current TV shows are quite easy to find, which is probably good given the quality (generally) of British TV. Oh and they LOVE game shows - mostly of the quiz/trivia variety. Those are British, not American.
5. And the best of all: So far the weather is better than I expected! It's sunny about 1/3 of the time, cloudy but not raining about 1/2 the time and raining or threatening to rain the rest, so really not that bad! And with temps in the mid 40s-mid 50s, I'm pretty comfortable being outside all day. I'm still working on that celcius to fahrenheit conversion though...
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