Bank Holiday Weekend

Sadly, I don't have too much out of the ordinary to report even though today is a public holiday in the UK. The August bank holiday is much like Labor Day in the US, although this year it's a week earlier. It signals the end of summer and the beginning of a new school term. Many, many Brits go "abroad" (usually meaning to somewhere in continental Europe) for a last shot at the beach or at least somewhere warmer than the UK. This is not a tough goal to meet as temps have been steadily in the (very) low 70s if not cooler for a couple weeks now.

On Saturday I started out with a tour of Kensington Palace here in London. Kensington was Princess Diana's home and has been in the royal family since the 1600s when it was purchased by William I (? or III?). Anyway, it was where Queen Victoria was born and lived before she became queen and also King William III and Queen Mary ruled from here for a time. There is lots of history AND they had a display of the last debuntantes in 1958. It was interesting to learn about the debutantes in Britain and the end of that era.

Sunday I had many intentions of continuing my royal weekend. I ventured out to Buckingham Palace in the morning and found that there was going to be an Olympic handover ceremony that afternoon. Interesting. I went to get in line to get tickets to the State Rooms at the Palace. They are only open in August and September each year. However, the line was very long and I found out that I wouldn't be able to get into the Palace for at least 3 hours. I was by myself and didn't think that sounded like a fun way to spend my day. SO I headed over to Oxford Street, which is one of the main shopping areas in London. Generally it is overrun with people, especially tourists, so I tend to stay away. But I knew I would be getting there right when the stores opened and it was threatening rain and it's bank holiday so I was hoping to avoid the normal mayhem. Plus I needed to run an errand there anyway. Well...3 or so hours later I ended up finishing my errand...with several shopping bags in tow! So I guess staying in London to try to save a bit of money over the weekend didn't pan out quite as I had hoped. But I got some really cute shoes. :)

Today I had to do some work since I had been away at a training Thursday and Friday. Since it is a holiday I can use this time for another day off some other time when I can actually take it. So it was a nice, quiet weekend with some touristy things and shopping thrown in as well. Can't say I can complain!

Cardiff

So I've been thinking that I don't have any overseas trips planned for August. That wasn't acceptable as I have been out of the country at least once every month since April! So yesterday I decided to take a little trip to the country of Wales. It's not out of Great Britain, but it IS out of England. :) I took a bus tour (3 hour drive each way) and spent a few hours wandering around Cardiff. There is a castle there and a huge rugby stadium as well as a bay area that is very developed and lots of shopping. It was a great city to visit for a day and I'm glad I did it!

London!

I have been thinking the last few days about how I have a blog entitled "Life in London" but very rarely do I talk about my life in London. Since I haven't been anywhere more exciting than west London lately, I thought I'd do a post about my life here.


I've been living here for 6 months now and feel that I have adjusted pretty well. Every so often though, I am thrown for a loop by something I haven't encountered before. Often it has to do with government or bureaucracy or how to act in certain social situations. London is an incredibly diverse city so just about anyone can fit in here quickly and easily. I do still find myself a bit embarrassed of my accent at times, though at least I speak up more than I did when I first moved here.


Things I like/love about London:

• Ability to travel in Europe easily (and relatively cheaply) - this, of course, is the reason I moved here
• Walking through various neighborhoods and wishing the 200 year old houses that have been shops, pubs, houses, servants quarters and modern flats could talk to me
• The diversity and acceptance that it's OK to be from somewhere different and have a different background than other people
• The train services to the countryside

Things I dislike/hate about London:

• I miss my car so much. I feel like I am 14 again and totally dependent on others (even though now it's the bus driver instead of my parents or older friends). Sometimes I just want to DRIVE.
• The weather. Everything you've heard is true, except it doesn't rain EVERY day.
• The tourists, especially Americans
• The cost of living
• The health system, my doctor in particular

I don't think I will ever tire of the view of St. Paul's from my seat on the top floor of a double-decker bus every night on my way home from work. And hopping a plane and being on a Greek beach within a few hours isn't too shabby either. Unfortunately, I can't call London home and I don't think I ever will. But I am glad I made the decision to live here and being here has given me experiences I never dreamed of five years ago.