A Final Goodbye!

Welp, I think this is going to be my last post (at least for a while) given that the purpose of this blog was to talk about my year living abroad in London, and that's now come to an end. Leaving London this morning was so much tougher than I thought it would be when I moved here a year ago. Or maybe I just didn't really think it through. Either way, I admittedly got choked up as the plane took off from Heathrow and I said goodbye to a city and a year that I loved. What was it that made this city so special you ask? Well, since you asked..... I'll tell you! ;)

Can you imagine.....

... a city so vast and wide that it takes over an hour to get from one side to the other but you still can't see a skyscraper outside in most neighborhoods, and every neighborhood is different?

... picking up groceries at your corner market (commonly referred to as an Off License here) and having the counter clerk know you by face and trust you enough to tell you to bring him the extra pound you owe him tomorrow?

... walking down your street daily and seeing the buzz of people going through the street market to decide which local vendor they want to try today, and then grabbing their lunch along with a pint at the pub around the corner before returning to work and knowing you can eat this delicious food every day for less than a fiver?

... being able to see something as old as the Tower of London and historically significant as Buckingham Palace and as modern as the Tate Modern all in one afternoon?

....your local pub being around since 1833  - Lamb & Flag, Covent Garden - and the one that stood there before it since the 1700s? (Ok, it's not MY local, but it's one I've frequented and quite like!)

... going on "friend dates" the first weekend you arrive in a new city having no idea who these people are, only to find out they will become some of your closest friends? And making friends from all over the world (literally! Australia, New Zealand, Bolivia, Russia, Saudi Arabia) who welcome you into their group no-questions-asked and invite you to everything they do?

... going to 4 different countries in one months for less than £1000?

... having so many options for unusual things to do: fancy-dress parties where people actually dress up in something other than 80s attire, pop-up themed bars every season, secret cinema, late museum nights and ice skating in front of the Tower of London?

... going out on a Friday night - not to an antiseptic bar with blaring hip hop and 22 flat screen TVs, but to a warm, glowing British pub, with dark wood floors and a welcoming atmosphere where you can hear your friends talk and enjoy their company?

... riding the tube every day and hearing accents from North England, London, Ireland, Scotland and foreign languages that you can't even begin to identify and realizing how big the world is and how lucky you are to be able to experience so much of it?

.... a city where the West side is full of charm and history (and maybe a little stuffy but quaint just the same!) and the East side is vibrant and trendy with new bar concepts every week, and knowing that every week you get to decide which "city" you want to immerse yourself in?

...having your choice of 4 huge beautiful Royal Parks that you can take a run in that you know will be beautifully landscaped and prettier than almost any (with the exception of Central Park and Golden Gate) you've seen?

... walking through the hustle and bustle but instead of feeling a push from a rude, hardened businessman (or woman) you see wonder on everyone's faces as they realize they are in such a great city as LONDON!

This is the city I've fallen in love with this past year. It's the city I will remember with fondness for years to come. It's the city where I've traveled more than I have in my entire life and seen more live music than I have in any year before. It's the city where I was fortunate enough to take a full year off of my stressful job to be able to take a step back and see more clearly what I want to do next in my career. It's the city where I finally did something I've wanted to do for a decade, and proved to myself I could (and would) do it. It's where I've fallen in love, and made friends who will last for another decade (and longer if I'm lucky)! There are so many things and people I'm grateful for.

People who have cooked food for me when I was feeling like a broke college student...

And played hookie from work to spend a day together before I moved home....

And celebrated with me at my going away party, making me feel special and surrounded by love...

So thank you to all of you. I will miss you all dearly! Please come visit me in the States!

xx (finally I suppose I will adopt the popular double-cheek 'kiss kiss' as my closing)

~Kirsti

The Best Of.... London Edition

The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind: finishing my exams and my final research project, squeezing in last minute travel to Prague and fun visitors, and trying to do anything left remaining on my "must see" list in London before I move home. Since everyone keeps asking my what I'm going to miss most, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about my favorites here. What is it that I love so much about this city that Chicago won't have? So, while there are oh-so-many things.. here's my "Best of London" list:

Roasts!
When I moved here, I was told that the food was terrible. To this day, I still am not sure how people can say that. Roasts are quite possibly the best thing to happen to Sundays. I'm even willing to forego a good eggs benedict for a roast! And while I'm willing to admit you can't eat roasts every day...this is just one example of some of the great food I've had while living here.

Fancy dress parties
I'm not sure I'll ever find a more fun party than one of London's fancy dress parties. Last winter we went to a Prohibition Party for my 30th birthday, and I loved dressing up. It's so much better than the overdone, bad 80s parties we do in the States. I'm wondering if I start hosting mandatory fancy dress parties at my house in Chicago whether my friends would even participate! But here in London, they go all out!

Yes, I realize this was a 4th of July party....but even here we go all out!

The fact that wearing full body suit costumes is totally normal is the best!

The parks
It may sound silly. Or grandma-ish....but hanging out or going on a run in London's parks is one of my favorite ways to spend a day. It's actually on my list of things I have to do before I leave. (It's much more of an undertaking now that I don't live so close to them anymore). Regent's Park is probably my favorite, but Hampstead Heath and Hyde Park are close behind. I don't have photos of all of them, but trust me when I say that walking along the Regents Canal on a sunny day as you see the water sparkling is something that I will miss so much!

British pubs (which include cask ales)
Draught beer makes me burp. Somehow the cask ales are.....better! Too much information? Ok fine. But the pubs here are amazing. I love them. They are soooo much better (in my humble opinion) than American sports bars with 50 flat screen TVs blaring loud hip hop music at the commercials of whatever game is on, and the smell of antiseptic from cleaning up last night's spilt Bud Light from the floors. I'll take a charming pub like The Old Queen's Head or The Charles Lamb any day. Throw in some board games and the fact that the pub has been around since 1765 and it's a done deal!

The use of inappropriate (or borderline inappropriate) language in everyday scenarios

I guess this isn't really "inappropriate"....but this ad would never fly in the States!

The architecture and charm

This is hard to sum up without just walking the streets and experiencing it. It's the neighborhoods. It's the history. It's the way that even in the middle of a busy city, you don't feel the same harshness that you might experience in NYC. Come here and you'll understand. (Unless you hang out in Shoreditch the entire time, which likely will change your opinion of this statement.)

The live music
Any kind of music you could ever want. Any band. They all come here. There are so many great venues. And there are even more bars who have free or cheap live music nightly. It's one of the things I will miss the most.

The markets
I think I've become a bit crazy about markets. I don't even know if I can explain what it is.... I just love them. The energy. The food. The activity. Borough Market is hands down my favorite, but that may or may not have a lot to do with the fact that they sample cheese and truffle oil. :) But really, what a great way to spend an afternoon! Here there are so many!

Portobello Market on a Saturday

Borough Market on one of Kyle's trips to visit me.

The best (and worst) style you will ever see

Anything goes here. Really. I've seen men in pink sweatsuits, and also seen some of the best fashion I could never imagine on my own. And stylish clothes can be acquired for a much cheaper price than you would expect. I imagine when I go home I will be surprised by the fashion differences. 

Mostly I just wanted an excuse to post this photo again because I think it's hilarious!

The never-ending variety of things to do that I've never encountered anywhere else...

Private room karaoke!?!?

Street Feast both in the summer and the winter time, with food vendors, live music and pop-up bars!

The boys at Street Feast

Also at Street Feast

This was the indoor version this past month.

Ping Pong bar: Bounce

And sometimes it's just things like the view of Big Ben (one of my favorites)

Or the contrast of something SO old against something so new and modern

Or walking along the Thames with little stops at Tower Bridge, or in front of St. Paul's Cathedral...

Or views like this from the Prime Meridian in Greenwich...

Or just that things like this made up my everyday life for a year...

While I'm certainly excited to come back to the U.S. and be surrounded by family and friends who I've missed and love so much....leaving all of this is going to be tough. Bear with me if for the first few weeks (or maybe months) I get a little nostalgic for London, and constantly talk about how great things have been here. I promise I won't mean to seem unhappy with the next chapter of my life, or to be spending time with you again.... it's just that when your life has been made up of such incredible experiences for the past year, letting that go to move on to the next step is going to be a process. This is just a snapshot of why I love London so much...but hopefully it gives you a little insight into my personal love for such a great city!