My Surreal Life

There were several times this weekend when I seriously wanted to stop in my place and either laugh or cry from the insanity that is my life right now. I still cannot believe that I actually LIVE in London! I feel like this is a dream, and I’m going to wake up and be in Chicago any moment.  The fact that I’m already one month in is so wild to me. This year really is going to fly by!! That said, I’m already feeling behind in my updates. The sheer volume of funny incidents, and new experiences I could post about are more than I can keep up with. So here’s a shot at a combination of some touristy experiences, and some Kirsti-craziness that’s sure to make you at least crack a smile. 

First off… I really think this 30^th birthday of mine that’s rapidly approaching is trying to make it’s mark on me. Not only did I find a white wiry hair right on top of my head this weekend, but I was forced to acknowledge the fact that I really suck at walking in high heels these days. Not only do I suck at walking in them (something I already knew), but I actually think it’s taking me longer and longer to recover when I do decide to wear them! This I don’t think is fair. If I’m going to make the effort – say when I go to a salsa club with my roommates – to put on a nice pair of heels and dress like a lady, why is it I should have a painful limp and several blisters for days after?! Ugh. Oh well. Either way, both of those things have made me acutely aware that I’m (shhh) getting….. old! :)

I’m in live music heaven around here. Tuesday I had the easiest time ever convincing two of my favorite classmates/friends (Natalia and Veronica) to go to a bar called Blues Kitchen in Camden to hear a swing band! This was honestly so much fun. They had tons of whiskey cocktails (so an Old Fashioned seemed to be in order), and there were dancers who were doing the Charleston in the middle of the dance floor. I felt like I was in the middle of a Woody Allen movie in Paris. So much fun! I also found out that every Sunday they have a blues jam that I plan to check out next week.

 

 

Swing band - complete with a trombone!

Veronica (from Bolivia) is on the left, me, Natalia (from Russia) is in the purple, and Anna is in the green

This is clearly me showing Mitesh how to do the Charleston. What else would I be doing??

Dance party!

Then Sharon came with me to a bar in our neighborhood (Maida Vale) that supposedly had free jazz on Thursdays. Now this place is really cool… it’s not a typical pub. It’s a bit more modern feeling, but there is a huge outdoor patio and it’s right along the Little Venice canal, so in the summer apparently it gets super crowded. They also have a fireplace and couches, so it sort of had a ski town feel which I really liked. But the band playing consisted of two guys that looked like they walked right out of the late 60s. And the lead singer (reminiscent of Bob Dylan to me), was definitely rocking out. Not at all jazz-like, but still a fun live music night. (All free I might add). The amount of music options around are endless, and I really am loving it!

This is the alleged "jazz" band. See fireplace to the right (next to the guy slumped over looking like a weirdo).

So, the salsa club. This was a first for me. Super excited to go dancing…..however I guess I sort of didn’t take into account that I have no idea how to salsa dance! That seemed irrelevant when I agreed to go a few weeks ago. So I get all dolled up, wear heels (pack flats for later), and get to the club, only to realize we were too late for the lesson and I have no idea what the steps are in salsa. Sharon, my roommate, tried to teach me some of them, but it was actually a huge Nigerian guy who ended up throwing me all over the floor that “taught” me (if you could call it that) how to dance like a Latin American.  Apparently all you need is a guy who knows how to dance to lead you, and you look like a natural! Almost. Trust me though when I say, I’m still limping from that experience.

My roommate Laura (left), Sharon (next to me on the right) and Laura's boyfriend's niece visiting from Australia on the way to the Salsa club.

Sharon (left) and Laura (right) - both of my roommates

Natalia and I at the Salsa club

Sharon and her dance partner

We finally convinced Paul - our 3rd roommate - to come meet us out. He did not salsa dance.

I realize that talking much about going on runs isn’t very interesting. However I’m going to bring it up only because I feel like some of the best pictures I have from going on these runs! As some of you saw on my Facebook post, I just realized pretty recently how close I live to Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles famous Abbey Rd shot was taken. It’s in the neighborhood directly next to mine called St. John’s Wood. A very very posh area, where I think Paul McCartney may still actually live…. But it was a beautiful sunny day last week, so I figured I had to take a few photos!

My run down Abbey Road, in St. John's Wood

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On the same run in St. John's Wood/Abbey Road

This is the actual Abbey Road studio - clearly some graffiti has happened

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I also went on a run with another “new friend” Cristy who also happens to be from Chicago. She lives by Hyde Park, so I took the tube and met her there for a run on Friday since I didn’t have class. Holy crap! What an amazing park! There is a pond in the middle that’s about 2 miles around that has swans, and is right next to the memorial for Princess Di. Again, beautiful sunny day… hard to beat these views!

Entrance to Hyde Park

Another view of Hyde Park entrance

 Another thing I’m realizing about myself as I pack my days full of touristing, trying new things and endless social plans is that sometimes (more noticeably recently) I am just plain exhausted. I’m starting to recognize more my need for alone time, and that sometimes I actually prefer to spend some time alone. So yesterday, I was feeling a bit pooped, and decided that after a leisurely morning omelet and some coffee with Sharon at my flat, that I’d venture out to the Portabella Market in Notting Hill.  Now it’s worth mentioning that there are tons of markets in various neighborhoods of London, and so far I am loving all of them. But this market is one of the more “famous” ones I guess I’d say, and Notting Hill is absolutely one of the cutest (if you can call million dollar homes cute) areas around. The homes are all really colorful, and the market is packed full of antiques, shoe and clothing stores, accessory vendors, live musicians playing on the street, fresh food and veggies, and an amazing number of food vendors selling crepes and other street foods that were assaulting my nose in a wonderful way.  Here are a few of the photos to give you an idea of what the area looks like, and just how crazy busy this market gets in the middle of the day.

Portabella Road - Notting Hill

Portabella Road Market

 It’s hard not to feel like you’re in a movie walking down streets like this, while a Charlie Chaplan street “performer” attracts attention on one side, and while local acoustic musicians are playing on the other side of the street. If the weather hadn’t been so chilly, I probably would have just plopped on one of the sidewalks with a book and hung out all afternoon. It really was pretty amazing. I also was interviewed by some British camera people who were asking people what makes them laugh. Me – being the giggly one I am – told them that it doesn’t take much …but that I’m especially prone to fart and burb jokes. Ha! I’m not sure how much footage of mine they are going to use in whatever documentary they are doing…but I found myself to be pretty funny.

Once I couldn’t take any more of the cold, I was literally speed walking around trying to find the nearest pub or café to sit in and warm up. I’ve actually found myself doing that quite a lot lately. It’s like I stay out in the cold until the last possible second, and then suddenly I feel like I’m going to freeze to death if I don’t go inside immediately. So I did just that yesterday, which is how I found myself in a pub on one of the side streets in Notting Hill. Now… I will say that it was a little more crowded than I anticipated it being for an afternoon, but I still grabbed a cider from the bar, and plopped on an open couch to relax and warm up. I had hoped it would be quieter and that I could read the book I brought with me or write in my journal, but I quickly realized how silly that would look given the tables of people all around me watching some sort of game on TV. No more than 10 minutes after I arrived, the bar got even more crowded and I realized there was a huge rugby game about to start.  Short story long…. I made friends. A couple of British dudes, a girl from Bulgaria, and a lovely man from South Africa who talked to me about training for triathlons and how much he loved his wife for an hour. It was really random. And several times I wondered how the heck I ended up alone at a pub surrounded by people I have never met. Nearly 3 hours later I finally was able to convince my new group I didn’t want any more Guinness and that I needed to head home. Only in Europe…honestly, it’s crazy the things that just seem to happen when you’re open to them, and I’m loving every minute of it.

Today I tried out a new Catholic Church in a quest to find one I might actually like. I have to say the Catholic churches here pale in comparison to the ones I was spoiled by in Italy. And truthfully even Chicago’s churches are prettier than what I’ve seen so far. Clearly the Church of England rules around here. I’ve also never seen so many Asians and Middle Easterns at mass! Quite unexpected. Somehow I ended up taking my friend Branislav to church too…. But I didn’t realize until we were about to walk in that he has essentially never been to church and proceeded to bombard me with tons of questions like a 5 year old. Anyway, I’m holding out hope that one of them might be pretty and not make me feel like I’m in the ghetto…. But I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m either going to have to travel more for that… or I’m going to have to be an Anglican for a few months…

Okay enough for today.  Here are a few more of my “touristy” pictures just so I can share some of the awesome shots I’ve taken. I’m headed off to my friend Samantha’s as she and her boyfriend are hosting a Super Bowl party. I’m seriously packing my pajamas to stay the night, and we’re all staying up to watch the game!

Along the Thames - with my friend Samantha who is going to a different university here - with a view of Big Ben at sunset

Another shot of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament across the Thames

With Cristy - from Chicago - in front of Big Ben

I'm not going to lie - I don't know what this guy is called...but I thought a big lion was cool

On the other side of the Thames, looking back at the London Eye (that's the name for the ferris wheel)

The London Eye again walking along the river

one of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster

This is Westminster Abbey - didn't get to go inside yet, but it's amazing on the outside

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The Shard (the name for that crazy building) by night. It's kind of crazy to me how much more modern this section of London looks compared to so many others with the neon lights.

Another day - this was a walk along the Thames after it snowed. That's the Tower Bridge (not the London Bridge) ahead

Samantha and I in front of the Tower Bridge

Warwick Avenue is in Little Venice and is a famous road. Duffy sang a song about it because she lived in this neighborhood. It's right down the street from me.

This is in Covent Garden. It's an exposed gutted train station (I think) that's been turned into cafes and shopping. Very cute and quaint inside. Not sure why there are tables for eating outdoors though as it was pretty cold!

Natalia, Veronica and I outside the National History Museum which is an absolutely beautiful building in South Kensington

One of the dinosaurs inside the National History Museum

Natalia and I pretending we are dinosaurs. I'm sure we had everyone fooled....

The exterior of the National History museum by night. Awesome. Across the street is the Victoria & Albert Museum. This whole strip of museums is in South Kensington and all of them are free!

Trafalgar Square right in front of the National Gallery (the free art museum)

Another view in Trifalgar Square

This is also Trifalgar Square, but it's facing the other direction on the stairs in front of the National Gallery, facing down towards Big Ben and St. Paul's Cathedral.

This is me and Rachel - a girl from Chicago who was on my same flight moving to London the same day! We went exploring and walked through London's Chinatown.

This is some monument on the south end of Hyde Park, walking towards South Kensington museums.

These are just a few giraffes leisurely strolling around the north side of Regents Park. I saw them on a run one day since it goes right by the London Zoo. The Zoo is pretty expensive, and I've heard not that amazing, but I didn't mind some giraffe time on the run!

Last but not least, this is Picadilly Circus. A well-known square that marks the start of a big shopping district. I actually remember this from my last trip to London 8 years ago!