Little bit of London Love

Today, despite having slept really poorly and waking up with the realization that I have a hugely crazy week ahead of me (moving again, lots of group work and massive amounts of progress on schoolwork needs to happen before Dan arrives this weekend) ... despite all of this, as I sat on the bus to my yoga class this morning I felt so appreciative of this experience I've had living in London. Things have not always been perfect. But I'm suddenly remembering that even those imperfect experiences craft how I've learned and grown here. They've shaped me in a way that only going through the tough times could.

Although its daytime, I can still see lights all over the city lit up for Christmas. I can tell that the whole city is going to come alive for the holiday and I'm filled with excitement! So it seems like an appropriate time for today's post to be a bit of a reflection on my time here, and some of the things that have made me giggle, cracked me up, or caused me to say 'Wow, only in London.' 

Signs in the tube congratulating the Duke and Duchess on the arrival of their new child.

Actually, such wisdom on the tube at all! I'm constantly amazed by the insights they provide me daily.

So true!!!!

In fact, quite a number of things about the tube amaze me....

Last week I saw a man in a tuxedo riding the tube! One would think he might've sprung for a taxi. Later the same day I was sitting in front of some teenage dudes who got out some baby wipes and literally started "bathing" themselves after a long night right in front of me. On the tube.

And then there's this woman.....

What, are we in your bathroom?? Seriously? Liquid foundation and eye liner??

Some people leave their coffee mugs from home, assuming that the maid is going to clean up after them?? (And please note the pregnant lady sign above it!)

Speaking of pregnant ladies, I saw a teenage girl get up and give her seat to a pregnant mom the other day. It reminded me of how kind people can be sometimes!

The frequency of the tube sometimes! Every minute!!!!

Then of course there are other times when you want a train and none are coming for 13 minutes!!!!!

People SPRINTING at 12:30 am to catch the last tube before it closes down at night. (You'd think public transportation might be quiet and not-so-safe at night! Not the case here! It's like mass chaos at rush hour!)

Not enough tube stuff yet? What about a fictional character who has a tube station dedicated to him!?

Sherlock Holmes greets me on my way to school daily!

Or seeing a travel advertisement for your home city!?

Speaking some more about the tube, they are so thoughtful to tell you to mind the gap...

In fact, there are a lot of things they tell you to mind...

But they aren't always polite.... it never stops cracking me up how many things they have that are dedicated to or named after "cocks"...

Really, in the middle of Trafalgar Square? A huge, blue-lit oversized cock statue!

Seems like a totally appropriate name for a restaurant right??? The Famous Cock!

Maybe I just have a dirty mind...but it's hard for me to not think this stuff is a liiiiiittle bit funny. Only in Britain do they call speedbumps "humps".

Oh, you wanted another sign that would never happen in the USA?

Or how about this racism!?

Last week, I actually went to a free yoga that ended up with me doing "fire dances" with people I had never met before..... pretty sure that's a first for me.

Also must say, the transportation apps suggest some very speedy but interesting forms of transportation!

And I've certainly NEVER seen such popularity with Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I mean the price on these bad boys alone.....it's a good thing for B&G I'm obsessed with ice cream.

And men and their style here?!!? WOW! First off, have never seen men wear scarves or shoes so well! Gotta give them props for that! But then there are a few questionable color choices.....

You know, just a dude wearing his pink sweat suit.

And a man escorting his lady through the park in a fuschia suit.

Then there are a few of my favorites....

Sunday roasts. Seriously, life can't get much better.

Why can't our policemen wear these hats? (It's not lost on me that I'm walking around the streets with a beer in my hand. Yes, that's legal here!)

In fact, you can drink just about anywhere here and NO ONE goes crazy and gets out of control like they do in the US. Picnic in the park? Bring some wine! Walking along the Thames with your brother when he's visiting? Have a beer while you walk! 

You also don't frequently see your brother stuck inside an old fashioned telephone booth.

And last, but certainly not least, the amount of free music here never ceases to amaze me. I will miss it so much. One of my favorite things has been the "Sofar Sounds" event where I got to sit in some random person's living room, with walls covered in graffiti, and listen to live bands play all night. 

As I said, today is my day of giving some much-deserved love to London. :)

(Stay tuned, Dan is coming this weekend and we'll be heading to Spain for the week!!)

What's in a Door?

So the past few weeks have been pretty uninteresting around here. I know I deserve that after a month of traveling in October....but it's hard to go from one extreme to the other. The past few weeks I've seriously been buckling down, and putting in long hours on my research project. Thank the LORD for my brother and my cousin-in-law Jess who apparently do way more research than I realized. They have been a huge help. But I really mean it that the past few weeks have been slow.

Actually, that's not really that fair. I went to the Killers concert with my friend Dave last week. And I experienced my first male burlesque show which I'm actively blocking out of my mind. DEFINITELY no desirable photos to show you from that. And I also went to the perfect little British pub - The Southampton Arms - and the best kebob place ever this weekend. Otherwise though... slow. ;)

That said... I'm pulling out some of the pics of things that I think are cool here, but I haven't really had a reason to post about! What you ask!? DOORS! Hahaha. Ok, sometimes I entertain myself more than I entertain other people. I'm aware of that. But seriously, one of the things I think is so cool about London is that everyone has these brightly-colored and/or cool-looking front doors on their houses. Way better than in the States! I'm convinced there is SOME sort of explanation for this other than that people like colorful doors here.

Someone told me that in the council estates that are now privatized, one of the first things owners do is change their door to be more "custom" so it doesn't look like the old council housing.

Maybe it's because "bespoke" is such a big thing here?? Everyone seems to get customized everything here!?

You get the idea.....

Sadly, when I googled this to try to come up with an interesting explanation....all that came up were a bunch of London door companies. Wah Wah. However, one of my favorite things to do around London (and Europe in general) is just wonder the streets through the different neighborhoods and just soak up the atmosphere. There is so much charm and history here. So...that said, I'm inviting you to join me on a little wonder throughout London to check out a bit of the charm I've come to love here. :)

I gotta say, mad props to the hot pink front door!

Seriously! Look at this all on one street!!!

I think this one was in Chelsea, where everything is colorful!

Even the crappier houses still have cool colored doors!!!

This was great! We were walking through Highbury, and some of the houses were named based on where they were. Made me giggle a little....

Plus I really like the lion head as the door-knocker on this one!

It just looks so posh! :)

That's all for now folks! Don't you feel like you just took a little stroll through London!?!?