"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

Well, I can’t agree that I can “afford” London, but I’m sure Samuel Johnson had something different in mind when he spoke those words. He did have one thing right; there is always something wonderful to do in London! While many of my other friends spend their weekends working their way around Western Europe I am enjoying most of my days right here within the city limits. Thankfully I have only suffered the “London Weather” for a handful of days. While we have had our cold spells since I’ve arrived I have been more than blessed with enough sunny “warm” (for Great Britain) days to keep the crankiness at bay.

My boyfriend, "Eastern Boy", moved to London not long after I arrived and was able to find work as a hotel night receptionist closer to north London. While the night work hasn’t been the easiest adjustment for him, the job does have its perks! On Wednesday night two guests offered him two tickets for the Original Bus Tour they had purchased but were unable to use. The tickets, valued at £50, included a free boat tour of the River Thames. We had talked about wanting to do one of these tours but shivered at the cost. Neither one of us could justify spending that much money to ride on the top of an open bus in the freezing cold, but free put a whole new perspective on the situation and we decided to take advantage of the tickets. We didn’t want their money to go to waste either and surprisingly the weather was perfect, a little overcast but “London” warm. It wasn’t until two hours into the ride that our fingers began to turn blue and we moved downstairs on the bus for cover. The tour was fantastic. We went all over London from Piccadilly Square to the Haymarket (did you know in the 1800s more than 15,000 tons of horse dung was removed from London’s streets…everyday) to Green Park (named Green Park because Queen Catherine banded flowers from the garden after seeing her husband pick a flower for one of his mistresses. The area of Queens in New York is named after this very event. New York is named after the King’s brother, York) to the Hard Rock Café London (which is the first Hard Rock Café and displays original memorabilia from the Beetles and other famous British rock and roll bands) to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, London Bridge (which has been replaced over the years by many different bridges; at one point the bridge even had houses and shops built upon it. The famous story rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down is in reference to these many changes) to the Tower of London (the oldest medieval castle still standing today; it is now the home of the queen’s jewels) and much more.

Since living in Greece I’ve found that I am becoming quite the kebab connoisseur. Eastern Boy has suggested we write a tourist book based solely around where to eat the best kebabs in London. However, I must admit I have been very disappointed with the quality I have experienced since eating in the city. The stands on my street are nothing to brag about and I’ve actually taken to ordering popcorn chicken as opposed to my favorite meal. While staying at a hostel in North East London I had a kebab that topped my list of London kebabs; it was spicy and fresh, but nothing prepared me for the delight that Eastern Boy found at a kebab stand near his work. We decided to skip the river cruise and headed to the Alegate East area of London for me to make my rating. Two Indian guys run the shop and the naan bread is made fresh to order in front of your very eyes. The chicken is tenderly cooked to perfection and freshly cut off the skewer, topped with mixed salad and cabbage and complete with a mix of three sauces, garlic, spicy chili and ranch. Need I say more? Yum!

I’ve been lucky to find a small group of girls to call my friends! We have started meeting in Clapham Junction every Thursday night to socialize. While this in no way is intended to be a “girls night” most nights, unless Eastern Boy braves the girl chat, that is what it has become. The goal is to each week invite every person we know in London and slowly grow our group, and meet new people and new friends. The group has consistently grown from two people to about six to eight every week and we have a blast!

I’m slowly figuring out this new life and learning my way around. I’ve actually been two places in the past day where I didn’t need to use Google’s walking directions to find it. So far, Samuel Johnson, I am not tired of London or life!

Somewhere To Call Home

Well it’s been almost a month since I posted my last blog and I must apologize. I freaked a little when I realized people actually read it, but now I believe it’s time to get started again. I can’t promise that I will be 100% diligent in the posting - given schoolwork and life, but I will do my best to stay up to date.

I guess I should answer the question that has everyone wondering. Yes! I found a place to live. It’s a short term solution, but I am very thankful to have a place to call home. I’ve taken residence in an area of Southwest London called Earlsfield. It is about 12 minutes by train to Waterloo and Central London and about 20 minutes to “Uni” (University as termed by the British). And, it is important to always refer to a school of high education by this term, as I found out my first day when I went to enroll at the “college” that I was a little old for the high school courses. Anyway, I digress. The flat is directly across from the train station and in the main hub of Earlsfield. There are cheap food places, primarily chicken and kabab stands and local bars just seconds from my door. On many a night I enjoy watching in the dark out of my 2nd story window as a couple drunkenly quarrel below. Oh how I love other people’s drama. Now, the flat is nothing to brag about, simple but clean. The problems have seemed to be endless; however, after a few calls to the landlord most have been fixed. I am learning to live with the hole the plumber cut into the wall in the bathroom to reach a pipe – this is still pending repair. However, at least I now have running water in the bathroom.

School work has begun to overwhelm me as I struggle to learn British Law and Policy – it seems a lot more complicated than it should be for such a small country. My first assignment is due on Monday and then the whole class is going out for a celebratory drink! My one ray of hope is that they are all as lost as I am; at least we are in this together.

London is an amazing city! I invite everyone to come spend some time and check it out. I bought the Lonely Planet guide to London and have been spending most of my free time trying to check everything off the list. The major museums are free to visit right now. However, there is a motion on the table to change this privilege. While the proposal is only suggesting to charge one or two pounds per admission, I’d much rather go while they are still free! I’ve also found a pumpkin patch in Surrey that I am hoping to visit sometime this week. This same farm grows Christmas trees and I am more than prepared to take out anyone who tries to stop me on the train in order to get my tree home!

Well, there’s a brief update with more to come in the near future.