Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Cheerio England - The Sarcastic Version

Yes, the family is sad to leave London. There are so many great things to see, do, and eat in this city. As with good there is also bad, and there are a few things that we will not shed one tear for when we arrive back in America.  

Cheerio faucets that have one hot tap and one cold tap yet no way to make warm water. Do people really like to plug the sink in a public place to fill with hot and cold water to wash hands? I sure don't like it. Splashing the two extreme temperatures together cannot possibly be proper hygiene. I know taps that make warm water exist because I have several of them in my house! It irks me to no end when designers install this type of water delivery option in a new build. I'm all for retro decorating, but let's be sensible.


Cheerio bus that never comes - While we base our mornings on timings from the bus app, there are some mornings where it just doesn't show up for 20+ minutes. The delay could be for any number of things: traffic, lack of drivers, broken down bus, or even just a driver that drives really slow. A bus that doesn't arrive does not make for a happy start to the day. 
 

Cheerio fake nice nice talk - In Britain, chances are if someone says they'd like to go for coffee or have you over don't hold your breath.  It's all a piece of the social dance, and unless they are actually your friend, they don't really want to go with you. Full Stop.

Cheerio tiny fridge, oven, and cooktop - For real, the appliances in our house are so tiny.  Maybe it's because I brought my big American pots & pans, but it perplexes me how any large family functions with the minuscule appliances. 

Cheerio kids on scooters - It's a right of passage in the UK for little Alfie & Charlotte to get a scooter on their third birthdays. A lot of times the scooter is a help for mummy & daddy so they can pull their little darling down the high street instead of being held up by short legs. Once the cherubs develop the proper coordination, they are scooting off! Off through busy sidewalk traffic. Off into the street at a corner.  Off into the back of my legs.  Broad generalization here, but the kids are not taught proper scooting rules of the road.

In all truthfulness, these sometimes maddening situations made living in a different country worth it.  If everything was like America, there'd be no reason to leave.  So maybe a small tear will pool in the corner of our eyes.    

Friday, December 11, 2015

A4 Update - November 2015

Things are coming to an end in London.  While there is a lot going on behind the scenes, it really doesn't look like it in the month recap.



* Youngest Kiddo had a friend birthday party, 6 months late.  His birthday falls during a school break so we've just kept them a family affair.  However, when he sadly asked if he was ever going to have a party with his London friends I had to set something up.  The best part?  Another school mom was behind on her child's birthday too, so we threw a shared party.  

* The landlord listed our house with a realtor which means we have to deal with people traipsing through our house.  While I am not vested in whether or not it gets rented I still feel it's nice to make sure there are no embarrassing piles of dirty laundry hanging around.  Youngest Kiddo has a way of getting his dirties in the most random places.  

* The family took one last trip before the movers arrive.  We spent a long weekend in Oslo, Norway.  It was not as cold as we anticipated, but the exchange rate was way more expensive than we anticipated.  Good thing the beauty of the city took the sting off the Norwegian Kroner to US Dollar conversion.  

* We're trying to make the best of every last weekend.  Everyone has made a Before We Leave London Bucket List.  My list is pretty short since touring the city was my job for the last two years.  The rest of the family, however, has a lot to see.  Matt took Oldest Kiddo to the Churchill War Rooms and loved it. Youngest Kiddo wants to ride the Emirates Cable Car and take a Thames River Boat.  Oldest Kiddo wants to tour the HMS Belfast war ship that's docked near the Tower of London.  The rainy weekends have kept us from doing this, but we have a few more days to try.      

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Renting A Vacation Apartment

In all the years Matt and I have traveled the world, we've rested our weary heads in some pretty cool places. Lately, we've taken to renting apartments for holidays instead of a hotel room. Yes, a hotel is nice since you can have fresh towels delivered and the beds made for you every day. Sometimes there's a rocking breakfast buffet as well.  


When you travel with kids, staying in a hotel is quite different. For us, it's four people sharing two beds in one room. Many nights we sat in the dark while we waited for the children to fall asleep. Not a whole lot of fun when it feels like a million years for the kids to finally stop arguing about who is making noise or hogging the covers.


Now, we prefer to stay in rental apartments for our longer holidays. Why?  The rentals can be anywhere in a city, not just on the tourist end of town in a big chain hotels. In Italy, for example, we craved a spot with a view of a lake and a pool. No hotel would give this view, or at least this view without two hundred other people around.  


Staying in an apartment allows you to experience a neighborhood in its natural state. Low numbers of tourists means the shops do business as usual (aka keep their prices at the normal level), and you benefit fully to see the locals in their natural habitat. Since the apartments never come with breakfast included, we are on the hook for a few meals. I don't mind since one of my favorite tourist activities in a new city is to visit the grocery store. The Google Translate app is a lifesaver when you are not quite sure of the ingredients of an item. We always have breakfast at the apartment, and I've been know to make a few dinners on holiday as well. This provides a substantial money savings on our trips.    



Another reason we love a holiday apartment is for the bedroom doors. We can put the kids to bed, close their doors, and continue our night on the couch with the lights on. A good night's sleep for the kids = happy touring the next day.

Not every apartment is the same, obviously; some come better equipped than others. The best apartment we rented was in Ranco, Italy. The kitchen was well stocked with several pots, pans, basic spices, oils, and dish soaps & towels. The owner of the apartment also provided us with some basic Italian provisions to get us by until we could get to the store. The bathroom had a large supply of shampoo, conditioner, body soaps, hair dryer, and towels. The washing machine even had a full bottle of detergent.


The apartment in Oslo, Norway was different. While the apartment was nice, the extra amenities were lacking. The kitchen had the standard dinnerware plus one pot, one pan, and a few knives. So when it was time to cook dinner, we had to choose our menu wisely so as to not need to purchase one off items like spices and oils that we could not take back home. I suppose that just challenged my cooking skills. The bathroom had towels, a bar of hand soap, and toilet paper.   

Rentals are pretty easy to find, but you need to be smart about which property you book.  We've used Airbnb and Booking.com in the past with good results; your results may vary. Always read the reviews left by previous renters as the owner's description does not always tell the whole story. Most of the apartment proprietors provide an email address so you can contact them directly if you are looking for a specific amenity.

If you don't choose to rent an apartment for your next holiday, at least take a gander at what's out there.

Friday, November 27, 2015

When Life Gives You Lemons

Sometimes you would rather suck on them than make lemonade.  That's the mood I've been in lately because the family is set to move back to America in December.  

Matt's two-year contract will not be extended as we really, really hoped.  The reason for no extension stems back to a company merger nine months ago.  That left a surplus of employees in Europe and a shortfall for help in America.  On the plus side America needs more people, and my guy is just who they need.  

Hang with me while I be selfish for our family for a moment.

Selfish Point #1 - We love living in London.  The city setting works well for our family; public transportation and delivery services keep our no car family running day to day.  Come on, the history that we walk by every day constantly awes us.  On the walk to school alone we pass by several WWII bomb sites, and our house is well over 100 years old.  When you visit places around the city to realize that many of the buildings are over 600 years old, it becomes apparent that America is just getting started.  






Selfish Point #2 - It took us a long time to get The Manor to feel like our home; rented accommodations are never near as inviting & cozy when you can't really make it your own.  White walls and subpar appliances aren't my cuppa.  The Manor finally started to feel like a home in March of this year - that's sixteen months.  

Selfish Point #3 - Leaving friends is never easy.  Upon moving into The Manor, we quickly found out that it was extremely hard to make friends as adults.  The neighbors are polite, and we only hit it off with a few.  We created a quality support system with the families at school, which was a life saver on so many occasions. I also have an amazing friend that I met through Instagram who became my partner in city touring shenanigans.  Our girls became good friends in the last year, too.    

Selfish Point #4 - Oldest Kiddo started middle school in September, and we hoped that we could stay through the end of the school year.  You remember middle school, right?  The most awkward time of your life.  We want to make sure her transition from UK schools back to a US schools is as smooth as we can make it.  It won't be perfect, but we'll try darn hard to make it so.

Selfish Point #5 - The biggest reason I have to be a sourpuss - We are not done here!!!  A UK home base facilitates travel to Europe with short, and often cheap flights.  Yes, we've traveled to a lot of stupendous places: Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, Brussels, Dubai, Berlin, Italian Lakes, Florence, Stockholm, Barcelona, Lisbon.  There are so many more places we want to see!  We will squeeze in one or two quick trips before we repatriate, but there are so many things to get done before that can happen.  Yes, yes this is a first world problem.  






As I've gone through the stages of grieving our pending change, I also have to remember that it's not about me.  Matt's job brought this opportunity to our family, and we have to do what's right for the family.  If the next stage in his career happens to be in America, then that's where we go.

Now that I'm ready to make the lemonade, there are several things to which we look forward.  First we get to decide where we will live.  If you recall, we sold The 407 in the Chicago suburbs so we can live wherever we choose.  The only thing we need in our new town is easy access to an airport for Matt's work travel.  There are several things that would be nice, such as little or no snow.  We've started researching houses in different cities to see what our dollar will buy.

Positive Point #1 - We will be back near our family and friends (somewhat).  Regardless of where we decide to move, our family will be closer to us than to London Manor.  Despite the amazing things we've seen and done in London, it's been hard being away from our families.  We've missed holidays, birthdays, and simple weekend picnics.  Sadly, we've said good bye to three very close family members in our time here.  On the other hand, we've happily hosted several guests at The Manor and shown them the city that we love.

Positive Point #2 - A move back to America presents opportunities to show our kids more of their home country.  Although the ease of travel to Europe greatly diminishes when we return, that won't stop us from returning when we can! 

Positive Point #3 - It sounds cheeky, but I so look forward to proper pizza & Mexican food.  London just doesn't understand the fine points of a quality taco or salsa.  Although I've gotten quite good at making my own.  

Send good thoughts our way for a smooth transition back to 'Merica.  

Friday, November 20, 2015

What's New With You?


      We bought a house.         

In America.

The expat adventure is almost over, folks.  Our two-year contract went by fast, but we jammed a lot into it.  Our official leave window is mid-December, so there's just over one month to finish off the must see in London list. 

Just to keep things interesting, we decided not to move back to Chicago.  The multiple years of Polar Vortex (Polar Vortices?) ensured that we could find more suitable climate.  Matt's job put no geographical requirements upon his return to America, so we had 50 states from which to choose.

We decided our next city should have:
        * no (or virtually no) snow
        * East Coast timezone to keep work calls back to Europe not too inconvenient
        * low cost of living (almost anywhere is lower than London)
        * easy access to other major cities
        * did I mention no snow?

When we looked at the map, and by that I mean Youngest Kiddo's Ravensburger puzzle, we quickly came to a decision: North Carolina.  More specifically, Raleigh.  From our research, Raleigh seemed to tick all the boxes for our family.  Even more, just a short distance from Raleigh is the Atlantic Ocean in one direction and the Appalachian Mountains in the opposite.  You better believe I'm all over Instagram scouting for places to eat and visit.  I'm always open to your suggestions for what to see & do in our new hometown.  Leave your favorites in the comments below!

How are we all feeling about the move?  That's for another time, but for now we have a list of things to accomplish and see before we go.  Our expat adventure will soon morph into a repatriation adventure, and I sure hope you will follow along with all the fun!



Tuesday, November 17, 2015

October 2015 Half Term

I have a love hate relationship with the kids' school half term breaks (See what we did for October 2014 half term).  I love the chance for a decent break before the usual Christmas & Easter times.  We get a chance to sleep in and stay up late.  It also provides for another opportunity to travel Europe.  When we stay in London, the best part is that I get to take my kids out into the city to experience the amazing things I see when they are in school.

There is one piece of half term that irks me - everyone else.

All of the schools in England (and possibly quite a large percentage of Europe) are off at the same time.  So that means the museums are beyond packed.  If you can book something in advance, you had better book it six months ahead because the Brits are planners.  Despite my annoyance with crowds, we try to cram in everything we possibly can.  This October, I let the kids help decide some of the itinerary.

Saturday: MC Escher exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.  I've known his art for a long time, but I never knew it belonged to him!

Sunday: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - The autumn leaves are in their full glory, and we were happy to spend the day amongst them.  It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, too.    

Monday: Ai Weiwei exhibition - I left the kids home with Matt so I could see it.  Phenomenal show by a great artist.  There might also have been some walking in the city since the sun was shining.  We needed a top up of tea from Fortnum & Mason.  

Tuesday: Tower of London - My annual pass expired at the end of October, so we had to visit what we could one last time.  We brought one of Oldest Kiddo's friends along so that made for a really nice day.  The weather cooperated so much that everyone in England decided to go to the tower as well.  The Tower of London is another UNESCO World Heritage site.  Matt left for a week in America so I'll entertain the kids for the next seven days.  Wish me luck. 


Wednesday: Oldest Kiddo went for a sleep over at a friend's house in the afternoon.  I took Youngest Kiddo out for a dinner date to the ever exciting mall.  A little Five Guys & Cherry Vanilla fountain Coke makes me happy.  Some window shopping at Lego makes him happy.


   
Thursday: The day after a sleepover usually necessitates a rest day for her.  No one complained about watching movies in our jammies all afternoon.  A friend dropped her toddler off for a few hours while her older kiddos had swim lessons.  He was more than happy to play trains the whole time.  



Friday:  We had a big to do list to complete today to get ready for a few weekend birthday parties.  So we went back to the mall for lunch and a little shopping.  We barely made it home before the sun went down.  


Saturday: Halloween in London is super low-key.  Oldest had a birthday party in the morning and Youngest had one in the afternoon.  Then we all went out trick or treating with friends in the evening.  They received some interesting candy.  A few houses passed out marshmallows, single unwrapped marshmallows.  Ew.


Sunday: We had a full week to complete homework, but did we do it?  Heck no.  After pain au chocolat, the kids labored through their work.  When I say kids, I mean I played referee through each task because they could not have cared less about doing it.  As you can see from out the back window, there was nothing to see anyway. Pea soup out there, it was.

Next week is back to school for them (YAY!!), and I'm back to my real job - touring the city with some brunch mixed in for good measure.