Amsterdam!

 

Here's a few more pics of out and around London.  This city is just so huge, filled to the brim with bits of history everywhere you turn.  Flags were lined up and down the streets near Oxford Circus for the Olympics, giving everything a more festive and patriotic feel.  High street Kensington is also a good place to shop and it has this massive Whole Foods and a bunch of other fun shops.  It also has the department store John Lewis, Lloyd's favorite for high-quality bedding & bathmats! As Bryan Solomon would say, I was 'gobstocked' to learn how much Lloyd enjoys shopping for home furnishings! :)


Two weeks after I arrived in London we went on holiday with Lloyd and Jonno's friends to Amsterdam! It was great, a quick 45 min flight and we were there!  We left after work on Friday and met everyone there late that evening.  Amsterdam is a beautiful city but the canals really make it special.  The canals and bridges are so picturesque, they even makes the Red Light District look 'artistic'. Ha.  Unfortunately it was blazing hot the weekend we visited (and remember, no places have air conditioning - except for the coffeeshops...)  and 95 degrees is h-o-t no matter how many ways you slice it!



Cool chairs in the hotel










Our hotel room in Amsterdam...the bathroom was encased in glass and yes, there is a huge gap between the bottom of the bathroom 'wall' and the floor, and the frosted glass leaves little to the imagination!  Needless to say, I made Lloyd take care of his business elsewhere


This is the bathroom??



Crepes! 

One of my favorite meals in Amsterdam was Dutch crepes, or  flensjes (Or pannenkoeks for you Afrikaaners).  A bit different than the 'Dutch babies' that I had at Old South in Fort Worth!  We ate crepes a few times on the trip with fruit and powdered sugar and also with ham & cheese, which was delicious.  Probably the most overpriced crepes I've ever had given the fact that we were eating on the waterfront, but tasty just the same.

Walking to Dam Square

 The streets were pretty busy on the weekend and the scariest thing to me was all the different types of transportation sharing the road!  If you weren't careful you could get run over by a train, bike, car, cab, or pedicab, all driving on the same street.  And in Amsterdam the cars drive on the right (as in, correct) side of the street, which was almost a sign of relief after being in England for a few weeks.  But when we went back to England it was confusing all over again!

Lloyd and I overlooking the canals

 After catching a quick tram towards the city center we walked towards 'Dam Square', apparently the main square in the town.  Amsterdam's name is derived from Amstelredamme, which literally means 'a dam in the river Amstel'.  It was originally settled as a fishing village but became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, in which they were widely known for their advancements in trade, science, military, and art.

 Dam Hotel...I couldn't resist :)

Another pretty building 

In my opinion, the above picture is a great representation of the city of Amsterdam; there was a vibrant outdoor community on the restaurant & bar patios (probably because it was too hot to stay inside) and there was also a lot of activity in the canal with boat traffic & canal tours.  Some people preferred to enjoy ice cream or a coffee just sitting on the side of the canals in the shade, which was really peaceful.

What's that, Lloyd?  You want to go check out that shop?...

Ha-ha, just kidding

Watch out for the tracks!

Yet another example of how you can't let your guard down even for a second...these tram tracks blend right into the road!  Almost get run over once and you're changed forever, it seems!.

Relaxin in the park

 After a long, hot day of sightseeing we went to a local grocery store and bought some fixin's for a picnic in Vondelpark, right next to our hotel.  We had some portable speakers, some great snacks and it was really relaxing.  And you know what made it all better? A girl on a bike toting a cooler and sellingl of bottles of ice cold prosecco.  Prosecco in the park complete with an opener and plastic cups?? Don't mind if I do!

Tried to share some with my pigeon friend but
he wasn't interested

Jen & Becks

Random Amsterdam sign right next to
the Van Gogh museum

 And then the other part of Amsterdam, the Red Light District.  We didn't spend a ton of time here but did manage to walk by during the day and at night.  During the day the district was still 'open for business,' if you know what I mean, but the, er, offering was, in my humble opinion, significantly lower quality than the nighttime offering :)  To me, the Red Light District seemed a lot like Halloween; dark with narrow, windy streets you walk through, peering into windows filled with beautiful women illuminated (but not too much, luckily) by black lights.  It was all very surreal.  There were also tons of specialty shops that were fun to gawk at as we walked by.  You're not allowed to take photos while walking by the ladies in the windows but I managed to sneak one in while walking through, and I sort of appreciated the fuzziness of the photo, given the subject matter that was around!

An interesting art gallery/space we walked past

 We took a boat ride through the canals which we thought would give us a breeze and get us out of the heat a bit, but unfortunately the boat had very few windows, a glass roof, so effectively a greenhouse to cook us for an hour! Pretty views, though.

Pretty building in Dam Square

Roasting on the canal

Tee hee....

Amsterdam was a beautiful city and the trip was much too short.  We spent our time walking around & sightseeing but would have loved to go to some of the museums nearby!  We decided we definitely want to come back here in the winter when everything is snow-covered and festive and Lloyd's 'saffa' friends have already offered to accompany us :)
Cheers, all - more next time!
xxxx

Jen

I felt a lot better about getting to work once I saw how small of a town Camberley is.  My commute really isn't bad at all:  It takes about 40mins on the first train, 10 min layover at Ascot, then less than 10 mins (2mins) till Camberley. And since I'm going against traffic in the mornings I always get a seat and can read, relax and listen to music (but mostly try not to fall asleep.  I blame those around-the-block-car-rides, mom & dad, as the reason I fall asleep in moving vehicles!!).  After we finished my 'trial run to the office' Lloyd and I had a quiet lunch at Wagamama in the mall and then headed back to London.  

As the roommate of two dudes I've discovered that boys don't have as many useful cooking tools as girls do, and I had to remedy that quickly.  Cooking is one of my favorite things to do here because it is one thing that I feel like I know how to do!  Everything is more difficult here:  figuring out my new bank account, dialing the phones, paying with pounds (and figuring out all the different coins!) riding trains and buses, the metric system!, different brands of stores, different clothes/shoe sizes, different electrical plugs, even the light switches are different!, the oven degrees and settings, the list goes on & on.  Cooking, though, cooking is something familiar...and I overcome the measurement problem by guessing all the ingredient measurements.  And I also cheated and brought some american measuring cups - thanks Mom! <3  ;)

I've made all sorts of yummy foods so far: 

* Chick pea & spinach stuffed sweet potatoes

* Taco Soup

* Cauliflower, carrot & mince (that's British-speak for 'ground beef') stuffed peppers

I have had the HARDEST time finding jalapenos here!! Until finally Martin & Arlyn found some at Fortun & Mason, a department store similar to Harrods. I was so excited I had to make up a batch of Dustye's salsa!

In one cooking experiment I made Lindsie's famous East-Texas 'Bomb-Ass Enchiladas' for Lloyd's South African friends and they were totally blown away!  They had never tasted Queso before and the whole platter was gone and we were all stuffed in no time.  I've been told that was the 'trial run' for Mexican Food and that I need to have a 'Main Event' (and invite them all over) sometime in the very near future.  I'm planning on making some good southern cooking soon (read: chicken fried steak - a curious concept to the Brits & South Africans) and will be sure to post all the pics.  

One of my favorite things about living in London is the scenery and the shopping - buildings are ridiculously old & historic-looking and if you let your imagination wander you almost forget that you're standing out in front of H&M or Zara...till you snap out of it and go inside.  :)

Lloyd and I needed several things for the kitchen, some new bedding and a variety of other home furnishings and our favorite store is John Lewis, a posh department store located in the city at Oxford Circus.  It is a multi-level department store and the best part is, they have a restaurant in the top of the store that affords great views and an afternoon tea service! I'm am officially a fan of scones & clotted cream!! Mmmm its divine. 

 

Another thing I enjoy about London is the outdoor markets that seem to be hidden away all over small pockets of the city.  We were on our way to Covent Garden a few weeks ago and we stumbled upon a fresh foods market near Waterloo station, lured in by the spicy smell of curry cooked in huge open skillets. Mmmmmmm.  And of course the scenery near Waterloo and the market does not suck either :)

 In the landscape photo you can barely make out the white dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, the jagged building at the very right is called the 'Shard', which is the tallest building in Europe, and the rest of the London skyline over the Thames.  

We eventually walked over to Leicester Square, a buzzing area with lots of fancy movie theatres where do they do the big fancy film premiers.  In the center of the square is a park that houses a statue of William Shakespeare surrounded by dolphins, and we enjoyed some Haagen Daas ice cream while we people watched.   

  

Till next time....Jen

London at last!

After two weeks notice and a whirlwind journey overseas I finally landed in London, with 4 days to settle in before my first day of work.  There was so much to do! But Lloyd had a very special welcome prepared to help me get used to our new home...

By the way...as of 6 weeks after my move in, the welcome sign is still up! :)

When I weighed my bags coming over to the UK they were a few pounds overweight (despite my obsessive weighing before we went to the airport...) but it all made sense after I found the stowaway!  

Nicky is loving his new life in London, although he really wants some new clothes since he's had the same outfit for 6 years since TCU!  *hint hint Grandma...*

Our flat is beautiful - most of my family & friends have seen pictures but below are some that I took right after I arrived.

The first two pictures were taken from my balcony facing the southeast and the third is looking down into our garden area, shared with our neighbors. 

One of the first things I did when I arrived was to book a trip to Camberley and do a 'trial run' of my commute into the office.  Camberley is about 30 miles west of Clapham Junction, in Surrey and I have one train change to get there.  Lloyd and I made the trek on the weekend to ensure I knew where to buy my ticket, what platform to get on, what station to change trains at, what platform to get on for the next train, where to get off that train, and then navigate the walk to the office.  Lots to think about so I was glad Lloyd was there to help out.  Luckily we live only about a 5mins walk to the station and its only about a 10min walk to the office so not too much walking overall (even though it feels like it in heels!!).

The first part of my work commute takes about 40 mins and then I change trains at Ascot, a small little town mostly famous as being the site of the Ascot Racecourse, located only 6 miles away from Windsor Castle.  The racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne and has held regular horse races ever since.  I am hoping that we can go to Royal Ascot next June so that I can wear a fancy dress and one of those British fascinator hats!

After changing trains in Ascot there's only 2 stops to Camberley, which is a sleepy little British town in the countryside.  I assured mom that the train station was very safe and with only two tracks there is not a lot going on at the station.  A quick 7 min walk and then I'm at the SkillSoft UK office, which is conveniently located right next to a mall in the center of town.  Unfortunately for my pocketbook I have to walk past H&M everyday! :)  As you can see it's a very quiet place and I feel very safe walking here.

In the next post I'll put up more pics of Lloyd and I running around London and some of our other adventures!