2014 marks 100 years since the start of WWI - in the UK, there have been lots of events, books, television reminding us of the impact it had. With no living veterans left, it's up to us to pass along the histories, stories and memories of those who lived or battled through it.

Everyone knows about the winters in London (or at least those of us who've been lucky enough to live here know about the not so lucky London winters). The sense of oppression as heavy skies just seem to weigh down on you, full of ominous clouds waiting to deliver rain upon unsuspecting Londoners walking home in the dark at 5 pm.

Yes, London winters are terrible and we all love to talk about how terrible they are, as weather is our go to conversation starter.

But in my opinion, Lonodn summers aren't getting their due. It comes as a surprise rather than expectation when we find ourselves blessed with a sunny day.

We cheerfully comment on the nice weather but add some type of caveat that the rain must be on it's way. It's just too good to be true.

We enjoy the best, but hope for the worst.

And yet, even while waiting for the skies to open upon us, we all seem to find ourselves outdoors, soaking up vitamin (that's pronounced vit-a-min not vite-a-min) D and shamelessly working on our 'tans'.
After a mild winter, we've still be graced with a lovely summer, with an occasional shower popping up to remind us that we are in fact in England. I've probably jinxed the whole thing now by writing about it, but I can't really complain. It's been one fantastic summer.

How did we spend it? Unlike most other Londoners, we didn't spend it getting out of the city. Since we were moving house, we spent nearly all of our time in London, enjoying the green spaces and crossing our fingers that Mother Nature continued to smile upon us. And despite getting a bit of travel fever, I'm glad that we stayed. We saw London at it's best and it will be something nice to look back on and remember once winter rolls around and we're back to cursing the rain and hoping for sunshine!

When I first moved to London, it was overwhelming trying to find a place to live.

I saw 20+ flats in one day, put in two offers the next day and ended up in Notting Hill.

Little did I know how much I would come to love my little neighborhood.

While London is a huge metropolis, it's broken down into smaller boroughs with their own unique personalities and communities. From arty, hipster communities in Shoreditch, to the posher neighborhoods of Chelsea, everyone has an identity that I didn't know about when I moved to London. Yet somehow, I stumbled upon the gold of Notting Hill.

While most Americans know the neighborhood because of the movie by the same name, it's not necessarily a hugely popular expat community (at least the part that I live in, and especially compared to St John's Wood and Chelsea). We've got everything from Portobello Road and Carnival, to some of the best restaurants in London (including the world famed Ledbury), crammed into little roads lined with your typical yet beautiful London buildings covered in ivy, wisteria and even little monkeys in the case of Lancaster Road.

I've spent so many afternoons and evenings wandering the streets, familiarising myself with its nooks and crannies yet there is still so much to discover as the neighborhood continues to change.

Yet, after 2 years in Notting Hill, we've decided it's time for a change. It's not quite Istanbul to London, but it is our own little shaking up of our world in London.  We'll be moving to Chiswick in a few weeks. The main reason is to get Paul closer to work, but I'm also excited to see if I can love a new part of London as much as I love my current neighborhood. I'm a bit apprehensive Chiswick may not live up to my exceedingly high expectations after our first London flat, but we're going to give it a go. With a beautiful high street, parks and the Thames nearby, I'm hoping we'll fall in love with London all over again.
So, with only a few weeks left a resident of my beloved Notting Hill, I wanted to finally take some time to share with a few of my favourite parts of it.

I might have lamented recently over the pros and cons of expat life, but one of the worst parts of it was recently refreshed in my mind.

While some expats become more like locals as their new home becomes a permanent place, for many, time as an expat is a fleeting assignment with an end in sight.

During our time overseas, we have met some fantastic locals in Istanbul and London, but many of our friends are fellow expats. We speak the same language, we bring a similar perspective to our new lives, we come from a similar background and we have the same sense of adventure that we're looking for in life.

So, with all our expat friends overseas, we often find ourselves saying goodbyes. In Turkey, we said a lot of goodbyes before we said our own. In our 18 months in London, we've been lucky to have a stable set of friends around us. So, recently when a friend moved back to Alaska after 3 years in London, it was a tough one to take. It is also a reminder to people about how more often than not, it's out of your control whether to stay or go.

Our trip to Scotland last year

To make it less sad, we decided to go out with a bang and try to do as many London-y things we could in his last weekend here.

First was indulging in the best ethnic food London has to offer - Indian. While it's not my cup of tea, it's a staple for many Londoners and we found a place that was just hole-in-the-wall enough above the Strand to settle in and stuff ourselves full of bajiis, naan and whatever else they put in front of us.

Saturday, with 24 hours to go, was the big adventure part. I've done some scavenger hunts in London before so we decided to try one of Hidden City's hunts again. From Trafalgar Square to the Strand, to Regents Street and Carnaby, we followed clues around the city that eventually led us to bars (of course). We found some interesting finds around the city, including a tikki bar and a bar with drinks they set on fire. To finish the evening off, we grabbed a bit of true British cuisine at Mother Mash for some pies and bangers and mash.

Our hunt started off inside the National Gallery

On Sunday, the last hoorah before the flight, we went to Tom's Kitchen in Somerset House. It wasn't particularly British fare, but we enjoyed the sunshine, a parting gift from London.

While it's sad to see our friends go, in a lot of instances, they are happy to be back closer to family and friends. Plus, it just means more people around the globe for us to go visit!

While everyone knows that Hollywood is the hot spot for film premieres, I've been suprirsed since moving to London at the number of films that also have openings here.

Paul managed to catch the premiere of Skyfall when we first moved to London, but since then, I have missed every single one. Since they often fall on weekdays, I seem to always be inconveniently out of town when the premieres happen, including the premiere for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

So, when a friend asked me to catch the Monuments Men premiere with her AND I was in town, I knew I had to try.

Now, let me preface this by saying that we didn't actually attend the movie itself. We settled with standing outside the theatre in Leicester Square with hopes that the stars would walk by us. We got there about 5:30, with the film scheduled to start somewhere around 7:00.  While the weather has been pleasant lately, there was a chill in the air in addition to the blustery weather. Even bundled up, it was cold, especially as I had my hands out of my pockets and gloves waiting to snatch some photos.

We were positioned on the blockades that were up by where the cars enter, just up from the red carpet so we could see (even if someone distantly) as people walked by. After 20 minutes of waiting, the first celebrity rolls up. It's a funny van, so we decide it won't be anyone important and go back to watching.

Then, all of a sudden, we hear screaming. It turns out, it was someone important. George Clooney! He makes the rounds to nearly all the fans, including walking all the way down to our barricades to sign autographs and say hi (including to us!). He was a laid back guy, and looked just like he does on the screen in real life, even from less than 3 feet away.

My sadly blurry George Clooney photo

Happy that we had at least one celebrity sighting, we went back to waiting. Slowly, but surely, the rest of the cast arrived. John Goodman, then Bill Murray, Jean DuJardin, Hugh Bonneville and then Matt Damon. Unfortunately, none of the rest made their way off the red carpet, so we didn't see much more than anyone watching on TV.

Finally, after I decided I couldn't feel my fingers anymore, we called it a night and fought the crowds to grab a bite to eat.

I must say, it's quite the spectacle and if you find yourself in London - stop by and see if you can join in. I think the crowds probably start lining up very early for the red carpet positions, but even a bit further out, you never know which friendly star may decide to make their fans day!

We had actually not planned to join the Chinese New Years Celebrations in Trafalgar Square.

But, as we bid adieu to a London friend, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of it all.


Trafalgar Square was packed, lanterns everywhere, firecrackers going off and a stage up front where people welcomed in the year of the dragon.


While we missed the parade, we still got a feel of the celebration and it was well timed.

The end of an era for our friend in London, the beginning of a new year - the year of the horse.  As this marks our second year in London, we'll have more people leaving but perhaps this is a nice reminder that every ending is a new beginning.

Here's to the year of the horse, filled with happiness, friends and lots of adventures.

One of my favorite British things (besides high tea) are the hats. They were first drawn to my attention at the Royal Wedding, and while wedding is probably the more common function for a good hat, I found another. The Ascot.

The biggest occasion for the Ascot is the Royal Ascot where the hats are taken to a whole new level. That, plus all the special rules for dress, such as woman must wear dresses with sleeves at least one inch thick, even if a cardigan or blazer are covering the dress, or if they wear a pant suit, it must be both matching colour and fabric. Or for men, they need to wear tails and a top hat!

But, alas, we were in Norway this weekend and missed out on this glorious festivity.

I was not to be deterred though. The Ascot hosts other races throughout the year, so we found one in early September that was the Food & Wine Festival. Perfect? I think so.

So we joined our friends the Houses for a day at the races! We bought premier tickets, as these had a 'stricter' dress code, which I thought would mean more hats. Sarah and I decked ourselves out in our fanciest hats for the occasion.

Striking a post in front of the track where the winners are paraded

The most difficult thing about a fancy hat? Not knocking someone else in the head while trying to pose close to them for a photo.

Fancy hats call for fancy dress

Besides the hats, there was lots to do at the races. With our premier tickets, we had access to everything but the boxes, meaning we could head to the top of the trackside building to sit down and watch the races, or enjoy a glass of bubbly.

We also had the chance to get right next to the trackside. This was much more in the action, because you could see the horses as they raced past. In the 30 minutes between races, this was also the place you wanted to be to place your bet.

Ascot building and other race goers waiting for the action

Each stand had information on the upcoming race - the horses and the odds on each.  Most of the time, the odds were the same, but once you knew your chosen horse, you had to try to get yourself the best deal. We were small time gamblers, usually just 5 quid, but the bets could go up much higher.

I'll put 5 on 7!

After I picked a horse (most often based on the name), we waited, admiring the track, the pretty day and chatting. Once the races started, the game was on though! Sarah and Paul ended up winners for the day, each winning about enough to cancel out our loses. Perhaps I need to go again next year so I can find my winning horse!

And they're off - til next time!

I'm sorry I haven't finished writing about my love affair with Prague.

But, important things have been happening here in London, in case you haven't read the news.

The royal baby has been born! I was so excited to be in London for this event, not just living here, but actually in town. I know it may seem silly to some (perhaps especially the Brits), but it's an important moment in history when you think about the fact that this is the future king.

Either way, I let myself get swept up into the drama of it.

We had bets at work - boy or girl (I lost with girl); then the name (and this one I won with George).

I went by the major sites too, braving the crowds to take in the experience of welcoming in the newest member of the royal family.

Part I after birth: The announcement of the birth is placed outside Buckingham Palace. In past times, the baby was often born at their palace or home, making this more symbolic. In fact, Kate is only the second to have gone through birth at the hospital. Anyways, the announcement of the birth lets you know that the baby was a boy, was 8 lb 6 oz and is healthy, signed by the appropriate doctor folks.  This sits outside Buckingham for 24 hours, but of course, I went as soon as it was announced to take part in the chaos. On Tuesday, I hear things were much more organised, with lines and everything.

45 minutes to get close enough to see it

The crowds at 10 pm on a Monday night

Some (not me)  say the full moon helped speed up the birth.

Part II:: The homecoming. Kate gave birth at St. Mary's Hospital, which is less than a 5 minute walk from my office. On Tuesday, on the way home, I decided to pop by and see the fuss. These camera men & reporters had been staking out their spots for TWO WEEKS to ensure they got the best shot. This meant I couldn't see much of anything, just a little glimpse of the door. This glimpse afforded me a look at Prince Charles & Camilla as they left from their visit to their son & daughter-in-law. I decided with impending rain to give up on the Kate & William live watch, and instead watch from home.

Most watched door of all time?

Its hard to decide if you envy their shot or pity their lives for the last two weeks

I suppose the excitement is all over now that the name has been announced, but who knows. Perhaps there's a parade forthcoming? Either way, welcome to the world George Alexander Louis.

When anyone asked me my favorite thing about Istanbul, my answer was always, emphatically, the Bosphorus. I loved looking over the water each and every day, and could probably go on and on (and on) about it.

Sunset over Parliament

I have not often ventured over into East London, with the exception of tourist sites like St. Pauls and Tower of London. There's so much to see in and around my little neighborhood, I haven't felt the need.

But when I read about another blogger's trip to London and the Columbia Road Flower Market, it got added on to my bucket list of things to try in town.

Yet, months later, I still hadn't found myself out there. Nearly an hour trip via tube or bus, and open on Sundays, meant that I was always finding excuses to sleep in and eat pancakes instead.

A few weekends ago, I finally made it out of my Sunday rut and over to the market, after much prodding from Paul.

In order to get to the flower market, we had some spontaneous wanderings through London where I stumbled across things I had heard about but not yet thought of visiting.

First off was Spitalfields Market - another version of Portobello Road, although better organised, cleaner, and definitely less crowded on this Sunday. I found a dress which I am looking forward to trying out on my next beach vacation.


Next was Brick Lane. As first, all I saw were tons and tons of people sitting on the curbs, eating of all things. Once I got past how unhygenic that seemed, I realised they were enjoying take-out from all the ethnic restaurants on the famous Brick Lane.


In addition to storefronts, there are also lots and lots of street vendors for the day. I got a hallumi wrap, perfect for wandering & eating, while Paul tried some empanadas. It was a perfect spot for people watching, all the food, vendors and people enjoying the outdoors.

Our last spot was the real reason for our visit - the Columbia Road Flower Market. It's a short stretch of road jam packed with flower stalls, and because of our late start to the day, people. I was looking for some peonies to have inside for a party, so we pushed through the crowds on a mission.







While we didn't do tons of browsing because of the hoards of people being herded like cattle through the narrow streets, I saw enough to make me want to go back for more again. There were lots of beautiful outdoor plants, which I will need when I kill those we just planted. There were also plenty of little shops stuck behind the stalls, boasting planters and other house goods. But on this day, with the sun out and 25 degrees, we found our peonies and headed on our way.


Next time? I'll set the alarm a tad bit earlier!

When my family came in town a few months ago, they had forwarded me an itinerary from one of their friends outliing their plans for London. I went through with a local's eye and added/removed things, then stumbled upon something I hadn't heard of.

Last year, we celebrated New Years in Gallipoli with my sister, seeing the memorials from the ANZAC battles and the ruins of Troy. This year we found ourselves at our new home in London.

What a difference a year can make.

On New Years day, I had one item on my agenda - visit the London New Year's Day Parade. I'm not sure what attracted me so much to the parade, but I was determined. Despite a late start to the day, we bundled up and caught the tube to Westminster in hopes of getting a good spot to view the festivities.

Good morning Benny boy

We joined the parade a bit late, since it was a 3 hour affair. The parade was full of bands, cheerleaders, floats of sorts and people dressed in costumes which didn't really relate to London or the New Years, but the kids got a kick out of it.

American Cheerleaders in London - they came from Cali and Austin, TX (SFA)

Paul's favorite costumes of the day

My favorite floats of the day - balloons! I can't decide if the flying eagle or telephone booth were better.

The best part of it all though was having the streets shut down around Parliament and Big Ben. We got to wander the streets around the historic area and catch some great shots.

We're looking forward to a great year in 2013 full of many new adventures!