Our London Adventure, in review

This is officially our last post. The end of our adventure has arrived and we can't believe it.

We have loved our journey here and are so happy that we had the opportunity to live in London. We have made life long friends that we will miss dearly! We have a new outlook on the world and a new appreciation for America. And if we were asked to live abroad again, I think we would both say, yes! Can you believe it?! It has truly been an amazing experience that we will treasure forever.

The things we won't miss:
The washer/dryer (really a steamer) combo
The winter weather
The metric system
Being far from our family and friends


The things we will miss:
Our friends
Thai and Indian food
Hyde Park
Traveling Europe
The French pastries
Walking everywhere(not needing a car)
Our Healthcare and doctors
The accent
The cab drivers (knowledgeable and courteous)
The pubs
Football
Cafe Nero
And many many more...

Here are a few photos of our last times in London.






Here we come America!!!!!!

Wimbledon 2009

Considering we only live 25 minutes from Wimbledon, we decided to brave the crowds and heat for the chance to experience Wimbledon. We are sure glad we did, and recommend the event to everyone even if you are not a tennis fan. The grounds are beautiful, with a mixture of modern and historic influences (and lots of money for a roof than will be used at some point given the British weather!).



We ate dinner on Henman's Hill, and walked around to watch various doubles matches. Given the presence of Noelle and her charm, we were even able to get our way into centre court.

Paris!

For our last trip while living abroad we decided we had to do Paris one last time! We had a wonderful time exploring local neighborhoods, visiting Versailles and having a picnic on the grounds, and of course eating and walking non stop. I am excited to tell you that after years of sampling, I have found the best chocolate croissant I have ever had. The next time you are in Paris, it is called Aux Armes de Niel. Deelish! Nils took us on a metro adventure- we now think we have somewhat figured out their metro system. We LOVE Paris and were happy introduce Noelle to this amazing city!

Royal Ascot

For our 5 year Anniversary we celebrated by going to Royal Ascot. Ascot is a famous horse racing event that is better known for the social aspect than the actual event. The Queen is present and enters each day via carriage (see how close Nils got). To us Americans it is quintessentially British- the fancy dresses, the hats, coattails... and of course excessive drinking. Little Miss Noelle loved wearing her fancy headband- she fit right in! We had a great time and our long shot came in 1st place!!

The Cotswolds

Last weekend we took another day trip out to the Cotswolds- an area with picturesque villages, green as far as you can see, and grazing sheep... the English countryside. We finally made it! We took the train via Oxford, and in an hour and a half we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere! We explored three of the villages, had a picnic along the river in Bourton-on-the-Water, had cream tea (which we learned is tea, served with a scone, jam and clotted cream- its the clotted cream which makes a cream tea a cream tea) and just relaxed. We felt like we were in a storybook land! The people were so friendly and welcoming. What a nice break from the city!

We are out and about again!

Lately, our only adventure has been that of parenthood, which we are loving, but we actually had a great weekend adventure. Grandpa came to visit us, which got us up and moving. We explored London, took a trip out to Richmond and spent a day in Cambridge. Richmond was beautiful, as always, and we happened to catch part of a regatta. It was great fun to watch the boat races along the Thames. What a beautiful little town just to take a stroll through, walk along the river and of course visit our favorite chocolate shop, William Curley.

Cambridge was amazing, definitely worth the trip. After a short train ride we were immersed in a stunning, medieval meets modern college town. We felt smarter just being there- especially when standing next to the building where the electron and DNA were discovered! Who knew that there are 31 colleges that make up Cambridge- each with their own beautiful buildings, housing, gardens and lawns. It was wonderful to hear all the stories of past students of Cambridge (people we have actually heard of). We especially liked hearing about Lord Byron and his bear who used to bathe in the fountain and in the Wren Library there is the original manuscript of Winnie the Pooh. How fun! Along the river people go punting, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_(boat) if you haven't heard of it. We loved watching the rookie punters, if that is the right word, trying not to hit other boats or to fall in. It was great sitting along the river watching all the action below. Noelle thought it was so fun to kick under the trees as the ducks and geese waddled on by her. Who knows, maybe that will be her school one day!

Snow Day

It has been an interesting few days in London. What started as a fun outing to watch the Superbowl in Pimlico for Nils and his friend Gordon turned into the worst snowstorm in London since 1991. The transportation system collapsed, and the 4 snowplows in all of London were conveniently located at Heathrow. Thankfully everything is fine, but definitely something new.

Finally, a big thanks to Sandy for the Galoshes!!! What a life saver!

Happy Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas as a family this year, and we stayed in London so we get to enjoy Boxing Day tomorrow. Two Holidays in a row, what could be better?

We hope you all had very enjoyable Holiday experiences, and best wishes for the New Year.

By the way, we finally allowed the cats to try catnip this year. Under close supervision they did okay for a few hours. But, we haven't seen them in the last 5, so they obviously didn't know when to say when.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We couldn't believe that this was our second Thanksgiving here in London. We spent the holiday with our friends and fellow ex pats, Dave, Velana, Jeff and Jessica. Dave and Velana were so kind to host and make all of the traditional Thanksgiving foods! Everything was delicious!

The rest of the weekend we spent getting ready for Christmas! We bought a cute little fake tree and had a great time decorating the tree and our flat. Although we are sad not to be coming home for the holidays, we are thrilled about our upcoming arrival! We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we will be thinking of you!

Spa Day

Esther and Laurel were so kind to throw me a spa day baby shower!! We had so much fun. It was an afternoon full of pampering, delicious food (including M & M cookies, yum!), and wonderful company. I am so thankful for these special friends I have met here in London!!Thank you all so much for being a part of the day! Esther and Laurel, what an event- thank you so much for such a fantastic day!



Esther and Velana

Laurel and Anne

Kris

Anna and Jill

Anna and Anne

A Little Sun and Snow Makes the Baby Grow

Just a few pictures of our recent adventure across town! We finally made it up to Regents Park and Primrose Hill, which are in London but feel miles away. We were happy to see the sun and surprised to see the snow!!

Check out the belly on this one!

Bright and Sunny Brighton

For the last warm weekend in England (until June) we decided to take our first trip to the English coast. So the four of us (Mike, Annie and the two of us) headed south to Brighton for the day, which is only about an hour away. It was nice to see the water, the pier and sunny skies. What we didn't expect was a cute little town with a gigantic palace in the middle of it. The Royal Pavilion was truly royal until Queen Victoria sold it to the city of Brighton for a song (the palace wasn't her cup of tea). In the next several weeks we hope to get out of London more and experience the English countryside.

Flat Crawl

This weekend we had our first ever flat crawl! This entailed moving from flat to flat in our building, working our way to the top, where each flat prepared some delicious food to share with everyone. It was SO much fun and we hope to do it again very soon. We feel extremely lucky to have such amazing neighbors. We sure lucked out!

We started at Alex and Alex's where we had a German feast- sausage, pasta salad and pretzels, yum!! It was truly an authentic Frankfurt treat!



We then moved on to Jill and Kanna's where we ate delicious curry chicken wraps and veggies. Jill, I would love your chicken recipe!!!



We were then on our way to our flat where we had chocolate fondue. I ate so much choclate, Baby S was pinging around my stomach until the wee hours of the morning.



Our final stop was at Anne and Sandy's. We finished with a beautiful cheese spread with dried fruit and olives. What a way to polish off the night of delicious eating. And there were even pasteurized cheeses!!



Thanks so much everyone for such a fun evening- we had a lovely time!!!

Nils Goes Home

That is, to Norway, where he reconnected with his roots.


After a lovely time showing Russell and Joanne around London, the four of us were off to Oslo, Norway. Norway is just beautiful and what a treat to be able to see this part of the world!

We started off our trip touring around the Sentrum of Oslo, exploring the differences and similarities with other major cities. One difference which we weren't prepared for was the cost of everything, especially coming from London. Lets just say we can give some good tips on free parking behind the Royal Palace and Embassy Row. And also, don't worry about the "toll booths" as you can't pay even if you want to (the bill will come later). The pizza (we couldn't help ourselves before taking the picture) came in at $40, and the lovely hot chocolate you see was a steamy $9, and the ONE beer Nils had was a gulp inducing $ 17. The 25% tax doesn't help, but its worth it for the Norway experience.

You can see in the pictures below that we visited the adorable village of Drobak known for its Christmas history, where mail from children is delivered from around the world (we noticed, Japan, Russia, USA, etc.) to Julenissen (the Norweigan Santa Claus -check out this site for more info http://www.emb-norway.ca/facts/Traditions/Christmas/julenissen.htm).

We also went to some lesser known places, including the best Mexican restaurant in Norway and the Resistance Museum. The history of Norway is truly amazing, and Nils was ready to jump into the viking ships and head off to sea.

We had a wonderful trip, and recommend Norway as a great place to visit for everyone. Just don't buy anything. :)

Guest Post -Sorenson's Visit

On our arrival to London with extra baby supplies and a stroller, it was wonderful to be greeted by a very nice driver at Heathrow by a sign reading Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson!

We spent the first few days in exploring the wonderful department stores - Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis, Fortum & Mason while walking may parts of the local neighborhoods. Our favorite lunches were at EAT, and it was nice to ride the double decker buses even with the wet and overcast weather. Russell went to the City to visit many famous sites while Anna and I walked to Buckingham Palace followed by a wonderful Tea at the Dorchester. Russell and I also went on the Big Bus Tour, which was so nice and informative. It also dropped us off right next to Nils' work, and we went to his favorite BBQ restaurant nearby. On our last day in London, we went with Nils to Windsor castle which we had visited years before. It was so nice to travel to a castle without getting in a car thanks to the transit system in England. The tour was wonderful, and it was neat to visit on a day when the Queen was home!

We then went to Norway to introduce Anna and Nils the nordic country. Some items have changed since we last visited 5 years ago, but it is as beautiful and expensive as ever! We had a wonderful time touring around (thanks in part to a wonderful TomTom borrowed from a Friend of theirs), though the winter appears to be coming early. We took a day trip to the beautiful little village of Drobak, which is a famous Santa Crossing location. We also toured around to many amazing sites of Oslo, including the majestic views from the sky jump left over from the 1952 Oslo Olympics as well as most of the heritage museums. We ate at many unique places, including a Mexican restaurant (including Russ) and the most popular restaurant in Norway - Peppe's Pizza.

In all, we had a wonderful time with Anna and Nils. We can't wait to visit again, and we can't wait for the new addition to the family!

Our August Trip Home

After a wonderful month at home we are back in London! We can't believe how fast our trip flew by! I spent an amazing two weeks in San Diego while Nils stayed to work in London. Poor Nils. It was so nice to be home and to relax. I then met Nils in Northern California and we were on out way to spend several days with our new nephew, Charlie and Nils' sister Heather. It was so special to be with them!! We then went to San Francisco for a few days. And yes, we loved being back! In the midst of our California tour, I was so lucky to have several baby showers. Thank you so much to Mom, Emily, Laura, Allegra, Annie and Megan for hosting such lovely events. That was so thoughtful of you all!! I had such a great time!!

Of course while we were in California we ate and ate and ate! I had Mexican food and frozen yogurt close to every day and I already miss it!!! I think this baby may come out looking like a pinto bean! By the way, to see pictures of my expanding belly check out the slide show. It was so fun to finally be showing!!! As a matter of fact, I don't think we ever formally mentioned that I am pregnant! We are so thrilled and are eagerly awaiting her December arrival!

After California, we left for New York to see our new niece and nephew, Vivian and Anthony, Brady and Jenn's twins!! We loved being there and being able to spend time with these new members of the family!! All three of our nieces and nephews are absolutely adorable!!! And the parents, Heather, Bill, Jenn and Brady are doing so well! We are impressed!!

We are so glad we got to spend time with all of our family members and our friends. It really was so nice to be back and to get to see you all! We miss you all so much!

Guest Post- Emily Does London

What an experience! I got to spend an entire month living in London! From day trips to Paris to a two week cooking course I felt like a true local by hopping on the tube, going to tea, and saying trousers as opposed to pants. However, I sadly am not leaving with an english accent though, which was the intended plan... A month sounds like a long time but it flew by and I am left feeling as if I need another month here to see it all. The trip started with my mom and dad also being here so we got to have some fun family sight seeing day trips and then it took a turn to where Anna and I went to Leiths, a local cooking school, and got to learn how to scramble eggs (yes apparently they went for the very basic approach) to how to filet fish, gut and dehead prawns, and prepare various types of meat. Anna being the squeamish type and me being the non-meat eater were probably quite funny to watch while we attempted to do these deeds... We pretty much closed are eyes and cut (I do not recommend this). I then got one week to just hang out around London which was great! I got to do some great window shopping, the exchange rate made sure of that and see some more historical and beautiful sights. I can not believe it has come to and end but I do miss America and am ready for some mexican food but London will be missed! Thank you Anna and NIls for everything!!

Nils's 30th Birthday!

We had a great several days celebrating Nils' big 3-0!!!! On the actual day Nils, Emily and I went out to a delicious dinner at Hakkasan, a trendy Chinese fusion restaurant in London. After our tasty dinner, we headed home for some birthday cheesecake. On Saturday we went bowling with our good friends, which was so much fun!! Welcome to your 30's Nils!!!