Summer Tunes in the Park

Posted on 2 July 2008 by k
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Back in January, G saw that Jack Johnson would play at an open air concert in July. He’s a favorite of mine, so he ordered the tickets and kept the secret until just two weeks ago when he surprised me with an invitation to join him.Tonight was the night. Sunshine and blue skies above, a beautiful sunshine, good company and great mellow tunes made for the perfect night in Hyde Park. So much fun.

And to make things even better, another favorite, Ben Harper, opened for it. And Jack even sang his duet with Jimmy Buffett. How great is that.

Thanks to G for an all around perfect evening in the Park…

During a break, we were a bit punchy and board so we decided to (no surprise) take photos. So many of you have written to us to compliment our photos over the last couple years since we set-up this blog. So, I think you’ll appreciate that even we have bad photo days 🙂 Tonight, we just couldn’t get it together as evident by the blooper reel to the right…we were working with an iPhone without flash and had to sit facing the bright sun. The shadows and bright light made getting a shot…well …interesting.

Hope you and yours are out enjoying the gorgeous summer weather.

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We’re Back!

Posted on 29 June 2008 by k

After a short trip to the US to visit K’s family and a jaunt to Ireland to attend a friend’s wedding, we’re back! Gone since the 18th, we’ve had a leisurely day catching up on chores, flying a kite on Primrose Hill (the weather’s more like Spring than Summer here…today’s high winds were perfect!) and a pub dinner with a bit of Pimms and lemonade. A perfect ending to a nice little break from our usual grind.

We had a great time visiting with K’s family at SML and were blessed with amazing blue skies during our stay. When we stepped off the plane in Charlotte for our connection to Roanoke, we couldn’t quite fathom the amazing weather. It almost felt tropical compared to our usual London rays. We woke in the morning to go for a walk then went out boating, fishing or shopping…all under the blue cover above. Amazing weather. And, believe it or not, we REALLY appreciated the humidity. It did our skin good. And, of course, it was good to see and catch up with folks and have some nice home cooked meals for a change. Our tiny little kitchen here won’t allow us to do the large batch cooking we did back home. We dragged out the grill for some steaks and fresh veg. Had nice salads, beautiful berries and lots of really good comfort food.

One highlight was going out on the boat for a bit of tubing with most of the family. I think everyone on the boat will remember the highs…first, great tubing. The high fuel prices have driven everyone else off the water. We had the lake [almost] to ourselves. Taking turns tubing, K’s dad noticed a grey cloud in the distance…at the opposite end of the lake from the dock, our sunglasses, the small windshield and our towels were our only cover from the drenching downpours from the early afternoon storm. Thankfully, we made it back to dock just before the lightning and big drops began to fall. Later, we took the boat out again and had the best tubing of the day. A great time.

And, lucky for us, K’s county just opened a new fishing pier and beach. We loved lounging on the comfy white sand and pretending to fish on the new pier…unfortunately, K’s professed fish Olga kept getting away.

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G’s friend Paul (German Club, VT) was married in Clareen/Kinnitty Ireland on Friday. On our way back from the States, we swung through Ireland to attend. The ceremony was at a small countryside chapel followed by a reception at Kinnitty Castle (Irish Midlands–halfway between Galway & Dublin). We bookended the wedding with a bit of time in and around Dublin. We had a great time roaming the streets of Temple Bar (Dublin), sampling their local Irish Ales, and a bit of the local music.

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I ALWAYS love the water so on Saturday (before our evening flight) we checked out Dun Laoghaire (bay just south of Dublin). Though most of our stay in Ireland was a bit rainy, the sun popped out for the afternoon and we loved the beautiful, rocky, coastal views. And an ice cream for good measure :)While the last few months have been travel heavy, we’re ramping up for the long summer (hopefully) in town. Aside from a quick trip to Paris for my 30th in a couple weeks (wow…I’m getting old :)) and a trip to Budapest (we think) in August, we’ll be in and around the UK until we leave for Tanzania at the end of September. It’s hard to believe that our two year visa is up for renewal already! So, we’ll submit the paperwork to renew later this summer and our wings will be clipped until we’re (hopefully) approved this August.

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Bustling Berlin

Posted on 11 June 2008 by g

Last week I meet up with a good friend of mine from college in Berlin. He was in Germany for a conference and I was able to pop over for a couple days. We had a great time catching up and seeing a bit of the city.

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Berlin is a modem European city — and it is rapidly changing. There are cranes and construction everywhere. Rick Steves jokes that if your guidebook is a couple years old it is describing a different city. Indeed the Hauptbahnhof — or main train station — had moved between my 2006 edition and his 2008 edition. Good thing that wasn’t where we agreed to meet!Perhaps it is due to all of the construction, but my first impressions of Berlin weren’t the most appealing. It doesn’t have the old world charm and charisma of a lot of European cities. It grew on me though and I found it was more attractive when lit up at night.

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One of the most interesting parts of the trip was seeing Checkpoint Charlie — border crossing between East and West Berlin. The nearby museum chronicles the history of the wall and the separation of Germany and Berlin. It was amazing to see the ingenuity and dedication that people invested on trying to get out of the East. They hid in cars suitcases and surfboards. It reminded me of a documentary that I saw recently about the Gaza strip and the Palestinians struggle tunneling under the wall to reach Egypt so they can get food for their families. The risks were great, but so were the rewards.

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From Checkpoint Charlie we followed the double cobble stones embedded in the ground marking the former location of the wall until we got to the east gallery where a piece of the wall remains. It is covered with artwork from around the world echoing the sentiments of freedom and peace. Along the way, we passed houses that were right on the border. It’s hard to imagine living there with only a few feet separating you from freedom and perhaps perhaps family and friends.I was a child when the wall fell. I remember it was a major event, but I didn’t appreciate its magnitude. Being there I was really able to gain a much stronger appreciation.

Posted in Adventure Travel, Europe, Germany | 3 Comments

A Week of Friends…Both Business & Personal

Posted on 8 June 2008 by k

The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind for us. With all our recent travels, we’ve been out of town since April! This said, we decided that it was most important to stay in town and enjoy the benefits of London in springtime for a while.

We caught up with local and visiting personal friends: my old friend Krista from undergrad visited from California, G met up with his good college (and German Club) friend Andy in Berlin and they traveled back to meet up with me in London. And we have also had a bit more time to reconnect with our local friends, as well.

I traveled for business this week and reconnected with my “business friends’. All agency and client-side marketing staff working on the account in EMEA met up in green and homey Newbury just west of London for a few days of meetings and fun. Our client likes to party, I was exhausted upon returning home!

This weekend we’ve enjoyed catching up on rest, have done a few chores around the house and soaked up our share of sunshine on Primrose Hill. Ahh…Spring! Finally.

We’ve also taken a few minutes to regroup on our “plan”. Probably 5 years ago by now, we found a curious book at the local Cary library. Called “Smart Couples Finish Rich”…we were feeling smart and wanted to be rich, so we decided to pick it up for a quick read. It was chock full of good models and frameworks to help new and old couples prioritize their spending based on life goals and dreams. The premise is that wealth isn’t about hoards of cash in the bank…that’s a part of it, but it’s really about living a happy and full life while making smart financial decisions that will prepare you for the future. A balance between spending on what matters while saving for the dream basket. It fit with our personal philosophies and we’ve been sold ever since.

We’ve tried to fill it in every couple or few years–this will be our third time. It’s helped us to stay current on each others’ priorities and development so that we can grow together instead of apart. We owe our move to London, in part, to this book. Not to mention our travel budget and other key decisions. So, we’re working out our priorities for the next couple years. Hmmm…what’s next? We’re not yet finished, but I hear the Hill calling our names on this gorgeous sunny day to continue working through the frameworks. It’s amazing how much we change and grow over such a short timeframe. And eventhough G and I are inseparable, it’s always a surprise to see what’s on each others’ radar.

Oh, and our weekend has had a bit of adventure, as well. G and I left for a quick grocery run last night, only to then realize that we didn’t have keys to the flat with us! It happens…but it’s the first time for us in the flat. A neighbor buzzed us in to the building, but since our landlord is out of town, we were faced with calling a lock smith or breaking into our own flat. Not an easy task when your flat’s on the 5th floor (6th by American definition) with a special door latch to deter theft. Luckily for us, we’re on the top floor and were able to find a couple vulnerable points from the roof access. But, it’s a long way down. Luckily, I married a boy scout who was able to break in within 30 minutes of the lock-out. Hmmm…actually good and bad. We certainly know now that which precautions to make so that others will be unable to do the same.

Posted in Life in London | 1 Comment

The Turkish Bath

Posted on 27 May 2008 by k

Glancing back over our recent posts, I realized that we never posted the second half of our Turkish adventure. here goes…

Imagine. A warm slab of marble, the echo of smooth stone water basins at the surround, steamy humidity and stars and moons of light exposing the room to filtered sunlight. Add to it complete strangers and you’ve pretty much got an accurate picture of the pampered experience of being in a Turkish bath. The one obvious negative is the presence of strangers. But the positives of the relaxing experience far outweigh the slight discomfort of being unclothed in such surroundings. Not to mention the baby soft skin that follows.

As compared to the Indian ayurvedic massage, the Turkish bath is a clear winner (please, can someone open one in London…or the US!). While you might know I’m a big fan of the gym’s steam room and that I use it as a substitute for North Carolina’s balmy, humid climate, the Turkish bath took things to a whole new level. Someone bathes you in bubbles (granted…a stranger), exfoliates your skin, and finally drenches you in cool water. This is precisely how our second day in Istanbul began. Needless to say we were well groomed for a relaxing day.

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Next up, a festival of local  culinary delights as we paraded the city’s main modern boulevard, a stop at Mac to reapply my make up (nothing like it for a quick fix following the drenching bath), a restful lunch in a local garden cafe (set in a turtle-friendly lemon grove), and a whirling dervish service (a local religious sect that dances their prayers). Before heading back to the Old District for a relaxing seafood dinner in the city’s ancient candlelight water reservoir, called the Cistern (now dry, obviously J).We had local Turkish delight (yummy with nuts—though an odd texture, perhaps), not so yummy nut extract formed into a loaf (we think?), elastic ice cream (it holds together a bit more than the usual because it includes a bit of orchid extract, making it slightly elastic), apple tea (the London version tastes like apple cider—while authentic Turkish apple tea is less tart and more subtle).

A couple tips for the road for any future ventures to Istanbul: skip the outside stalls at the market and head straight to the stalls at the center (that have been there for hundreds of years). This is where you’ll find the established, confident vendors with quality, appropriately priced products. And, with their confidence, they don’t need to coax or badger.

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A Little R&R on Lake Como

Posted on 26 May 2008 by g

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The combination of two of K’s favorite things — water and mountains — provided the perfect backdrop for a relaxing holiday weekend getaway. In contrast to our travels over the last month, the primary objective this weekend was rest and relaxation. We soaked up bits of sun at lakeside cafés as it peeked out between the clouds. And the scattered showers kept our energetic hiking ambitions in check to help us achieve our relaxation goal.

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We skipped the resort laden “big city” of Como and headed for the quaint villages in the middle of the lake. Settling in the little town of Varenna we explored the neighboring Bellaggio and Menaggio with quick ferry rides across the lake. While less touristy than the larger Como, these towns are still popular holiday spots for Europe and focused on hospitality. We strolled along the water’s edge watching fish dart about in the crystal blue water. We frequented the shops admiring the murano glass and artisan works. And renewed our taste for café lattes and authentic gelato.

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The food and wine is always a highlight of Italy (though not quite as good as Tuscany and Cinque Terre). We enjoyed fresh pasta and the light refreshing red chianti wine as well other fresh wines from the region. Being on a lake, the food featured a lot of trout and reminded us of Hallstatt and the Austrian Lake District in many ways.

There were other familiar elements of this trip as well. Arriving by train along the lake edge beneath the towering mountains reminded us of the Berner-Oberland in Switzerland. The brightly colored shore perched villages lined with boats reminded us of the Cinque Terre and The Amalfi Coast. We were able to enjoy elements of and reminisce about many of our favorite trips.

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As on our other trips to Italy, we found a lot of art galleries and exhibits — more than other places in Europe. Maybe it is because Italy is more beautiful. Or perhaps Italians are more artistically inclined. Or we just got lucky while in Italy. None the less we enjoyed many the quality works in several galleries and exhibits.

A unique shop in Bellaggio featured fused glass renderings of Van Gogh’s famous works. The fused glass technique and bright colors mixed well with Van Gogh’s style and made the works really light up. We were particularly impressed by a rendition of Starry Night and decided its new home should be in our London flat.

It was a good weekend all around and mission accomplished. Check out our pictures from around the lake.

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Hometown Weekend

Posted on 21 May 2008 by k
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G and I enjoyed hosting his parents in London last weekend. It was a great opportunity to do a few things that we hadn’t yet fit in during our stay here. First, a tour about Borough Market for some specialty nibbles. The samples are dreamy and we found some nice fish and chips, cheese, champagne, strawberry tarts and chocolate ganache tarts. Yum!Then, to a typical English pub to catch up on our respective travels before heading for G’s parents’ first sushi dinner (they were brave) and finally to Billy Elliott (see it when it comes to the states…it’s one of the better major shows, we think).

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After a busy Saturday, we had a bit of rest on Sunday morning before heading to tea at the Ritz and to see the King Tut exhibit (Nancy you were right…good exhibit!). Tea at the Ritz was cool, but have to say the snooty, overly pepped bunch don’t really jive with our style. For some reason, even the waiters and coat check at the desk think they’re better than their average guest…not really our scene. Despite that the place is crawling with tourists, they don’t allow photos. Luckily for you, we snuck a few 🙂

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Have you had a proper English tea? They serve cream tea with a three tray lift of pastries (generally scones with jam and clotted cream but the Ritz also included fruit cake) , mini sandwiches (cheese on sundried tomato bread, cucumber, salmon & ham) and a mix of miniature dessert squares (mousee, nepolean, chocolate cake, raspberry tart, cream cookie tower, etc).
I had to travel for work yesterday/today. I’ve now led my LAST in-market online training session. Thank goodness the folks in Paris were kind. Now, all done. I’ll return to the office tomorrow before we head out at EOD to Lake Como for an extended weekend.

Posted in Life in London | 2 Comments