A Beautiful Weekend

At Holland Park

The weather this weekend in London was absolutely lovely!  With bright sunny skies and a high of 68F (20C), it was a great weekend to be outside.  And that's just what Brandon and I did.  We ventured out to the west side of London to the Notting Hill area. We explored the charming Holland Park, which has a giant chess board, Japanese garden and Ice Cream shoppe.  We even packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed lunch on a park bench.

Waterfall in the Japanese Garden

Japanese Garden

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom

Giant Chess

Rose Garden

Following our jaunt through the park we stumbled across an American Food Store.  They had all the items we've been craving this whole year, that you cannot find in the UK.  Items such as: Chex Mix, Velveeta cheese, Kraft mac and cheese, and Ranch dressing.  So we walked out with a nice variety of food to remind us of home!

We also had a special surprise earlier this week.  My friend, Megan, whom I know from college, and her husband Chad visited London this week and we got to have dinner with them one night, before they headed off to Paris!  As you can see, it was quite a bit cooler that evening (my hair being crazy in the wind), but here are Megan and I in Trafalgar Square.  I hope they had a great trip and it was so lovely to see them.

Friends reunited in Trafalgar Square!

Boy, I sure wish more friends would come visit us!  We are great tour guides!!!

Wishing you all a lovely spring!

The Making of Harry Potter (and other things)

Yesterday, the Stovers made a trek out to to boonies of London...Watford Junction which is in zone 9.  London has 6 zones for the tube/overground/DLR trains.  In the far North West of London, they extend the zones to have a special zone 7, 8, & 9.  In other words, it's a long way away from central London.

Why were we out that far you may ask?  The answer to that comes in just two letters.  WB.  The Warner Brothers studio is located in North West London and they have an exhibition on "The Making of Harry Potter".  They had lots of sets from the movie, costumes, props, and videos explaining the making of the movie.  It was very much like the Dr. Who Experience we went to in October in Cardiff.  We walked through the great hall (without it's famous ceiling), walked down Diagon Alley, took a ride on the night bus through Privet Drive (which looks remarkably like the street we live on!), and drank some butterbeer.  This is only a quarter of the pictures we took that day, but take a look at some of the things we saw...

Welcome to the HP Studios!

Harry's cupboard under the stairs at the Dursley Home

The Great Hall

Dumbledore and Snape

Gryffindor costumes, including Daniel Radcliffe's first set of robes on the far left

The Gryffindor boys bedroom

Gryffindor common room

Dumbledore's office

The chamber of secrets door

Enjoying butterbeer in front of the Hogwarts bridge

Butterbeer and the Knight Bus

Diagon Alley

In front of the Hogwarts model

The Hogwarts model covered in snow

In other news, classes are moving right along (already on Week 4!).  We attended 'American Psycho' a brand new musical at the Almeida Theatre featuring Matt Smith (Yes, former Dr. Who Matt Smith). We waited afterwards for an autograph, but he didn't sign any that night as he was meeting a friend for a drink afterwards... oh well.  At least we picked up a prop business card from the show to keep as a souvenir (found it on the ground!).

American Psycho poster

Matt Smith in the musical (pic taken from the internet, as we were not allowed to take any during the performance)

The Stover Sr. family have come back from their trip to Key West and have booked their tickets to come to London so we are busily planning that trip. They will be coming in May.

In a few weeks we head to Canterbury, stay tuned for an update about our trip!

London with the Sundins

Since the Christmas holidays have come and gone, and we are starting up lectures again tomorrow, we thought we would do a little blog update about the exciting things that happened over our break.

First, many of you know that my (Emily's) family came over to celebrate with us.  My mom, dad, brother (Andy) and his girlfriend (Macey) all made the long trip across the pond to see us, as well as travel a bit around Europe.

The Sundins in Trafalgar Square

The first week we spent in London, with Brandon and I as the official tour guides.  We took them to all the well-known sites, as well as a few of our favorite spots.

Some highlights of our week in London:
Edge Bar - On the first afternoon the Sundins were in town, we first took them Oxford Circus and Soho.  They were pretty much starving since they had been on a flight all night and spent over a hour on the tube getting to their flat.  So we walked into the first decent looking pub we found.  After being seated and ordering our food from a well-dressed, well-groomed waiter, we began to notice the signage and noticing the interesting videos playing on the big screens.  Then my dad mentioned, "Is this a gay bar!?!?" And yes, the first pub experience for my family was at a gay bar.  However, the food was good and decently priced and the waiters were friendly, so overall we had a nice experience.

"Andy is Out, Macey is In" - When we took the family to St. Catherine's for their Christmas Carols service, Macey got confused as being my sister, apparently we look more alike than Andy and I do! So we decided that she is now in the family and Andy is out. Also at the service, Brandon and I performed a jazzy version of The Holly and the Ivy for saxophone and piano.

Christmas Eve at Westminster -  Beautiful church, beautiful service, a great way to spend Christmas eve!  Even though pictures are not allowed, Dad was sneaky and took this great one of us with the candles!

Carols and Candlelight at Westminster

Boris Bikes on Christmas Day - Since all public transport in London shuts down on Christmas day, we had no way of getting around town.  So we decided to rent a few bikes from the nearby bike stand and rode bikes around the Hackney area on Christmas day.  We also had tacos for Christmas dinner, not the traditional, but still very tasty!

In addition, we toured the Tower of London in the rain, ate at lots and lots of pubs and sort-of saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham (which it is not really worth seeing and was rather disappointing...).  We also walked across the famous Abbey Road and enjoyed cheese, bread, chocolates and mulled cider at Borough Market.

The fam at the Tower of London, with Tower Bridge in the background

Abbey Road

Check back soon to hear about our adventures in Amsterdam!

Em and B

St. Catherine's Church

Many of you know that Brandon and I are proclaimed Christians.  We love Jesus and we try to live our life in a way that reflects Him.  So, it is important to us to find a church home while we are in London.  Not only does a weekly worship service help you feel closer to Christ, but it is a way of connecting with the community of Christians and gives us a support system to rely on when things get difficult.  We have joined the Christian Union on campus and attend their events when we can.  We have also befriended the campus vicar (clergy).  Both have offered several church suggestions for us to try, so we spent our first month visiting several area churches to get a taste of what is available and find a church home while living in London.

So the church we landed on is St. Catherine's!! This is a Church of England (Anglican) based church and it is located on the top of big hill, with wonderful views of the city.  The building itself is made up of Gothic architecture and is a wonderful atmosphere to worship inside.  The vicar of the church is a woman, who is interested in developing the music programs at the church and reaching out into the community of New Cross.  The service itself was much like St. Matthew's, with a very liturgical based worship and even included some familiar phrases ("The Lord be with you....and also with you!")  Everyone is very nice and we have already met many of the church members.  Downsides of this church - not very many other students (25-35 age range) attend, the congregation is made up of mostly young families and older adults.  But overall, it feels a lot like St. Matthew's and I love the fact that we can offer our musical gifts to help the vicar in her vision.

Here are some pictures of our new church home!

The sanctuary and alter

Stained Glass windows above the alter

Gothic arches

Outside sign

The front of the church

Happy Sunday everyone!!

The New Cross House

We have been in London now for about three weeks and we are finding our way around quite well.  We have made several friends and classes are in full swing.

One recent phenomenon of our new life is how, at least three times a week, we end up going to the same pub...it's kinda like on How I Met Your Mother, or Friends when they are seen hanging out at the same bar/cafe every night and you wonder, "Who actually does that??"  Well we have become those people...and the pub is New Cross House, which is situated on the same block as Goldsmith's campus.  They have a nice little garden area in the back which we have been taking advantage of while the weather is still pleasant.  It is also known on campus as the "pub that you bring your parents to," while the pub across the street (The New Cross Inn) is the "get crazy and party pub" (which we have not ventured into yet...).  But I think the most interesting thing about this phenomenon is that we are not always with the same group of people.  Our first night on campus we went out with some Goldsmiths staff (including the campus vicar and one of the music lecturers), on my birthday with a group of friends, a few times with the Christian Union (yes even the Christians meet at the pub!) and once following our first day of Ethnomusiology class with other classmates.  It is just kinda the place to hang out if you are a postgrad student.  The best part is that someone usually offers to buy the group a round of drinks, then you all sit and chat the evening away, knowing that eventually you will offer a round of drinks as well.  Hopefully we will continue to make memories at the New Cross House throughout the year.

The New Cross House, with a Goldsmiths building in the background

 

 

Check back soon to hear about our recent weekend exploration of Central London!

Life at Goldsmiths

Alright, time for an update!  We got moved into our flat and have started welcome week activities at our university.  We are waiting on the Internet router to arrive at our new flat to have Internet access, but until then we have to walk to campus to use wi-fi.  Both Brandon and I have officially enrolled as students and have fancy new student IDs.  We have met some new friends and some staff, and have enjoyed the social gatherings organized by the university.

While getting to know our way around campus and town, we have noticed a few differences between college/life in the States versus here in Britain...

1) Since the legal drinking age is 18, alcohol is not only allowed on campus, but provided by the university at most of their sponsored events.  There is also a bar on campus that is student run.  It is open every night of the week and hosts frequent events.

2) Even though alcohol is allowed, being obviously drunk is socially frowned upon.  Everyone drinks, but everyone knows when to stop.  Drinking is a social event, not an excuse to get ranging drunk.

3) Everything happens a bit later than in the US...meaning we enrolled yesterday and classes still have not started yet (they start next week). As most of you know class in the US has been in session for over a month now.

4) One does not "line up" or get in a "line".....one must "queue" or get in the "queue"

5) Most things are smaller than in the US.  They drive tiny cars, roads are small, restaurants are tiny, our refrigerator is tiny, with freezer space that will barely hold an box of frozen food along with an ice tray.  Our flat is also very small, about the size of a hotel room.  I promise to post pics eventually, once we find a place for all our stuff and get settled.

6) Clothes dryers are not typically provided in homes.  We have a tiny little front loading washer, but no dryer.  So we are becoming creative in how we hang/dry our laundry.

7) Dates are written and spoken with the day first then the month: i.e. 25 September

8) The weather cannot be predicted, it could be sunny and in the mid-60s in the morning, and turn gloomy rainy by midday.

So needless to say, while there is a bit of culture shock moving to the UK and getting used to subtle differences, it is still really similar to college life in the States.

Finally, just wanted to let you know that we did get a chance to meet the Royal Couple...they were kind enough to stop by Goldsmiths welcome week and say hello to all the new students! :)

Kate and William at Goldsmiths!

Getting closer to feeling at home...

The past few days we have continued to be "tourists" in London.  We are still staying in a hotel and are becoming pros at riding the tube system and figuring out the bus routes.  We are taking advantage of all the free museums in town, (see previous post!) and are getting used to the lingo.

Last night we went to a board game meet-up, that we found posted online, at a pub to meet some people and play games.  Some of you may know that we both enjoy playing board and card games, but not the usual games like Monopoly, Life, etc.  We enjoy the "hard-core" games that require a bit more strategy and less dice rolling.  Last night we learned a few new games (Love Letters, and Avalon), and taught some people one of our favorite games (Bonanza - farming beans!).  It was a great night and the first time we have gone out and met people in town.  They meet up and play board games every week so we will probably make it a re-occurring event in the future.

We also have an update on our housing situation.  We decided to put a holding deposit down on a small studio apartment about 10 minutes walk from campus. The flat (apartment) is small, only one room (living and bedroom studio), with a small kitchen and bathroom, but it is in a good location so we can walk to campus, rather than take public transport.  We then had to wait a few days for a back-ground check, to prove that we are good people, and get the approval of the landlord to become tenants.  We just heard today that everything looks good and we can pick up the keys tomorrow!  So we will be able to leave the hotel and move into our own flat!  I will make sure to post pics once we get situated in the new place.

Here are some more pics of our recent adventures....

At Buckingham Palace - but have not seen any Royalty, yet...

View from the top of the London Eye

A ride on the London Eye

At the Prime Meridian Line - I am in the Eastern Hemisphere and Brandon is in the Western

Thanks for following us on our adventures!

One Lost Passport, One Hour in Iceland, and One Afternoon in London

Hello from the UK!  We have finally made it here after a long and stressful journey.  We left Boston yesterday evening after saying goodbye to the Hadelers.  We had a great time venturing around the Boston area and look forward to seeing them again soon, maybe they will come see us in London!?!?

Saying Goodbye to Caitlin and Chris

We then boarded a plane to Reykjavik, Iceland.  The flight left at 9:30 PM and was five hours long.  In order to board the flight we had to show our passports (this is important to the story later...).  On board, each seat had its very own TV screen, so you could choose your own entertainment.  I chose to re-watch a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory to calm my nerves and laugh a bit, then tried to get a little sleep.  Once the flight landed in Iceland (at a chilling 6 degrees Celsius, around 42 F) we unloaded the plane. We knew we had a little over an hour in the airport, so we took our time.  As we found a seat to wait, I started looking for my passport just to double check that I had it and could not find it!!  So I calmly took a deep breath and quickly found an information desk to tell them that I had probably left it on the plane. As I mentioned earlier, I needed it to board the plane so I knew it must be there.  As I began explaining what happened to the nice lady at the desk I start tearing up and loosing my control.  She radioed the plane and after a few tense minutes they were able to retrieve my passport.  At least I made the mistake now and will be more careful with it in the future!

Anyway, the Iceland airport was very nice.  A small friendly airport that has very updated facilities.  I wish we could have stayed longer and actually seen a bit of the country (they advertised hotsprings, volcanoes and glaciers!), but that may be its own separate adventure someday.

So we boarded our next flight to London Gatwick (the little known south London airport) at around 7:45AM Iceland Time, for another 3 hour flight.  This plane did not have the fancy personal TV screens, so I tried to sleep through most of the flight.  Finally we landed in London at noon local time, which messed with my head because it felt like 4AM.  After clearing customs (thankfully with my passport/visa in hand!) and getting our bags (which we have a lot of...) we made our way through the crowded airport to the express train into town, to Victoria station.  At Victoria station we hailed a classic black taxi and made our way to our hotel room.

We are both pretty exhausted at this point so we decided to take a quick nap and freshen up a bit, then head out into town.  It was a beautiful day in London, slightly cloudy and around 64F and we wanted to enjoy the weather because there is rain in the forecast for the next three days...  We decided to start in Oxford Circus in search of mobile phones.  After buying a cheap pay-as-you-go phone (can't get a "smart" phone without a bank account, can't get a bank account without an address, and can't get an address without a phone....such a conundrum....) we decided to walk around London.  Without boring you more with specifics here are some pics of what we saw on our first afternoon in our new city.

Trafalgar Square

Big Ben and the UK Parliament Building

Thames River and Parliament Building, Brandon is blocking Big Ben...

London Eye

Our first meal in London, at a French Bistro, panini sandwiches, coke and sparkling limonade -
not very British but tasty all the same!

Tomorrow we have plans to look at a few housing options and the next week we will be on the search for a new home.  Check back for more postings on our international house hunt and London adventures.