Blog here, blog there

Everywhere a blog, blog.

So my blog looks a bit different… I thought I’d try something new for the new year. I love the blackboard style of it, so fitting for a teacher’s blog, but the font might drive me to change again in the near future.

As you can guess by the steady stream of blogging, I haven’t started work yet. Calls are starting to come in for different schools though so I don’t think it will be long. I’ll keep you posted. For now, a post about another London weekend done on the cheap. Well mostly.

Friday night I got to finally have a girls night and catch up with my good friend and future roommate. She also introduced me to two girls I hadn’t met before. One woman from Romania who works in a corporate setting, the nature of which I couldn’t quite gather, and another woman from Italian, doing one of her doctoral residency years abroad in England. Very interesting girls! We went to this awesome sushi place where the tables were very low. We hung out in Camden for the evening and chatted for hours.

Saturday, my future roomie Katrina and I went to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in North London at Neasden station. So epic and something I’d completely missed last year. She has the photos we took so I’ll add them into this post when I get them from her. It was incredibly beautiful. The main temple is all white marble and every surface is carved with beautiful patterns or figures. The evening was spent cuddled on her bed watching hilarious clips of things and eating terrible, cheap, and delicious London take away.

Sunday I spent with Dan. We walked from London Bridge to Waterloo station enjoying the festival of the Thames, though there wasn’t much to see. I do always love walking along the Thames and they even unlocked the gates so you could walk down where the tide normally covers.

After that we went to the museum of London, ANOTHER thing I had never done last year. Honestly it didn’t sound like much but it is a beautiful museum. Very well put together and I learned so much about the city. It covers the whole history of the city right from the Roman beginnings and what it would have looked like before them. Very cool. And there special exhibition was all about bikes…. We saw a professional bmx cyclist doing some amazing tricks outside the museum.

Finally, we saw a life sized Dalek, nothing gets much cooler than that.

Sunday night we watched “Jonathan Creek”, and old murder mystery Dan is trying to get me into…. I’ll keep you posted on that too.

These blue trees are also something we saw walking around this weekend. They are to raise awareness about the importance of trees in the city. Very cool looking, so vibrant even on a cloudy day.

The things I forgot

There are definitely something’s I forgot about living in London. There are some great things and some annoying things. So here are my top 5 treasure and troubles of living in London which escaped my memory.

Treasures

5. When the sun is out, the parks are flooded with happy people. They really know how to enjoy the sunshine.
4. There is chocolate everywhere, so hard to resist.
3. Public transport is pretty darn good.
2. So many free museums
1. Cell phone bills are like 20$ a month and have unlimited data.

Troubles

5. It’s insanely expensive, twice as much as the rest of the country
4. Crowds, people everywhere… Can’t breath, so many people
3. Many places oddly have two taps in the bathroom, one for hot and one for cold on opposite sides of the sink, so you have to turn them both on and sort of go back and forth between scalding and freezing your hands
2. The prevalent paranoia surrounding friendly people and their possible motives (I gotta stop thinking this way, so uncanadian)
1. Tourists, if the crowds weren’t annoying enough, the hordes of tourists will drive you mad.

Back to London

Well I’m back in London for another year of torture… I mean teaching… Damn that auto correct. Due to the demand of certain friends and family I’m going to start blogging again to keep everyone up to date on what’s happening and what I’m up to.

For the accommodation update, I’m still staying with a friend until the 21st of September and then I get my apartment with two friends, another Canadian teacher and an Australian accountant. Further updates on that to come 🙂

The teaching plan for the year is, spend one term (until Christmas) teaching in one school, probably starting around October, and another school for the remanding two terms. We will see what happens though. For now, I’ll just be supply teaching, and waiting for a really good opportunity to come along. I’m not going to settle this year and end up somewhere as bad as last year (hopefully).

As for my first weekend back, it was very fun, though done on the cheap side and with severe jet lag. On Saturday we went and explored Greenwich market, my old stomping ground, and then took the tube to what will be my new stomping ground. I didn’t get to see inside my new apartment yet but we checked out the neighbourhood and walked from there to whitechapel. It was nice out and so great to see my new area. It put me and my friend Dan at ease to see that it’s a pretty nice area.

After that we went back to Greenwich to go up to the observatory to see the prime meridian. Even though I lived so close to it last year we never ended up going. We made the time this weekend though, it was fun. We saw the prime meridian (or the most widely accepted 0 degrees longitude- though some people use other ones). We learned a lot about how difficult it was to tell time on ships and how so much money and effort was put into developing an accurate way to tell time aboard ships. We even got to see a planetarium show, one of my favourite things! Finally, we went to covent garden and leicester square just to walk around and see what was on. After that, it was quickly home and in bed… I fell asleep so early each night this weekend.

Sunday was great too. After walking around Greenwich just a bit, we wondered to Hyde park. We walked through the park to the little man made lake and got on paddle boats. That was also very fun, though the water is not as clean or pretty as in Canada, that’s for sure. After exploring all of the park we could from the water, we grabbed lunch and went and ate by a fountain where we saw baby ducks up really close. After that we went to my favourite museum, the museum of natural history, and discovered a part I had never been to. I probably missed it a few times because its about geology and other earth sciences, but it was actually fascinating and so well put together. Since we went for the spirit collection tour, and they were done those for the day, we decided to see the butterfly exhibit which would be leaving soon instead. It was very pretty, though small. I believe after that we came back home, and I think I fell asleep at 9pm!

This week has been a lot of getting things together for work, meetings and signing things etc. I did a lot of walking to get around, even if it was more than an hour away, just because I wanted to enjoy London in the unexpected heat (It’s been so hot!).

Here for your viewing pleasure are a few pictures of my Sunday out. I’m excited to see what this year brings.

Weekend fun

Last weekend we got all dressed up in “fancy dress” for St. Patty’s. of course it wasn’t fancy, but gaudy green, orange and white , flashing, and sequined garb. Sadly, we actually had people asking us why were were dressed that way, and even for a Sunday afternoon and evening, the pubs were fairly empty. We should have gone to the parade. We had a fun housemates day out though, minus the green beer I’m so used to.

This weekend was a step up as we went out for my birthday. We dressed up very nicely and went to a bar called paramount. It was a very swanky bar and in one of the tallest buildings in London. The 360 view was incredible, and, compared to the expensive price tag of going up the shard, we saved, even paying a little extra for our drinks.

We sipped our drinks, a G&T for me of course, and lounged on the black leather sofa with a view spread out before us. I could barely keep still though and loved walking around to see the view (and show off my pretty dress).

It was just what I wanted in a party; 11 people from 4 different countries, all dressed to kill, chilling in the candle light of a very cool LondonNot bad for a new life I’ve only been building for 5.5 months.

What a great memory to have for my 25th birthday! (Though I’m choosing to forget, quickly, the night bus home).

Paris pictures 2

Paris pictures

Stolen from my friend Dan.

Au revoir

We didn’t do quite as much on Sunday. Not very many things worth talking about. More pastries (I had two for breakfast today), lots of sights (famous bridges and statues) and the burial place of Napoleon.

To be honest we were knackered, cold, and ready to go home. Well I think Dan was ready to go to Paris Disneyland but we didn’t quite have time for that. We decided to walk to the train station, Gare du Nord to kill the time we had left. An endeavor to say the least since it was quite far and we were so tired and cold.

It ended up being a lovely walk after a bitter start. The wind couldn’t get us after we got off the big wide streets and into the winding, small streets. We saw some things along the way and arrived at the station with just enough time for one last Parisian meal.

I almost ordered Andouille- which is intestines. Well I wanted to try something new, but the look the waitress gave me made me chicken out and go for le poulet instead. Mussels are what came so I guess it didn’t matter what I ordered. We ate, dessert included, because my friend is a bad influence on me, and headed off for our train.

Thank you British border control, your ridiculous questions nearly made me miss my train. There is something romantic about running to catch a train in Paris though… Perhaps everything is just a little more romantic in Paris.

Some interesting things I noticed about Paris.
Their subway is incredibly cold. Even holding onto the hand rails inside the train was uncomfortable or impossible without gloves.
A lot of things are closed on Sunday.
If you ask someone if they speak English they will always say, “un petit peu” (a little bit) but then speak it very well, much better than my “petit peu de français”.
Their pastries are better, the best, just so far superior to… Everything else.
Things are more expensive than London (I barely believe it myself but I think it’s true!)
They have cute, tiny balconies in every window sill.
That’s all I can think of at the moment.

Pictures to follow if I ever get to it :). We actually took some pictures with cameras other than our iPhones, but not very many. We were just enjoying the moment.

Samedi à Paris

Pour cette poste, j’ai pensé que je voudrais écrire en français. But then I remembered that auto correct won’t fix my grammar in French.

Saturday, I woke up in the morning with pain in my legs. We had walked very far the day before and now I was going to pay for it. First thing first, obviously…. We needed to find some coffee and French pastries. Done and done. I had my favourite Pain au raisin and un café au lait avec soja.

After my companion was saved by my being properly fed and caffeinated, we felt it safe to venture out. We took a chilly but beautiful boat trip down the Seine and saw all the sights from the water.

We hopped off at Notre Dame and had a beautiful stroll around the most beautiful church. Good for the soul, though the tourists who wouldn’t be quiet and respect their request for silence really annoyed me. It really is a lovely church, and celebrating it’s 850 year anniversary this year.

On our way to the Louvre, we stopped at a very romantic and beautiful bridge covered in locks. The idea is that you go with your lover, write your names on the lock, lock it to the bridge and then throw the key in the river. Dan and I were both tempted to put up a friendship lock but decided it would be more special if we saved it for, you know, the one.

We got lost in the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and many other treasures of antiquity. It’s really a masterpiece itself and was lovely to make a return visit.

After that, the Musée de l’orangerie to see a huge and beautiful Monet mural. That was nice, although I hardly felt welcome after my companion got in for free with his EU ID. Making the Canadian pay… Hardly hospitable.

We walked all through beautiful courtyards and down the Champs-Élysée where we had another lunch in the fashion of the first one. A quick view of the Arc de Triomophe (constructed for Napoleon but not completed before his death) and then the growing “snow storm” forced us home. (Snow storm is in quotation marks because I’m Canadian… I mean seriously).

We rested our legs, warmed up, and then headed back out into the night! I almost didn’t go, I almost couldn’t tear myself from the warm bed but luckily my friend Dan was there to encourage me. I’m glad he did because our efforts were rewarded.

The plan was to head up to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. The highest point in the city (trust me, I walked up the hill) with a view that can’t be beat. This was another thing I didn’t really do at night during my last visit. Winding through the back streets of quaint and old looking Paris was lovely enough in the evening. As we walked up toward the church we had to join a massive cue of parishioners with Candles singing beautiful French hymns. It’s very hard to translate from a song, especially a hymn, but I caught “I come to you lord Jesus”. They were carrying a wooden Mary, I think, all the way to the church. They stopped to sing a bit outside the church and then went in. It was absolutely magical, looking out over the city, sparkling below, with the breathtaking church, candle light and French hymns in the background. This is my second favourite memory from this trip…

Finally, a stroll through Monmartre, the nearby red light district. Which wasn’t that interesting; too cold for the girls to be outside I guess. We had dinner, another nice little restaurant, more wine, crêpes for dessert. A beautiful thing really. Even after assuring ourselves we’d have an early night, we crawled into bed after midnight, again!

Friday in Paris

So this weekend I went to Paris. I’ve been to Paris before but so had my travel buddy so it worked well. Friday was so busy! We got up at 4:30 in the morning so we could catch our train on time. After a bus, the tube (two lines) and the 2 hour twenty minute express train, we arrived in Paris at about 10:20 Paris local time.

First stop was Parc du Buttes Chaumont. Stretching our legs a bit in a beautiful park. The sun was out and it wasn’t even that cold (something that was soon to change).

After a lovely stroll, we headed to Père Lachaise, a beautiful cemetery. Dan wanted to see where Jim Morison was buried and I wanted to see Oscar Wilde. Unfortunately, they’ve blocked it off now so you can’t kiss his gravestone like people used to. Oh well.

As if the day hadn’t been creepy enough… We stopped at the catacombs of Paris because I was disappointed that I missed it the first time around. Here, however we had to wait outside for almost 45 minutes and this is when the weather turned on us. We got our first glimpse of Paris with a beautiful light snow falling all around.

The catacombs themselves were unbelievable. Actually the strangest thing I’ve ever seen- EVER. They are old lime quarries that, when unearthed by a giant cave in under the city, they decided to put to use. Thousands of bones from unconsecrated cemeteries were moved here. Stacked, almost artistically… An unbelievable sight, sad, that all these people, who had real lives, names, families, dreams and fears would be so nameless, stacked, economically… Though I guess their bones were treated with some sense of dignity, in that they were given a place to rest… I don’t know, now it is a tourist attraction; on this occasion, I’m terribly conflicted and that honestly makes this my favourite place we visited. Though, I must admit I was a little creeped out walking so close to so many bones, being dripped on from the ceiling and by the creepy long haired little girl who was standing with her face to a corner, singing and swaying, casting shadows in the low lamp light. That was the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen, legitimately, in my whole life. I got out of that section pretty quickly.

We stopped for tea at an amazing little bakery. My French skills actually came in handy. I had an entire conversation, albeit an awkward one, with a woman in the bakery! I also had my first macaroon. Yum.

Finally, after we checked into our hostel, very close to the Eiffel tower, we headed out into the bitter bitter cold to see it at night. I’d been up it before during the day but I’d never been to the top at night. That is definitely something I’d recommend. It was extremely windy though and I did get a little scared. The light snow in the sparkling lights of the tower was pretty magical though and totally worth it.

Last stop, beautiful dinner and French wine at a cute little restaurant. Yum. No earlier that 12 pm we got back to the hostel. A long day, but I think my favourite.

Sunday Funday

This photo is from the science museum where Google has sponsored this really cool exhibit. They have neat instruments that are controlled by people at home. This is a robot that takes your picture and then draws it in the sand. This isn’t me by the way.

So Sunday, the 17th of February was quite the day. It started off early in Southwark with an amazing Breakfast at the Table Cafe. Probably the most expensive breakfast I’ve ever eaten, although, I didn’t pay so does it still count? I had one if the best eggs Benedict I’ve ever had and good company. It is one of those restaurants where you sit communally with strangers. The couple we ended up sitting next to was a British primary school teacher and a Canadian man who was from Port Elgin. I think that’s how you spell it. It’s just about 2 hours from my home town in Canada. He asked were I was from and I said Canada. He asked more specifically, and I said Ontario…. Near Toronto… He said I was getting warmer so I took the chance and said Orangeville, as if it was a question. “Orangeville?” … “You probably haven’t heard of it, it’s small”… And he had of course. He told me all sorts of stories about Orangeville. The world seems so small some times. My poor date didn’t get too many words in after that lol.

After that we walked along the Thames towards central London and the sun was shining and there were loads of people out and about enjoying it. We sat in Trafalgar Square and soaked up some rays which was lovely. Finally we went to see the life of Pi in the theatre and that was a really beautiful movie. (Except for the scene with the jelly fish, that nearly killed me.)

The person I was with had to head home to get ready for a football game but I decided to hang around downtown since I was already there. The theatre was right by Piccadilly Circus. (Side note, the theatre is called the cinema, movies are films, and for the love of god, don’t say you are going to see a matinee.) I found out my housemate was downtown so I walked from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford street to meet him. We went to the science museum which was good fun and bought some delicious cookies from Ben’s… Our regular cookie spot in South Kensington.

I had a nice two hour Skype call with someone at home and then rounded the day off with a classic… Ducktales. Which I fell asleep during. Two busy days of walking around really took it out of me :).