UK vicariously cont'd

Got a call from darling boyfriend early this morning, said he was walking around London near the Cavendish Hotel, trying to stay in the sunshine as it peeked from the clouds. We found The Cavendish in A Fodor's Guide titled See It Britain. Not very useful in the way of London hotel suggestions as most were over £200 a night, but the hotels were spread all over London which makes for good research if you're not familiar with London's districts or neighborhoods.
The Cavendish is near Piccadilly Circus tube station which is a walkable distance from the Soho district, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus and Covent Garden areas. Check out this video from my favorite travel host Rick Steves, out on a restaurant crawl in Soho. This is a useful mapped guide to restaurants, shopping, bars and events, however, don't count on every listing being up to date!

If I were taking a trip to London (so depressing to say "if" and not "when"!) I would start from my hotel or nearest tube station, use a big-print map to plot my course and list places to eat and things to see along the way. Even if some of the things you've mapped are now defunct, you're sure to find something interesting near by. During my own travels in Asia, I found that asking a local to point you in the direction of something interesting is a great tip for keeping your adventure momentum going. Ask a local every few blocks as you walk until someone suggests something interesting enough, near enough or cheap enough for you to do.

UK vicariously

Just got back from dropping darling off at the airport for a business trip to the UK. I miss him so incredibly much when he's gone, but a break can sometimes bring freshness and a clearer perspective at the end of it. And he's off being amazing and adventurous which makes me so proud.

I am not ashamed to admit that I'm ravaged with jealousy of his jet-setting adventures while I get to stay home with kitties and do homework. So, in the spirit of living vicariously, I'll share some of darling's favorite spots (many researched and recommended by moi) from his trips to England.

The Shaftesbury Hyde Park International This was the first hotel darling stayed in on his first trip. We chose it because of its generally positive Google reviews, affordable price and close proximity to Hyde Park. An easy walk into Hyde Park a few blocks away and just a single block from the Bayswater Tube station made for easy coming and going to other areas of London. Hyde Park is located just north east of London proper, a sprawling but well manicured garden plopped in the middle of the London metropolis. Here are some gorgeous pics taken by my gorgeous.

The Tate Modern probably tops darling's list of favorite places, earning a visit each time he's been in the UK. Located on London's South Bank, called the Left Bank of London, near the Millennium Bridge, the Tate modern is for those with an eye for the abstract or at least the unusual and time for contemplative wandering. Darling had lunch on the Tate terrace and looked out over the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's Cathedral.

great job on the snow kitty, darling!

A few weeks ago we had massive amounts of snow (for these parts) fall on Greenville. Being, as I am, from Florida, this was glorious...for the first few days. Then the housebound restlessness, aching joins from damp cold, drip drip dripping during the afternoon from ice melting onto the tin roof became almost unbearable. I was so glad to see all the glorious whiteness finally go, although I did feel a bit cynical for wishing it away. And sad, too that it has to go slowly, contaminated and gray. When it's lying on the ground in great piles it's so hard to believe that it's water!

During the first day the world outside our window was quiet and twinkled with pristine beauty. The birds seemed to come out of the woodwork (or, literally the woods) and I saw hosts of tiny Tufted Titmice (Titmouses?), radio active Northern Cardinals and their rusty brown female partners, a single pair of Carolina Wrens, and jumpy little red house finches. We took a drive two days after the big snow and this is what we found.

the beginning of a courtship

It's been just over a year to the day that I made my last blog post. After spending the last day revamping my design and focus for the blog, I'm ready to blog it up. A lot can change in a year; I've quit my job as a refugee advocate, re-routed my career opting for nursing school instead of graduate studies in sociology, moved to Greenville, SC, acquired two kitties and last but not least of all, a dream-boat boyfriend. Time does indeed fly, whether you're having fun or not.

I've now been in Greenville for 6 months exactly and have made a not entirely successful adjustment. I got a part time job at the local Whole Foods Market but couldn't handle pushing carts and bagging groceries with a degree in my pocket, so quit that. My main chance for meeting people is now during my classes, but as most students are quite younger than me, and native South Carolinians, I've found that difficult. There are numerous volunteer opportunities, but I'm finding it hard to create structure in my life at the moment and don't want to jump into anything that in the end I can't keep my commitment to. My best bet is finding things to do that I believe others should know about. My personality tends to be motivated by need or filling an information gap. We'll see what I come up with.

Most days so far, involve birdwatching, kitty scratching, homework, reading news on the web (guardian.co.uk, nytimes.com, telegraph.co.uk, drudgereport.com, greenvilleonline.com, economist.com, npr.org), listening to classical music on npr (the only thing on our local npr station), cleaning the house (a rarely finished task), more kitty scratching, and making dinner for darling boyfriend. Tasks to include in daily routine in the future include but are not limited to : blogging (success!), daily jogging regimen, part time job, A's in college courses, crafting, volunteering, and most importantly finding things to do in and around Greenville that are stimulating and that I can then blog about and share with others.

Stay tuned!