Travel For Two

No news is good news…

Posted on September 1st, 2006 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London, Moving Abroad.

With all the excitement of the last few weeks, this week has felt pretty bland by comparison. We’re nestled happily in our apartment (aside from figuring out the dryer and the shower pump (to help with water pressure since we’re on the 5th floor)) and we now have a UK bank account, debit and credit cards. And we’ve repurchased all the household items we gave to Goodwill and put in storage in the states (clothes hangers, trash cans, towels, sheets, baking dishes, dishes, etc.). When doing our analysis in the States, we realized it was less costly to buy new ones than to ship over our old…

G had his first day in the European office today. All’s well on that front, as well.

And since G was in the office today, I ventured out for the first time on my own. I’m very comfortable with the main tube lines in Zone 1 & 2 now, but Zones 3&4 are a bit more daunting (and scary to me). I made it to Ikea and back with no hassles or troubles today and was quite proud (Ikea’s in Zone 3 and requires walking, tube, buses and transfers).

I don’t get intimidated very easily and have examined this situation to figure out why I find zones 3&4 a bit daunting. Here’s where I’ve landed. Getting to specific destinations in zones 3&4 requires the use of buses. While the tube is self-explanatory, the bus system has room for improvement. Bus routes are not posted on the buses and the bus drivers don’t announce when stops are coming up. But, as a passenger, you have to press a button to make the driver stop. And bus route maps aren’t available in hard copy at the stops–you can just look at the maps posted on the wall of the stop to determine how many stops there will be before yours. Bottomline: Being new to the city, it’s difficult to know when and where your stop will be and when to press the button. AND walking the streets in some Zone 3&4 areas is scary. So, where’s the silver lining. For me, I think having a printer is the answer. We had to leave ours in the States and haven’t yet purchased a new one. Once we do, I’ll be able to print details journey maps to know landmarks along the way.

Other lessons learned:

1. Water pressure in the UK stinks. Leaky pipes underground lose an insane number of liters per day–lowering the water pressure. And I’m sure that there are other reasons… Bottomline, if you’re living in London, you have to have special shower appliances to boost the water pressure, otherwise it’s a trickle.

2. Dryers in the UK do not dry. Because all the flats are within converted mansions and other buildings, few flats have the ability to vent dryers to the outside. Instead, the dryers that they do have cycle and cool, steaming the clothes, but they don’t get dry. At the moment, our dryer doesn’t heat at all. The landlord’s looking into it.

3. If on a budget in London, head immediately to Ikea for household goods. Unfortunately, our first stop was at the Mall (we didn’t think about Ikea until Thursday). We bought a few items at John Lewis (a department store) on Wednesday and paid crazy prices (the equivalent of $10 for a hand towel, $8 for a grater, $20 for a cutting board. That might not sound like a lot, but at Ikea hand towels are the equivalent of $4–a grater’s $5 and a cutting board’s $14–it’s a bit difference by comparison. Thank goodness we didn’t buy tons on day one and thank goodness for Ikea!

4. If moving to the UK and particular about sheets, bring them with you. The premium sheets in the UK (300 thread count) are the equivalent of $165! Even the standard 180-200 thread count versions were the equivalent of $90. We needed sheets and ended up purchasing very basic ones at Ikea for much, much less. They’re not premium, but they’ll do.

5. If lost or in need of help, ask a person aged 60+. They’ll take you under their wing and get you where you need to go.

6. If you smile, people will want to talk to you–and they’ll also assume that you’re not a native. I naturally smile at folks on the street [I know--small town girl goes to the big city. It just seems strange to keep your head to the ground. I just can't do it]. As a result, without speaking to others first, their automatic first question is “where are you from?” It’s got to be the smiling that gives me away. That–or my teeth (of course I’m teasing–I’ve met tons of people with nice teeth here since we arrived)

So, from your travels in London, what do you think would be hardest to get used to or to do without?

9 comments.

Last piece in place.

Posted on August 29th, 2006 by k.
Categories: Moving Abroad.

Today we secured a UK bank account and credit card. With these secured, we’ve finally placed the last piece of the puzzle. For those who might follow in our foot steps, a bit of advice. Don’t move without a job offer and acceptance letter. G was lucky in that his firm allowed him to transfer–without a  statement of work and salary, we wouldn’t have been able to secure housing OR a bank account.

If you wish to move without a job and/or Visa, be prepared with at least a couple months’ hotel/living expenses in your US account before moving. We’re still thanking our lucky stars that all has worked out so well–thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers throughout this process.

We move into our apartment tomorrow morning (bright and early). 630 sq. ft will seem quite spacious as compared to our ~100 sq. ft. hotel room. And after so much travel over the last couple months (Cary, Smith Mountain Lake, Annandale, Oklahoma, New York, Bermuda, London Hotel) we’re looking forward to waking up in the night without question of which bed we’re in.

Until tomorrow…

1 comment.

Home, Sweet Home!

Posted on August 26th, 2006 by k.
Categories: Moving Abroad.

We’ve found the perfect place to call home. As of Wednesday (the 30th of August), you’ll find us at our new 2 bedroom flat in Belsize Park. Spacious and comfortable, we’re very fortunate to have found a flat that boasts:

• 2 bedrooms
• Kitchen with modern appliances
• Washer/dryer
• 1.5 baths
• Hardwood floors
• Attractive furniture
• 4 minutes from the tube
• 10 minutes from the overland train
• 2 minutes from a market and restaurants
• Just down the hill from posh Hamstead Village
• A video/security phone to identify visitors who ring the flat

We’re very pleased–and surprised. An estate agent suggested the flat to us on Thursday–we toured it, but decided not to act. It was listed £75 more per week than our budget would allow (the equivalent of £325 or $610 more per month). K e-mailed the estate agent on Friday morning to say that we loved the flat and its location, but that we felt that perhaps a smaller place would be a better fit with our budget. The estate agent suggested that we make an offer. We did. And, thank God, it was accepted.

We’ll write to you all with our address once we move in.

So, when should we expect you?

See photos of G&K’s flat…

7 comments.

So many boroughs, only one place to call home

Posted on August 25th, 2006 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London, Moving Abroad.

What a busy week we’ve had…our poor feet have taken us all about London to explore its many boroughs and (drumroll please), we’ve finally selected our favorite.As with any house hunt, you must first decide what’s most important to make you feel at home and have the lifestyle you desire. As many who know and love us would guess, we started with a matrix. Our priorities included:

• 5-10 minute walk to the nearest tube stop
• easy commute. G will work in Chiswick and K will go to school in the City
• lots of pubs, markets and restaurants within easy walking distance–village feel
• safety/piece of mind
• washer/dryer
• enough room for a desk and bookcase
• close-in to the city, but the feel of a neighborhood rather than a city
• we’re on a budget–low cost is a priority

We focused our efforts on the NW & W end north of the Thames (we love the Docklands, but it’s not a reasonable choice due to the commute to Chiswick). Of course, you start with what you know. So our first apppointments took us to properties in Notting Hill, Kensington and Earl’s Court (the stop for our hotel this New Years). And we continued from there to Maida Vale, Maryleborn, Bayswater, Edgware Road, Baker St., St. Johns Wood (we even looked at a couple places on Abbey Rd.), Fulham Broadway, Finchley Road, West Hampstead, Hampstead and Belsize Park. Gosh knows how many flats we’ve seen and we scored all based on our priorities and impressions. At some point, perhaps, we’ll post the results of our matrix, but for now I’ll leave you with the answer.

We will make Hampstead/Belsize Park our home.

This area is just Northwest of the city and home to small upscale shops, boutiques, restaurants and street cafes tucked in old-style brick storefronts with flats above–Maybe I’ll have tea with Jude. Law that is (hopefully G won’t mind). He also calls Hampstead home–as do countless other famous folks.

If living in London, which borough would you choose? Learn more about London’s boroughs…
Learn more about Hampstead/Belsize Park. I’ll post more details once we sign for a flat…
See photos from Hampstead Village, Belsize and Hampstead Heath (the neighborhood park that overlooks the city).

Link to the tube map

0 comments.

Banking, Housing, and Phoning. Which comes first?

Posted on August 22nd, 2006 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London, Moving Abroad.

Today, our second day in London, was both exhilarating and challenging. A modern incidence similar to the age-old “chicken and the egg” question.

What must come first, the bank account or the housing? You have to chuckle at the situation we’re in. As we anticipated, we can’t rent an apartment without a UK bank account. AND we can’t secure a bank account until we have an address (ie an apartment). AND to make things worse, we can’t dig deep into either housing or the bank account without a dedicated phone line. BUT, you must have been a resident of the UK for 3 years to sign a contract with 2 of the 3 largest mobile carriers (Orange & Vodafone) in the UK.

What to do? Well, we dug into the first of the problems and secured a “pay as you go” cell phone for use over the next couple weeks as we finalize our housing. O2 (a local mobile service provider) will allow us to sign a contract as a foreign national — we just need to secure a semi-permanent address first. Now, we’re free to explore our housing and banking options. We’ll use the pay as you go phone until we secure our housing and then choose a more permanent phone plan.

Banking. We visited a couple banks today and learned that new policies instituted after 9/11 do not (in most cases) allow foreign nationals to secure standard bank accounts in the UK without a permanent street address, proof of employment, and other proof of residence. There are “passport” accounts available that require thorough security checks (require many forms of ID), and a significant monthly fee (the equivalent of $10 per month). Before leaving Raleigh, we did a bit of research and expected this problem. And we’ve prepared the forms of documentation and proof of credit history that they require. We just need a local address to finish the process.

Housing. Today, we made progress in securing a flat. We’ve limited the boroughs for consideration. We’re now focusing on:

• Marylebone
• Hampstead
• Paddington
• Bayswater
• Kensington/Notting Hill

And we’ve scheduled a number of appointments to see properties over the next few days in these boroughs. Fingers crossed that we’ll find a comfortable home within the next couple weeks so that a few of our other pieces may fall into place.

So, which will come first? The housing or the bank account? We’ll keep you posted.

2 comments.

Our Travel “By Plane, Ship & Automobile Week”

Posted on August 12th, 2006 by k.
Categories: Moving Abroad, Travel, United States.

Wow. We’ve had a whirlwind of a week traveling about visiting family and friends. We’ve been in 5 states since Monday and will head out for Bermuda (by ship) tomorrow. It’s been a great week, but we’re exhausted!

We started our week at SML where we said tearful goodbyes to K’s family and then headed up to Annandale before flying out on Tuesday morning for Blackwell, Oklahoma–G’s maternal grandparent’s home. While there we ventured about with G’s grandparents seeing some of the local sites–like the standing bear memorial (see statue photo). And we were also treated to a family fish fry with uncles, aunts, and cousins. Yum! Fun!
We then left Oklahoma on Thursday morning to head to Utica, NY to visit G’s fraternal grandad before flying back to BWI on Friday evening. G’s parents were kind enough to shuffle us to airports along the way and help out in other ways in order to keep us going. We’re thankful for their help.

And our friends, Toni-Ann and Chris, invited a few of our friends from the area over to celebrate the upcoming move tonight in Baltimore. Double Yum and Fun!

We’ve had a great time visiting family and friends across the country this week, but will settle onto the cruise ship for Bermuda tomorrow afternoon for a bit of R&R before the big move. A much needed respite before the storm…

0 comments.

Family Week at Smith Mountain Lake

Posted on August 7th, 2006 by k.
Categories: Moving Abroad, United States.

We don’t often take the time to enjoy the best that our hometowns have to offer…you take it for granted because you can see the attractions in your own backyard any time you want, right? Well…that’s true until you decide to move to London.We spent last week exploring my hometown…from visiting with family and friends to boating and tubing on Smith Mountain Lake, we had the perfect mix of stress-free fun and relaxation. And good quality time with K’s family before heading abroad.

We took the scenic route from SML to DC today–roaming along country roads and stopping to pick peaches—though they were closed —and lunching in Charlottesville before arriving in DC late in the day.

We’re both very fortunate to have loving and supportive families. And we’re thankful for all the opportunities that they’ve given us and the love they’ve shown us through the years, but our deep connection with our families make the goodbyes especially heartfelt and emotional…the last week visiting with my family was wonderful, but it was very difficult to leave SML knowing that I can’t simply hop in the car and be there at a moment’s notice.

Thank you Mom, Dad, Kellie and Patrick for a wonderful week together.

This week, we’re off to visit G’s grandparents. Tomorrow, we’re flying to Oklahoma for a few days and will end our week in Utica, NY before flying back to DC on Friday. We’d love to hear the latest news in your lives…

1 comment.