We woke up at 4:30 in the morning. We’d been out drinking and eating with the Spanish contingent until late, and hadn’t arrived home until well after midnight. Getting out of bed was painful, however the chance that we might miss sunrise with The Druids at Stonehenge was ample motivation. Shyla had reserved a Streetcar for 5:00 and we hiked several blocks in the dark to reach it from our flat in the freezing cold. Driving through London is best done at this time of the day. It keeps me from sinking into a normally inevitable road rage.

I had read that winter solstice 2007 had only about 300 people in attendance because of the amount of traveling done by Englanders this time of year as well as the normally cold and wet climate. In contrast, the summer solstice attracts about 15,000 people. We were surprised when we rounded the bend at 7:15 and saw the entrance to the site clogged with people, well over 300, probably a response to the credit crunch and relatively mild weather. I thought for sure that we would not be able to enter the park since the police who were directing traffic told us that the parking lot was closed and the amount of parking on the border of the two lane road was limited. This was not a problem. I drove our VW Golf 50 meters down and found a nice spot off road…that’s what rentals are for.

Normally when visiting the site visitors are required to remain on a foot path that circles the stones and is about 30 feet away from them. On the occasions of the summer and winter solstice you’re allowed to get as close as you’d like, actually touch the stones, have your drum circle around the stones, light your candles and chant under the stones. Standing on the smaller stones is still discouraged, and enforced by heavily armed members of British law enforcement. Antagonizing these people is part of the celebration. Finally we were allowed to enter the park as a group, over 1,300 people, given an hour and a half to stand among the stones. Unfortunately we were unable to see a sunrise, but the increased chanting of the Druids informed us of the appropriate moment. The crowd was mellow, a fantastic contrast to every other activity we’ve engaged in since coming to the UK. Awestruck, we felt fortunate to have been able to touch these monuments that were placed by human hands nearly five thousand years ago.

Spent the afternoon at Covent Garden Market, located in the theatre district of Central London. This open air market always draws a crowd who peruse the market stalls, shops, restaurants and performances.

My fav… the Cornish pasty. Specifically, the chicken and mushroom. Bought one of these hot pockets and watched the latest performer entertain the crowd outside. Warms you up on a cold afternoon. As does a pint. Where’s the pub…

What an exciting game!! OK, I know I haven’t been sporty spice, but I can’t help it. Ever since we got here, we couldn’t help but get into football. It’s part of the pub culture. And with the Cock right around the corner, it’s too easy. Knowing that this was a BIG game, I sought out seating 1.5 hrs in advance. It helps that I’m not working. When I arrived, the best tables were already taken. I plopped down on the sofa along the side of the pub and claimed my territory. Armed with magazines I did get a few stares. But hey, fashion goes with liquor, right? After an hour, it was starting to get crowded. You could feel the anticipation. “Shyla?” I heard a familiar voice next to me. I looked up and saw our landlord, David, sitting at the table next to mine. He’s living out in the burbs, but came back to view the game with some friends at their old stomping ground, Chelsea central. Several of his mates were in the advertising business….maybe I can get some leads on a job. His friends were arriving and bought several rounds. We all were starting to get happy and I was anxiously awaiting Luke to arrive. He had better get here soon, it’s been difficult to save his seat. Soon after, Luke arrived with our Spanish friend David who is also Luke’s labmate. They had to squeeze their way in, at this point it was standing room only. The dogs and kids were even having a hard time squeezing through the maze of legs they normally traverse unnoticed.

The Premier League Finals began. I say games because there were 2 flat screens on either end of the bar. One showing the Manchester United (or Man U) vs Wigan Athletic, the other Chelsea v. Bolton Wanderers. This gave the pub a tennis match look, with people’s heads swinging back and fourth from match to match. It was intense. The crowd was split between Man U & Chelsea fans…cheering, laughing, yelling. Most of which was coming from the table next to us…our landlord and his mates. They were entertaining, but I think our landlord was mortified. Come on? What better way to bond, right? Maybe next match we can talk about lowering the rent.

After two intense matches, Man U won 2-0, and Chelsea tied 1-1. This resulted in Man U taking the league for the season. The pub was deflated. Filled with Fuller’s London Pride, Twiglets and Smoky Bacon crisps we walked home. Love that! No cars, no tubes, just round the corner to our new home. There will be plenty more to be watched at our local, the Cock. And plenty of time for Man U to take a much needed rest in hot shorts.

Job searching was getting a bit monotonous in the flat…going stir crazy! Needed a change of scenery. In search of a comfy, Seattle-like coffee house, I consulted Timeout London and several other coffee addict blogs… yes, I was procrastinating a bit, but there’s only so much job searching one can do in a day. I didn’t want a chain like Starbucks, Coffee Republic, or Costa…blech! I wanted an independent coffee shop that I missed from home. One with wood tables, good light, room to stretch out, and a place that knows how to make proper foam. Found one! I packed up my laptop, sketchbook, and hopped the Central line to Oxford Circus. I was on my way to Fernandez & Wells in Soho, rated top 10 coffee bars in London. And this was my reward….

Moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a double wet cappuccino. Now they know how to do foam! Mmmmmmm……

Btw, Jen, I was working on FHD T-shirts here!

Caught the Northern Line to Camden Town on Sunday. Thought we’d visit the famous Camden Markets for some edgy artifacts to decorate our new flat. Maybe we’ll run into Amy Winehouse…. nah, still daylight. Upon entering, we first encountered the food stalls, smells of sweet & sour chicken, fried rice, curries, doner kababs, satays, and more curries…. Not hungry yet, so we powered past the aggressive counter people and wandered into the maze-like den of cobbled alleyways, (not unlike Diagon Alley). The stalls were cramped and high. Vendors got creative displaying their merchandise vertically and attracting customers by ways of loud music and strobe lights. Sensory overload….

The Camden Stables Market, once a stables and hospital for the horses that pulled barges down the Camden Canal, is UK’s fourth largest tourist attraction. With over 450 retail shops, you can find just about anything – fashion (alternative, fetish, cyberpunk, trendy, goth), vintage, music, art & crafts, antiques, furnishings, jewelry….celebs.

As the market was closing for the evening, we inevitably were hungry. (Couldn’t do a posting without some mention of food.) Craving the Chinese food we saw on the way in, we stopped on our way out and bought sweet & sour chicken with noodles. Which amounted to this glob of orange goo. Blechhhhh. Bad purchase. As was the stale glazed doughnut I paid £1.50 for, and then returned. The salesman didn’t even bat an eye when I mentioned their unfreshness. He just handed me my money back in exchange for the sampled doughnut. But that’s what happens when you wait too long to eat. Why do we always do that?

Most of you know once I knew Luke was interviewing in London, I was on the internet researching how to ship Suma with us. Well, it was a lengthy process, and as Luke likes to point out, not cheap. But how can you leave your pet after 8 years? Not possible. To avoid a costly and lengthy quarantine, we started the process in the states. First the microchipping, then a rabies shot, the 6-month waiting period, the certificate from the state vet allowing her to leave the country, and on and on…

I couldn’t have done this without some serious help. And for that, I’d like to thank: Sandy, from VIP Pet Transport, who diligently checked thru all the paperwork and caught several errors our vet made, (nail biting), in addition to making all travel arrangements. Lydia and Adrian, who took in our little girl and spoiled her rotten for the remaining month and a half of her quarantine period. They also took her to the final vet appointment, double checking all the paperwork. And to Luke’s parents, Gary and Linda, who accompanied them to the final vet appt, and took care of her that last night in Seattle before waking up early to check her in at the airport. Did you know pets have to check-in several hours before an International flight too? After a few last minute issues and a frantic call to Sandy, all paperwork was stamped, and Suma was officially checked in!

I felt like I was tracking a UPS package online…. parcel arrived in Newark. Parcel waiting. (She had a three hour layover.) Parcel departed Newark. Parcel on route to Gatwick. I don’t think I slept all night. I don’t think she did either.

Suma landed at Gatwick at 7:20 a.m. Then it would be another two hours before clearing customs, of which I had to pay a handler to walk her thru. Then I got the call. She was cleared! Hooray! All the planning, double checking, people involved… she had made it. Pfew!

It was seriously planes, trains and automobiles to collect her at the Cargo area. I walked from our flat to Notting Hill Gate (10 min). Hopped on the District Line tube to Victoria Station (20 min). Then the Gatwick Express train (30 min). And finally hailed a cab to the Cargo area (20 min), which he dropped me off at the wrong end, unknowingly. When they brought her out to me, she looked so confused and had the tiniest voice I’d ever heard. But once I called her name she knew….

Now I had to reverse my steps, while holding a cat carrier. Got a few stares on the train and tube. Suma was great. She settled down after the cab ride all the way home. Then she planted herself on me and Luke for the next couple of days. She was so happy to see us. (Major purring sets in.)

Suma’s fav sunning spot.

Nic arrives!! Only one day in our new flat, and we already have a visitor from Seattle, yey!! Nic and I spent the day tootling around Borough Market — tasting cider, eating fresh mozzarella, smelling truffles, purchasing baklava and Turkish delight, enjoying freshly brewed coffee, before planting down in the middle of it all for some lunch. Had a pint to wash it all down in the alleyway behind the market.

Walked along the river to Tate Modern. Wondered our way through Modern Art, debating over several so called “art” pieces, not my fav, until Luke joined us. Then ventured a little further down the river to a pub near Waterloo Station. This is where I got to sample my first Pimms, which Nicole ordered, then spilled all over me. ;b Colleen met us here after work, joined us for a drink, then we wandered back over the river into Covent Garden. With two vegetarians and one ravenous carnivore it was a bit challenging to find a perfect dinner spot, but we did. Greek!

On Saturday we took the train to Woking (a 25 min journey from Waterloo), where Colleen was staying. She drove the four of us to Brighton for the day. It took us about 2 hours to reach the coastal city. As we entered the grounds to the Royal Pavillion, I spotted a free exhibition on Coco Chanel’s infamous Little Black Dress, which I had to see, much to Luke’s chagrin. After our slight detour, we took a self-guided tour of King George IV’s Royal Pavillion (a.k.a. Pleasure Palace).

George IV was the oldest son of George III. He rebelled against his strict upbringing, embarking on a life of drinking, womanizing and gambling that scandalized the country and got him heavily into debt. This Palace was his summer retreat, and it was over the top! From the Chinese inspired décor to gilded dragons, it was incredibly gaudy.

He was most proud of his kitchen, which was outfitted with several innovations for the early 1900s: a steam table, kept the food warm while it was waiting to be served; a smokejack, allowing the chef to prepare several different roasts simultaneously; and an ice house. On several occasions he was known to serve over 100 unique dishes, which amounted to 36 courses!

After dinner, guests would retire to the Music Room for entertainment. The carpet in this room was so thick that as the women would walk across it, their heels would sink in, encouraging them to slip off their shoes. He also kept the temperature fairly high and the room scented, hence the nickname “Pleasure Palace”.

Oh, and another thing, for being a Palace so close to the beach, it lacked any view of one. Ok, enough history lessons, we’re headed for the beach!

This has got to be the longest pier I’ve ever been on! It almost stretched out to France! Brighton Pier, which overlooks the English Chanel, is lined with food, games, rides, and lots of good people watching. Mmmmmmmm…… soft serve. Now, if only they had salt water taffy.

After living in temporary housing for nearly a month now, and spending all my free time calling agents and looking at flats, we found a home! It’s a lovely flat in Notting Hill, conveniently situated on 3 tube lines – Central Line, ever-so-slow District Line, and the tourist packed Circle Line. (Listen to me, I’m already a native.) Just three tube stops or a 20 min ride on Luke’s fav double decker #7 bus to the lab. So we packed up our eight suitcases and two carry-ons, checked out of the Clement Danes House and hailed a cab to Westbourne Grove. Lucky we travel light!

We’re living in a fairly new building, on the top floor. (Quite an upgrade from the basement flats we were being shown.) Check out our view!

It’s a modest, 2-bedroom with hardwood floors. A very large bathroom… (by European standards) complete with towel warming device! And a 2-burner, electric, stove with oven. Every place has to have a problem, we think that we can deal with this one.

Our landlord threw in some furnishings from Ikea – bed, fold-out sofabed, love seat & chair, coffee table, dining table and chairs, pots, frying pan, dishes, flatware and a kettle, naturally. What English home doesn’t have one? I’m beginning to feel like we’re fresh out of college, furnishing our first apt with Ikea bits. But hey, at least we’re saving some funds. Especially since I don’t have a job yet.

Traveled to the Barbican Centre today to see the dramatic graphic arts film Helvetica. While the Barbican is the largest performing arts center in Europe it also houses the smallest cinema screens in the world as we would have appreciated binoculars to see the movie from where we were seated.

Following the film we walked to Borough Market and discovered the Monmouth coffee house where we enjoyed a couple of single drip cups of Guatemalan Finca San Francisco Tecuamburro and argued about whether Helvetica really is the font of all fonts. (Which it is!)

We rounded out the day with a trip to Soho’s famed Carnaby Street for dinner at the recommended Masala Zone, for a traditional, thali style, Indian meal. TimeOut highly recommended Masala Zone, and even though we’ve been steered down that dark dark road before (i.e. Salvador, Brazil), we thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Fantastic food, cold beer, mango lassi, and an amazing price!

We would never have expected that upon entering England we would become associated with an group of international bowlers. Luke had some introduction when he went bowling on the day of his interview in December, but never did we think that it would become a regular activity. This week we made the one hour journey to the Elephant and Castle district, via tube central line East to South Bakerloo, to compete at the excellent Superbowl Elephant and Castle!

The Elephant can be described as dodgy but charming, possessing one of the highest rated Chinese restaurants in London, The Dragon. The group was made up of Austrians, Aussies, and Americans. Eric (pictured), the lab’s flow cytometry facility manager and resident surfer from San Diego, CA, always provides comic relief. We had a rockin’ time, drank a lot of Carling lager, and were finally ejected from the establishment around 11:00 pm along with the other drunken pinheads!