Day One in Oslo: walking, seeing, trying, buying

Greetings from Oslo, Norway!

(Did you miss out on getting an Oslo postcard? You can still sign up to get one from Germany or Italy! Details here.)

It's cold and dark here — the sun set before 4pm! — but Oslo's not apologizing. It's being totally relaxed about it. And it should! It's quite charming, with Christmas decorations and lit-up pedestrian streets, it has taken charge of the darkness and made something that is constantly cozy. 

I took today to knock out a couple of standard Oslovian (my term) sights, including the Opera House, Karl Johans Gate Street and general exploration of Oslo's street life. I think I'm gonna like it here. 

First two photos: Opera House Roof. You can scale a set of steps (2nd photo) to explore all around the roof of this structure, built to resemble a ship in the water. 

Muggin' (check out those creases between my eyes from squinting into the sun so much! The sun is so low in the sky, the angle is like constant late-afternoon. But who cares BECAUSE OMG SUNNNN!!)

Inside is decorated for Christmas:

Christmas market — stalls selling handmade items and traditional foods. 

I tried Solbærtoddy, a traditional warm mulled wine. According to google translate the description reads, "mulled wine with cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom, served with almonds and raisins." I did not get almonds or raisins with mine and I'm okay with that. 

Adorable Norwegian sign. The only thing I understand is "Nordpolen" — North Pole. Oooh, and I think Holmenkollen is the famous ski jump north of the city. Will hopefully see that tomorrow!

And I bought a new head warmer! I somehow managed to lose two sets of gloves and my hat over the last week -- sad face! -- so I legit needed this. I pinky promise. Plus it is SOOOO FLUFFAAAAY!

And finally, glittery and gleaming street decorations on my walk back to my Airbnb. (Where I am now, and where I am going to promptly pass out.) Big day tomorrow, too!

Thanks; Giving

I won't front, I stole that title from an email a new friend sent to invite everyone over for Thanksgiving.

But I love it. It shined (shone?) a new light on those two words: Thanks. Giving. Thanks-and-giving. Thanks-for-giving. Giving Thanks. Thankful to Give. All kinds of ways to interpret those two words with the addition of that rascal semicolon!

In the spirit of my favorite holiday, I've taken up my second annual #EllenThanks Instagram campaign. Last year I knocked it out of the park, posting something every day from Nov. 1st to 30th (check out #EllenThanks2014).

I am already late out of the gate, but I think it's even more important to complete this year than last year. Last year I felt #EllenThanks helped me appreciate the every-day things I might have been taking for granted. This year, in the calm of finally feeling settled, I find myself hyper-focused on documenting what's different, or what's difficult (or what's downright demoralizing in international news).

This year, I need it to help me refocus on the positive. The amazingness that comes with living in a new city. 

For starters, I'm pumped to have already gathered a solid foundation of friends. And I'm definitely glad to be here with my husband-slash-roommate-slash-financial advisor-slash-technical director. And I'm amazingly thankful to be traveling in a digital age where I can talk to and listen to and look at my favorite people for the low-low price of a latte.

(For the record, I have to buy a latte to feel good about using the Internet at the cafe around the corner. It's just the rule, I didn't make it. What's that? Yes, of course I *have* to go to a cafe. Stop giving me that look. Stop it. Staaaaahp.)

And I'm also thankful for the littlest things, like finding ice — beautiful, crushed, unlimited ice — at Nando's. And leaves changing color. And avocados. All things that have broken through metaphoric and literal grey days.


And, I'm thankful for you (my people!) and for this blog at all. I've turned to writing often (albeit sporadically) in life, and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to dedicate the time I've always thought I'd like to dedicate. So far, that's proving to be true.

What are you thankful for?

Holland Park in 10 Photos

If you've been to London, you've probably walked through Hyde Park, watching the paddle boats or riding a bike along Carriage Drive. It's possible you've been to Regent's Park with its large rugby and cricket pitches.

It's possible I'm just bad at researching (or maybe I was a teensy bit preoccupied trying to move two people across an ocean and didn't have a whole lotta time to research random parks) but I think Holland Park is a pretty well-kept secret.

It's unassumingly nestled just far enough away from Hyde Park and Notting Hill, and its wood chip paths cut through dense trees instead of large swaths of grass. There's a rose garden and several play areas for kiddos. If you didn't know it was there, you'd walk right by its entrances. Its footprint is maybe only a quarter of Hyde Park's, but walking along you feel just as secluded, if not more so. (You can learn more about the history of the park over at Londoneer.)

But the best part (IMHO) is the Kyoto Garden.

IT HAS RESIDENT PEACOCKS. 

Several of them, in fact.

Everything about the garden is symbolic, but so far the internet can't tell me whether or not the peacocks are there because "F*ck Yeah Peacocks!" or for another, more legitimate reason. (I would assume the latter...but secretly hoping for the former.)

Also several squirrels. This guy in particular is so fat — and quite cheeky! When I lowered the camera I swear he came over and held out his little paw as if asking for a tip. Apparently Papa's got a family to feed.

Londoners and London tourists must not see too many squirrels because wherever you do see one, you will undoubtedly see someone (in this case, me) taking its photo or trying to feed it. Spot one puffy acorn-muncher and the whole world turns into my sister, taking a gazillion photos and enticing rodents to come live in her house. 

This photo below has *not* been altered/squished vertically. It really looks like it though...

Borough Market in Seven Photos

There's not a lot I can say about Borough Market that the internet doesn't already know. So instead, I'm dropping some photos here and calling it a day.

I did learn that Borough Market has been in operation in roughly the same area in some form or another for *literally* 1,000 years, which convinces me that my history courses were focused on the wrong things if such a glaring omission was permitted year after year.

Anywho, to quickly sum-up, wandering around Borough Market is definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon. If and when I go back, I'll hope to have a recipe ideas at the ready — there is a lot of local produce (here it's called "fruit and veg") and I would love to start buying local again! At the moment I still feel like we're in catch-up mode as we rebuild a pantry and figure out routines. ("Hey what's for dinner?" "I dunno, what have we got?" "Uummmm... yogurt and tomato paste." "Well, f---.")

Okay. No more typing.

Borough Market:

How do I ride the bus in London? With gusto!

The London Underground is the mass transit darling, but I happen to be a big fan of the iconic double-decker red buses. It's my preferred mode of daily transportation.

• For one, the bus is cheaper than the tube: £1.50 per ride (Daily cap of £4.40, or three rides. Tube caps at about £7).
• For two, you can see where you are as you ride (versus being in a dark, dank tunnel).
• For three, it's fun to ride on the top level!

However, riding the bus usually takes longer than the tube to travel the same distance, and it is susceptible to traffic jams and stray pedestrians. Similar to the Tube, rush hour is still a spirit-crushing mass of humanity (and Londoners can be quite cranky if they haven't seen the sun in a few days).

The bus system is very easy to navigate using Google Maps or CityMapper. Plug in where you want to go and either app will offer a route or three, plus tell you which stop to find and how many stops between you and your destination.

You still have some questions about riding a London bus? Start here.

How do I know I'm at the right bus station?

• Check the letter(s) in a red circle on the sign post. Stations may be named the same, but each station within a few blocks has a different code. Also helpful if you're new and still getting turned-around (or if you still think cars drive on the right...not that I'd know much about that...) Find the station code to know that bus will go in the right direction.

Ok, *which* Notting Hill Gate Station? Check the red circle codes.

How do I know the bus is going to the right place?

• Note the direction as "Number ## to Place." For example, "Number 73 to Victoria Bus Station." Each bus displays this on the front. 

How do I know which stop to alight? (Yes. London uses the word "alight".)

• Remember the name of your destination stop. Once on the bus, it only displays and announces each stop's name, so the lovely station codes mentioned above won't help. Pro tip: memorize the name of the station prior to your final stop it so you can throw elbows er, move toward the door if necessary.
• Don't rely on counting stops between your origin and destination. If no one needs to get on or off the bus at a certain stop, the bus won't stop at that stop. (Stop.) (Maybe this is why stops are called stations...)

How do I pay for my trip on the bus?

• Tap in only — DON'T tap out. Tap an Oyster card or contactless debit to the yellow circle as you board the bus. Buses are single-fare (versus the distance-based fare on the tube) so how long you ride doesn't matter. When you're at your destination, simply hop off! 

Oh no! The bus isn't stopping!

• Be sure to signal the driver to pick you up (like hailing a taxi) or to let you off (push the button labeled "stop"). 

How late do the buses run? Can I get home?

• Some busses are 24 hours, and it says so on the station sign, above the bus number (check out #94 and #148 in the image above). There are also night busses. For the most part, Google and CityMapper know which buses run and when.

And finally:

• Don't stick your nose in your phone! Look up, look out, look around! You can check your map, your tweets, your news when you're off the bus again. 

Get a postcard from Ellen!

Hey, readers — I'm bringing old-school travel habits back, and you can get in on the fun!

I'm working on building up my email list, so as a thank-you for subscribing now through Dec. 31, 2015, I'll send you a postcard from one of my upcoming destinations!

I'm talking a physical, hand-written, personalized-just-for-you, definitely-not-a-mass-email postcard. Just for giving me your email address and agreeing to hear from me about twice a month. What a deal!

Once you've subscribed, be sure to fill out this quick form so I have your mailing address (a key part to receiving a postcard). If that makes you squirm a little bit, no worries! I will send you a personalized email upon my return instead.

So where am I going next?

Oslo, Norway

A quick two-night trip with an old friend to see what Oslo is all about! Why Oslo? Because I found a round-trip ticket for £15 so why not??

Munich, Germany and surrounding areas

First leg of a holiday with my husband and in-laws. We'll be based in Munich but hopefully taking a few day trips. Any suggestions? Leave me a comment!

Rome-to-Venice, Italy

Second leg of the holiday trip. We're starting in Rome and heading north for about a week. Places in between are still TBD.

Can't wait to write to you about my travels.

PS — I would love to regret this decision. Please tell all of your friends by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, or your platform of choice!

A lesson from my first London yoga class

1. Don't chop, cook, or eat garlic for dinner before your first yoga class.

Reeeeally wish I'd thought that through...

Somewhere More Familiar

 Sometimes you just need something familiar in your life. Source: Flickr

I have a confession.

There's an "American Store" about three blocks from our flat.

And I went in. 

And it was glorious. 

You know in movies when the camera spins around a person while they stay stationary, looking at something without noticing what's happening around them? There's generally a montage song playing? It was like that. So much so that the clerk approached me and asked if I needed help. Not in a "can I help you find something?" way ... more of an "are you okay in my store and should I be worried?" way. (That's when the music would cut out and the character would be pulled back to reality.)

Froot Loops are nowhere to be found
in London cereal aisles. (Source: Flickr)

I was just standing in that tiny store, just gazing at the shelves. Pop-tarts. Stove Top stuffing. Cap'n Crunch and Froot Loops — all the sugary cereals that I'm never going to buy, but am so used to seeing in the cereal aisle.

It was all familiar. It was just like home. 

I felt my brain relax. Buying and preparing anything from this store would take no conversions, no extra effort. I knew what every box held. The directions were in cups and Fahrenheit, not milliliters and Celsius. There would be no guess work. No trying to find a British equivalent for an American ingredient.

Up until that moment I would have told you that I hadn't noticed feeling like an expat. Lately I've realized that living anywhere is like living, well, anywhere — Wake up. Do something. Eat something. Fall asleep. Start over. Life is life and it's what you make of it, not where you are.

I've come to discover that the smallest differences can feel like the biggest differences. The things I thought would be easy — like buying lightbulbs or using a washing machine — turn out to be more frustrating because they're juuuuuust different enough that I can't run on auto-pilot.

(AND: I keep seeing doppelgängers of friends and family. It's like my brain sees something that is *almost* familiar, then grasps it and runs with it the rest of the way.)

I didn't wind up buying anything, and I don't think I will. But I wouldn't rule out visiting again, just to feel a little bit at home.

(Ok, that's a lie. I did buy a box of Panko bread crumbs because it was 40p which is a crazy good deal in any country not because it was on a shelf in an American store.) 

(Also, props to Sister Hazel's album "...Somewhere More Familiar" for the title and also because I love that album.)

Exploring Southbank Center

I needed to get out of the house today — I may or may not have been up until 3am launching my Facebook page and email list (check out the form in the sidebar!) — so I took a jaunt down to Royal Festival Hall and Southbank Centre.

Not my best work.

Right next to the Hungerford Bridge on the south bank.
(God it's all so effing greeeeeyyyyyyy)

(Here's where I admit to you that I didn't realize that the Southbank Centre is a legit arts centre, with lots of stuff going on daily, monthly, etc. I just thought it was, like, a repurposed Sprint Center. Hashtag-such-a-n00b...)

The center/centre itself is ... unstructured? I walked in and found myself in a very open, rather eclectic space. Half of a photo exhibit (see below!) is set up in the foyer, which leads to a large dance floor (currently set up with tables, chairs and benches and hosting what appears to be a well-attended toddler play date), which is next to a bar-slash-ticket-sales area, and by now we've made it to the other side which is home to the other half of the photo exhibition. The level below me was, at that time, full of break dancers. I think it's also a large event venue because they made announcements about doors opening at a certain time.

World Press Photo Contest 2015. So good.

Break dancing happening right below me!

For being in London, it felt very chaotic!

However, I did find the fifth and sixth floors, and they are perfect for working. They're very open and feature lots of trendy tables, chairs and floofy couches. It's a blogger's haven: barista at-the-ready, free wifi and a balcony view over the Thames.

That little bit of red on the far end is the London Eye.

I went specifically to view the World Press Photo Exhibition ("on" through 29 November if you're in London before then) and I wasn't let down. I'm fascinated by photo journalism — it is intimate and real, and a stunning presentation of history, current events, pop culture, life — and these are the best submissions from 2015 form all over the world. Several topics were featured, from the Ebola outbreak to online dating profiles. I was really moved by this series of photos by Arash Khamooshi.

But the best part is the elevator.

Yes. The elevator.

(I mean the lift. Whatever.)

It sings to you!

At the very end of the video below, a very high voice sings, "Le-vel Six." When I showed this to Britton he said that I had found "my elevator soulmate." ACCURATE. (Here's another video that shows more of the singing.)

I will be back to see what Southbank has in store in the coming months, and I highly recommend a stroll through if you're in the area, especially if the weather is gross and gray.

How Finding Friends is Like Dating

Building a social circle has been a main focus since arriving in the UK. We have amazing circles of friends and family back home, but for some reason few people offered to transplant their lives along with us so that we could have built-in drinking buddies here in London. (Weird, right?)

Lately I've also seen several friends post about how it's difficult to find new friends in our current life stages — some have had Big Life Changes while others feel like their established friend base has become more distant recently (emotionally or literally). How do you connect with people when it's routine to return to your solo apartment, to a significant other, or if you enjoy solitary hobby?

Making friends is basically the same as dating. Here's what I've found helpful as I set up my new life in London:

Make the first move.

Maybe not this move.
Or maybe YES THIS MOVE.

Opening a conversation is as simple as saying, "Hi, I'm Ellen. What's your name?" (I would suggest using your own name, though you're welcome to borrow mine.) If you've got an opportunity to start a conversation, seize it! I made a friend on the Tube because I asked about the crazy behavior of some of our fellow riders. If your eyes meet from across the room, or, um, I mean, if you find yourself in the same place at the same time, or if your kids go to the same daycare, stick your hand out there and say hello.

Prepare talking points. 

In London, we can always ask, "Where are you from?" because so many Londoners are expats. But after that conversation runs its course, it's habit to venture over to, "So, what do you do?" I've started trying to avoid that question, especially after reading this article about Tess Vigeland's experience with it. Why not try...

• What are the hidden gems in this city? (Especially useful if you're new in town!)
• What keeps you busy on the weekends? 
• Have you traveled much? Where's your favorite place so far?
• Have you read anything interesting lately? 

Those questions are reflective of what I like to do, and what I like to talk about. Which brings me to...

Share a little bit about yourself (and don't be self-conscious about it!).

You know who's really interesting? YOU ARE. I'm writing this for me as a personal reminder and for you as your cheerleader. Perfect strangers don't know you; you have to introduce yourself! I'm not kidding — I thought of three things about myself that I think are really interesting (and relatable) and memorized them. If you really can't think of anything, call your best friend and ask him or her to tell you. I promise they'll have plenty to say.

Ask your friends to set you up. 

Seriously. I asked anyone with contacts in London to connect me, and it turns out I get along really well with the friend of a coworker's college roommate from ten years ago (that's a friend-of-a-friend's-friend if you're keeping score at home). This tactic also comes with a surprising amount of describing what you're wearing so that you can find each other the first time you meet. It's very You've Got Mail. Or borderline sexting, y'know, whichever.

Ask for those digits.

Get a phone number, connect on Facebook, or get their email address (I don't hesitate to add that I'm shamelessly looking for friends). Then...

Reach out!

For whatever reason, at some point in my life I got really self-conscious about texting too much or too soon. I felt very needy, and like I was imposing on someone's life. Well guess what? I AM NEEDY AND DAMN RIGHT I'M PUSHING MY FRIENDSHIP ON YOU. After the first few texts, I got over it because guess what again — if you hit it off well enough that you have someone's contact info, that won't change based on the timing of your message. Pro tip: ask for concrete plans:

• GOOD: "Great to meet you! Are you free to [do activity] on [day]?"
• NOT SO GOOD: "Great to meet you! Would love to [do activity] sometime!"

And finally...

Sign up for online friend-ing.

The best difference between dating and making friends is you don't have to limit yourself to just one friend. You can do everything above while also meeting people online. I'm a Meetup-evangelist (Meetupvelist?) but Facebook has groups, and Google knows everything. I met a woman last night who started searching for German conversation groups and wound up creating her own Historic Pub group. The point is, the internet has a place for every interest, and those interests are materializing into real people doing real things, together. It's pretty great!

Did these ideas strike a chord? Am I overlooking something huge? Say so in the comments! 

Being Pedestrian: UPDATE

I almost forgot my most-loathed fellow pedestrian:

The person who just —STOPS— whenever he or she is walking.

Or, as I have come to learn, they might stop at the top of an escalator. It's like they don't realize that an escalator will dump everyone else on top of you if you don't MOOOOOVE!

Also, I had to share this .gif I found on Reddit captioned, "Fucking Tourists."

I love it! They don't look where they're going, they travel in packs. Lord knows they'll have a selfie stick collection, too. Seriously? There are eighteen of you and no one will volunteer to take a photo of everyone else? You have to all cram in there so all you can see is one tower of Tower Bridge, half of Frank's face and three nostrils? That's great. Making memories. 

On Being a Kansas City Baseball Fan Living Abroad in 2015

• Nobody cares about baseball outside of the US (and maaaaybe Canada and Japan).

• If you do bring up the World Series, the first comment will be that it's only played between two countries. Every. Time.

• People might know who the Yankees are, but no one knows who the Royals are.

• Games started at 1 a.m. GMT — no bars stayed open that late, which meant no fun fan base to watch with. There was disappointing lack of high-fives. And your husband gets really grumpy if you cheer too loudly at 3 a.m.

• Nobody wants me to explain the significance of the Royals' appearance and win in the World Series (see Nos. 1 and 2).

• When you meet another person from the States, you can't help mentioning the Royals! And how excited the whole damn city is right now! And ... what? No actually, Kansas City is in Missouri ... Oh, never mind.

• The few friends you have made over here have probably blocked you on Facebook due to the incessant posting of Salvy memes and #ForeverRoyal posts.

• Haters gonna hate, and the only way you can stand up for your team and fellow fans is via Facebook comment threads — arguably the best way to convince someone to change his/her opinion. (Said no one ever.)

• Social media and streaming websites are a godsend.

• However, streaming a gigantic parade and rally on your phone on a bus is not the same as watching from a friend's downtown loft window. 

• The Mets fan in your Spanish class — the ONE GUY who might appreciate your gloating — didn't show up the day after the Royals won the World Series. Rude.

Missing Kansas City

I'm rather proud of the fact that, other than the expected-but-occasional waves of nostalgia, I haven't had much homesickness.

But then.

Then the Royals WON THE WORLD SERIES and my city erupted in cheers and whistles and fireworks and Facebook status updates with shared images ... while I was sleeping at 5am.

And THEN.

Then the first streetcar in nearly 59 years arrived, settling in just two blocks from my loft in downtown KC. The streetcar that will run on all of the rail which caused all of the construction that I've been walking and biking over for the last 18 months. (Following photo credit @angraor on Instagram.)

Here she is! #kcstreetcar

A photo posted by Amanda Graor (@angraor) on Nov 2, 2015 at 7:54am PST

So now my FOMO kicks into high gear and I'm left pondering what I really miss about my hometown. So, here's my list, which I'm sure will change over time:

Things I kinda miss:

• Familiar bike routes.
• Knowing where to go without consulting Google Maps
• Autonomy that comes with owning a car (NOTE: I do NOT miss driving. Just being on my own schedule.)
• Feeling like I can afford ALL THE THINGS
• Coworkers
• Feeling of accomplishment knowing I at least went to work that day

Things I don't miss:

• Working 
• Sprawling intersections 
• Driving anywhere farther than 5 miles 
• Cops with guns (Here they don't carry them. I think they have tasers and batons, which can do some damage, too, but no guns. No guns pretty much anywhere. Not allowed.)

And then, there are...

The Things I REEEEALLY miss:

• Celebrating Royals wins and KC pride (though I still wear my KC t-shirts all the time!)
• Seeing a familiar face pretty much everywhere
• Street tacos on demand
• Fifi, my bike
• My salary (okay, this is just me complaining...)
• Being crazy involved in my neighborhood, city and interests
• Knowing which friend I can call for a chat, which friend I can call to spontaneously hang out with, for coffee dates, for baby snuggles, for good advice, for the answer I should hear, for the answer I want to hear, for watching obscure sports, for participating in obscure sports, to be my last-minute symphony date, or for a good mimosa or three (or four) on Sunday.
• Knowing where I can find a good mimosa or three (or four) on a Sunday

So, if you're in KC and you're celebrating (because you have PLENTY OF OPTIONS right now!!) raise a glass and send me a photo -- I'm with you in spirit!!