12 Things That Are Happening Right Now

I have a quick break before I leave to catch a bus to Luton for our flight to Copenhagen (woooooot!!), so I thought I'd catch you all up on some really Good Things that are happening in my day-to-day life right now. They're all pretty exciting!

1. I put all of my clothes away and did all of the dishes, so when we get home from Copenhagen, my house will still be cleeeeaaaannnn
2. I've been volunteering/working (voluntwerking? ew, no) with What is the Point? Arts Collective, and we're officially moving forward with setting it up as an official entity. Not only that, we've got some pro-bono backing from an accounting/business firm to guide us along the way. It's a huge step and a very validating development for all the hard work that our three-person staff plus team of artists has put in to the organization!
3. Starting next week I also have my first official freelance gig with a really exciting new brand of women's cycling apparel. Queen of the Mountains wants to encourage more women to get on bikes (!!) and is developing cycling kits so that more of us feel represented in the retail racks. Can I say dream job?? This also means I'll be making some real dolla-dolla-bills! Er...dolla-dolla-pounds?
4. I had to — had to! — finish the double cream before our trip (it's like half-and-half, but a couple steps creamier and more bad for you), so I mixed it into my cafe-con-leche (read: instant coffee in milk) this morning and it was glorious. GLORIOUS!
5. I also have a delicious-looking avocado waiting for me for lunch.
6. I got to have breakfast on Saturday with my friend Kellee who flew all the way around the world as part of her trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong. 
7. I joined a book club full of women who I immediately got along with. Plus, it was equal parts book club and Let's-Drink-Wine-Club, which means we actually discussed the book while drinking wine! 
8. I bought new boots and they were on sale
9. I think it's currently hailing a little bit (like frozen raindrops, not golf-ball-sizes or anything) even though I can see the sun...?
10. The sun has been out consistently for, like, FIVE DAYS! 
11. I bought flowers at the farmer's market and they are oh-so-bright and cheery in my window
12. My sister sent me a Valentine and it had a llama wearing sunglasses and it made me laugh out loud

Fun in the sunshine! (Are you following me on Instagram?)

Breakfast with Kellee!

AAAHHH SO EXCITED!

LOL forever. This llama is everything.

My farmer's market splurge! They make me smile. :)

Okay leaving for Copenhagen see you later byeeee!

Gong Hey Fat Choy: Happy Chinese New Year from London!

One of the things I love most about living in this city full of 8 million of my soon-to-be friends, is that just about every culture has a community. Everyone is well-represented — it's just a matter of finding the events. Back in September, we found a riverfront festival for Colombian-Londoners and there were thousands of people attending!

I was excited to celebrate the Chinese New Year here in London, not least of all because it claims to be the largest CNY celebration outside of China. Judging by the crowds we braved, survey says "VERY TRUE." All the way from Tottenham Court to Trafalgar we were surrounded by red lanterns, dragon icons and people. So many people!

SEA OF PEOPLE in Trafalgar Square.

The parade didn't disappoint and we had a lot of fun walking around! The energy was jovial and hopeful, and the atmosphere was so celebratory. We didn't stay for the main stage show because people. But I did make a little one-minute video about our morning. Watch here or below!

This was another item off of the 101 Free Things to do in London list. I'm closing in on 1/4 of the way, and it's not even March. Woot!

Free London: The Hyde Park/Kensington Garden Edition

As I work my way through the 101 Free Things To Do in London list, I've been eager to write about one of my favorite places — Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park!

Is it a cliché favorite place? Perhaps. But I've only been here six months, so I get a freebie.

A tour through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens — the two are technically individual parks in their own right, though an untrained eye wouldn't know it — ticks four items off the list! KABOOOOM.

They are:

#23 — Take a jog around Hyde Park

Easy enough. Though I'm not much of a jogger, I actually did get out for a run a couple times last week. The sun was shining and I was stir crazy! And running through either park is a delight: a maze of paths criss-cross the parks, people are walking their dogs, and there are plenty of intimidating waterfowl to motivate you to run faster er, to admire while you gasp for air and realize how out of shape you are whoops I mean, "run".

I GOT THIS. (Original Instagram post here.)

This person is also running:

#24 — See the Peter Pan Statue in Kensington Gardens

I just wrote about this in my previous post, but it bears repeating: it's a surprisingly — and delightfully — interactive statue!

#33 — Diana Memorial Playground

There really is a pirate ship at the Diana Memorial Playground, and it looks super awesome. However, as I don't have small children to take with me as an excuse, and I don't intend to be put on a pedophile list anytime soon, I didn't take a photo.

#85 — Listen to whoever is at Speaker's Corner

I haven't seen a speaker at that exact spot any time I've been by, but there have been several rallies at nearby Marble Arch. Groups gather to show and demand support for Syrian refugees, to highlight low junior doctors' wages, and other issues. But the corner itself has a lengthy history, dating back to the late 1100s when people had the right to a last speech before they were hanged at the Tyburn Gallows. (There is now a Wetherspoon's pub named The Tyburn on that spot, which to me is super morbid. But they have a decent curry deal on Thursdays so...)

And, because I'm there a lot and I seem to think I need to take a photo every time I'm there (like it's going to be different this time?! It's like when you see seven photos of a stranger's baby and they insist each photo has a different expression. It's JUST a BABY...), here are more photos!

View of the Round Pond from Kensington Gardens.
The British are so creative with how they name things.

Physical Energy bronze statue, installed in 1907.
(NINETEEN OH SEVEN. THE U.S. WAS JUST A WEE BABE.)

I like to think there's a seagull hierarchy with who gets to sit on the posts each day.

That's a parakeet! 
(And it lives in Hyde Park with its buddies — for realz!)

Sunset over Kensington Gardens

Palace gate at Kensington Palace

Prince Albert Memorial at dusk

Sun setting in Hyde Park

The Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park talks to you.

I fully expected this free thing to be super boring. What can you say about a statue? "I found it and gazed at it?"

Just you wait.

The Peter Pan statue is located in a beautiful part of Hyde Park overlooking the Long Pond and Italian fountains, and it's a really pretty statue. I like how everything kinda swoops and swishes, from the clothes to the bunnies.

View of the Long Pond near the Peter Pan statue. Notice each seagull has its own post!

Peter Pan statue

But after you've admired the craftsmanship, Peter Pan will call your phone to talk to you.

Creative use of technology FOR THE WIN! It's a pre-recorded audio file, but the actor who's speaking on behalf of Peter Pan does a really good job. I was more than entertained and happy to listen to the end (about a four-minute little skit)! Very simple to use, too — I typed the short URL into my phone and then just had to push one button to get Peter to "call" my phone. (It uses data, so if you're visiting, be sure you have international data privileges or a UK SIM card with data. If not you'll be charged roaming fees!)

The "incoming call from Peter Pan" screen was a nice touch!

It's definitely a fun pit stop for any tiny human in your life — and for adults, too!

Looking for more free things? Check out my other posts as I check off 101 free things in London from this list!

Visiting the Barbican Conservatory (Photo Essay)

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Another item checked off of this list of 101 Free Things to Do in London: the Barbican Conservatory! Hidden away in a hall off the center of the Barbican Centre is a very green, warm oasis of tropical plants and koi ponds enclosed in a greenhouse. It very much feels like it used to be the outside of a building complex and someone decided to slap a greenhouse on the side of it.

The day we visited the Barbican Conservatory, the weather was actually rather warm outside — close to 60F — so the warm wonderfulness of finding a temperature-controlled greenhouse in the middle of the City of London in January wasn't quite as novel as it could'a/should'a been. If the weather snaps again though, and it's a Sunday (it's only open on Sundays), and I'm nearby, and I don't have to make a special trip outside of my warm and cozy blanket nest... I'll maybe visit again.

Acclimating: Part 3

Last week, I ate sushi on the tube at 10:30 pm and didn't care what other passengers thought. I sat in the car I knew would be closest to the exit at my home station. And I called it a station, not a stop, without thinking about it.

Londoner Level 2: Unlocked.

(This was Level 1.)

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London has a Roman Amphitheater: a tour of Guildhall Art Gallery

The more I complete off of this 101 Free Things to do in London list, the more glad I am to have found it. There are so many things to do in London once you cross off all the popular sights! And better yet, I'm realizing how easy it would be to tailor a trip to any set of interests. Get off the beaten path!

I hadn't heard of the Guildhall Art Gallery, despite its rather royal ties (the Queen has her own bathroom off the main hall) and ancient history hidden in the basement. It showed up twice on the 101 List: my challenges (which I chose to accept) were to see a Rossetti painting and the ancient Roman amphitheater.

I happened to visit on a Saturday, when the gallery offers a few free introductory tours of the space. Suuuuuper handy as I wouldn't have realized the Rossetti painting is within ten steps of top of the main hall staircase. The guide also told the group why the painting is significant, and pointed out mistakes and factoids about it. I always feel I gain a lot from a tour, and the fact that it's free is a nice bonus.

Anyway, here's the Rossetti that I would have otherwise missed!

We also saw a property deed signed by Shakespeare, as well as one of the original copies of his complete printed works. 

Finally, the tour ended in the middle of what was once the Roman amphitheater in the city of Londinium, circa 70 A.D. I had no idea this even existed (and I'm a geek about ancient history)! The foundations of the main walls are still there, but the structure had long been demolished and covered by a couple thousand years of dirt and new buildings.

The story goes, when the city of London started excavations to rebuild to gallery in the early 90s, archaeologists realized they were literally in the center of the amphitheater, which they'd been trying to find for decades. So, because of its historical significance, the gallery had to completely scratch the original blueprints, and figure out a way to build around the ancient structure. So, in essence, there is a one-story slice of ancient earth preserved between the new floors of the Guildhall Art Gallery. They carved around it, even preserving the gravel and dirt! You can walk where gladiators and emperors entered the archway, and see how the Romans engineered underground water pumps to keep the ground from getting too swampy. Crazy!

A final neat touch is in the square out front of the gallery: the black stone line in this photo traces the outline of the original amphitheater. An homage to the structure and the history. I love stuff like that.

Also, this painting of Clytemnestra is intense! She just murdered Agamemnon and looks like she's ready to jump off the canvas to give stitches to snitches, so don't tell her I told you!

"Best cure for a headache? Decapitation." 

There's a fish in my phone booth: Lumiere London 2016

First of all, it was really weird to write "2016" in that headline.

We've greeted the New Year rather slothly: three weeks of house guests, holidays, meeting new family and travelling meant we were excited to sit and binge-watch Parks and Recreation for several nights in a row. I didn't document that part, but trust me — it has been one big, poofy snuggle-fest.

As for new year's resolutions: I don't have one. BUT, I am trying to practice being present when I'm out wandering. It's such a temptation to take photos of eeeeeverything that I've found myself not actually looking at my surroundings; not being present. So, new rule: try to only take ten (good) photos. Then, put the camera/phone away and look at the world with my eyeballs. Todo el mundo is taking photos anyway. I'm happy to take a few of my own to share, but the internets will also be full of much better, higher-quality photos than I could take (case-in-point via Secret London). So my prerogative has become to let them do that, and let me-self enjoy the scene.

Also, wtf, "prerogative" has two Rs?? Since when?!

Last night we finally found some motivation: Lumiere London, a light festival around popular central London locations. I'm not totally sure why it's happening, other than to add some light into the dark and cold winter nights. (It's finally feeling cold here — nearing freezing temps — though still not as cold as the Midwest winters we're used to.)

We wandered over to Grosvenor Square, Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus to check it out. The experience was neat, just because the major carriageways (er, streets) were shut down from traffic, and pedestrians flooded in to see the displays. Some of the displays were ingenious — I loved the fishy phone booth and the fishy lanterns... maybe I just like watching fish? — and some were kinda meh. There are still a few displays over by King's Cross that we haven't seen, so watch this post for updates maybe.

And, if you know him — or even if you don't — wish a happy birthday to the dude pictured below, in front of the elephant posterior! It's his birthday today, and I like him a lot.

Grosvenor Square:

Oxford Street/Regent Street:

Piccadilly Street: