London Food Experience

Food was very much a part of the London experience.  I  was given very poor reviews about the food by a few people so I was reluctant to try anything in the beginning.  In fact for the first few days I starved or ate apples, yogurt, cheese, and oatmeal. 

The local grocery store is called Sainsbury's and it reminds me of Fresh and Easy back home.  Very much organic, small, with small meals that have been prepared already. Some of the foods I got at Sainsbury's included Ritz crackers, milk, Special K, cheese, fruit (all kinds), Indian cuisine, salad....etc.

When you finally get to a restaurant it can be confusing because the food names are different from the names we use in the US.  For instance Jason was in Subway and he ordered chips and they said" we don't have chips" but he points to the potato chips and they were like ohhhhh C-R-I-S-P-S... he was like oh OK crisps..then.  They said chips are french fries, so he was like oh I got it. Chips are crisps and fries are chips... OK I'm not lost at all... (LOL) Then if that isn't confusing enough people in the UK don't put ketchup on their fries (or chips) they put salt and malt vinegar on them.  When I went to McDonald's with my friend Brother John I saw him dipping his fries in his coffee... I was very confused.

I did notice that the portions were much smaller, and in the UK you are very unlikely to get a drink refill much less free refills.  In many places they do not come to check on you or come to your table to "take your order" instead you go to the bar and "place your order" and they bring it to you (after a longer than American wait time).

At McDonald's the selection was very small.  You might have 8 options and don't even think about getting anything Super Sized.  Their large is our small, and please don't ask about any double or triple patties (you will just confuse everyone).

Sandwich or deli options are vast and come with more tastier options than you might find here in the US which might be due to the many options of cheese and fresh breads they have. (Jason's favorite place was Pret A Manger)http://www.pret.com/


Restaurants:
Ruby Tuesdays- Bruchetta
McDonald's-Coffee
Feathers-Ravioli (stuffed with ricotta and spinach) grilled tomato and rocket
cheese cake coffee (red wine)

Zizzi - Ravioli Capra - egg ravioli with goat cheese and spinach covered in tomato sauce. finished with pesto and pine nuts (This meal was good not great but the company was awesome)
Jason had lasagna
http://www.zizzi.co.uk/pdfs/Zizzi_Food_Menu.pdf

I had bourganase scallop potato and beans

Other foods I ate while in London or Paris
Pizza
Lebanese
Sushi (ITSU)
Indian Cuisine
Indian Candy

Many other things that I will add to the list as it comes to me.









My Top Choices:


Places I would rather forget:


Recommendations:

Paris

I woke up many times through the night for fear of oversleeping thus missing the driver at 5 a.m.  Got downstairs in time at 5 a.m. but the driver didn't show up until 5:45am (15 min late) which gave me a scare.  Once  he came and we got settled in the van, we met 6 others in our group (people all from the US).  There were 2 additional families (the family from Connecticut (2 children (adopted from Guatemala) with parents and a very nice grandma with her granddaughter from Indiana.  We made it to the train station in no time and were greeted wit the tour company's guide.  Got coffee since I hadn't had any yet (thank you) and went through the terminal (it was very similar to the airport) except you don't have to take off of your shoes.  Loaded the train with our group which made travel because it was more group oriented vs. being alone and our group was nice.

Loaded the Euro Star and made our way to Paris and with the exception of traveling backwards (which made me a little nervous) the experience was awesome.  I found the train movement to be more like a gliding feeling which surprised me (not really knowing what I was suppose to experience) but it made the travel smooth.

The inside of the train was very roomy.  I sat near the window and mostly worked on my blog, ate my food, and talked with my neighbor. I find that part of my experience with travel is meeting people.  On the train I sat across from a gentleman who expressed he had purchased the seat next to me so I wouldn't have to worry if someone would take the all because his friend "was unable to make it".   That ultimately developed into a very interesting story of which gave us something to talk about on the way to Paris.

Once we arrived in Paris at the Gare du Nord Station we noticed as we were walking to the platform that it was raining.  We were assigned groups based on our tour of which I was one of the few who choose to do the hop on hop off tour of which I wanted my own control of my day.  I was scheduled lunch with April (a friend in Paris) around noon.  I officially had about 2 hours to find April and get started on my tour.  When I got on the bus I patiently waited and started my tour but noticed very quickly that when we made stops there were no announcements of the stops of any kind.  The driver would stop for a minute open the door and then take off.  The main problem was that I was in Paris and nothing is in English so stopping off at a building with no information made the tour difficult to know where and how to engage for the day using this method.  Remembering that my initial goal was to get to April, I hopped off  went underground and attempted to get a subway ticket to Madeline Blvd.  OMG this was very difficult simply because again no one spoke any English.

The subway was largely different from London in a few ways.  Besides only having French descriptions, it was decorated with lights and had more accommodating seating.  I got lost a few times even as the man in the information booth explained specific directions in French with a little broken English.  At one point I came back to him with my head down and explained I must have failed at something because I couldn't find the exit he stated was so obviously in front of me.  3x must be charm because that is how many times it took me to find the exit I was suppose to take.  Got to my destination Madeline Blvd opened up my computer to get the address of April and realized I only had the street info.  No name or street address (hah) so needless to say even after walking up and down the street looking for a person named April who possibly works for a company by the name of Simmons but since I never found her or a company by the name of Simmons I ended up wasting 3 hours being frustrated.  I embrace this part of my trip as well since it was when I was lost that I noticed more, engaged more, and listened to myself more.  I ended up eating pizza for fear I would order a meal and there would be a egg sitting in the middle of it (as is the norm in London and in Paris).  Looking at a menu that you cant read (since its entirely in French) made my decision easy to order Pizza.  I can say that I was confidant that the food was much better than London simply by the presentation of the food being delivered on the tables around me.

Once lunch was over I got back to a tour bus and just rode and rode for at least an hour without the slightest desire to get off to see anything.  Eventually I had to get off to start seeing stuff so I made my first stop at The Opera House.  After witnessing the building in all of its grand splendor I was distracted by the store across the street with two charming bitten apples across the street.  Yes something familiar ~ I found the Apple Store!

I went inside and was so happy to finally have Internet.  Who can live without Internet even for a day?  I have to say that in Paris the computer keyboard is different than ours in the states.  Even London has the same keyboard that we do but the A and M are moved which made it difficult to type emails and check FB properly.

After browsing The Apple Store I got back on the tour bus and finished my tour.  The major sites I visited in Paris was:

• Eiffel Tower
• Louvre Museum
• Notre Dame
• The Opera House
• Grand Palais
• A few other sites 

The Best Day in London with Brother John

Spending the day in the ministry was one of the best and most memorable experiences for me in London.  My plans were previously made so I knew to meet Brother John (a 72 year old elder at the Hall) at 10 a.m. I left my dorm at 9:15 a.m. to make it on time, although I ended up with enough time to make it to McDonald's to get my usual Latte.  The Tube (now that I know where I am going) was a breeze, and with 10 minutes to spare I arrived.

There were some friends who were waiting outside already and they informed me Brother John was looking for me since he was 20 min early and within minutes I saw his arms waiving from down the street. There are many aspects of the day that were awesome but the first was that I got to actually drive in someones car with the steering wheel on the opposite side of the road.  The brother jokes that Americans have the wheel on the wrong side and British have it on the right side (an argument I about to win) so I chuckled and was grateful he was driving and not me.

The work we were doing was the track work so we arrived at 3 large vertical buildings and he and I alone tackled 150 doors.  We met and spoke with many from all different back grounds.  People were very open to discuss God along with the concerns they had with what was happening currently on the world scene.  I wanted to note similarities and differences in the ministry in Europe vs. the States and found  the main similarity was how common the beliefs are across the world.  People in London are just as affected by what is happening with the economy and are were very much disgruntled about the lack of concern from the government.  The differences were the way people were able to articulate the beliefs they had. I felt like we did a very good job bringing comfort from the bible and at the end of the day felt that work is more gratifying than any other work being done around the world.  I learned to never underestimate what giving people hope can do.

Around lunch Brother John and I went to McDonald's (his treat) and talked about his wonderful wife of 48 years and what it takes to keep a marriage strong and happy. It was encouraging to know that someone with such longevity still had such a strong feeling of love and devotion for his wife after all these years.  It was very encouraging and ultimately I couldn't help but note several keys to marriage that I could undoubtedly benefit from if I too adopted.

After lunch we went on several calls and ended about 4pm with a bible study. The girl we went on the study with was very bright and seemed to have a very solid understanding of what she wanted from the bible. He dropped me off at the Tube and I made it hope by 5pm.  I noted this to be one of the better days of the trip which was hard to top. When I got home I relayed the info to Jason (who was encouraged as well).

Indian Row

My morning has started very late for it is noon and I haven't even gotten dressed.  Jason is at Stone Ridge (one of the wonders of the world) and I hope to make it back to the British Museum.  My original plan was to wake up early, make it to the Zoo but I think I have taken too much time and fear I would only get a couple of hours out of the London Zoo.  I find that attractions such as that require payment and a plan to stay all or most of the day.  I believe I can be ready and up and out of here within 20 min.  I want to make this day my souvenir day and work on organizing any last minute shopping that might need to be completed.  I am sending a few post cards today just to ensure arrival before I leave the UK.

End of Day~

Despite the fact that my day started off slow, I was able to make it a productive one.  When I left home I went on to check how to take trains so that I could visit Hampton Court later this week.  It seems pretty easy since it involves the Tube most of the way.  After that I went underground to head to the BM with the thought process of  avoiding walking the entire way this time.  Its funny because after 2 subways it still seemed like I had to walk a long distance.  I am thinking that I brought that on myself since the Museum was right next to me and I went the exact opposite direction so when I found it and discovered I walked right by it I was a little perturbed with myself.  The Museum itself was a very nice experience same as before with the same intention- to learn. This time I focused on the Roman era, currency history, clock history, and about Turkey.

Once I was finished I noticed it was 5pm and I was suppose to be back at the dorm before 5:30pm to change my reservations at the dorm.  I didn't make it, on time which means it turned out to be a waste to even come home.  Once I was home I started downloading a movie and just waited around to see if Jason wanted to go to dinner.  He was really tired from his travels so I dined alone.  I never take this as a bad thing because when I am alone this means I get to eat what I want and that is exactly what I did.  Down the street from my place there is what I call Indian row.(hopefully that's not offending anyone)  Many Indian stores, eateries, all ran by Indian people.  I decided to be adventurous and walk into each and every restaurant and look at the menu, ask a lot of questions and perhaps learn something about the culture.  I ended up meeting a man who was young (maybe 25 years old) who said he was running the sweet store because the owner just ran off.  I thought that was rather open to just say, so I knew this was my guy to have a conversation with.  I ordered several treats from this Royal Sweets place along with ginger tea just to give it a try.  I tried special royal,  deserts, like royal balushahel, jalebi and gigar sweet which is like a carrot cake (but nothing like a carrot cake).  As I sat and we discussed America and India he helped me pick out dinner from their Indian restaurant next door.  This was a really nice place.  I spent 18 pounds which is like 30 dollars and I didn't get a drink.  I ordered coconut fish basmati rice and crab in butter sauce.  It was completely the opposite of what I imagined however it was good.  The gentleman helped me to appreciate the difference between Indian foods (of which I mistakenly took it for Mediterranean food).  I learned Indian foods can be spicy and they usually have a meat and sauce and maybe rice or salad.  Ultimately it was a pleasant experience and I learned a little more about a culture and a food that I probably would have never tried back home. 

Notting Hill

As usual I sleep in so late!  I woke up at 9:40am which has everything to do with going to bed at 2-3am.  Today is the day that I planned to go to the meeting on these crazy subways again.  Apparently this is very common for the Tube to close down an entire line (this weekend happened to be the one I needed the most) so I needed to find another way to the meeting and really wasn't sure how to do that.  I spent 45 min on the computer tracking, tracing, writing and scratching my route out.  Eventually I had a plan and went with it.  I had 3 options for meetings today 10am, 1pm, 4pm.  I literally left at 11:30am with the goal of making it to the Hall at 4pm but I made it by 1pm (whew). Such hard work but all worth it.  Londoner's sound so nice and pleasant and although the meeting was conducted the exact same as home, the brother say Love or Lovely after everyone commented.  I was thinking about my brothers in Phoenix (Staton, Watson, or Brown) saying that is simply lovely or thanks Love after someone commented and couldn't help but giggle. After the meeting people came right up to me and once they heard my accent they were giggling at me.  Accent I was thinking that is backwards.  Anyway I met several people and made service plans with the pioneers and elders so I finally feel set.  I know that going into the ministry with be an amazing part of my trip and I am sure to meet some great friends along the way.

On my way home I had a thought of visiting another site while I was out so I decided to visit Notting Hill.  I was surprised to find there really wasn't much to the place other than a street which is called Notting Hill Gate with shops and eateries.  The homes are very nice and there are a few parks that are exclusive to the area. While I was there I decided to eat at a Sushi place called ITSU.  It was trendy withl good food and the service wasn't half bad.  They serve the food on a conveyor belt and you grab it and eat . The food surprised me since it was so yummy and I got very full.  I ate duck rolls, and a few Vietnamese and California rolls. After I left Itsu,  I roamed the streets until I was over it and then went on home.

As I was on the tube on the way home I had this AHA moment where I realized I knew where I was going.  I realized I finally figured out the bus and Tube (underground transportation) and thought I am really learning my way around.  This excites me because for the first week I had to ask, and play mice games going back and forth asking questions, or not asking questions and getting lost.  I asked Jason what he does and he murmured on about he doesn't ask people, and goes with his instinct or gut until he finds the place.  I was thinking, that sounds much more time consuming than my system but he is a man and I believe it is fair to assume that most men don't ask for directions???

I got home about 5pm and jumped right on FB to see if Jason was home since that is our primary way we contact each other.  I am so grateful for FB because not only have I been able to contact Jason but its such a great way to stay connected to family back home.  I have even been able to put out a few fires all the way from London on FB.  Thanks FB owners!

Right away Jason came over and we hung out and had a few laughs as we debriefed each other on our day.  He had class and from the sounds of it, it was very boring.  He fell asleep and even his group members at family night said it was a killer.  (sorry Jason) I had this mental picture in my head of me at the Kingdom Hall socializing, singing and happy while he is stuck in a classroom bored to death.  (poor babe)  As I mentioned tonight was family night and Jason and I spent the evening with four lovely ladies that he goes to school with.  They made fajitas, and we all played spades.  (Good times) Jason's team won and mine lost but we gave them a run for their money. (not literally I don't bet) lol! 9pm we called it quits and now its almost midnight here and I am finishing up these blogs! 

I did manage to get skype uploaded and figured out as well and carried on a 3 way call with my friends.  As you can imagine we talked for hours.  Its almost 3am and I am still up typing away.

Regent's Park

Prior to going to bed on Friday night, Jason and I agreed to go running in a park that is a few blocks away called Regent's Park first thing in the morning.  He mentioned it was really pretty and that it had some nice flowers yada, yada, yada... sounded like every other park in London so I really didn't expect much. 

Well it turns out that the park was originally built to surround a palace for the Prince Regent so the grounds are impeccable.  According to sources the palace never materialized so they turned it into a regular park for the public to enjoy.  The outskirts of the park are normal greens with large bushy trees.  There are squirrel playing like they were little cats and dogs running from tree to tree or just playing "your it" with another squirrel all within arms length.  They are as common as seeing a bird and they will come if you call them.

 

Jason and I began the day walking through the park holding hands as I was in awe.  The flowers are so vibrant and well manicured.  It was truly breathtaking.  After an hour of walking around we noticed the park had a section that was a dog park so we watched the dogs run and play.  If we were to walk further we would have hit the zoo which is right next door to the park but we weren't prepared for that.  There is a place for coffee and the whole nine and if you want to bring your family for lunch there is a local eatery to enjoy. 

 

Since its Saturday I set myself to go out into the ministry (as it my routine) so being in London should not change that.  I set out with coffee and my Bible on my way with my hand held directions to find the local Kingdom Hall which meets at 10am here.  As I got to the Euston station (where the train leaves) I saw a big disappointing sign that said closed due to construction(they were working on the subway) and since this hall is just under an hour away and these were the only instructions I know- I was unable to make it to service.  (very disappointing for me) I headed back home, and as I was walking I saw a nice little hair shop and decided to pop in for a wash and blow dry.  Hair appliances from the US don't work here (even with a converter or adapter) so my hair had since gone to its natural curly state.  About an hour later I was walking out feeling much better and cuter.  I went home to show Jason my new hair style since he was home resting and re cooperating from his long week of school, papers, and homework assignments.  We got dressed and ready (since it was about noon) and went out to Piccadilly Circus since they have many options for food and fun shopping. 

 Food was very interesting because there are many options to choose from here in London so I settled on something I had never settled on (Lebanese food) and picked up something that was so good that once I ate my food I literally turned around and went back for seconds.  I tried their chicken pastry and Jason tried a Shawarma which is marinated meat (either chicken or lamb) that is skewered on big rods and cooked slowly, then shaved and placed in a 10 inch pita roll with pickles, tomatoes. We walked around and found a local Gap got some jeans then came home.

Once we got home Jason was pretty tired so he wanted to crash.  Generally I sleep and rest when I see fit I usually am a big ball of energy.  When he went to sleep I went back to Regents park to enjoy it.  I grabbed my new FedEx blanket (that I won .. little plug for FedEx) and carried my book pillow and snacks and literally sat in the park listening  to my book until it was almost 8pm.

 Since it was Saturday it was safe since the park was completely full of people.  The sun doesn't go down here until after 9pm so it was so nice.  I then went to grab my Watchtower went to McDonald's to grab a latte and sat there studying for another 2 hours.  It was 10pm and (really very late) so I high tailed it home and read my book until I crashed.  It was a very memorable day.  Never have I had so much alone time to enjoy and think about things in such a wonderful scenic environment at that.  Had to be one of my best days so far.

Trafalgar Square

Today is the first day Jason and I get to spend the entire day together. The original plan for us today since he has 2 days off was to head on over to Paris.  When we got up we looked up the weather and the euro star tickets (train that goes through the channel) and found it might rain in Paris and the tickets jumped up in price to something we were unwilling to pay.  We decided to change Paris for mid week when fairs would be affordable.  By unaffordable I mean they had jumped up from $124 rt/ pp to$309 rt/pp.  Clearly not worth it for just a few days. 

Our first stop out was the dry cleaners and then breakfast at McDonald's.  The food at McDonald's is relatively different so we continue to try new things.  Our over all mood seemed somber as we walked to eat (no doubt due to disappointment we were not spending the day in Paris) so in an attempt to fix my mood my husband did what all good husbands do to make their wives happy... He bought me A GIFT!  Jason and I made a little trip to the local department store and picked out a rather nice present.  Jason bought me a Louis Vitton bag and omg I was flabbergasted by his generosity.  All day he really didn't have to say much more because my purse pretty much kept me cheery all day.

After the purchase we brought it right home and left again out to eat lunch and pick up his shirts he missed out on the other day.  I have to admit while he was in the store I couldn't help but to notice how different the shopping experience is in London in comparison from home.

 First there are so few cars where the stores are due to the public transportation so you see shops upon shops with alleys and open ways and as people are walking by no doubt on their way to their destination just pop in and out as if it was the last thing they expected to do that day.  The shopping experience is also different because Londoners have a high expectation and manners and etiquette seem to be top priority.  The sales people are very attentive and rather than it be like a shopping purchase it is more like a shopping experience. 


Once shopping was finished we went on to lunch.  In the financial district there are many options to eat from and since it was Friday all stores and eateries were open for business.  I say this because last time Jason and I were in the financial district after 6pm it was like a ghost town.  Only pubs were open which is primarily the business people getting off of work and drinking to make the day all better.  (very interesting) No problem with drinking and driving here because everyone takes a taxi, tube, or double decker bus home..

Our final stop was Trafalgar Square.  This was one of the few places Jason hadn't been with his group, therefore I had to show him where it was.  On my original tour I only stayed outside but today as we approached realized there is a gallery inside with amazing art.  This is a place I knew my sister Ramona would fall in love with.  The art was breathtaking!

The square dates back to the 14th century but only became a cultural square open to the public in 1830.  It is said to be the heart and soul of London.  As mentioned earlier it houses the National Gallery of Art. (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/)

On our way out who could resist taking pictures amongst this amazing place.  Jason and I took a few cool shots and then went on in for the evening.  Pretty mellow evening.  We ate dinner in our room and relaxed in preparation to do it all again tomorrow.