Friday, August 31st

We dropped off our deposit on our new flat this morning...yay! When we got to the bank, they told us that there's a fee for a wire transfer or we can just take the money out in cash for nothing. So we decide to save a couple bucks and withdraw 10 weeks rent in crisp, new 50 pound notes. They counted it out and handed it over to us, and then we booked it to the real estate office hoping not to get mugged or that Bobby could at least distract a would-be mugger while I sprinted the rest of the way. We managed to arrive safely to pay it off - the apartment's ours as of Monday!

Then we headed to Buckingham Palace to try to catch the changing of the guard, but instead we ended up getting an up-close view of the guests arriving at Princess Diana's memorial service. Today was the 10th anniversary of her death and the princes held a service for her. We stood (me on tippytoes) at the gates with the paps (what they call papparazzi here) and news teams. We managed to get a couple good pictures. Below there is Sir Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin Group, the car that the princes came in (I think if you zoom in, you can kind of make out one of them, possibly Harry?, in the backseat), and Bobby waiting with the crowd. Of course my camera died RIGHT before the Queen drove in.

Later in the day, we stopped by Kensington Palace to see the flowers and notes people left in the Princess' memory. It was a moving tribute.

YAY! We have a home

We finally signed a lease today -YAAAYYY!!!! In the process, we discovered how much of a nightmare the "letting"(aka renting) process can be. We've had our fair share of comical flats, ridiculous rental agents and unfortunately, some unethical people as well. But after making four offers on different places, this one is ours! It's in Marylebone, near the center of the city and less than a mile from where Frankie will be studying in the spring. It has plenty of space, an alarm, full furnishings, a dishwasher (unheard of!) and even a little patio and garden in the back. It needs a little decorating help, but nothing a trip to Ikea can't fix! Here's the pictures - woo hoo!

Wicked

In the midst of trying to find a place to live, we've been able to fit in some fun and cultural London experiences as well. Yesterday we went to the V&A museum in the morning. It's right around the corner from our temporary housing and free! Then we got half price tickets in Leiscester Square and went to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theater - amazing. We've discovered that the theater is one of the very few things that are cheaper here than at home in the U.S.

Notting Hill Carnival

So it's official... you can drink on the street in London. We confirmed this last night and today at the Notting Hill Carnival, where many vices were being enjoyed. It's basically a big street party that smells like Carribbean jerk chicken. This year, the theme of the carnival represented the end of the Atlantic slave trade from Liverpool. Quite an event to be celebrated! We went to the carnival today with Andrew and Katie, our new/old American friends and had a "bobby" take a picture of the four of us.



There's also a never ending parade through the streets of Notting Hill. Each float is representative of a different Carribbean nation.

Afterwards, we got our first taste of British/Indian food...it was delicious! And more importantly, very cheap.

We're up early tomorrow to continue the flat hunt.

Getting Out

After all the flat hunting this week, we got out and saw the sights! Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliment, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square (where there was a peace festival/concert), and the London Eye. We have yet to see a guard dressed up in red with the big black fuzzy hat! Bobby's on the lookout.

We also got a chance to check out Bobby's school. The Cass Business School at City University is brand new and right in one of the main financial districts in the city. First we met Keith, Bobby's financial aid guy/new bff, to drop off his loan forms. After we met, Keith wrote an email saying that he noticed my engagement ring and he thought it was beautiful - HA! Something you wouldn't necessarily expect from your financial aid counselor, but we loved it! Then Bobby got a tour of the business school from Tom in admissions. Here's some pics of the building...

We also checked out my office on Friday night and it turns out that the building is right on the river in the center of the city. The street next to it was so crowded - everyone was in the pubs and since you can drink on the streets here (we think?), the crowds were overflowing right into the middle of the road.

Miss everyone!

We've arrived!

It's our second full day in London. Here's a brief recap of what's happened so far:

Tuesday: We get off the red eye and take a car to our temporary housing. So forget the picture below, here's what our place actually looks like...very nice and clean, but our suitcases barely fit so we now have them setup on the kitchen table.

We took a long nap and then headed out to explore! We walked through Chelsea and Kensington and up through Picadilly Circus (it looks like the UK version of times square). We found a really cute pub tucked away in Mayfair for dinner and had fish and chips!

Wednesday: We woke up early, Bobby made his new specialty - scottish porridge - for breakfast (surprisingly not too bad) and then we met with our real estate agent, Rory, for a look at about 7 different places for the good portion of the day. After we met with him, we went back to some of the places we liked to walk around the area and get a feel of the neighborhood. We loved Highbury/Islington - it's a bit out of the city, but has a bunch of little shops, pubs and restaurants. There were a couple funny places we looked at - one was a brand new building (we loved the flat), but in the midst of two projects and downstairs on the first floor was a health club by day and bar by night. They gave us a tour of the health club - it was so bizzare...tons of vitamins, a room with a bath filled with gold dust, a bright yellow armchair that they said was a healing chair from Russia?!? Then we walked by the bar at night and it was belly dancing night - HA! Needless to say, we decided to look at a few more places. Afterwards we went to an italian cafe in South Kensington for dinner, then walked around the area - its beautiful where we're staying.

Thursday: Still looking for a flat! We spent all day walking around the area of Islington and stopping into real estate offices. We saw another flat today and have another appointment tomorrow. It has been really time consuming, but we will find something eventually! Now it's off to the grocery store and we're going to attempt to make dinner at our temporary place. If it doesn't go so well, we could be doing double time on scottish porridge!

More updates to come soon!

Engaged!

Bobby and I got engaged last Friday night and it has been one big celebration since! He brought me out to dinner at Mistral (my favorite), then asked on the Boston Common and I said "of course!". Then to top it all off, he got a suite at the Custom House Hotel and our families were there waiting to help us celebrate. I called the girls and they immediately came to give us a hug and share a glass of champagne!
Some other memorable moments of the night:

• Bobby and I re-enacting how it happened, but playing the part of each other
• The 12 year old kid that cheered for us on the Common after it happened
• My mentioning that I was planning on marrying Prince William at dinner
• The delicious fruit pizza that Keri made for us
• The beautiful flowers that Bobby bought for me
• I couldn't stop staring at my ring all night!
• Bobby using the ring box that was his Grandma Svenning's
• Our hotel room key didn't work at first and we made a quick trip down to the front desk (meanwhile parents are laughing in the room!)
  

The whole night was so amazing! Now I'm trying as hard as I can to put down the bridal magazines and focus on getting the last minute things done for London. Countdown: 5 days!!!!

Temporary Housing

We finally heard where we'll be staying for our first two weeks in London! Finally. The apartment complex is called "Chelsea Cloisters" and it's right in Kensington, one of the best (and most expensive) parts of the city. We have a fully furnished place, and services include wireless internet, 24 hour concierge and even daily maid service! Maybe we can live there for the entire 2 years? Above is a picture of one of their sample apartments.

The location is probably far from where we'll be living pemanently (it's on the southwest side of the city and our work/school is on the northeast), but it'll be great to be able to explore that area for a few weeks while we get settled! Notting Hill is a borough in Kensington and every year they have a Carnival on the last weekend in August. This year we'll be right in the thick of it - costumes, parades, concerts...what a welcome!

Countdown until we leave: 10 days!