My Tour Guide Skills are Lacking

So because my sister (Ange), her fiance (Dave) and our friend Lake were in London, I got to do some of the tourist things and play tour guide.  Note: I am not that great of a tour guide.  I make people walk lots and I still get lost. I also have a hard time finding pubs (just up the street and around the corner).

Overall, I think we all had a fantastic time in London together.  It was not even a reunion.  We just picked up and continued our conversations from the last time we saw each other.

Everything is so fun because we have been apart for so long!

I unicorned Dave!

Everything in London is so "Londony!"

The saddest post ever.

I forgot London had this. It's an Arc for Australian efforts in various wars.

A half-assed gun show.

We read this sign for about 5 minutes in BIG, DEEP VOICES.  

Riding in a cab! Backwards.

In a cab!

I drank Sake for the first time thanks to Lake!

Stupid Dave ruining the picture with a Stupid Dave face.

In front of Tower Bridge after a fantastic tour of the Tower of London.

The BEST Surprise a Sister Could Ever Ask For!

I have been told that I am basically the last one to know about a surprise that was in the works for a couple months.  A few months back I got an email from my Lake non-boyfriend that he was coming to London and was hoping to sleep on our couch. Why not?! I love people from "home!" It also worked out that School Term break was also happening at the same time as Lake was in Europe so we decided to plan a vacation somewhere.  Together we planned a wonderful holiday to Spain.  He took care of most of the bookings while I planned the itinerary (I love Excel; if you are planning to visit most major European cities, I probably have a spreadsheet that will walk you through a stress-free holiday there. Contact me for more details).

As we got closer to the date, I got very excited for this holiday.  The only thing that could have made this holiday even more awesome was if my sister could have come (she is the one who first met Lake and brought him into posse).  Alas, Ange was not going to be able to come because of work.

Or so I thought!!!

I had arranged to meet Lake after work and as we walked to get his bags (or so I thought), he played the meanest trick on me.  He told me that Ange and Dave were on the next flight to London followed by a JK. Not funny.  This brought on some awkward silence and my hopes had risen and then fallen.  Stupid Lake!

As we continued to walk, Lake looked a bit lost.  I figured he could not remember how to get back to the place he left his stuff.  As we figured out where we were I hear from behind "Hey, you dropped something."  Knowing this is one of the tricks the pick-pockets use, I turn around ready to yell at this stranger.

As I focused my attention on this dummy, it took a couple seconds to realize a camera was in my face and two smiling faces were staring at me; one belonging to my favoritest person in the whole wide world; the other was Dave.

Needless to say, there was screaming, tears, hugs and happy times!

Then I got to be in on surprising Shea with our guests!  One of the best days ever!!!!!!

Our London Lodge

After far too many months living is 600 square feet with two cats and sharing a bathroom for the first time during our marriage, we have FINALLY found our London home!!!  Unfortunately, like all things about London, the process is moving at a slug's pace.  The purchasing process here is quite backwards.  It is hard to believe that Canadian law stems from this crazy system.  We are not too upset about that though as the place is still under construction.

When we first decided to move to London, I was drawn to the Canary Wharf area.  It is super close to Shea's work, has easy access to everywhere in the city and for some reason it just felt right.  After talking to a lot of Canadians about the area, I finally narrowed in on why I like the area so much: it is a real downtown.  London does not have an official downtown.  There are random buildings scattered throughout the city.  But Canary Wharf is full of skyscrapers and unique architecture.  Another reason why I like it so much (and why people who were raised in London may not) is because it is quiet on the weekends!  There are not the ridiculous crowd everywhere that you have to fight to get to the tube or to buy groceries. The parks are not packed with people so you can always get a spot that suits (in the sun or shade, at a bench, on the grass...).  There is generally a table at the various pubs and restaurants too.  Oh, and its super close to the river and the walking and riding paths!  Just like home!

So we are moving into a duplex condo.  That means its two stories of space.  Our residence also has 24 hour concierge service and a full gym.  There will also be a grocery store on the main floor which will make cooking a lot easier (I am always forgetting one ingredient here and I hate having to walk to the store for one stupid thing).

So below are a few pictures of our current situation as well as a few from future HOME!

Hopefully the kitchen appliances in the new place won't duplicate as a favourite sleeping spot.

We will have a real linen closet!!!!  No cats snoozing on our clean towels again. Oh, and the washing machine/dryer will have its own home away from the three bathrooms.

Our views of London from the new place. We have a huge terrace and balcony. There is also a community garden.

Shea in the new dining room. Yep, we will actually be able to sit at a dining table again!

Views from the spare bedroom.  We can see all the main London buildings.

Milan, Italy

Shea has been working a lot in Milan lately.  We were lucky enough to have him travelling there for meetings on a Friday which allowed me to tag along and make a weekend out of it.  Because it would have made him a jerk in business class, we splurged so we could both enjoy the comforts of first class travel.  British Airways (our preferred carrier now that we are Silver Members) provides a wonderful Lounge for its high members where there is unlimited alcohol and food.  That made waiting in the airport very comfortable!

Milan is a very beautiful city.  I had heard that it was very similar to Naples (which still tops my Worst City list btw) so I was not expecting much.  The streets were very clean, the people were friendly, it was easy to get taxis and shopping was excellent!

We visited the Milan Cathedral first.  Now, you would think that cathedrals are getting a bit old by now. And to be honest, the interior was not much compared to some of the others we have seen.  The big attraction for Milan's Cathedral is definitely the exterior and the roof.

The Milan Cathedral is Gothic style and it is the 5th largest Cathedral in the World.

The interior is pretty amazing.  The cathedral claims to have one the the Nails that held Jesus to the cross.  

A Statue of St. Bartholomew. He was martyred by being flayed alive. That is his skin wrapped around his body.  

After climbing approx. 160 stairs, you are on the terrace or roof of the cathedral.  This was the best part!

It's one thing to enjoy the Gothic carvings from the ground, but the details are truly amazing close up.

Looking down onto the streets below.

Just some carved stone from the 17th century.

Like all old things, renovations are needed.  They are currently working on fixing some of the crumbling architecture. It was odd to see everyone relaxing and enjoying the sun on the roof of a church!

The Milan Cathedral is very connected with the Virgin Mary.  At the highest peak is a statue of the Madonna. 

The Virgin in stone.

Us enjoying the views of Milan.

Another highlight from Milan was this wonderful park called  Parco Sempione.  Because the weather was so lovely (+20 degrees), it was an enjoyable walk.  

The park with the Arco della Pace in the background. It seems that every city has one of these things.  

A close-up look at the Arc.

The park is loaded with turtles.  

Shea enjoying the sun.  He did burn. Can you see the turtles in the background?

On the other side of the Arc is the Castello Sforzesco, basically an old castle.  

The Castle's defences were first designed by da Vinci.  Later Napoleon did some remodelling. 

The interior square. 

This used to be part of the moat system. Napoleon had them drained.  Now there are cats living the life down there!

One of the corners of the castle. 

The front entrance. 

The front entrance close-up.

I think my favourite part of Milan was the one thing that pictures are forbidden. We got to go and see The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.  It was spectacular to see it in this very unimpressive room, just painted onto a plaster wall.  It was originally painted in the dining hall of a Monastery and depicts the moment that Jesus announces to his disciples that one of them will betray him.  He finished the painting in 1497.  Did you know everyone except Jesus has feet in the painting? The images we see of this work most often cuts off just after the table cloth.

From left to right, we have Bartholemew, James the Younger, Andrew (all three show surprise), Judus (in shadow, not blessed by God), Peter (angry and holding a knife, perhaps foreshadowing his actions in the Garden when Jesus is arrested), John (the youngest apostle as traditionally depicted swooning),  Jesus, (His hand toward the bread), Thomas the Older (his raised finger depicts his incredulity of the Resurrection), James (stunned), Philip (wanted more information), Matthew, Jude and Simon (Matthew and Jude look to Simon for answers).  

Interesting fact: During WWII, the Monastery that houses the painting was destroyed by a bomb.  Thankfully, sandbags had been stacked against both sides of the wall in order to protect the masterpiece.  

The painting was behind the wall on the right.  Those are sandbags that are stacked and supported.

Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie. The place where The Last Supper is located. 

Another interesting fact: There is another painting on the opposite wall of The Last Supper.  It is called The Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano.  You kind of feel sorry for it though because it is beautiful but overshadowed by The Last Supper.

Shea without a beer.

These open street restaurants were everywhere.  It was a great way to enjoy  the afternoon sun. 

 Finally it was time to go back to London.  While flying over, we sort of got near our future London home.  It was hard coming back to our little flat when we are just a few months away from moving into something far more comfortable.

Home is just down there...

The Unwelcome House Guests

In the last few weeks I have come to miss snow.  A lot.  Mostly for what it kills.  You see we have moved from a house of four to a house of  six.  Thankfully the two new guests don't need beds or toys.  Otherwise I would have gained the nerve to evict them. Currently, we have  nice game going where I see them, freak out and run away.  Generally, I am saying things like "so gross," or  "Shea its time to move" while escaping.

They are nasty. They should have frozen to death in a snow storm. They really disgust me. They are slugs! Even typing the name, I shudder.  So gross!

And I have no idea how they got inside!

These two house guests make random appearances in the bathroom and in the kitchen.  I usually only see them when I am half awake in the morning while getting ready for work.  I scream and run away. Generally, a cat enters to see what's the commotion.  This led me to think that my cats were eating them because when I got the nerve to go back into said room, the thing would be gone.  That kind of grossed me out, until I realized that if the cats are eating them, then I don't have to live in fear OR get rid of them myself.  I don't even know how to dispose of them.  Do you squish them like a spider?  They look like they would like be full of a lot of nasty juices.

Well, the idea of my cats saving me from discovering what makes a slug came to an end when I was forced to face my fears due to running late for work.  I saw the little devil slither and hide under the fridge.  The other occupant lives under the bathroom vanity. 

Now that I have a bit more knowlegde of my enemy (and know that my cats are not so disgusting as to eat a slug), I still have a dilemma. How do I shake these house guests?

Currently, the plan is to make Shea get rid of them.  I figure, he's a boy. Weare married. Its his job.  I am just waiting for the right time when a slug emerges from its hiding spot, I see it and Shea is around to deal with whatever comes next.