I'm Finally In London

So it took a bit of work to get here, but I finally arrived September 30th, cats in tow.  We were all on the same flight but got to the flat separately which was a blessing. I could not imagine lugging two large suitcases, a huge backpack and two kennels through the tube.  Shea met me at the airport and had a car waiting to take us to the flat.  The cats got to go through their own customs where they were moved into a large kennel, cleaned (I have to assume because they smelt like cleaning product of some sort), scanned for their microchips, fed, watered, then loaded back into their clean crates and driven to the flat where we were waiting anxiously.

It took Samson a bit more time to get used to the new (cramped) quarters but they are both very well adjusted and enjoying their 6 foot tall cat tree.

My parents were here for my first 6 days as a London resident (they had been traveling Europe and visiting my brother's family before).  They were very nice in helping get some of the shopping done to make this place functional.  For example, a vacuum cleaner was a must.  We also needed some more dishes and a duvet to fit our super-king bed (its just a king sized bed according to North America; its just fun to say).  We also got to eat some yummy meals together and walk a bit of the city while Shea worked (ha ha).

Now that they are gone, I have had some time to get over a cold that was contracted on the flight here and start getting into a routine (sort of).  I am still trying to get all my papers in order so I can teach here but in the meantime I will just enjoy being a tourist and charging online purchases to Shea's credit card!

One of Samson's hiding spots (also a shot of our very tiny kitchen).

Yep, that's him on top of the kitchen cupboards.

Evea sleeping in the radiator bed.  I think this will be very popular once we turn on the heat.

The Situation

Alright, so the blogging didn't happen as often this summer as I would have liked.  Part of the reason is that everything I wanted to blog about had pictures to go along with it.  The camera is in London.  I have mostly been in Canada.  So it's kind of hard to blog about things that I don't have pictures to go along with.

In addition to this, there has been a situation with the paperwork to get the cats across the pond.  Their rabies vaccination papers were missing their microchip numbers.  And then the vet closed his business and moved.  So now I am waiting for the correct paperwork to arrive by mail.  Once I get that, we can book flights for them (and then for me).

Once I get to London, I will do some quick blogs about New York and maybe even about my various trips to the lake. Mostly, I will be busy trying to find work (can't apply for work unless you know when you will be able to start).  Looks like I will also be busy buying furniture too. Not a lot, because there was also a situation with finding a place to live.

We ended up having to lease a flat for a year because we could not find a borough that we would like to buy a house in.  By the time we came to the realization that we want to stay in Central London, it was time for me to come back to Canada and for the husband to go to New York for a month.  Being crunched for time, we found a place to rent in a decent area with a small commute.  That also means it is really small.  But it is clean (which the last rental was not) and gives us some time to find a permanent home.

So that is everything that kept me busy this summer.

Stay tuned. Maybe I will actually move one day...

A Day at the Tower of London

Today, we spent part of the day at the Tower of London.  This is one of my favorite sites but I don't think they do it justice.  There is so much history in this location that they skim over.  Instead their plaques discuss when certain artifacts were added to the collection.  Some of the highlights include:

The Beefeaters:

A beefeater (or Yeomen Warders). They are in charge of looking after any prisoners in the Tower and guarding the Crown Jewels. The beef-eaters do a great job bringing the history alive in their tours.

The Actual Building:

The beautiful architecture of the Tower of London

The Crown Jewels:

The Crown Jewels including the Imperial Crown (you are not allowed to take pictures so I ripped this off the Internet). If I had a crown like this, I would wear it each day while eating breakfast.  People would look at you funny if you wore it around town after-all.

Traitor's Gate:

Many prisoners of the Tudors entered the Tower of London through the Traitors' Gate. It played a big part in Anne Boleyn's coronation in 1533. She was the second wife of Henry VIII who ordered the Queen's Lodgings in the Tower to be renovated and spent the equivalent of over 1 millions pounds making them suitable for her. It was in those lodgings that Anne spent the night before her coronation and, ironically, she was also imprisoned there before being beheaded in May 1636. 

The Bloody Tower: (Ghost Story)

Within this tower, two young princes disappeared mysteriously.   After the death of King Edward IV, his sons, Edward V and Richard (12 and 9 years old) were moved to the Tower by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester.  He stated that is was to prepare Edward for his coronation as king. Richard of Gloucester took the throne for himself, stating that the princes were not legitimate heirs.  No one saw the princes after 1483 and they were presumed murdered. 

Their ghosts, sometimes holding hands, have been seen in various rooms in the Bloody Tower where they were incarcerated. In 1674, two small skeletons were found in a chest and given a Royal funeral.  Recently, these bones were exhumed and forensically examined.  Although the results were inconclusive, it was determined that the bones belonged to male children of the correct age.  

Other Interesting Bits:

 Scavenger's Daughter: A torture device used to lock the prisoner in a bent-over position

The Rack: Need I say more?

A ledger from 675-1679 that records the artifacts in the Tower.  This ledger is 914 pages!

 

A dragon made out of armour (because what's a castle without a dragon?)

The site of where so many nobles were beheaded including Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (both wives of King Henry VIII).

An execution block and axe.

It's better than a cop on a segway!

Saw this yesterday and laughed.

This is just outside the windows in the apartment.  I guess they come by every day.

London Accommodations are tiny!

Alright, it has taken way too long to get this first official "I am in London" blog out.  I am apparently illiterate with putting video on the blog but here are some pictures that will help explain what London living is all about.  It also will how the priority level of finding a house to live in by the end of summer.

The Hall of doors (5 to be exact) from the front door (so I guess there are 6 in total).

 

This hall also serves as the shoe closet.

The bedroom (notice there is no picture of the closet; its tiny and messy).

The bathroom (that little string on the right is the light switch).  To turn the shower on, you need to turn on the faucet first and have it running, then turn the shower on. Very strange.

The kitchen (that is a washer/dryer combination). 

The kitchen. The fridge is to the left.  To open it, you need to shut the kitchen door.  Only one can be open at once.  

Entrance to the "great room."

The view from the "great room."

The dining area (aka computer central).