A London Sort of Friday Night

Thanks to Travel Zoo we enjoyed a wonderful meal at a super nice place in central London. Smith and Wollensky has been a New York City steakhouse for many years, but a mere 7 months ago it hopped across the pond and opened up in London. It was a lovely experience with classic touches to a great evening. All of the waiters were dressed in suit coats. The place was beautifully decorated with a classy urban vibe. Our meal deal was a set menu with chateaubriand as the centerpiece. When the food was ready, the waiter rolled out a food cart and carefully cut the meat table side. The food was melt in your mouth great and the mashed potatoes were about the best I've ever tasted. It was really fun to "dine out" for a change!
After dinner we took a lovely stroll past Trafalgar Square and headed up towards Leicester Square. We happened upon the National Portrait Gallery and to our pleasant surprise, it was open. On Friday night they stay open late and have special events with music and drawing opportunities. Many amateur artists were scattered throughout the museum trying their hand at replicating the portraits.
We had not yet been in the portrait gallery and I have to say that I never would've thought that a entire museum devoted to portraits would be that interesting. But we were enthralled by the variety of paintings and the various renderings of many well known folk in British history. I was struck by how recognizable Henry VIII is. He and Elizabeth, the virgin queen, are really the only 2 historical royals that are immediately recognizable to me. I loved this wall of royals. 
I was dazzled on more than one occasion by a portrait that kind of took your breath away. This one of the princes struck me as so interesting. Both look so young and innocent. It seemed to harken to an age long ago. The princess of Wales was beautifully depicted as was the Queen. I was happy to see John Wesley get a shout out and while I would not want Margaret Thatcher on my living room wall, clearly she represents a formidable person in British history. 
The rooms were, of course, tastefully presented and beautiful in their own right. I loved these little statues that lined a wall along a stairwell.
It was a really great night with the unexpected joy of stumbling on an open museum and enjoying a wander amidst great art. And the museum is free, all the time. It's moments like these that cause me to pause and give thanks for the opportunity to live in such a vibrant, culturally interesting place like London.

London Life 4

Most of the time, living in London is much like living anywhere else. We sleep, we grocery shop, we clean the house, we do laundry, we tend to the dog, we make food, we go to work, and we watch TV. The "grind" is similar to most people's, well, daily grind. But living in London also means that we have a wealth of world class entertainment options at our finger tips. Our church is literally 2 tube stops from Leicester Square, where when you pop up from the underground you find yourself in the heart of the west end, surrounded by theaters and shops and lights and full on excitement. And most importantly, the half price ticket booth for west end shows! So yesterday afternoon Doug called me and said, "Hey, there's a show on that's offering tickets for £10 at Leicester. Why don't you go down and see if we can grab a couple." So off I went. And it was such fun to be in the midst of the what makes London, London! And our whole evening served as a reminder to break from the grind and remember to take advantage of this incredible city that we are privileged to enjoy right now. It takes effort and money but it's worth it every time.

So, there were indeed £10 tickets available for Close to You, which was billed as Burt Bacharach re-imagined. Now Bacharach is one of those amazing musicians who has written so many songs you forget what a deep impact he has had on the music scene. And remarkably, so many of the songs are songs that people of a certain era (yes, us) happen to know all of the words to! So while we knew little about this show, we figured for £10 it had to be worth our while!

So, I had some time to kill before Doug joined me so I popped into a restaurant and had a nice glass of wine whilst talking to the young bartender. She was very sweet and told me that I was a nice person before I left. Warmed my heart. Doug showed up and we needed food. We happened upon Jamie Oliver's Diner, which seemed promising but was just OK. It was easy to get a table and not noisy but a bit overpriced (as many things are in London) for just average food. 

I chose the chicken in a basket. It was just OK

Still, it was nice to share a meal together in a new place. 

We still had a bit of time to kill so we ventured into the M&M's store! 4 levels of M&M marketing genius. On a Thursday night in November this place was buzzing. Crazy. Many cute things...like M&M road...with the candies re-creating their own version of Abbey Road! The way you got candy was to take a baggie and dispense from these giant holders. The price is by the gram so it's very hard to know what you are talking about. In honor of France, we tried to layer blue, white, red peanut M&M's to enjoy during the show! 

The most expensive bag of M&M's ever...were they gold-plated?

We almost had a heart attack when we checked out and this tiny bag of average candy was £6! Good thing our theater tickets were only £10! 

It was then show time! Now, our tickets were so cheap because they had a "restricted view". Turns out the view was barely restricted and we scored a great seat without paying a premium price. 

That tiny little pole reduced our ticket price by a ton

Plus, the row we were in and the row behind us were empty so we could spread out and lounge throughout the show!

The show was fantastic! A group of very talented young musicians wove a seamless montage of Bacharach songs together with clever staging and simple choreography. Many of the songs had been re-arranged but it was such a delight to hear the familiar lyrics and recognize the under tones of the original song. Some of it was simply beautiful and moving. It was quite romantic and a real joy to share this with Doug. Every relationship needs to be transported to another place once in awhile!

The set was quite cool, with guitars and couches and ladders and other items all set on the back wall. The way they used a variety of lamps on the stage for lighting and special effects was particularly clever. The lead guitarist and singer was a hugely talented musician and his guitar playing was mesmerizing at times. All in all, it was just pure fun and heart-warming entertainment.

The show ended with the cast coming together with ukeleles and leading a sweet sing-along version of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. It was somewhat amazing that I knew every word, along with everyone else in the theater. When was the last time I'd heard that song? It reminded me that raindrops are no cause for a bad mood, which is a very good thing to remember here in London. I would absolutely recommend this experience to anyone able to take advantage of it. This show is not on the big scale of Wicked or Lion King but for a great night of beautiful music, you can't really beat the price. That's also part of the fun of living here...we have the time to venture into some of these "second tier" shows and be pleasantly surprised by what unfolds.

The show ended, we jumped on the tube and were home a half hour later. Lucky us. We just have to remember to step away from the grind now and again and step into the amazing world that is London.

Enjoying A Bank Holiday

Monday was a bank holiday here in London so we took advantage of an invitation to join a family in visiting the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre. Always good to get out and see another part of this vast and interesting city. The views of the London Eye and Parliament were quite spectacular from our vantage point. Unfortunately it was pouring buckets of water but I guess that's standard for the August bank holiday.
The exhibition was by Carsten Höller, a Belgian artist who has lived in Stockholm. It was entitled Decision and we had some trouble deciding if we understood what he was trying to do! Definitely modern and ethereal, we enjoyed goofing around and interacting with the various exhibits. A nod to Sweden could be seen in the upside down white and red polka dotted mushrooms that graced one of the rooms. We've seen the real thing in Stockholm! The highlight was the manner in which we exited the museum...via a giant slide! Our screams could be heard for miles around and a good time was had by all on the way down.

Southbank Centre is a fun spot with loads of food vendors serving up delicious delights. My pork sandwich was one of the tastiest things I've ever had. I had a good chat with the curry guy as well who was fascinated by the fact that we'd left sunny California for rainy London. There is more to life than weather...says the girl who is rather weather-affected!
Later that day we joined a family who we knew from Stockholm and now live about a 15 minute walk from us here in London! It was a joy to be in their home, get caught up on each other's lives, hear about their life in London, and re-connect with ease. It was as if very little time had passed since we'd last seen them and that is a real gift.
It had quit raining by the time we were walking home in the evening. We had enjoyed a full day in the company of good friends. What more could you ask for on a holiday?

London Life

We've been here almost a week and are actually starting to feel at home. The fact that we are somewhat familiar with the neighborhood we are living in and the area where the church is located are big helps. We also know a few folks and everyone we've met is so lovely. Feels so warm and welcoming. Can't wait to truly dig in with the congregation and see how the ministry unfolds.

So what's new? Doug's in heaven with the perfect egg salad sandwich on sale everywhere!

We've taken full advantage of the theater scene this week! We bought same day tickets to War Horse.

War Horse theater...it was great being so close.

Sat a few feet from the stage and loved it. The theater is clearly one of my favorite things in the whole world to do so I'm super excited to be in one of the major hubs where it all unfolds! Then, last night, I was invited to join a mom and her two kids to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Royal Theater where Charlie was performed

I was very excited! This family has been awesome to us as we have settled in. We first met when I did the women's conference here in London several years ago and it was just an immediate click. Their boys are adorable and I was happy to have them accompany me to the show!

My handsome dates for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I was especially proud of myself for navigating the right bus and getting home all by myself last night! Then, in a stroke of unbelievable luck, the church staff was invited to see the dress rehearsal of Kinky Boots tonight! West End Shows use the church facilities for rehearsal space during the week and this time the producer offered us the chance to see the show which opens tomorrow night! So exciting! I've heard so many lovely things about this show and it was at the top of our list. So 3 major west end shows this week...wow. It's giving me that, "Hey, I live in London" feeling!

Tanner seems well adjusted now, with a bit more spring in his step. We've ventured to both Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill, short walks from our house and gorgeous areas.

Tanner making friends on the tube!

We also took him to work with us the other day so he rode the top deck of the double decker red bus and ventured onto the tube with us.

Mr. Tanner on the bus

People smiled a lot so I think he was well-received.

He likes the rumble of the tube on his belly!

Today has been back to grammar school as I've sought to learn the coins! Learning the money is a big part of starting to feel familiar with being in a foreign land and the coins are very confusing!

Learning the coins...

Someone moving to the US once asked me what a dime was and it revealed how "insider" our money talk can be. For the record, pence is penny, and a pound and a quid are the same thing. Kind of like a dollar and a buck. We're earning pounds so not paying too much attention to the exchange rate, which is good, because London is expensive.

We've got our iPhones working nicely with UK sim cards now. One funny little mistake...I texted Doug: Now you have my number. Love you, Jodi so he could just load my number in. Except I wrote his number down wrong and some dude named Jimmy was getting my messages. Whoops. Nothing like a little cyber stalking our first week here! It's all sorted now although I did get a text from Doug yesterday when I went to the park to meet a friend, "How do I know you are not meeting Jimmy?!" He continues to make me laugh.

In other British way of life things: English muffins are just  called muffins here.

Just muffins, tasty too!

We're 0-2 on getting a bank account opened. You have to have a utility bill or bank statement with name and address on it...we have nothing official with our address on it so we're waiting for a change of address from our Swedish bank. Then the world will be our oyster. Speaking of which, we are using our Oyster cards well and navigating the tube and busses. I prefer busses as you can watch the world go by. The bus stops are slightly closer to our house than tube stops, and the tube is insufferably hot right now. Busses are warm too but I guess I'm like Tanner...I like looking out the window!

I've only almost been run over once and am adjusting to looking for cars in the correct direction. It's great being in a foreign country but one where your language is spoken, at least most of the time. We've been cleaning and sorting in the  house, making it our own and our shipment arrived today so we have more clothing and books and of course, some treats from Bath and Body Works to make it feel like home.

The weather has been quite good thus far. Mild temperatures, a bit of sunshine, of course, some rain but overall not too oppressive. I'm walking a ton more than I was in CA...well over the 10,000 steps on my fitbit and that's mostly from just simply doing life.

We'll attend church this Sunday as "spectators" and begin our public ministry on August 30. We are taking meetings with folks and working at getting set up to function here in the UK.  We feel remarkably at home and are really enjoying taking in the English neighborhoods, watching the BBC and figuring out life.

We remain utterly blessed, humbled and honored that we've been given this opportunity and greet each new day with eagerness.