April in England

 

April in England is one of my favorite months. As April approaches, almost on cue, so do the rapeseed flower blossoms and driving anywhere in England you will spot these fields hidden behind the trees and right next to the highway. The countryside becomes a sea of yellow and its pretty cool to see. I finally took pictures of it this year, even from the air! 

 

 

This Just In

I just stumbled across this article in Buzzfeed which told me that not only can I visit the Churchill War Rooms, I can taste them too. I've been to the Churchill bunker twice now, and coincidentally I always wanted to lick the walls. Apparently now that dream can come true.
 

You Can Order A Martini With Moisture From Churchill’s Bunker’s Walls In It

So gross slash cool

Tabatha Leggett    BuzzFeed Staff posted about 10 hours ago

 

Science boffins have invented a new kind of martini - and it has moisture from the Cabinet War Rooms’ walls in it.

View this image ›

Shutterstock / Igor Normann
 

During WW2 the Cabinet War Rooms - which are buried 10ft beneath Whitehall - were used as a military command centre.

Churchill made four broadcasts to the nation from them, and he often slept there during bombing raids when it was too dangerous to get to Downing Street.

 

“Nearly everybody smoked,” stenographer Joy Hunter told the Telegraph “so it was a very smoky atmosphere.”

 

The bitters, which have been created by the Experimental Food Society and the Robin Collective, also include cigar tobacco, British orchard fruits, berries, nuts and rosehip, to represent the roses that Churchill’s wife sent to him daily.

 

The war rooms martini will be available from 1st November at the Churchill Bar & Terrace at Hyatt Regency London. It will cost £15.

 

EW SLASH YUM.

Drinking Coffee from a Bowl

I'm sharing this because I'm not sure everyone outside of France is aware of this little tid-bit of information. I'm chalking it up under things I didn't know that I didn't know about.

In their homes, French people drink their coffee out of bowls in the AM. Like bowls most of the world would use for cereal or soup. Every morning they load up the bowl with filtered coffee and add a bit of milk and sugar and use two hands to caffeinate.

This is a morning only event, as in the afternoon, coffee is drunk out of your typical espresso sized coffee mug.

During my recent holidays in the south of France I tried this out and wondered aloud if I would get the coffee up my nose. My French friends were not as amused as I was.

 

Slurp up!

Royal Ascot

This year, at the end of June, I attended the Royal Ascot which is the long standing traditional English equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. Differences being - the hats are not just for fun but part of the dress code, and a woman named Queen Elizabeth makes a daily appearance. 

 

For my foreign friends and I, this was one of those quintessentially English experiences we were eager to take part of after much anticipation and preparation.

 

Ok, I'll admit that one of my main incentives to go was an excuse to wear a fascinator!

 

The review:

 

The Weather: balmy 57F degrees and patch of drizzle. I believe my outfit changed 4 times in the span of a week in order to strike the balance of dressy but comfortable and suitable for rain, wind, cloud, sun & cold - whichever combination would appear in the span of 9 hours.

 

The Outfits: See above - I'll admit in the end I had purchased 3 fascinators and wound up returning 2 of them. My outfit changed from summery to wintery and not knowing the best place to go for a fascinator, the last minute department store sales wound up getting me a better price closer to the event.

The stress my whole group went through dressing for this event was comical. We were exchanging links and pics of ourselves in various hats. Fascinators were required of women in the Grandstand and full hats for the posh people in the Royal Enclosure where you have to know someone to be invited in.

On the subject of outfits, the people watching was outstanding. While the website clearly states the dresscode and even offers videos of example attire, there are many that take liberties.

Fascinator + mini skirt + tatoos + fake eyelashes + teased hair, does not = posh (or sexy, for that matter).  That's all I'm saying.

The Betting: I lost. Apparently, placing random small bets on the American horses only is not the best strategy.

The Food: I ate Pizza Express and drank wine. Classy.

The Venue: Ascot is beautiful, the place seemed well planned out. The mobile reception was practically non-existent which was annoying and caused some problem in connecting with friends I had left tickets for at the box office. Despite the crowds, things seemed to run smoothly and the train station is a short walk away.

The Royalty: I saw the Queen! Every day she appears for a procession from her residence at Windsor Castle, through the park and up into the Ascot stadium to wave at the crowd. This event basically takes place in her backyard, and the Queen always has a horse racing in the competition. She was there despite the drizzling rain with her umbrella matching her attire.

The Queen - there she is!

 The Tradition: Queen - check!, singing of National Anthem - God Save the Queen, check!

After the races, the crowd is invited to the bandstand out front for the "singing of traditional songs". This basically means the drunken crowd throws their arms around each other and sings karaoke style to classic American tunes like "New York, New York" (???)  Ascot Singing around the Bandstand - 2013.  Brits sure love a good sing along!

 

Royal Ascot 2013

 

 

M.O.T.

Upon arriving in the UK, after some negotiating and lobbying on my behalf by my manager at the time, I was loaned a car to drive as part of the "company car scheme" on a temporary basis. Three weeks after receiving the car, when I was still fresh off the boat, I received a letter in the mail notifying me the M.O.T. was coming due. At the time I was barely driving the car, and had many other things on my mind and promptly forgot all about it. The second reminder came and then the third indicating this time my M.O.T. was now expired and my insurance has become invalid. Ooopsies.

What is an M.O.T? Yeah, I asked myself that too and got laughed at when I told my colleagues the story of the notices "slipping my mind" and asked for help. I mean, no one told me so how was I supposed to know? 

M.O.T. is a prescribed annual check-up on the safety of your car.
 

Key info here:
https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/mot-insurance

What's covered in the M.O.T? Most Americans would be familiar with an emissions test, required every few years in the USA for older cars. This yearly required test covers that, and much more. Including if you are carrying a spare tire, your license plate is readable, brakes fuctioning, your seatbelts are operating, horn works and your windshield wipers wipe.

In the UK, once your car is 3 years old you are required by law to pass annually. 

What?! When I heard all this news all I could think of was how corrupt this system could be if this test was required of every American.

 What happens if you don't pass the M.O.T?  Your insurance is invalid until you do, and you're not allowed to drive your car for the safety of society, unless you're driving to get the test done. For convenience, If an issue is found, people typically get whatever fix is required to pass from the same place they got the M.O.T test done. More money for the garage that got your test business in the first place.

See the problem?  When the work is completed, you then pay again to have another test, going through all the checkpoints once more. Double whammy. 

How could this system not screw over little old ladies bringing their car in? What I'm told is that it is against the car dealership or repair shop's best interest to be fraudulent with the M.O.T results just to collect the repair costs and double test fee. 

The prices of the test are set by the  government and they certify the garages to conduct the M.O.T, running regular check ups on their results and processes. If you're certified to do M.O.Ts, you make a lot of money on that service with a steady stream of customers.  There are massive fines if they're found to be dishonest and the license would be revoked. Bye bye endless guaranteed business. In some ways, if a place is certified to do an M.O.T, it is one indication to a consumer that it is a trustworthy garage.

I bought my own car last year and took it in for its first M.O.T in my hands. 

The results: 

001 nearside front lower (rear) Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement. (Never heard of this brush, but sounds important)
002 offside front lower (rear) Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement.
003 Wiper blades deteriorating (yeah, I knew this and hoped I'd get away with it... Have since bought new ones).
004 Offside rear seatbelt slow to retract (eh... Rarely have rear passengers...)
005 Nail in offside rear tyre (Really?! Surprise!!)
006 Both rear tyres perishing and have minor cuts in tread (Sad...££ in my future)


Even with the above, I PASSED

Portugese Toll Roads

I'm going to Porto, Portugal this weekend with some friends and it reminded me that I may be an outlaw in this country.

Last summer, my friend Josselyn and I road tripped across southern Portugal in a nice little rented 1.1 liter Renault Clio that struggled with the hilly terrain but got us from point A to B. We cruised around pretty successfully with an old school foldout map, going from Lisbon to the Algarve and back.

Where to next?

Beach on Atlantic

Upon arrival in Lisbon on Wednesday, the car rental company asked us if we would like to rent a toll transponder or pay for the tolls that we'd pass through in the Algarve at a any post office before leaving. They notified us of our options and this all sounded well and good, so we decided to not rent the €18 toll transponder and pay our tolls in the post office, as we would return from the Algarve to be in Lisbon, Friday- Monday, and able to pay in person on either of those days.

What the rental car agent did not tell us as we were signing the waiver saying the rental company is not responsible for our tolls, is that it takes 2+ days for the tolls to turn up in the system. Hmmm...

You see the Portuguese have built a really nice toll road in the touristy southern tip of Portugal called the Algarve, vastly improving on the local roads to get around the area. however, there is absolutely no way at all to pay for them any other way, other than the 2 options above. Transponder or Post Office. Not with cash at any check points and not online.

Algarve Toll Cameras

I went to the Post Office on Friday, upon arrival in Lisbon and they said they had no record of my tolls. This is when I learned it takes 2 days to show up in their system. Just for good measure for my guilty conscience, I went to the post office in the Lisbon airport on Monday before my flight, and still no tolls in the system.

After returning home, I read about this a bit more (foreign cars) and it sure is an inefficient and ineffective system they have going on.

Basically, the locals are not using the nice new highways the government built because they can't afford to drive on them, so the toll roads are nice and empty. Instead locals are still using the local roads, which take them twice as long to get to their destination and those old roads are deteriorating at a rapid pace. The tourists are not paying the tolls either, unless they have rented the pricey transponder. If they do attempt to pay at the Post Office, they need to stick around and not drive anywhere with a toll for 2 days, in order to pay in person and only Monday-Friday. Sometimes people even end up in arguments at the Post Office because there are unpaid tolls on the rental car's license plate number from the previous renter. Pick your car up on Monday afternoon, and you've got the tolls from the person before you who has been driving around all weekend.

From what I've read online, people in other countries are receiving massive bills with fines from the Portuguese government at their home addresses that are passed on from the rental car companies from that nice waiver you're required to sign. I haven't gotten one yet, and from what I know, they have no way of making you pay. Hopefully they let me back in the country on Thursday.

The whole system here is absolute brilliance. No wonder Portugal is broke?

The Bucket List

In honor of the 1st anniversary of my 29th birthday and 2 year England anniversary this week: The Bucket List. 

LHR Delays

On theme of my last post... my friend is at Heathrow today. She says her flight is delayed because the sun is too bright. 

I need say no more...

Post Holiday Blues

Returned to England from Florida this week. My tan looks incredibly out of place here. Sigh. At least it's a small talk conversation starter. "Where have you been on holiday?"

Obviously nowhere local!

P.S. "You look well" apparently means "You've got a good tan" in England. 

Shoes on the Danube

I went to Budapest in March for a long weekend and we made a stop on the Danube riverside to gaze at one of the simplest, yet most poignant Holocaust memorials I've ever seen in Europe. Empty cast iron shoes. Just shoes. Lined up on the banks of the river. From a tourist point of view, there is not much to see here, and I think that is the point.

 

 

 

 

Visit Budapest

The Shoes on the Danube is a memorial to the Budapest Jews who were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen between 1944 and 1945. The victims were lined up and shot into the Danube River. They had to take their shoes off, since shoes were valuable belongings at the time.The memorial was created by Gyula Pauer, Hungarian sculptor, and his friend Can Togay in 2005. It contains 60 pairs of iron shoes, forming a row along the Danube. Each pair of shoes was modeled after an original 1940's pair. For more of an insight read 'One of Budapest's Most Moving Memorials: Shoes on The Danube'.

 

 

Oxford Canals

It's was a gorgeous spring morning for a run along the canal today. Lucky to live in a pretty part of town!

Name Game

As I've mentioned before, my name is a bit of an anomaly in the UK. And lately, I've given up on correcting. It usually takes a while for people to get it right, and some never actually catch on. I never thought my name was all that unusual, given I shared it with many girls in my classes growing up. So many, that we just went by our last names to avoid confusion. Kristin was a name of the 80s, no matter how you spelled it...

In the UK, Kirsten is more well known and I've taken to saying - "like Kristin Scott Thomas," who is the only English actress with my name to associate. I have an Irish client that I've known for over a year, and every time I see him and he's about to introduce me to someone he says, "is it Kirsten or Kristin?" Every. Single. Time.

Typical variations are: Kirsten, Christian, Christine, Kristine, Kirstin...

It's hard enough getting people I know well to say (and spell) it right. There's obviously no hope for Starbucks... Christine? Yup, always for me.

I really need to brush up on German

Last weekend in Berlin, I tried to order 3 of these: 

Drei Weissbier

 

And I got this:

Drei Weißwein

 

We drank them anyway.

 

Nobody believes I'm a German girl. Sorry Dad.

Skiing Madness

I'm cooped up in a chalet in Chamonix, France all week with a broken toe so I figured I'd take the time to share about the French skiing experience. About the toe, well lets just say that when you wake up in the morning with stiff legs from skiing you better hang on to the rail. Missed a step, broke a toe and hit an ankle the day after purchasing a 6 day unlimited ski pass. I wish I had a better story for you.

The only day I skied was arguably the best weather of the week, however. At least I have some pictures to prove I was here!

One of the most obvious compare and contrast in the French vs. USA ski custom comes to light as you try to get up the mountain. You must go up and the French lift line process is atrocious. If you've skied in the U.S. you know how it goes.. Everyone lines up in groups or single lines in roped off sections, if you are a group of 3 you are joined by a single and you take turns lining up to form one line of 4 across and in an orderly fashion take your place for the next chair.

"Lift Line" 1

 In France it is a free for all. If you are with a group it is likely you will eventually lose them. You need to be prepared for people to stand over your skis. To have their skis between your legs. To elbow you. To push so close on either side that your skis are practically on top of one another and then it becomes balancing act of trying to move forward and stay upright in this awkward position. Like a mass of cattle trying to fit through one gate you all move forward - may the strongest win. Of course, with the madness that ensues here, often times the chair goes up with only 2 people on it because people aren't with their group or in the right position, only compounding the crowding problem.


"Lift Line" 2

To be fair, it was particularly crowded this day, and some parts of this mountain were closed which meant it was excessively chaotic. It goes to show how ineffective the process is in dealing with the masses of eager skiers.

I just want to show them it doesn't have to be like this! We can make it better! Everyone will get to the top without bruises! It just requires some rope and some poles to string it on! If only...

"Lift Line" 3

Strobe Light Bathtub

In Paris on a business trip at the moment and I have just discovered the bathtub in my hotel room changes colors like a strobe light. Just in case I'd like to sit in the tub and get a headache. Only.In.France.

The Shopping Trolley

Sometimes, I bring it upon myself to introduce my foreign compadres to a little taste of Americana pop culture. The cheesier the better.

Last night my English colleagues were introduced to:

The Shopping Cart:

"A dance technique adopted by most white, male teenagers that requires very little rhythm and coordination. The shopping cart is peformed by placing one arm out in front of you, as if guiding an imaginary "cart," while with the other you branch out and clench a fist to any random area above your waist, as if "taking groceries off the shelf.""

Of course, before demonstrating this difficult dance move, I had to dub it - "The Shopping Trolley" to aid in understanding.

If you've never seen it - perhaps these guys on YouTube can help:

Last year, this move along with The Sprinkler and The Lawn Mower was busted out in front of some French friends and now they're all convinced that if you go to a club in America you'll see everyone doing these dances in unison like a scene in a 1990s teen movie.

And I ask you - What's wrong with that?!?

Another Very International Thanksgiving

I celebrated Thanksgiving this year with:

• 4 English
• 5 French
• 1 Ukranian
• 1 Spaniard
• 1 Italian
• 1 Australian
• + me and Jane, the American girls

I took a half day off work to make turkey, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, stuffing, green beans, butternut squash casserole, carrots, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole and apple pie.

My homemade apple pie

Authentic decorations from my Aunt Marlene

 

 

What She Learned

I mentioned in my previous post that a friend came to visit me last month. As it was her first time to England and to Europe in general, I had the chance to see it all for the first time from a fresh pair of eyes. After being here for a year and half those things that were different no longer phase me and sometimes I forget that something would be uncommon for an American.

We had many moments where I found myself saying... "Oh, yeah I forgot to tell you that.... "

In no particular order - the things she learned:

1. Plug outlets have switches, you have to turn them on
2. Eggs are left out on the counter, everywhere in the world except USA
3. Hold on to your tube ticket, you need it to get out on the other end
4. Europeans didn't like George W. Bush
5. Mayonnaise comes on everything
6.  When given directions - turn left and then another left - this is literally the first place possible to turn left, even if its an alley... and not the next "city block"
7. Nobody talks about distances in terms of blocks
8. Bright clothing is not popular in winter
9. You have to ask for sandwiches specifically without butter on the bread
10. Nobody wears fleeces as everyday winter outerwear
11. Look right - better yet, look both ways - cars come out of nowhere
12. You have to pay to use the bathroom in public places
13. Say you want tap water, not still, otherwise you pay for it
14. If you don't love Harry Potter, you're apparently not American
15. Short skirts or jean shorts with tights are all the rage. Doesn't matter what size you are.
16. Gas costs twice as much as in the U.S.
17. Nobody talks about their feelings
18. Tax is always included in the price tag

I'll be back

Dear loyal blog followers,

I'll be back. I haven't forgotten.

November was a crazy month of business and personal travel taking me to Stockholm, Brussels, Dublin, Paris and Madrid in about 4 weeks.

Its not as glamorous as it sounds though. Lots of airports, conference rooms, hotels, planes, trains, buses, passport control lines and early morning wake ups at ungodly hours.

During the month of craziness I did have some down time and my highschool friend Susie came to visit.  We did some London touring and headed to Dublin for the weekend. Guinness just tastes better in Ireland. Fact.

Guiness Factory, Dublin, November 2012

Don't Lose Passport

Note to self:  DO NOT LOSE YOUR PASSPORT.

I go through many moments of paranoia while travelling - obsessively checking and double checking my bag to be sure my passport is where I put it. Losing it has always been a concern of course... like the time in 2005 when a train conductor took it from me in Italy and wouldn't give it back until my friend and I got off...

That concern is only doubled when your passport contains a very valuable visa stamp indicating you have right to work in a foreign country.



Recently, an American friend living and working here was on a business trip in NYC and she misplaced her passport. After getting a new USA passport within 24 hours and getting her parents to overnight her birth certificate to her to do this, she headed to the British Embassy to replace her visa. The embassy very kindly turned her away and said sorry, go reapply.

Even though they have all her information, including her fingerprints to identify her, she had to completely reapply for the visa, a process that takes at least a week.

In order to obtain a new visa, you have to do the following:

1. Have your new USA passport on hand
2. Complete the visa application with the same information previously supplied
3. Attach a letter from your company stating you still work for them.
4. Get your fingerprints taken at an official designated location - an appointment that can take up to a week or more to make.
5. Attach a UK regulation size passport photo
6. Get a police report stating your Visa was lost.

Needless to say, this loss was all very expensive, costing around $1,000 for the expedited USA passport and UK visa replacement alone.

If you try to go back into the UK without the visa, you technically don't have the right to be working there without. Not sure what happens. I don't want to find out.

What happens if you lose your passport and you're not in the USA at the time but some other random country? I really, really, really don't want to find that out either.