Happy Halloween.. to (the) US!

Ah, Halloween... a spooky but fun holiday where for one night the world is transformed into costumes, candy and everything scary.

Or so I thought. Turns out, "the world" doesn't quite stretch over to the UK. Halloween is today, but unfortunately for Aaron and I, London is not big on celebrating it or that's what everyone who has been in London during Halloween tells me. This is really too bad because you know we love the spirit of a good, creative costume. Plus when we moved to Fulham, we both had thought 'this will be a great neighborhood for trick-or-treaters since it is all young families!'

Our only hope lies in a secret code: my coworkers tell me that you have to put a pumpkin at your door step and then if there are any children who happen to be trick-or-treating, they will know to come there. You can bet there will be a pumpkin (or a patch) on our doorstep tonight.

But alas, Aaron and I will probably just be sitting at home alone with our carved pumpkins and "Kids, free candy here!" sign, eating the Halloween candy that I had optimistically bought for the non-existent dressed up children at our door. That doesn't sound depressing or sketchy at all... trick or treat to US!

Friends, Wine, Sunshine and Croissants in Bordeaux

When we first moved to London, we were introduced to a couple through a mutual Seattle friend. They couple was from Seattle, had just gotten married and had also recently moved to London on an assignment through work. We went on a "friend date" and immediately hit it off: bonding over all the wonderful things we missed about Seattle, our exciting travels and difficulties with moving to a new country.


That was almost a year ago, and it's hard to believe but their time here is almost up. In April they head back to Seattle. We decided that before they left, we needed to go on a trip together, and thus our weekend in Bordeaux was born.

So last Friday, we headed boarded a plane to France with Brooke and Steve. On the itinerary:

• Friday evening sunset river cruise. We sipped "Carpe Diem" wine and snacked on interesting looking appetizers while listening to a guided tour in French... none of us speak French.


• Saturday wine tasting at two Chateaus. The Chateaus were gorgeous. The first one we went to was a small family-run, 8th generation owned winery. The second was a larger winery owned by the maker of Bic's pens with a huge tasting room and storing facility.


• Followed by a walking tour of a small town called Saint-Émilion. Aaron and I both loved this town and if we ever come back, this is where we'll stay. It's a picturesque, French wine country town with narrow cobblestone streets and ivy growing up the chalky white walls. 

We also taste-tested countless croissants, played card games into the early morning, took a lot of pictures and just walked around and explored. The weather was great, company was fun, and the food and wine were delicious... what more do you need for a weekend getaway? : )

Budapest, I'll Be Back

Recently, I spent six days in Budapest for my work's International conference. While most of it was spent from inside the concrete walls of a convention center or the hotel next to it, I did get to venture out occasionally and see a little of the city.

Here are three things that I loved about my time there and the reasons that I will be dragging Aaron back for another trip : )

1) Castle District. 
Budapest is divided into two sides by the river Danube that runs through it. The "Pest" side is home to the parliament building (the third largest in the world) and much of the city center. The "Buda" side houses a huge hill called the castle district, which is a World Heritage site. The district has some stunning architecture from the castle, royal palace and Matthais church. And the panoramic view of the city is amazing.

2) City Lights at Night. 
The buildings were magnificent during the day but after the sun went down, they really stood out. I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves:

3) Ruin Bars.
Yes, I managed to sneak in one night visiting these cool, quirky bars in abandon buildings. The ruin bars, as they're known, are pubs in abandon buildings and houses that are filled with random "rejected" furniture and mismatched decor: graffiti, Christmas lights, you name it. But this is part of their unique charm and the reason that both locals and tourists go back for a visit each night.

 

Budapest, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Happy One Year in London to Us!

It's hard to believe but yesterday was our "one year in London" anniversary. The year has been incredibly eventful: it's gone by surprisingly quickly and has been both memorable and challenging at times. We've basically had one big adventure filled with amazing experiences, hard realizations, visitors galore and lots and lots of traveling.

Luckily, I have the best person with me along for the ride. I can't imagine navigating through it all alone, and this crazy and fun experience has taught me a lot about myself but also a lot about him.

Here's to many more years ahead of adventures together!

Dover Soul

Two weekends ago, we headed out to Dover, a town on the British coast, for an overnight getaway. You may know of Dover because of it's famous "white cliffs": gorgeous, chalky coastline that stretches on for miles. It also has shortest distance of water between the UK and continental Europe (France).

After quickly checking into our bed and breakfast, we headed up towards the Dover castle. It's set high above the town on a hill, so the trek up was a bit steep. The castle grounds are actually quite spread out and there's lots to see.

Our first stop was at the Secret WWII tunnels for a guided tour. The tunnels were built underneath the castle grounds and then used during WWI, but it was in WWII that they really came into the forefront. Operation Dynamo: as the Nazis invaded France, they pushed the Allied forces nearer and nearer to the French coastline as they overtook more land. Finally, the troops were pushed to a town on the French coast directly opposite of Dover. At that time, it became a rescue mission. Send as many boats as possible to save as many troops as they could before France became entirely under Nazi control. At the time, the British estimated they could save about 30,000 people. They ended up saving about 300,000 because of their quick response and keep going mentality, and because the Dover citizens used their personal boats to ferry people across. The tunnels were used as a base for the mission and also an old hospital barracks which we also toured.

Next we headed inside the Great Tower of the castle. We climbed to the top and then made our way down through the hidden passageways, Royal chambers and rooms. 

After touring the castle we headed towards the white cliffs. As we were walking we realized we had made a terrible mistake: the footpath ended and we found ourselves on a small, curvy road. Cars whizzed past as we dodged out of the way fearing for our lives. After half running / standing in bushes, we finally made it to the chalky, white cliffs of Dover just as the sun was setting. The path stretches for miles and lines the cliff side (sometimes a little too close to the edge). We headed back before it got too dark and found a nice pub/wine bar where we had a pint to calm our nerves.

After an overnight getaway, we made the journey back into London the next day: turns out, a little Dover is good for the soul.

...and yes, I also had Dover sole while we were there : ) delicious!

Wanted: Nerdy Board Game Players

Right after we moved, we decided we needed to meet people. I found a website called "Meet Up" and started looking at groups in London. I found two that seemed like Aaron's and my "cup of tea":

• An expat American group that turns out is a scam. The guy who runs it charges people for events and then doesn't actually organize them. Luckily for us, a friend told us about this before we actually went or paid anything... unlucky for him.
• A board game group.

I joined the later group, who meets once a month, and since then I've been getting notifications for the event dates and times. Since we've been traveling or have had visitors, it has never worked out, but two weeks ago we finally went to a board game meet up at a pub.

When you hear board game, you probably think Monopoly, Candy Land, Life... but these aren't your typical board games. While those are great games, we are even nerdier: Puerto Rico, Agricola, Dominion, Tzolk'in. We love the situational, strategy, make-you-think games.

The meet up was awkward when we initially arrived. There were about 20 of us there and we played the "I'm going to introduce myself but the chances of actually remembering your name are slim" game : ) Then things got serious and people started breaking into groups and selecting their games. We ended up playing three games with two other couples. We had gone thinking, okay, if this is weird we will leave after a game, but five hours later, we finally decided it was probably time to go home.

We actually had a great time and even made some new friends: last weekend we met one of the couples for more games and drinks. Our new board game friends are Hungarian and French, and we introduce each other to new nerdy board games. And we drink. The set up works out spectacularly : )

Now all we need to do is find a card game meet up!

Rainy Day Exploring Colchester, Britain's Oldest Town

 

Me telling my coworkers what Aaron and I did this weekend: We went to Colchester!
My coworkers: Why?

Why not?! Aaron and I were looking for a day trip near London and Colchester seemed like the perfect town. It's only an hour and a half by train from London and has tons of history because it's Britain's oldest recorded town (AD 79). The town was actually occupied by Romans and has the remains to prove it: there's evidence of two Roman theaters, a temple, walls and a Roman circus (chariot race track).

We started off by exploring the Colchester castle which was constructed over the vaults of the ruined temple of Claudius. The Norman castle just recently went through a huge refurbishment inside, and it was definitely worth the visit. Each area of the castle goes through a different piece of the town's history since it changed hands so many time. There are also tons of stories and artifacts like old Roman burial items, games, skulls and daily life items (jewelry, pottery, coins, etc).

Next we walked to the remains of the Roman wall and Balkerne Gate, a first century Roman gateway that is still in tact! There's a pub next to it that was built into the wall. It was originally called one name but then changed ownership and while the owners were trying to decide what to rename it to, the locals called it "Hole in the Wall." That name has stuck and it's now renamed that : ) Aaron and I ducked in there for a pint while we waited out the rain storm that passed through.

St John's (left), Hole in the Wall Pub (right)

Next we walked to St John's Abbey which has visible damage from WWI bombing. We stopped into another local pub nearby for a pint and some dinner before heading back on the train to the city. The locals in the pub were awesome. We ended up watching a football match with them, and everyone was really friendly.

A great day outing visiting "Roman Britain", even if there was a little rain!

Newlybroad: Money Tips for Traveling

My husband deals with currencies all day long, so to say that the exchange rates offered sometimes hit him personally isn't even scratching the surface. Every time we walk by an exchange counter, he stops and goes, "Ughh, that's a terrible spread!"

My first thought: "Wait, there's no butter or jam over there." ...Just kidding : ) I do realize that was a very bad joke!

But now that we are traveling so much, we are constantly exposed to different currencies. Aaron's taught me a few little tips and tricks to make sure I'm getting the best possible rate, so I thought I'd let you all in on my secrets.

Plus these are just good general things to know before traveling!

• As you've probably been told before, call banks and credit card companies to tell them you will be abroad but also find out if they charge an international fee: this add on charge can sometimes rack up the costs on your trip abroad if you aren't aware there is one.
  
• Get a credit card with a chip (and if possible a PIN number): nobody wants your autograph over here anymore. Signatures and swipes are a thing of the past. Too time consuming, unsafe and hard to keep track of. Enter the 4 digit PIN number you type in similar to withdrawing cash at an ATM. It is hard to find a merchant that will accept a swipe card in Europe (possible but definitely makes things difficult).
  
• Never exchange money. Period. No matter where you go, the rate will always be stomach-sickening terrible. Airports are the worst.
  
• Instead, take out cash at an ATM. Always accept your bank's rate and not the ATM's. Your bank will give you the exchange rate, which although won't be true to the daily rate, will be a much better deal since you are their customer.
  
• Or exchange money with a friend. Visiting someone abroad? Ask if they have any reason for your local currency. Bank transfers, deposits and apps like Venmo make moving cash easy.
  
• If a merchant asks if you'd like to be charged in your country's currency or the local currency, always choose the local currency. Again, this way your bank decides the rate which will be better than anything the merchant or their machine provider will give you.
  
• Look ahead of time to find out tipping customs. Often times, a good tip in another country is much lower than in the US and tipping is customary for different services.

Now look at you, you currency pro!