Settling in...

The past two days have been pretty slow, but I've been trying to take it easy and not do too much on any one day. So, here are some happenings around London:

Friday AM: Went for an amazing 5 mile run along the river. Got to see Tower Bridge and Tower of London for the first time. As well as The Globe Theater and all kinds of cute cobblestone street type areas. Running on cobblestone is tricky. I'm trying to run w/ just a GPS watch and an iPod shuffle these days so no iPhone meant no pics, but I'll tell you it was amazing.


After I got cleaned up and put on my new skirt and a tank top so I could survive the almost 90 degree day, I walked to Elephant and Castle shopping Center. Home to the 99p store (equivalent to the US Dollar Tree) and a Pricebusters. Exciting! I now know where to go to get cheap stuff. I picked up a few things for the house, but mainly I was just scouting it out for future reference. Grabbed a cheap meal deal lunch from the Tesco grocery store and ate that outside under some shade. Then, I walked home.

I was determined to do some afternoon tea yesterday. I forgot to think about the fact I'd be doing it in 90 degree heat. Whatever. So, I used the Huffington Post's list of best teas in London and picked the Cellarium. On a 90 degree day. But, it's super cool. Located in the Dean's Yard behind Westminster Abbey. I made a reservation for 1 and they sat me upstairs with all these great windows. For some reason, I was the only one up there other than a big party doing high tea. Not sure why I wasn't with all the other folks down in the cool basement. Whatever. The views were fun. Sweat rolled down my legs and back the entire time. But, it was delicious. I had cream tea (just tea and scones) as opposed to the full on afternoon high tea. Garden berries tea. Yum. I'm sure that place is lovely when it's not 100 degrees in there.

I've been wanting to do cider at a pub, but the pubs freak me out especially after 5PM. They are so crowded that people hang out in the streets..drinking and chatting. I'll have to go at like 4PM. I can't manage those crowds. So, last night I walked to the grocery to pick up a bottled cider to have with dinner. I had to walk past two pubs with people standing outside to get there. I felt like I was being checked out by all kinds of dudes. I just looked down. Not my cup of tea.

On my way home I found out what those bird food prints lead to. Check it! Artificial grass covered living room!

During dinner, Ed and I watched some British game shows. This is totally one of my must-dos while in Britain. Fascinating stuff. One was similar to a show Fox did in the US. Million Dollar Money Drop or something in the US. Same concept. The other was 8 out of 10 Cats Countdown. That's cats as in people. Not cats as in cats. Boring. 1 hour of mostly them just talking to each other and making fun of British celebs I don't know. Blah. But, they did do some fun math on that show. But not enough to redeem it.

Saturday had two adventures. My first experience with the Underground/Tube. I bought my Oyster card. No problems there. Then, took the tube from Waterloo to Kings Cross w/ one change over. I love public transit and find it super easy to navigate with all the signs and maps. But, it was freaking hot down there and on the trains. More sweat rolling down my back. I feel like I'm the only one sweating. What's up with these Brits? Aren't they bothered by this heat? Ridiculous.

I went to Kings Cross because I read about this British Street Food Awards Competition happening in that area. OMG! So right up my alley. AND it wasn't crowded. AND it wasn't raining like it was supposed to be. It was great. And amazing. I spent 10 pounds and got 4 different items from 4 different trucks: scallops with fancy sauce; a goat cheese, walnut, honey grilled cheese on rosemary bread (BRILLIANT!), a pink lemonade, and a raspberry oreo fudge brownie. Amazing. I sat in these cute chairs and ate my food while I watched little ones play in the fountain. Loved it. This is the kind of stuff I will enjoy in London. And this little park was super cute.

I walked home (about 2.5 miles) and spent the rest of the day at the house. I thought about venturing out a couple of times but 1) it's hot and 2) to keep some sort of air flow in the house we open 2 doors and 2 windows. It takes about 10 minutes to do all the locks on the doors and windows, so once you commit to opening them, you don't want to leave. :) I also almost went to this laser/electronic music show, but decided not to. Mainly because I was just doing it to do something and if I do that too much I'll spend way more money than I should. I need to be selective on these things because this place has way too much to do. Don't worry. I have plans to do theater and shows and movies and stuff next week.

So, I spent the rest of the day taking a nap and then doing some research. I'm determined to get a couple of papers written. I've been busy with other things at work lately, so it's nice to have time to think about mathematics and write up the results my students have been doing over the last few years. It may seem lame to do that in London, but it's part of my job and I enjoy it and it's almost too hot to be doing anything else...so that's that.