Biking Around Kingston

My biking reached its height in adventure the next day. I again consulted the "tfl" website for directions and this time they took me down over the river to Waterloo Station where I folded up my bike and rode the train to Surbiton. Jeff and Damien met me at the station for a bike ride around Kingston.

It was another beautiful day, and we put the bikes in a boat and crossed the Thames to enter the Hampton Court Palace grounds.

Hampton Court was originally Henry VIII's palace, just like in the television show "The Tudors"(of which, Season 2 is hands down the best). We biked right up the front of the castle, dismounted, and walked around a bit more before continuing on our bike ride. It is a beautiful structure, and again a place that would be great to see sometime. Tony loves palaces, and I know he'll love to see this one. It looks very different from the ones we'd visited in France and Germany.

We biked on for quite a while and eventually stopped for lunch/dinner at an outdoor beer garden in Teddington. Jeff explained that the town gets its name as an abbreviation for Tidal Ending Town, as this is as far as the tide gets up the Thames from the North Sea. They were roasting a whole pig on a stick, and how could a foodie like me pass that up.


We walked our bikes across a small suspension bridge and checked out the boat locks, just in time to see them work for some boats heading up river.







From there we made our way to the town of Kingston, where we saw the coronation stone. For 80 years, kings were crowned while sitting on this stone. Now its in a park.

About this time, it was getting to be late afternoon, and it was time for me to fold my bike, climb back on the train and make my way back to London. By the time I made it back to the apartment, I was pooped but it had been a terrific day: sunshine, bikes, palaces, beer, pig on a stick. Only in Europe.

Biking to The Buroughs Market

I'm becoming a bit more adventurous in my bike riding around London, and with the help of the website

www.tfl.gov.uk

bicyclists can find routes around the city that hopefully avoid some of the more congested areas. The corollary that may not be true is that this will make it safer. You can also order bike path guides as well as download PDFs of the routes to your iPhone, which can then be used in conjunction with the GPS system and compass as an en route guide.



I made plans to meet my friend and coworker Paul at The Buroughs Market for a breakfast food expedition. There is a world famous coffee roaster in London called Marmouth Coffee, and I planned to go and get a cup of their finest. I went to the tfl site, and punched in my zip code, N1 7AD, and I punched in the tube stop next to Buroughs Market, London Bridge, and up came the recommended route which took me from Angel down St. Pauls Street, over London Bridge, to the Market.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, so it made for a very nice ride. I rode past the beautiful dome of St. Pauls Cathedral and the throng of tourists with their buses, and felt so fortunate to be on a bike and able to navigate around them, skirt in for my requisite pictures, and quickly be on my way. I did make a note that at some point I would need to return to see the inside of the cathedral.


Upon arriving at Buroughs Market, I took a great risk. I locked my bike up to a rail. I'd heard how horrendous bicycle theft is in London, but I'd been told to always consider two options when locking my bike up in a public place: 1. How busy it is with passersby and 2. How clearly visible the bicycle would be to them. I found the busiest, most visible spot I could., said a little prayer that my bike would still be tethered to the rail when I returned, and set off into the market. I did however remove my bicycle light, as I'd been told that these are bound to get "nicked" if left on the bike unattended.

The Market is a cavernous space under the above-ground rail service. It is a very urban experience to be shopping and hear an occasional train rumble by overhead. I quickly found Marmouth Coffee, as it was one of the first stalls I came upon. It smelled of fresh roasted coffee, and they were making individual filtered cups. It reminded me a lot of Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco/Oakland. The coffee was wonderful. I ordered a filtered coffee, and when they served it, there was a type of raw sugar I'd not seen before. They explained that it was truly raw sugar. Not the stuff claiming to be "raw" that you see at the grocery store. It looked like dirty sand or Malt-O-Meal. I tried it. No foodie like myself could pass it up. It had a sweet but slightly starchy taste to it. Very unique.

I wandered around the different stalls trying many food delights. One vendor was selling gen-u-ine English muffins. Had to buy one for my breakfast the next day. I tried a couple different types of cheese before buying small pieces of two different cheeses to bring home. About this time, Paul showed up, but announced he'd been drinking too much the past couple weeks, and planned to fast that day. . . pity. with all the eating oportunities at the market. . .oh well.

Another vendor was cooking some wonderful smelling Curry in in these huge bowls. I made a mental note of these for later.

I ended up buying a few more items that seemed unusual - Turkish Delight and a couple Meat Pies, one with Lamb and Mint. As a kid I'd read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and always wondered what Turkish Delight would be like, and now I finally could try it. It is a light and fluffy sweet candy - Slightly more dense than Meringue.

With hunger satiated, and my foody budget spent for the day, Paul and I wandered off around the South Thames/Buroughs neighbor hood. We found a replica of an old ship that had traversed the world, and we eventually wandered down to the London Tower Bridge, walked across it, and journeyed back along the north bank, passing the Tower of London. I made a note that I would need to return here too.

Upon our return to the market, I was happy to see that my bike was still there, and thanks to the iPhone and GPS, I retraced my route safely back to the apartment via the Millennium Bridge. 4 different bridges over the Thames in one morning all together.

Mrs Lovett is Alive and Well

Most neighborhoods in London are named for their tube stops. My nearest tube stop is Angel Station, therefore it is common to say that I live in Angel.

Just south of Angel behind the Ballet theater is a unique paring of businesses. I pedal past them on my bike everyday on my way to work. One is a funeral home, and the other a butcher shop. . .


One has to wonder, what with the price of British beef what it is. . .

To quote Mrs. Lovett, "Seems an awful waste. . ."

I think Austin Powers Lives Across the Street

So I wake up and make my way into the living room/kitchen, (what they call the Reception), to make a cup of coffee, and what do I see parked across the street, but a little Mini with a Union Jack painted on its roof. Only in London. Sure enough, Austin Powers must live right across the street! Oh Behave!

Surviving the first Month

So I've survived the first month in London, and its been a month full of fun and exciting things as well as new and different challenges. I haven't posted as much as I've wanted to over the past month. Mostly due to this stupid Broadband issue. But for a first month if I look at all the things I needed to get done to get this all started, I've done pretty good. If you are looking to relocate to London, here are the things you need to do in the first month if possible

1. Setup a Local Bank Account with a Debit Card (this is the key to everything)

2. Get a phone. It doesn't have to be a fancy phone. I was holding out for an iPhone(the greatest phone ever), but when the iPhone proved illusive, my friend Jeff got me to get a cheap Pay as you go phone. These cheapo pay as you go phones with TalkMobile have the cheapest International calling rates. About 1/5 the rates offered by 02. In fact, I'll probably keep the cheapo phone as my international calling phone. I just have to use it once every 2 months or they reassign the number.

3. Get an Oyster Card. I bought the Month Pass. You may do better to just do a Top Up on the card, and pay as you go. You'll have to look to see how much you think you'll use public transportation. I found a bike within the first 2 weeks here, so I haven't used the bus or tube as much as I initially thought I would. Hands down, a bike is the fastest mode of transportation in London.

4. Find an Apartment. The best advice was to look at the different neighborhoods. Find one that appeals to you and then go into the different Estate Agencies and have them show you what is available. We tried to do a lot of work in advance, but I don't know how useful it ultimately was other than getting us to think about what living in London was going to cost, and what we should expect to find here. Tony was still shocked by the size of the apts.

5. Take lots of Vitamin C. It's going to be tough on you due to the time change, and it is a very challenging thing. As a wise person put it when I was feeling down about how long things were taking, "It's not like you're simply moving across town."

6. You won't believe I'm going to say this. Get or have a laptop with WiFi and/or get a USB Mobile Broadband. The only brand I recommend is 3(three) as they allow access to Skype.

7. Be prepared for everything to take longer than you think (and not just a little longer). You are at the whims of Public Transportation in London, and that adds time.

8. Take a little time away from all the tasks and enjoy the fact that you are in an amazing country full of beauty and history

Broadband - Foiled again

I'd had this date on my calendar for 3 weeks now. The Saturday that Sky would come and install my TV, Broadband, and Phone. It was one of these all-day appointments, where they can't pin it down any closer than sometime between 8 and 5, which basically hobbled me for the day so I got to sit around the appartment waiting. But it didn't matter because I was finally going to have the Sci-Fi channel again. I was going to have a decent internet connection. Believe me, I will never complain again after living with Mobile Broadband for a month (but it is better than nothing). At any rate, around 3pm, the Sky truck pulled up. I was so excited, I ran down to the front door to greet them. The guy comes in and pokes around at some of the cables, and then looks around in some of the closets and tells me that the building isn't setup for Sky, therefore I can't have Sky. . .

Would have been nice to know 3 weeks EARLIER!!!!!

So now I have an appointment in another 2 weeks. This time with Virgin Media. Looks like this should be an easy install. The person who took my reservation pulled up the building history and saw that the previous tenant in my unit had Virgin. So at least Virgin can check to see if you can use their equipment in a building or not. . .

Mobile Broadband is not Real Broadband

While waiting for my broadband connection with the illusive Sky, I explored the options of using these very clever USB Mobile Broadband sticks that all of the Long Distance carriers have. My coworker Paul, who is also over here from the States, lent me his O2 stick to try out, but I couldn't get it to work on my home 64-bit system. I looked at the packaging, and it said that it only works with 32 bit. I promptly went out and purchased a T-Mobile stick that was allegedly compatible with my 64 bit system.

I have no idea what 64 bit systems running Windows XP that they supposedly got their stick to work on, but it wouldn't run on mine. I tried everything. I even spoke to their paid support staff. Yes, they charge by the minute to help you to get their product to work. NO DICE! The driver that comes with the stick does not work with 64 bit computers no matter what they say. And don't bother trying to get people in the stores to help you either. Everything you've heard about customer service in the UK is true. . .

My solution - buy a new 32-bit Toshiba Net book running Windows XP. And it is the cutest little Netbook, I've ever seen. Even better, it has a near full size keyboard. And yes, the keyboard is in british configuration. I figure if ever I return to the US, I have a really nifty souvenier to remember this crazy broadband odyssey.

So at last I have broadband. I can reach the internet with my T-mobile stick. . . I can see google, I can get my email on aol.
However, evil T-mobile blocks Skype!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!! They of course don't want you to use Skype, they want you to use their own long distance service so why would they let you access the Skype Website. . .

I hate T-Mobile. My solution. I went to 3(Three), the Irish Long Distance carrier(yes, you see this coming) and bought another USB Mobile Modem. Will it ever end. . . will Kevin be able to see his family. . . Tony. . . his dogs again . . . or at least without waiting another 3 weeks. . .

Thankfully, 3 allows you to use Skype in conjunction with their stick. It was a happy day when I finally got to see my family and friends back home. I spoke with my friend Pete, and he looked half asleep - of course it was midnight. I hauled my cute little netbook into work, and Tony and I had a very nice conversation, and I g0t to see my dogs. I don't think they understand the image on the computer, but they did recognize my voice when I called their names.

But Mobile Broadband is not real Broadband. It wasn't until I went to the Internet cafe up the way and used their genuine wireless broadband that I got to see and hear people in some semblance of non-staccato clarity. I had a lovely visit with my parents and Tony, and it was fun to aim the camera on the netbook at a passing double decker bus, just to prove that I was in fact in London. Of course I need only tell you the effort it took (2 computers, 3 Mobile Broadband Sticks, innumerable trips to the long distance stores, IN THE RAIN!) to get the modicum of broadband that I have and you know that I am in London. . .

Waiting and Waiting, and Waiting. . .

So I signed up for Skype while back in the states as the solution to my connectivity issues after I moved to the UK. After finding an apartment, I signed up for Utilities and Water service, and each took about a 5-10 minute conversation on the phone to set them up.

TV, Phone, and Broadband for some reason, though it is all the same vendor, Sky, took about a 40 minute conversation. During my conversation with the Sky salesman, despite having done my research and knowing that their service was what I wanted, tried to convince me that I really should go with Virgin. Am I insane? Or was this salesman for Sky just out of the mental hospital. After finally convincing him that I really wanted to buy his company's services, he asked me when I would like to have them come to set it all up? I of course in my pragmatic American way told him that today would be perfect for me. If not today, what about tomorrow, Sunday. he then informed me that the earliest they could come to install my Sky TV, Broadband, and Phone Service was 3 weeks later. I quickly told him that that day would have to do then.

Again, am I crazy, or have I just solved the unemployment problems in the UK. With demand for Sky's services so high that I am having to wait 3 weeks to get it set up, it seems only natural that Sky hire more people to meet their high demand. As it was quickly pointed out to me, this is not America, this is Britain, and in the UK, cueing is considered good form. Well thankfully, my 3 weeks of being separated from the world is coming to an end.

A Sidetrip to Oxford

From Stonehenge, Jeff asked if I'd like to go to Oxford. I'm no fool. I said yes, and away we flew in the Smartcar.

Oxford is a town based around the University, which is actually a collection of colleges. Some of the world's oldest colleges are here. We wandered around the different campuses with their fanciful architecture.














They've shot scenes from the various Harry Potter films in Oxford, and some of the main dining halls look like something straight out of the film.






It was a warm day and people were punting around in small canoes or paddleboats in the canals. It is a stunningly beautiful lovingly cared-for surreal town.





We stopped into a pub called The Bear. It is one of the oldest pubs in Oxford, and if the height of the ceiling is any indication of the size of people several hundred years ago, they were a lot shorter than we are. The walls in the pub are decorated with framed boxes holding collections of school ties. It is a strange tradition that students give them their ties as they are each labeled the the year and school from which they come.




Jeff and I had Cream Tea at this little restaurant, which is basically Cream Scones served with Clotted Cream and Jam. You then have your choice of Tea and Coffee. I of course had Coffee, while Jeff had the Tea (he's way more british than I am, despite the fact that he comes from the US midwest). It was delicious, though dangerous to the arteries.



Oxford is easily accessible from London via a commuter bus that sells roundtrip (return) tickets for around £4. I hope they allow dogs as it would be a wonderful weekend getaway once Tony and the dogs are here. I can't wait to see our dog Bentley riding in a canoe.

Stonehenge

Jeff rang me up and told me that his partner Damien was going out of town, back to Ireland for a week. He takes these quiet sabbaticals about 4 times a year and uses them for quiet study and to work on his PHD. So Jeff was going to be baching it, and wondered if I'd like to go see Stonehenge. Jeff has a car, and it is very difficult to get to without one as there is no train service in that immediate area. I took the train to Surbiton where Jeff lives, and he was there with his Smart Car, and away we drove.

And he was right, Stonehenge is pretty remote - over an hours drive. It is interesting that they built this highway right within eyesight of Stonehenge, which was probably a bad call as when you are walking around Stonehenge, you are constantly aware of its presence.





Stonehenge is impressive. It is nice to see such a famous landmark live up to the hype. It's a strange iconic curiosity. They've done a great job with the trail that you follow to look at it as even though you are there with hundreds of other people, your pictures will make it look as if you had it all to yourself. It is a worthwhile experience.

Keyboard Differences

The differences between American and British culture can be observed even in regards to the differences in the computer keyboards. Where we (Americans) have the @ key, they (British) have the " key, and where we have the # key, they have the £ key, which we don't even have on our computer. the $ key is still in the same spot. The change in location of the @ key has caused all sorts of craziness for me. I'm adapting, and it is starting to feel less foreign. The Netbook I just bought has the british layout, but my main home system will retain the american layout. Imagine the confusion that this may cause going back and forth between the two systems at home, and the other british systems at work.

I see this as a metaphor of my life at the moment. My home system is American, but my work and my mobile systems are British. Even if I eventually return to the states, it is very likely that I will retain the british mobile Netbook as a reminder of this adventure.

The Quest for the Holy Internet

So, I chose to sign up for Sky Digital. They provide Broadband, Cable, and Telephone Service in the UK. After a 45 minute conversation using my US cellphone, I was asked when I would like to have them do the installation. I of course said, "today". They then told me that the earliest day would be 3 weeks later. To which I responded, "then that's what it would have to be". Convenience and customer service don't seem to be a strong suit here. . .

At first, I didn't think that this would be as much of an issue as it has proven to be, but after a couple days with no connection to the outside world from home, I was going nuts. Not to mention, I have no TV to watch. AHHHH!!!!!! the horror. I thought I'd be fine with a bunch of Gnomon Training DVD's to hold me over . . . yeah, right. Good thinking there, Kevin. . .

In my desperation, I turned to these cool USB mobile broadband sticks. They are a really cool idea, but as much as they say that they will work with 64-bit Windows XP, they LIE!!!!

I've tried everything. I even took a bus out to what I call a 3rd world Shopping Mall to the T-mobile store to try to get this thing working with my computer. I even hired a professional to look at the computer and the software to try to get it to work. No dice.

Finally, my solution was to buy another computer. I am now the proud owner of the cutest little Toshiba Netbook. I'm writing this blog entry on it, which is proof that I can in fact reach the internet. I'd planned on using this blog as a diary for the adventure, and because of technical difficulties, I'm a bit behind, but slowly as my technical issues are hopefully resolved, life will get back to normal. Or as Normal as life is in London. . .

A Day in the Country

It had been a crazy couple weeks since my arrival in London. Tony came into town, helped me to find an apartment, and had now left to head back home to Los Angeles. I won't see him in person until December 4th when he returns to London with the puppies, so the reality is I will be on my own for the next couple months. It was a fairly abrupt departure as we arrived at the train station with only a moment before the train was to depart for Heathrow. I've never been one for big long sentimental goodbyes, so we hugged, and I waved to him as the train left the station.

My friend Jeff and his partner Damien knew that these couple months without Tony would be hard, and with all the craziness adjusting to life in London and the stress of a new job, they knew that it would be great for me to get out of the city and see what England is really all about. As they put it London isn't England. It is part of it, but the countryside is what really makes England. I took the Tube to Waterloo Station and purchased my ticket to Farnham. They live in Surbiton, and joined me on the train at that stop to begin our 1 hour trainride out into the English countryside. It is really neat that they have this extensive train network that affords people the opportunity to get around without owning a car.

The plan was this: Jeff had gone online and downloaded a map from a Hiking Society that creates these amazingly detailed instructions on where to hike and what to look for along the way. Where there are forks in the path, they clearly indicate which fork to take, right down to compass headings. These people are serious! This gave Jeff a chance to use the built in Compass in his iPhone and demonstrate why one would even want a compass in the phone. I've since seen even more uses for it, and find it very useful.

We hiked through the beautiful verdant landscape and farmland. Blackberries were in season, and it was great to have a handy snack all along the way. It was a lot of fun to get out of the city and see some of this countryside. We saw Machine Gun installations - a remnant from WWII, when the British feared a German invasion on their land. There were some beautiful homes that are built out in this area too for the british welltodo. Most of the homes have names, usually including "farm" in the title. I don't think they're doing too much farming at their homes, but it makes for some quaint signs.

We ended our hike, or at least as much of it as I did with Jeff, at this cute Pub called "The Donkey". It is named for a donkey long ago that would haul a trailer up a hill for payment. I had my traditional Sunday Roast, and being outdoors in the warm sunshine with happy donkeys made my troubles drift away. It was a wonderful day with good friends and some beautiful scenery. With my belly full and my legs aching, and thinking of the myriads of things that needed sorting back in the city, I began the hourish train ride back to London.


I look forward to another day in the country. Especially once Tony and the pups are here. The dogs would love it.

Food in London

So far the food in London has been great. I was prepared for there to be bad food everywhere, but I have found it to be just as cosmopolitan a city as Los Angeles. I will say that I have not explored Mexican/Tex Mex as far as I will in the coming months, but I've had a couple burritos that have been good and traditional in the Fresh Mex genre.

Across the board, Fish and Chips is always good, and is certainly the national dish. I haven't had it served to me in Newspaper, but I have had it wrapped in paper.

I've also had some great Meat Pies (a la Mrs. Lovett's). I've tried the Steak and Beer Pie, the Beef Pasty, and the Steak and Potato Pies. You can find them in Pubs or they are easily available at these small corner Pasty shops.






One fun traditional food that I've enjoyed is the Sunday Afternoon Roast. You will see these everywhere. On Sundays, the pubs will cook and serve Roast Chicken, Beef, Pork, and occasionally Lamb. It is served with all the traditional trimmings: Roasted Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, and Vegetables. It is of course the draw to get you in to also have a Pint of excellent, non-refridgerated beer. (Not warm, mind you, just not necessarily cold). I have found that there are certain beers that are served cold such as Fosters. You can also find Bud and Coronas in the bottle and chilled.

A lot of the food is very much "comfort food". The first evening after Tony left to head back to the states, I decided to treat myself to a nice meal, and since it was Sunday, I went out for a nice Roast Dinner at a local pub with outdoor seating. It was covered, and though it started to rain, to was a pleasant way to dine and have a pint for my first night on my own again in London.