World Cup Fever Has Officially Ended

I've been really bad at posting regular updates especially as they happen so I thought I would write about the World Cup as it has come to an end.

It was very cool living in Europe as the World Cup was going on. World Cup fever was everywhere. Flags hanging from people's cars, on construction equipment, and from flats. The local high street stores selling England bikini's and tank tops. The excitement and the build up week after week, the countless office chatter about which players did well and who they thought would win. Employers letting their staff make up hours to watch a 3:00p.m. game because historically productivity was low when Europeans were not allowed to watch the World Cup games. Drunk English men chanting their team's songs on the Tube. Patriotic souls also parading around my neighborhood with their flags, bullhorns and vuvuzelas.

I participated in my share of the fun. I joined a sweepstakes (a fancy word for pool) in which I drew two countries from a hat. I picked Germany and really stuck by them...well except when Australia was playing but then Germany whipped major Aussie butt...In the end, I won 6 pounds because of Germany. I partly did it just to mess with my colleagues. Here I am, am American girl that doesn't know a thing about football and I end up winning....Can you see the gloating??? We were actually nice to our colleagues when the US advanced and England lost. I have to admit, England was a little quieter and more humble.

I attended a few of the England and US matches. I was particularly interested in attending an England game. When England and the US played, I was in a posh pub in Nottinghill so there wasn't too much craziness, aside from two drunk guys punching each other in the chest. My friend invited other Americans and when USA scored, we gave each other low high fives. We feared what could happen in a pub full of English. For my next game, my Manager, Director and I had just come from Paris after a business meeting. There was no way he was missing the England game. Straight from the Eurostar, the plan was to roll right to the pub. It was one of the hottest days in London so I had to get my bearings and I joined later. Like a trooper, my manager was there and happy to have made the start of the game. The fans really have true spirit and are really passionate about their team. Even at the replays, they'd still have the same intensity - the "Ohhhhsss"...and "Yaaaasss" in unison. One weekend as I was coming home from Dublin, my taxi driver even commented that the reason he thought business was slow that Saturday was because England lost to Slovenia. Hmmm...interesting how a match loss could contribute to the economic downturn of London...Did the British really decide to stay home because they were so upset by the loss??

Each country has it's patron pub. My fellow Americans found refuge in Bodeans. Bodeans is an American style BBQ joint that shows all the US sports. It's also the best BBQ you can get in England that makes you feel close to home. There is about 5 throughout the city. It was quite strange to be in a pub with all Americans. One of the guys even had an American vuvuzela. That day, USA lost to Ghana. The only two Ghanians that were there had the guts to cheer when they won and the US lost. My English friend who was with us said that there was no way he would have gotten away with that if England was playing. He'd get his face kicked in by the English fans. He also said that we shouldn't be sad that we lost. Americans can't be good at everything.

Yesterday, as I was watching the match, a sadness came over me. This was the last game of the World Cup. Kind of like the Olympics coming to an end.

I was a rebel and cheered for Holland. As we know, Spain won. The Spaniards celebrated until the wee hours of the night. They climbed the historic statue in the palacio. They were proud to be called the best team in the world. Perhaps Americans don't feel as patriotic when our team wins the Superbowl or the Stanley cup. It's been great seeing the live coverage and reading about the World Cup in the newspaper. I am definitely happy to have witnessed it.

Two Ticks off the List

Two weeks ago, Mari returned for an encore visit to London. This time she stayed for 12 days. During her visit, we had a picnic in the park, cooked Mexican food and did some local things in London. Mari's been here several times so it was cool not to do the usual touristy things and give her a taste of what London life is for me.

When Mari arrived, it was one of the hottest weekends in London. In true form, everyone was camped out in the Common for sunbathing, people watching, and Pimms. Yes, Pimms, the summer spirit. I was introduced to Pimms in April by my friend Rob. It is a liquor that almost tastes like Red Bull. You mix it with Lemonade (aka Sprite) and add apples, oranges, strawberries, cucumbers, lemon, lime and a sprig of mint. Almost like Sangria. Since its introduction to me, I have also adopted this as my summer drink. Mari was amazed at how many people where out in the Common. While it nice that it was really hot, it wasn't so nice being stuck on the Tube or in an un-airconditioned flat. Luckily, I have a split level flat and my bedroom downstairs was really cool.

I also ticked off two of my 'To Dos' while in Europe. We went to a friendly football match - England versus Mexico and the Sex and the City 2 Premier.

The football game was pretty cool. I had high expectations that all the Mexicans I haven't seen in London would turn up. I was disappointed when I saw the biggest concentration were in the Mexican fan section. I came to the sad realization that there are not many Latinos in London. Most of the Mexicans that were at the game had come from other parts of Europe (From what I am told it is easier for Mexicans to get visas to other parts of Europe like France.) They didn't go out of their way to say anything when it was obvious we were paisas.



We had our share of comic relief with Englishmen being obnoxiously drunk. One guy was so drunk, he almost grabbed my friend as he fell to the row below us. He also passed out and his mates left him. The England fans were also dressed up in mustaches and Mexican hats! It's okay because we learned a phrase from the Mexican fans. When the England goalie throws the ball back out Mexican fans scream - Puutttoooosss! The Mexican fans used it freely even after the game. At the end of the match, we got to see Mr. Hottie, David Beckham, as the England team walked the field to thank all the fans for their support as they go to the World Cup.




I'm glad I went but I am not sure I'd do it again. Wembley has weird British snacks and they ran out of ice for the soda 10 minutes into the game. You can only drink alcohol at half time by the concession stands. After the game is over, you have about 80,000 people trying to get back on the Tube. While the police do an excellent job at crowd control, it takes forever to get out of Wembley Stadium. But I've experienced it...so on to the next one.



Mari and I also went to the SATC2 movie premier. We got to see Sarah Jessica Parker, Mr. Big, a glimpse of Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixton, and Kristen Davis. We also saw other American and British celebrities as they made their way down the red carpet to the movie theater. I always get star stuck. We were like crazed fans, screaming their names and snapping photos.




While I am making my way through the list, I keep finding more To Dos. Stay tuned!

Thought of the Day

I've got a few posts that are in Draft mode but thought that I would easily put this one out in cyberspace.

Awhile back, I wrote that I am inspired by random Thoughts of the Day that are posted by the London Underground workers at the Clapham North Tube station. I have found a much easier route to take to work that doesn't involve as much crowds and waiting 20 minutes before you can squeeze on the train.

Typically on the weekends, I get on at this stop if I am going up North. Since Mari was here and we were doing the touristy thing - she also has no shame, we stopped and took a picture. She teared up when she read it...Ahhh...the feelings these thoughts can provoke.

Thought of the Day for Sunday, 30th of May.

Mexican Fiesta Night

On Saturday, I hosted my first gathering at my place. Two of my friends were here working and ever since Cinco de Mayo (which is not celebrated here), I've wanted to have a party at my place to showcase my Mexican specialities. I thought what a perfect opportunity to host a party. I also used it as an excuse to have my friends help me explore the night life in Clapham.

I'm not very good at estimating so I definitely bought too much food. On the menu - shrimp ceviche, guacamole, chicken flautas, quesadillas, beans, and shredded chicken chipotle. The drink of the night was palomas. I also brought out the tortillas I've been hoarding in my freezer. It's amazing how well the Antotonilco tortillas held up.

It wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be to find the products. I had the chipotle I brought back from Chicago. At the supermarket, I found jalapenos in vinegar for the ceviche. I researched Mexican cheese substitutes and it was recommended to use a mild white cheddar with a mix of mozzarella. For the palomas, I did not find Squirt but I tried bitter lemonade. There were only 2 types of Tequila to choose from. I choose not to go with Jose Cuervo. Too many bad memories. The biggest challenge was not having a car to haul everything back to my flat.

My party was a success. We had a great time. I was able to cram 12 people into my flat. I met a new friend that lives in my neighborhood.



After the party, we headed to the high street. There were so many people out. We headed to the Sun and then to Grafton House, my favorite place by far in Clapham. Unfortunately, Grafton closed at 1:00a.m. so we headed to the White House. White House is a really popular club that plays house music. People from all over London come for a night out here. I won't mention how late I came home but it was a good, good night! The bonus was that I was only 5 minutes from home in a taxi.




I will definitely host another gathering. I love being a great host!

Hastings - A Lovely Town

Monday, I experienced my first Bank holiday in England. On a recommendation from a very drunk spectator at the London Marathon, Amber and I decided to take a day trip to the seaside town of Hastings. I hadn't put too much thought into planning this bank holiday. I think I was focused on my Easter break to Lisbon that I didn't really plan the two bank holidays we have at the beginning and end of May properly.

We boarded the Southern Railway from the Victoria train station and headed two hours southeast to Hastings for the Jack-In-the-Green festival. http://www.hastingsjack.co.uk/hist.html

According to the Jack-In-The Green website, "May 1st has long been an important part of the annual Calendar. It is the start of summer in these latitudes and as such has always been a day for celebration: the Celts celebrated May Day as Beltane; The Romans dedicated the day to the Goddess Flora and would go to the woods to cut a tree and decorate it with ribbons and flowers, this is the origin of the May Pole. In the 16th and 17th centuries in England people would make garlands of flowers and leaves for the May Day celebration, they became increasingly elaborate."

It is a very traditional festival in Hastings and has just been reinstated over the last few years. It's a six hour ordeal with a procession throughout the city. The procession stops and there is dancing in the streets. The process continues and ends at the Hastings Castle where old man winter (Jack) he is symbolically slain and the Spirit of Summer is released for another year.












It is very earthy and green celebration and of course there is lots of beer drinking. There was a street vendor selling flowered headpieces. We looked like Earthy Goddesses.

We wondered around Hastings. The weather cooperated most of the time although it was chilly for being May. We climbed up a hill unintentionally thinking it was the Castle. You think I would learn to wear the right shoes on these trips (deja vu from walking the cobblestones streets in Lisbon with heels). We had a great view of the castle and the seaside. There were also cheese and bakery shops that we walked into. I had very good cupcake. We went into an art exhibition. Some of the art was centered around the Jack-In-The-Green theme.



Once we figured out where the Castle was, we headed back there. We had a better view of the procession. We decided against going into the castle mainly because the drawbridge was under construction and had this scaffolding around it. The amount of people going through there made me nervous. You never know in these little towns.

About early afternoon, we headed back to London. We were in the mood for a great burger but most of the pubs were super crowded. In addition to the festival and the bank holiday, there was also a biker convention. We gave up trying to find a place in Hastings and found a really cool pub by Clapham Junction.

It was a perfect day trip. I was definitely happy to do something traditionally English.

Richmond Park - An Urban Gem

On Saturday, I met up with my friend Rob. We headed to Richmond Park which is about a 30 minute bus ride from Clapham. Richmond Park is one of the largest Royal Parks in London. According to the website, in 1625, Charles I brought his court to Richmond Palace to escape the plague in London and turned it into a park for red and fallow deer. I caught a glimpse of some deer through the trees.
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond_park/history.cfm

The park is amazing! You almost can't believe it's so close to London. This park is this urban gem, a mini-retreat from everyday life.



It had been almost a year since I last road a bike and I was really longing to go for a bike ride. For the last three weekends, we've had really nice weather so once again I decided to take advantage of the lovely day. At the park, you can rent bikes by the hour. This was not your typical bike ride along the flat Chicago lakefront. Richmond Park has dirt trails and many hills. I felt victorious as I rode uphill. I felt so free, controlling my own destiny riding along the path. Fifteen minutes later as I was reading the sign, "You are strongly encouraged to dismount," I took a nasty fall down the hill. I scraped my palms and knee pretty bad. I blame it on being a city girl riding on a dirt road and the bald tires. Maybe???

Luckily, I have a high tolerance for pain and a good sense of humor. I picked myself up and continued to ride..back to the bike rental.



We then walked through the park and I must say, it was sensory overload with green everywhere. There were also several creeks and ponds. There was this crane, standing in the water and there were ducks playing and jesting one another.



We exited the park and walked through the town along the river. Richmond is a very posh town as well. I really loved the vibe of the town. The river front was lined with sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Similar to Clapham, there were people everywhere just lounging in the grass and enjoying the day.




This is definitely one of my favourite places in London by far.

My Traveling Partner

People have commented that I am so brave to venture out into another country on my own. They wonder how I do it being so far away from friends and family. The answer is simple. My Mom.

Three years ago today I lost my mom to lung cancer. She was my world - my soul sister, my best friend. In trying to cope with her loss, searching for the meaning of life and the courage to move on, I remembered her words to me as she was battling cancer...."Maybe now this is your time to move to another state or another country." Almost two years later, I dug deep and found the courage to pack up my life and move to London.

My mom had always known that I loved to travel and experience new and different things. She would take every chance to remind me to be financially responsible saying "Oh, you've bought too many clothes. Oh, you should save your money." Never once did she ever question my spending habits when it came to traveling. I remember when I was as young as 9 or 10, I belonged to a church that ran a summer camp in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As a single mother, she did everything in her power to make sure I could attend camp. When I was there, she'd write me letters, send care packages, and accept my collect calls, phoning her to tell her I missed her and was homesick.

So as I am here in London, 4000 miles away from home, I feel my mom with me. The coolest dream I've had is that my mom logs onto Facebook and checks out the photos of my travels.

I often wonder what she would like and dislike about London. My mom would absolutely love the mild weather. Not too hot and not too cold. My mom liked when it rained and the smell of the air that followed before a good rain. She would absolutely love how everyone smokes here. My mom smoked for 35 years. I think she would like the open markets like Colombia Flower Market, Borough Market and Spitalfields. We always loved to go shopping together whether it was browsing or to do some serious shopping.

She probably wouldn't like the transit system and the crowds. She loved having a car and running her errands fairly easy. She wouldn't really like the everyday food here but would like the occasional good restaurant. She would probably go crazy for not having a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner for her convenience.

As I travel Europe, I have these "ah-ha" moments. Last week it was as simple as lounging in the park with Stanley and being a peace. In Barcelona, it was the beauty of being by the sea. It's these breath taking moments when I think wow, I'm really here. I'm really experiencing this and not once do I feel alone because in a spiritual way I know my mom is with me. I know she would love just being with me and that we would enjoy whatever journey we were on. Always and Forever.