Looking smart??!!

Is this the English equivalent of,
"No shirt, No shoes, No service"?

Webster's dictionary defines smart as "intelligent, knowledgeable, witty, or clever".  Did you know that it also defines smart as "neat, trim, stylish or elegant in dress or appearance"?!!  I was unaware of the latter of these definitions until moving to England when I was told to "dress smart" or "smart casual" for an interview.  I smiled to myself and thought, "I'll wear something nice, like a suit or something".  As my clothing had not yet arrived, I had to go shopping for "smart clothing".  I was relieved to find some direction...

smart tops

smart trousers & skirts

So, here's to us looking smart. :)

Harrods

Harrods (at least 1 city block and 6 stories!)

Many of you have heard of Harrods, the place you can buy ANYTHING.  I had heard of the store, but I didn't know what to expect.  The maze that met me at the door was overwhelming.  I am convinced the intention of the maze is to lure a naive person in only to offer escape through the purchase of an item.  I am proud to say that I exited incurring only minimal financial damage (a card for my Valentine).

Map of the maze (one floor)

Kevin and I went to Harrods again and found several high dollar items including a £2300 chess set, £7000 set of pearls, £10,000 fur coat, and (drum roll please) a $47,000 diamond studded pen.  Below you will see the pictures so you don't have to take my word.

£10,250.00

£2399.00

£7050.95

£46,750.00

This visit I was captivated by the chocolate truffles and candy.  My sweet tooth was satisfied when Kevin and I shared a delightful gelato sundae.

Chocolate truffles and other
yummy treats!

Candy

Gelato Sundae.
I really did share, I promise.

Harrods is not a place that I would regularly shop, but I am convinced you could get anything there if you have the money.  In my opinion, the experience of wandering through perusing the inventory and watching the people is, however, worth the visit.  If you're lucky, you may even get to hear "Figaro" sung by one of the pizza chefs.

Our New Home

Our house

Kevin proudly guarding
our front door.

The search for a rental property is a little different here as a real estate agent is involved in the process.  Once we found a wonderful quaint community in south west London, we stopped into several real estate offices and reviewed properties.  We'd heard that rentals turn over very quickly, so we (naively) thought 3 weeks would be enough time to find a place.  Who knew that you have to give 60 days notice when you're planning to move out?!!  We found that many places weren't available for weeks, up to 2 months.  Despite a few surprises (and frustrations), I am very excited to say that we've successfully escaped the sites and sounds of the city.  Please don't misunderstand me, being in the city was a great experience and provided incredible access to many different venues, but it's very nice to see more of the (grey) sky and green grass.  We also look forward to becoming a part of a smaller community.  Did I mention our neighbors brought us tea, coffee and cookies the day we moved in?!!

Living Room

Living Room (minus the TV, a
story for another day...)

Kitchen with the washer/dryer

Master bedroom

Bathroom 1
(shower is not shown but is
to the right of the tub)

"En suite" bathroom

View out our window!!

Our Garden

There is still more work to do to get the place in order, but we're getting there box-by-box.  I can't say enough about how thankful we are for this home.  It's a wonderful respite from the daily pressures and responsibilities outside its walls.

Grocery Stores

I think my interest in grocery stores began with my first job as a "checker" in my hometown grocery store.  Since that time, I enjoy wandering through the aisles of a small-town "Western Family" and the big-city "King Soopers".  Grocery stores provide a reflection into the people of that community.  After all, "you are what you eat", right?!  Since we've been in London, we've seen plenty of grocery stores...

M & S Simply Food

Sainsbury's Local

Tesco Metro

Waitrose

Whole Foods!!!

...and my conclusion is that the British people like baked beans but are prejudice against most other kinds of beans.  Canned tuna, salmon, sardines, and anchovies are very popular but it's difficult to find canned chicken or clams (unless you want pickled cockles). A whole post could be dedicated to the jams and spreads available.  You'll also find a bountiful selection of teas, oils (including olive and seasame seed), vinegar (including cider and balsamic), and cheese (everything from Mature Cheddar to Red Leicester to Double Gloucester).

CHEESE (an entire room of it!)

Bulk pasta

 The smells from the bakery are intoxicating and the selection of beers, wines, and other spirits could take you to another place.

I needed a panoramic lens to capture all the wine!  The beer was downstairs.

Sadly it's true, finding chocolate chips, peanut butter, and salsa is nearly impossible.  I did, however, discover Pace Picante salsa for £4.99 (nearly $8), an oasis in this Mexican desert.

Some of life's essentials

The LARGEST selection of Mexican food

I was also very happy to find Reese's Peanutbutter cups.  I have to travel about an hour each way to get them, but the trip is worth it.

I will end with a few random observations.  All of the eggs are "organic cage-free" and are never refrigerated.  Ground beef is often referred to as "minced beef" and usually comes from Ireland.  Produce including fruits, vegetables, and basil is often very fresh and reasonably priced.  Junk food including chips (tortilla NOT french fries) and "puddings" (aka desserts) is more expensive than in the states.  Perhaps living in London will force us to eat a bit more healthy?!

Chipotle

This post goes out to Luke.  We found a little taste of home in the 1, count that ONE, Chipotle in London , city of 10-12 million.

Chipotle assembly line and menu

London's Chipotle

We were pleasantly surprised by the familiar tastes and accents. :)  Kevin's Kansas sweatshirt piqued the attention of the workers (most of whom were American) and a man whose father had been a professor at KU.  The couple seated across from us were also very friendly and put us on to another good Mexican restaurant, "Texas Embassy".  We'll look forward to trying that one as it seems we're always looking for good Mexican food.

Pubs - Round One

I've been trying to think of the best way to capture the variety as well as the quantity of pubs that exist in London.  The conclusion I've come to is that this will be the first but not the last posting about pubs.  Thus, I'll simply refer to this post as "Round One".  All the pubs on display in this post are within a 20 minute walk of our temporary housing on Fleet Street in Central London.

First I will introduce you to the "Ye Olde" and "The Old" pubs including "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese", "Ye Olde London", "Ye Olde Cock Tavern", "The Old Bell", and "The Old Red Lion".

Ye Olde London

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Ye Olde Cock Tavern

The Old Bell

The Old Red Lion

Sometimes a pub is named for a geographical location as for "The Tipperary", an Irish pub, and "The Melton Mowbray", an English pub.

The Tipperary
(next door to Kevin's work)

Melton Mowbray

Other pubs have more violent themes such as "The Punch Tavern" and "The Hatchet".

The Punch Tavern

The Hatchet

Some pubs may invite you inside with an elegant name such as "The White Swan" while others use the lure of curiosity to encourage patrons to slip in the hole, I mean door.

The White Swan

Bung Hole

As I'm sure you've noticed, there's no shortage of pubs around here!!  Unfortunately, Kevin and I have only been to "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese".  Perhaps if you come to visit we can explore the world inside one of these unique "Public Houses" (aka pubs).