London Impressions

I got chased home by a fox tonight! No not the hot guy kind, an actual four legged, red, furry, bushy-tailed creature chased me right to my front door. This being caught by surprise thing seems to be a regular  occurrence for me here in London. Just when I think I have it figured out I'm caught by surprise. 

We arrived a little more than two weeks ago and my first surprise was the cold. Yes, I new it was going to be cold, but I had no idea the cold would make me want to hibernate and waste my first few days bundled up inside near my heater.

 

When I finally ventured out I was very pleasantly awarded with the discovery of a beautiful park just around the corner from our house. 

Being in London but outside the city is refreshing. Within a 30 minute walk there are 3 beautiful parks, some with ponds and all full of trees bursting with warm fall colors. Everyone brings there playful dogs out for a game of fetch and we have made a ton of friendly dog acquaintances. 

Over our first weekend here we braved the train system and traveled to Herne Hill to the cutest farmer's market I have ever seen. The artisan edibles and wearables were fit to play back drop for any Pottery Barn ad. Putting the final dollop of whip cream on this cup of hot chocolate for my eyes was the giant bag of delicious kettle corn we bought and the experience of sharing it while strolling through Brockwell Park enjoying views of downtown London in the distance. 

The next week we had the pleasure of attending our second Maker Faire. The boys dove right in creating circuits with play dough, programming digital displays and letting their inner rocker out  on the light up keyboard. After all that output we had to refill on a London favorite so we headed to Nando's and burned our mouths with their spicy chicken.

Our most recent adventure into the city involved a lot of minding of gaps  and warnings against being naughty and messing with the train doors. After two quick but crowded trains, we found ourselves in a charming neighborhood filled with restaurants, cafes, shops and, surprisingly, free museums with amazing collections. 

To my own surprise I have decided that I like London and I could see myself spending a lot of time here. It is nice to have a break from hearing a foreign language, and to be able to easily express my thoughts.  Its also nice to wear my boots and see my boys laughing and talking with other kids. Yes boots and kids are related topics :)