As much as I love London, I do occasionally get a little homesick and miss certain things about being at home. Friends and family go without saying, but here are a few random things that I just can't get my fix of over here:
1) Diners. Living in a different country really makes you appreciate a good, old-fashioned American diner. Cheap breakfasts with real bacon. Milkshakes. Omelettes the size of your face.
2) Driving. Now I wouldn't ever really want to drive in London, and I have no need to given the transport system, but I do sometimes miss driving my car with the windows down and the radio blasting.
3) Home-cooked food (not home-cooked by me). This isn't because the food I make isn't good, but I do miss having other people decide what's for dinner and make it for me. I sometimes lack the creativity to make the types of dinners I can get at home. Probably laziness more than anything.
4) Real snow. It snowed for a few hours here in London today. And not a single flake remained once they hit the ground. Very anti-climactic.
5) Trail mix. So this is rather random, and I probably could find this at the Whole Foods or somewhere similar, but it has been impossible to find at my regular markets and I basically lived on trail mix over the summer. I'm in withdrawal.
6) Having a microwave. Again, if I wanted to have a microwave here I could just buy one, but I'm incredibly cheap when it comes to things I feel like I can survive without. It was only when I went home for Christmas that I remembered how convenient it is to be able to reheat leftovers without having to turn on the oven and wait at least 15 minutes.
7) Coffee milk. This is a distinctly Rhode Island thing. Coffee syrup in milk--like chocolate milk except it tastes like coffee ice cream. I actually did bring a bottle here with me but it's nearly gone now even though I've been rationing it. I need a re-supply asap.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Adventures with the Doctor in Cardiff
This Friday I journeyed to distant, mysterious Wales to spend the day in Cardiff. Nerdy and beer-accompanied shenanigans ensued.
I went with a friend of mine from the States mainly to go to the Doctor Who Experience. As any fellow Doctor Who fan could guess, it was completely awesome. I got to go inside the TARDIS (and yes, someone did say, 'It's bigger on the inside'), I saw Weeping Angels and Daleks, a whole collection of sonic screwdrivers, David Tennant's trench coat and so much more nerd paraphernalia. If you're not a fan you'll likely have no idea what I'm talking about, but trust me, it was fantastic. I also got to freak out about seeing locations from Torchwood (particularly the exact spot to get into the secret headquarters). Again, if you're not a fan, I apologize for how insane I sound right now. And you should probably start watching some Doctor Who.
Other than that, we wandered around the Cardiff Bay area, which is quite pretty. You've got the Millennium Centre, which is really cool, Roald Dahl Plass, and, of course, the views of the water. We also tested out a few different pubs and bars. Had some Welsh beer, fish and chips, lamb cawl (stew), and a slightly overpriced 'molecular cocktail' (not all at the same place, clearly). All-in-all, Cardiff was a pretty neat city. Fair bit of nightlife and some nice sights. I was also just glad to get out into other parts of Britain. The country girl in me was glad to see some countryside (including lots of sheep) on the train ride. Good company and beer didn't hurt either.
I went with a friend of mine from the States mainly to go to the Doctor Who Experience. As any fellow Doctor Who fan could guess, it was completely awesome. I got to go inside the TARDIS (and yes, someone did say, 'It's bigger on the inside'), I saw Weeping Angels and Daleks, a whole collection of sonic screwdrivers, David Tennant's trench coat and so much more nerd paraphernalia. If you're not a fan you'll likely have no idea what I'm talking about, but trust me, it was fantastic. I also got to freak out about seeing locations from Torchwood (particularly the exact spot to get into the secret headquarters). Again, if you're not a fan, I apologize for how insane I sound right now. And you should probably start watching some Doctor Who.
Other than that, we wandered around the Cardiff Bay area, which is quite pretty. You've got the Millennium Centre, which is really cool, Roald Dahl Plass, and, of course, the views of the water. We also tested out a few different pubs and bars. Had some Welsh beer, fish and chips, lamb cawl (stew), and a slightly overpriced 'molecular cocktail' (not all at the same place, clearly). All-in-all, Cardiff was a pretty neat city. Fair bit of nightlife and some nice sights. I was also just glad to get out into other parts of Britain. The country girl in me was glad to see some countryside (including lots of sheep) on the train ride. Good company and beer didn't hurt either.
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