my afternoon with annie leibovitz

boy, we've been feeling culturally deprived recently. its been since late august that we've done anything remotely to fill our 'creative' souls and we've been foaming at the mouth since then to do something, anything to fill this void. there just hasn't been much of interest on in london recently. we've seen most of what's great already and trying to save our pennies can dampen any efforts for we do want to do {the r.o.h's nutracker and their £50/$100 tickets come to mind}. so, we were pretty excited to go see an entire exhibition at the national portrait gallery, 'annie leibovitiz: a photographers life'. all i can say afterwards is my 'culture' cup now runneth over.

i love annie leibovitz and i am so drawn into her pictures. i saw some of her prints earlier this year at a vanity fair exhibition and am familiar with her work from various magazines, etc {including vanity fair}. what struck me about this exhibition was the professional and personal photos mixed together and how poignant they were---especially in respect to the photos of the loss of her partner, susan sontag. i felt a bit drained after the exhibition, which i think is a sign of 'true' art; something that captures the emotions and passions of the moment and shares these with others as a gift. i guess that's why i have grown to love art so much is that i feel like i'm making emotional connections on almost a primal level.

there were a lot of photos in the exhibition and i have way too many favorites to try to choose, so here's just a few that caught my eye :

queen elizabeth © Annie Leibovitz

image source

© Annie Leibovitz

image source

© Annie Leibovitz

image source

Her mother © Annie Leibovitz

image source

faraway friends

lucy & her adopted daughter

back in 2007 i first did a post on my work with the gan sabra society--since then i've managed to grow even closer to the owner lucy {see above} and i am continually amazed with her strength & inspiration. she is my age--in her early 30's and what she does for these kids infected with hiv/aids through no fault of their own is just amazing. i don't know how she does it, but she continues to be a mum to these orphans who have had such horrific tragedy & difficulties to deal with at such an early age.

the youngest members of gansabra

its hard for me to not feel guilty sometimes about doing more for them--i wish i had the money to buy them all new clothes, to completely pay off their mortgage so that lucy doesn't stay up at night worrying. i do what & when i can though which is ok for now and even though they always say how much encouragement & hope i give, what they have given to me back is twice as much if not more.

posing for the camera

building forts

to them its not about the possessions- the new t.v. {although they are loving watching 'heroes' re-runs at the moment}, the clothes or a fancy house--its about being happy and just being kids.

studying hard

even still they never stop working very hard for a better life {unfortunately in this area of india many with hiv/aids are lucky to reach their teens}.

lucy knows what education will give to these children---nearly all are always studying and many are even the top of their class! they are really trying to follow the example lucy is setting--she just earned a masters degree in social work from mizoram university.

i think everyone who comes into your life are there to be our greatest teachers for that specific moment in time. i'm so thankful for lucy & the children at gan sabra for coming into my life & what they teach me on a regular basis. although i forget my blessings sometimes, my friends in india teach me to never underestimate the power of positive thinking, hope & the real meaning of gratitude. i pray that one day soon {hopefully next year} i will get to visit and shower each & everyone of them with millions of hugs & kisses.

anyway, i'd like to end with a moving letter the children wrote to lucy on christmas. this was previously posted on gansabra's blog and is in lucy's own words:

I want to share with you what the children at Gan Sabra did-their gift to me for Christmas. On 24th December the children gathered around me and gave me envelops-the used envelops- inside there was letter written for me (separately from boy and girls). I was wondering why they gave me that and i started reading, it was writte by them and here it goes:

''Loving Mother

Christmas Blessing to you. this is christmas we want to give you many gifts. but we dont have things. But Mum, we love you and this christmas you know that we love you and we are telling you again.

You too love us and our family is happy. Our real parents died before now you are our parents. you teach us good things we will always keep them. you provide tasty food, medicines and toys too thank you. we will be good.

God bless you.

(sign by each child themselves and sign for by elder ones for those who cannot write)''

the best christmas gift i ever received and i believe the best ever always.

lucy


----------

if you want to help gansabra in any way this holiday season they are in dire need of blankets & bedding. they have recently had more children admissions and their supplies have remained the same. the winter for this year is being predicted as going to be colder than usual and lucy recently wrote to me saying how worried she is about staying warm. for address of the orphanage & further details on assistance this christmas please contact me {see side-bar}. if you can't afford to send something, adding them to your christmas card list would brighten their day.

greenwich, in-laws & the human race

over the weekend, james and i were super crazy busy {which seems to describe everything at the moment with me}. his parents came down from the midlands & we spent most of the time entertaining them in greenwich & canary wharf. although i enjoy seeing them having visitors can be draining. i'm the type that has to clean the house about 3 times over, getting everything perfect so i can relax but in reality that doesn't happen till they're gone. i like to put little touches when we have house visitors {thank goodness they stayed at a hotel though} like fresh cut flowers, nice organic biscuits to serve with a cup of tea & lighting candle/incense to create a soothing environment. i think the home is a real presentation of yourself which is why i go to such effort when we have friends over. either this or i must have some martha stewart blood running through my veins after all.

although i didn't get any pictures of his parents {camera shy}, here's a few highlights from Saturday. there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day i might add which is rare for london and made the day that much better.


we managed to catch a few minutes of a cricket game going on in the park. considering how hot it was, i'm surprised they were playing with their heavy clothes.


wandered around looking at all the trees in the park. i love trees & yes i occasionally do hug them {you should try it sometime}. this one is gorgeous & quick random fun fact ---some of the trees in greenwich park are older than america!


it was such a beautiful day. although you can see the pollution over the city---the sky was still blue, people were out with their families & it was glorious.

mildred

on the way home, we of course had to visit our pet ducks george & mildred at brookmill park. all george could do was feed his face on the bread that we gave to them {typical bloke eh?}---mildred though she decided to totally strike a pose & show off in the water. doesn't she look grand?

when we got home we raided the freezer for our skinny cow mint chocolate chip ice lollies/popsicles. a perfect end to the day!

sunday evening we were crazy enough to do a 10k run in the freezing pouring rain {thus no pics} for the nike human race 10k campaign held at wembley stadium.


i thought it was a great concept----25 cities across the world uniting for one day in the name of health & sports. it was more rock concert/race as there was pre race performances by moby & pendulum & there was great music around the course too including some coming from a swinging 60's double decker red bus. our time wasn't exactly the best we've ever done {we usually do 6 miles in an hour, hour/10} but it was wet & dark so i think that's a great excuse. although the race didn't start when we hoped cause of the concert, we were cold & didn't get home till nearly 11---it was a wonderful evening.

so that was my weekend in a nutshell. we're hoping for a bit more of a quiet weekend for the next couple of weeks, but i then remembered i've got a 5k race next weekend as well!

what's in your belly?

my friend rebecca did this great post/tag entitled 'what's in your belly'. it reminded me of when i used to be a check out girl in the grocery section of fred meyer {such fond memories--ha ha}, i always thought it was interesting seeing what people bought for food. what you eat gives such a huge huge insight into your life! so i thought it would be fun to play along with this & post pics of the food sources currently in our flat.



so here are the rules if you want to play too:

rules:

1. link back to the person who tagged you {their name linked to their blog}
2. post as many pictures as it takes to reveal all the sources of food in your house. also, just for fun post a picture of what your refrigerator looks like
3. tag as many people as you want.
   

so..................i tag:

sherrie
erika
jess
michelle
lori

singing in the rain

this weekend we went to our long awaited diana krall concert up in north london {kenwood house, hampstead--beautiful}. you would think that being august & all we would be guaranteed at least some semi-decent weather. staying true to british style-- it rained for nearly half of it and it wasn't just a little bit it was like a freakin' torrential downpour. the last time i was that soaking wet was in thailand bamboo rafting in the middle of the jungle. i'm surprised it wasn't cancelled and diana krall kept asking if we were all ok--which i thought was nice of her considering we were freezing our behinds off.




besides the weather it was an amazing concert. diana krall was more than great & i managed to get a signed cd as well out of it. i've loved her music for ages & it was fantastic to finally hear her live. to lighten the mood she sang a few rain songs & even elvis costello {her husband} made a surprise on stage appearance. although we only managed to have a tiny bit of our 'picnic' during the rain breaks it made for great leftovers the next day.


so----i'm glad we went even if the weather was the way it was. all the mud, rain & freezing cold make for a much better story & memories! can't wait till next year!

Duck Love

meet our neighbors 'george & mildred'. they are two 'resident' ducks that are always lounging around brookmill park {5 min walk from our flat}. you can always guarantee that when you see one, the other will be not far behind--they are literally inseparable {talk about true 'duck' love}. they don't do much besides sit there next to the lake, soaking up the rays & gorging on free fish right there & food from the locals {what a life eh?}. they do seem to be getting on in years as george's beak has faded & his feathers are everywhere & mildred just sleeps all the time. but we love them anyway & we always make a special attempt to stop by & see our fair feathered 'retired friends' when we go running or walking. I would love to live out my last few years like they do, wouldn't you? Just check out their set-up:

double click to read better

ode to our washing machine

washing. by djbass

6 weeks ago you left us for no reason
without explanations
or finishing the job.

oh how we miss thee dear washer
the clean socks
the fresh spring scent.

you seem determined to stay broken forever
even after people have tried to fix you
& paying them too much money.

we promise if you won't die
we'll be more gentle,
we'll talk nice,
won't hit,
we'll stop seeing the other washers,
will feed you good soap,
& only put you on spin once, not twice a day.

we love you dear washer
come back to us soon
we need our clean clothes,
we need you.

i'm not a mommy blogger

so i'm 32 years old and i'm not a mommy blogger or even a soon to be one. don't get me wrong i frequently stop by many that would fit into this type of thing { my favorites: *e*, pioneer woman & marta writes}. i enjoy reading about people's expected new arrivals, how their little ones lost a tooth or even mundane things like what a kid did or didn't eat for breakfast or how they just recently went through potty training. i like reading these {including many non mommy blogs too} cause yes, don't laugh- i enjoy reading about 'life' & i feel connected to the 'journey' others are taking {ya-da, ya-da} . but i guess part of me has felt bad sometimes when i'm reading about 'susie' learning how to swim or 'billie' saying his first words cause i feel like it should be my kid in the pictures.

i'm at the age where people start wondering why you don't have kids. they wonder if something may be wrong with you or if you are just plain selfish because you want to put yourself first. 'don't worry, one day it will be your time' --is a phrase i hear frequently. i grew up mormon as well and the idea of family was seriously pushed into my head from a very young age too. being 32, unmarried and childless in that culture-talk about social suicide! socially it can become quite awkward if you don't have a kid & all your girlfriends are starting to have them. the ladies with kids do eventually flock together and hang out together because they have so much more to talk about. it's the same whole thing with family get together's & you start to wonder if you've become invisible. parents and future mother & father in laws start gravitating towards those who have given them the grandkids. call me crazy, but all of the above is true.

i guess at the core of all this is i don't want to be left out in life because i don't have a kid. i'm really really trying to learn to accept my life for what it is & that includes the fact that i'm not yet a mommy blogger/mommy/mom/mum/mother and that its ok. not everyone may be meant to be a mom and i've got to just find my own niche in this world. whether i will eventually have children {or whether i can even have them} i don't know, but everything in its proper time & place. whatever happens will happen & i'm going to promise myself i'm not going to worry or waste time anymore comparing myself or thinking of the what if's. the future is just that--the future & i've got way too much to share with this world in the meantime.

intro to acupuncture

as some of you know earlier this year i had surgery. to explain--i've been dealing with a wide array of 'girlie issues' and horrible pain for nearly a year and a half and the surgery was merely a diagnostic procedure to try to figure out what's wrong. i've been to so many doctors and had so many tests done and yet still no answers even now. i've been feeling a bit like a guinea pig and if the eight vials of blood taken from me for tests just this week are any indication of things to come, i think answers may take a while.

i am ok with this because i've decided to turn to complementary health to supplement what i'm doing/will be doing with traditional doctors. a month or so back my gp {regular family doctor} recommended that i try acupuncture to help w/the pain, my auntie gail had suggested chinese herbalists a while back and i had seen doctor oz on oprah praising alternative medicine {including acupuncture} on oprah as well. after all these recommendations i figured heck why not try it. it may not work at all, but at this point i've got to be open to all options.

well anyway, i had my first appointment this week. i was given 3 bags of herbs to boil and drink and that will probably taste like @$*! but hopefully may do me some good. i then had about 20-30 needles stuck in me to start treatment. the actual needle part i was quite nervous about cause i really hate needles. the first one hurt slightly but then after that i was totally cool with it. she left the needles in about 20 minutes and then lit what looked like a cigar under my feet to warm the points. you get the strangest tingling sensations throughout your body and in the end i felt pretty darn relaxed. the only other weird thing for me was seeing that many needles sticking out of my stomach. i think maybe from now on i'll keep my eyes closed.

i have to admit part of me during the experience felt like i had visited a shaman or some voodoo doctor, but i did feel really good afterwards. i do know that more and more people now are turning to alternative therapies and acupuncture is becoming more and more respected as a treatment in the medical field. anyway-we'll see if i notice any benefits in about 4-6 weeks and i'll report back!

{image from here}

wolfman in greenwich

aghhh! how i wish i had a camera this morning. james and i went for a glorious 5 1/2 mile run this morning through blackheath and greenwich park and when we got to the park, we found ourselves immersed in huge film crews, lighting and sets. apparently 'the wolfman' with benicio del toro & anthony hopkins is currently being filmed in greenwich and have been since march. funny how you can not even know what's going on in your own neighborhood eh? anyway, the top part of the park has completely been taken over with cables, lighting and other wide array of things. it was slightly annoying to see the beautiful grass dug up and how the squirrels seem so confused because of it. however, there's signs everywhere though assuring that absolutely everything would be put back to its proper place. so a bit of excitement in our backyard you could say! the only bad thing is because i didn't have a camera with me i unfortunately have absolutely no pictures of anything. if you are really curious though i found this blog which has all the juicy bits complete with loads of pics {be sure to scroll down most of the page}. anyway, after today i may just ensure i take a camera with me everywhere!!

tagged

i saw this on a blog i frequently visit and thought i'd go for it too. beware old embarrassing pictures of me to follow.

what i was doing 10 years ago:

summer 1998, i was 22 years old and attending college in central washington as a music education major. college was very complicated for me. i was thrust completely out of my comfort zone socially, academically and emotionally. i had a lot of worries for someone of my age including trying to pay for college myself and i seriously struggled to cope. looking back i'm surprised i didn't drop out but i'm glad i somehow made it.

that year i was in orchestra and symphonic band. i remember staying up all hours studying for dr roth's music history exams. i wore jeans and t-shirts, anything that was comfortable and wasn't bothered about trying to be girly. i didn't have time to listen to much on the radio besides the required for classes. i remember finally getting over a crush i had on a particular boy and vowing to avoid all things that would bring me in contact with males in future. i never practiced my instruments like i should have. i worked close to 6 part time jobs that summer to try to make ends meet including working at the gorge summer concert series making baja burritos. saw rod stewart, james taylor, the b-52's and metallica because of it which was a plus. ate lots and lots of ramen noodles. had a born again christian as a roommate for a term who tried constantly to save my soul. was active in church although i didn't have many friends. started counselling later that year. started an exercise routine of running at 5 in the morning that lasted one week.

i have to admit its weird thinking of where i was then 10 years ago and where i am now. talk about progress.



5 things on my to do list today:

1. listen to teenie boppers perform
2. go to the bank
3. see 'sex and the city' the movie
4. dishes
5. sleeping

5 things on my lifelong to do list:

1. learn how to swim & ride a bike
2. visit my friend lucy in india
3. drive across italy or the south of france
4. make a difference somehow
5. run a marathon or hike through the andes or nepal.

{sorry its hard to pick just 5}

{took a picture before our first 5 a.m. run}

sweets i enjoy:

jelly bellys. organic ice cream. really really dark chocolate. blueberry or chocolate muffins. chocolate fondant. rhubarb or lemon tarts. warm chocolate chip cookies.

last 3 books i read:

1. no country for old men
2. a new earth
3. the power of now

last 3 movies i saw:

1. indiana jones 4 {ugh, disappointing}
2. into the wild
3. daddy day care

places i have lived before:

utah
idaho
louisiana
washington
england {currently}

people i want to know more about {or anybody who wants to play too}:

jess
carly
lori
erika
jenny

picnic with diana krall

i am so incredibly excited as we've booked tickets to see diana krall, {one of the coolest jazz vocalists on the planet} for early aug. the best part is its up on hampstead heath which has beautiful views of london and you can enjoy the evening with a pre-concert picnic from one of our favorite restaurants carluccio's. i know its a couple of months away but i'm really looking forward to good music, good views, good food and good company {james}. we don't do nearly enough concerts like this and that's why it will be such an amazing treat for this summer!

books & the city

i saw a list recently compiled by my favorite bookshop waterstones with books either set in or about the city of london. this list made me think of a blog post a few months back and a request from a reader for a list of good books on london or by london writers. so although its late i think its better late than never and a great list to share for all those who love a good read like me! the area bold is the title, followed by the author in italics and in {parenthesis} is the area of london discussed/set in the books:

1. 253, geoff ryman { elephant & castle}
2. bleak house, charles dickens {chancery courts}
3. brick lane, monica ali {brick lane)
4. the buddha of suburbia, hanif kureishi {bromley}
5. the crimson petal and the white, michael faber {notting hill}
6. the end of an affair, graham greene {clapham common}
7. fingersmith, sarah waters {borough/lant street}
8. a handful of dust, evelyn waugh {belgravia}
9. hangover square, patrick hamilton {earl's court}
10. keep the apidistra flying, george orwell {hampstead}
11. lady's maid, margaret forster {marylebone}
12. london, edward rutherfurd {tower bridge & more)
13. london fields, martin amis {portobello road}
14. neverwhere, neil gaiman {knightsbridge}
15. saturday, ian mcewan {cleveland street, w1}
16. small island, andrea levy {earl's court}
17. white teeth, zadie smith {willesdon}
18. wise children, angela carter {brixton}
19. the book of dave, will self {richmond}
20. how to be good, nick hornby {camden}
21. the line of beauty, alan hollinghurst {notting hill}
22. the drowned world, jg ballard {leicester square}
23. hawksmoor, peter ackroyd {spitalfields}
24. notes on a scandal, zoe heller {islington}
25. the ballad of peckham rye, muriel spark {peckham rye}
26. the lonely londoners, sam selvon {notting hill}
27. london novels, colin macinnes {notting hill}
28. jonathan strange & mr norrell, susanna clarke {hanover square}
29. mrs dalloway, virginia woolf {westminster}
30. notting hell, rachel johnson {notting hill}
31. londonstani, gautam malkani {hounslow}
32. the adventures of sherlock holmes, arthur conan doyle {baker street}
33. a dead man in deptford, anthony burgess {deptford}
34. a metropolitan murder, lee jackson {baker street}
35. diary of nobody, george & weedon grossmith {holloway}
36. 4.50 from paddington, agatha christie {paddington}
37. the heat of the day, elizabeth bowen {regent's park}
38. twenty thousand streets under the sky, patrick hamilton {euston road}
39. the long firm, jake arnott {soho}
40. mother london, michael moorcok {notting hill}
41. the necropolois railway, andrew martin {waterloo}
42. only in london, hanan al-shaykh {bayswater/westminster}
43. possession, as byatt {british museum}
44. three men in a boat, kingston upon thames {kingston upon thames}
45. the tiger in the smoke, margery allingham {mayfair}
46. towards the end of morning, michael frayn {elephant & castle}
47. the last days of newgate, andrew pepper {city}
48. sleep with me, joanna briscoe {bloomsbury}
49. the queen of the tambourine, jane gardam {merton}
50. under the net, iris murdoch {camden}
51. growing yams in london, sophia acheampong {cricklewood}
52. harry potter & the philosopher's stone, jk rowling {kings cross}
53. the haunting of alaizabel cray, piccadilly circus {piccadilly circus}
54. paddington bear, michael bond {paddington}
55. peter pan, jm barrie {kensington gardens}
56. stoneheart, charlie fletcher {natural history museum}
57. stormbreaker, anthony horowotiz {science museum}
58. madeline in london, ludwig bermelmans {buckingham palace}
59. this is london, miroslav sasek {st paul's cathedral}
60. raven queen, pauline francis {tower of london}

brave boy

9 years, 10 months is how long james has had facial hair. i've known him for 9 years and been with him for 7 1/2. besides pictures from the past, i've never seen him sans goatee until yesterday. i dared him to be different and he surprisingly just went with the moment. whether this will last, its hard to say--but how super brave is this? change is good now and then and i think its shaved years off not only his looks but his spirit as well.

Dream House

Have you ever walked/drove/ran by a house and took a deep *sigh* and every ounce of your soul wanted to live there? For the past six years we've wanted a house near Blackheath Hill/Village that we consistently pass on our runs/walks. There's something about it that seems to be calling to us---Buy Me. Its a house that I totally can picture us having friends over for dinner parties and to reminisce about the good old times and how our children don't visit as much as they used to. The worst part of all of this is that it has come up for sale recently not once but twice in the last year and a half.


It is a Victorian house (19th/20th Century) has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 floors, a large garden, a huge kitchen, a conservatory, wine cellars and a 2 car garage. All for the lovely price of £2,650,000 (about 4.5 million dollars). So unless we seriously come into some big money, this beauty is sadly going to stay a 'dream' . (Cue violin) I'm ok with this I guess, but a girl has the right to at least salivate and I guarantee you every time I pass by this gem I'll be doing just that.

Lessons in 'Celebrity'

Whilst I was home sick last night (long story) James was out conversing with celebrities after a performance of David Mamet's play, 'Speed-the-Plow'. He got a chance to meet Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum yesterday (very nice people actually), in the usual autograph signing/quick chat sessions that happen after most shows that have big names in the West End. I'm not really that jealous of James particularly as I've met Kevin briefly before (K-Pax premiere) and I've got my own list of people I've met too over the years. I think I'm just bummed cause I love my theater stops, had been looking forward to going to this play for a while and James was out doing something fun whilst I was left hugging a water bottle and downing herbal teas to try to settle my stomach. Anyway, I'll get over it and I'm sure they'll be other opportunities like this arise.

London as you expect can be a bit of a celebrity magnet. A lot of people in the public eye particularly actors come here to either relax, live, or perform on the stage in the West End (London's version of Broadway) or work on their upcoming film (this and most European premieres for films are in Leicester Square ). With all this going on statistics are generally in your favor for the occasional opportunity that arises to meet and/or see someone of at least some notoriety. It used to be uber cool when I first moved here to meet people like that, but after I had met a handful I started to become less and less starstruck because I started to see the bigger picture.

I realized:

- A lot of celebrities are actually incredibly shy & down to earth. They get quite bemused with why fans drool over them like they do. The shyness may actually be a defense mechanism as well--- who do you trust when you are in the public eye?

-They are just people with really weird/public jobs. They still get old and have to eat their cereal in the morning like the rest of us.

-The character they play is not who they really are. Some actors are not the 'lovable' people you know on screen in real life. Yes, they can be mean!! Some don't look anything like what they do on screen!

- Its not right to treat them as commodities -- taking pictures like they are objects not people, putting them up on pedestals and writing things that aren't true for the sake of a newspaper headline or a quick 'buck'.

-They actually are real people.

So out of my experiences these last few years meeting celebrities I guess you can say I've learned a few things. Not that I was some horrible crazed fan or stalker or anything beforehand, but I just have a new perspective on it after living here. I'm no expert though--heck who can be on such a superficial and fickle business. Some would be disappointed after humanizing your favorite screen heroes/idols---all they want is the dream. For me though, I'm grateful for these lessons as it makes me appreciate them so much more and that they are not so different from the rest of us after all.

Affordable Travel

I realize it may seem that I go on a lot of exotic trips around Europe and abroad which may make us seem uber rich. To clarify though, James and I are by no means financially wealthy by most standards. We just plan our trips 'REALLY' well and we know (James in particular) how to make our money go as far as possible in all areas. (*It also helps we don't have children or have to pay rent or a mortgage--all paid off.) Anyway, if you are curious how we make our holidays a reality this is what we do:

- Book far enough in advance to get cheap rates. If you book in advance you can also implement paying it off over a further time making it easier on the pocket books. When we go to Paris, if you book ahead a First Class Eurostar ticket is only £30-45 more each way than Standard class. You don't get food on Standard Class--so you have to figure this expense in as well. A first class ticket, with food and booked ahead is actually a better deal than a Standard fare.

**Our 3 week holidays we go on we book between 4-6 months prior. Weekend breaks we usually book 3-4 months prior.

- Use exchange rates to your advantage. For our long breaks we go to places where the exchange rates are excellent for us. Generally any less developed countries, the Far East, etc you'll be able to make your money go far. For the British Pound going to America right now is economical as its nearly 2 for 1 (1.97$ = 1.00£). We watch the exchange rates for the Dollar like a hawk. The Dollar is the most accepted currency worldwide. When its a good rate, we go to the Post Office here (where we get commission free currency) and change over what we can afford and then keep them for a future trip. Always research to see if you can find a place to change over money commission free. Avoid airports because the fees are ridiculous.

Another thing we do is for small purchases abroad we use our cash, for larger ones--credit cards. You get a better exchange rate for credit cards (i.e. the business rate, not the tourist rate) and you have a month to pay it off before having to pay any interest on it.

-Shop around/compare prices. We spend a lot of time on the internet looking for the best deal for transport and accomodation. Always check more than one site before booking. We frequently stop by the usual places like expedia.com or opodo. For hotels--look on main booking sites to see if you can get a flight/hotel combo deal and then look on the hotels main website page to see if they have a better deal directly. We tend to also avoid travel agents but only use them as a guideline when needed. They will generally charge you more cause they are on commission. Buy a guidebook to get advice on hotels as well.

-Less is More. What we have gotten into with recent trips is doing a dirt cheap base holiday--like two to three star hotels and then ending with a nicer hotel as a treat. Also look into bed and breakfasts because sometimes they are cheaper than a mainstream place.

Souvenirs- traveling makes even the most stupid things in the shops seem cooler. You may think that souvenir 'official' Eiffel Tower beret is great at the time but when you get home you may think twice. Just because its beautiful doesn't mean that it needs to be bought. Sometimes the 'beautiful' should just stay in the shop (like all the amazing shoes I saw in Rome this weekend). Endless trinkets and souvenir plates can make your home more cluttered in my opinion. We do buy trinkets and the 'fun' ocassionally, but we have moved on to buying things that we need or will add to our home in a practical way. For example--- we have bought really nice olive oil for cooking and even cooking utensils and dish towels in the past. If its cheaper abroad and you need it at home why not get it? We only buy something if it will add to our life and if we will regret 'not' getting it when we get home.

- Look at the big picture. Be sure to check which airport you are flying into and whether a good deal for a hotel means that you have to take a 15 minute shuttle bus into the city every day. It actually may be more economical to get as close as you can to the center because of other costs added on top of it.

- Be among the people. Eating on holiday can be a pain in the you know where. For me because I love 'good' food not touristy food finding something that won't make me regret eating it can be a challenge. Generally we avoid eating in hotels as they are more expensive and we also tend to try to find restaurants 'off the touristy' spots (like not eating at the Eiffel Tower). We also look for restaurants that don't have pictures next to them or are printed out all in English (usually horrible translations). If you have waiters standing outside trying to get you in---not a good sign for the quality of the food.

Go to places where mostly the locals go---you'll usually get better food and it will be cheaper. Again look for menus not printed all in English and buy a phrase book to find out what everything is. Its a sad fact that most touristy restaurants don't put as much care into cooking as do locals. Locals keep going back, tourists you'll see once. So who care's if the food is bad?

Find local grocery stores to buy your snacks or lunches. Take a back-pack/day sack and load it up with your water and pringles or whatever. In Rome, we went to the deli counter at a local store and got just enough bread, slices of ham and cheese for sandwiches for lunch. Our entire lunch came to about 8 Euros. Eat your food in a local park or find some curb somewhere as it can be great fun.

-Stop making excuses. There's every reason in the book to say why you can't afford something or can't do something. If you want to do it make it happen. You only have one life and you don't want to say when your 80 and on your death bed, "I only wish I had done this".... Anything is possible and in the end everything does work out with finances somehow.

So these are my 'secrets' on how I can afford so many trips. Not very complicated you can see but it works for us and has given us so many 'priceless' memories in return.

The European Food Enigma

As an American expat in Europe, I think I have a unique perspective on the differences in peoples waistlines on both sides of the pond. It is not news that Americans struggle with their weight and that nearly 2/3 now are considered 'overweight'--(umm, me included but working on it!!). Europeans seem to be able to eat foods like pasta and fatty foods like eclairs and loads of white bread and cheese (France) and still be skinnier than most Americans. Doctors have studied the French diet and particularly the Mediterranean diet (encompasses most of Europe--considered one of the healthiest out there) for answers. I've studied diet a lot in my weight loss efforts and I hear this constantly:

- No white breads
- No pasta
- No whole eggs
- Avoid deserts
- No cheese
- Avoid alcohol
- Don't eat after 6 p.m.

None of the above makes sense to me, because you constantly see it happening here. So why are Europeans skinnier? This is what I reckon:

- Portion Sizes: I think people forget what a true portion size is, the size of your fist. How many times have you gone to a restaurant in the US and seen this? Some portion sizes offer almost an entire day's allowance for calories. Although in Europe you are seeing plate sizes on the increase, they are very very little in comparison to what you get across the pond. When I have visited the US, I have cut my servings in half then half again---eating only 1/4 of what comes out. Taking the rest home is better than eating too much.

-Stress: The average holiday/vacation time in Europe is 28 days which doesn't include sick leave or public holidays (Bank holidays). We have our health care covered and in most places there is a real laid back feel to life. Stress/cortisol puts on weight particularly in your stomach area and stress also contributes to eating more (emotional eating!).

-Built for walking/moving: Petrol/gas prices at least in England are around $12 (£6) a gallon and its similiar on mainland Europe. In London, we are charged during the week to drive in the heart of the city--(the congestion charge) at $16 (£8) a day. This doesn't include car taxes/m.o.t. or insurance. People can't generally afford to drive and public transport (although exceptional in comparison to the US) can be a bit annoying. Everywhere you go you see people walking, having to climb stairs (the tube) or riding bikes. In Paris they recently implemented a rent-a-bike scheme where you pop in a coin and you can rent a bike for an hour or so. So in Europe they move because they have to. In the US, it can be quite rare for people to walk a lot (unless you live in like New York city) and people generally drive their cars everywhere.

-Time eating: Meals last a lot longer here. Its not unheard of having a dinner last more than 2 hours. I remember when I first moved here how long I thought restaurants took to bring the food out. Now it doesn't bother me if I'm at a restaurant for more than an hour. Food is meant to be enjoyed slowly and savoured. You see meals here as a chance to sit with families and take your time! Bringing awareness/quiet to your eating (truly tasting everything) makes a huge difference too.

-How food is cooked: traditional French or Italian food you get in the states is WAY different than the food you get in both these countries. For example--American pizza is layered with mozarella cheese. True Italian pizza--the cheese is an accessory not the main act, everything complements each other so you can taste all of the ingredients. Food is cooked fresh w/fresh ingredients---none of the processed stuff. Food is also not overcooked so that all the essential nutrients are maintained (i.e. pasta cooked al dente).

-Whats on the plate: You seriously see more vegetables eaten here particularly on the mainland. Eating according to the seasons happens as well as trying to have healthy fats like loads of olive oil, avacadoes, etc. Fish--is a huge part of the diet too--at least twice a week. In Venice for example, most of the pasta dishes have some sort of fish in them. Again---avoiding the processed foods as well. Its important to remember that nearly every quick meal (Mac & cheese for example) has a healthier or freshly made alternative.

There are exceptions to the above and there are overweight people here too, but this is generally what I personally have noticed as far as differences in the whole eating experience between countries. I find it fascinating the cultural gaps out there in something as simple as 'eating'. Anyway, all this talk on food is making me hungry!!

The London Zoo

North of the River here in London near Regents Park lies Camden Town & Primose Hill. Both areas are great for little shops & cafe's, markets and generally celebrity watching. Particularly the Primose Hill area has been home to Jamie Oliver, Jude Law, Kate Moss and Sienna Miller and others. We only managed to briefly wander around (we'll have to come back when its warmer and we have time to window shop) because what we were really there to see was something completely unrelated to the above: The London Zoo.

I was a bit worried when the entrance fee was £17 (nearly $40) each but in the end the money goes to help with conservation and we did manage to have a good time. Not many animals were out cause it was cloudy and freezing and were probably keeping warm inside like we should have. We did get to see a few really cool things though as you can see from my pictures. My absolute favorite was the Butterfly Paradise---You walk into a greenhouse like thing and the most beautiful, brightly colored butterflies are everywhere. It was absolutely surreal to be so close to them and having them flying around and landing on you. I also enjoyed the penguins as well. Ever since the movie March of the Penguins and the series Planet Earth, I've been a bit of a sucker for these tuxedo laden mammals. I guess I'm a bit of a girl---give me the cute fluffy animals anyday over anything slimy like the reptile house!

Happy Easter

We took these pics this morning in Greenwich Park. We woke up to it snowing! This is actually the first snow-fall in London this year as we didn't have snow all through winter. It won't stick unfortunately, but all the poor flowers they don't know what season they are in!

Vanity Fair at the N.P.G.

Photography is one skill I covet greatly. I'm a fan of many, many photographers but particularly have been keen about Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino for a while and these names are quite synonymous with the magazine Vanity Fair. I admit I frequently buy copies of Vanity Fair just to see the pictures and love how they not only do the 'greats' of Hollywood but other prominent figures in all walks of society. So when the National Portrait Gallery decided to have a '100 years of Vanity Fair' exhibition, I decided I just had to go. The pictures- well worth it and of course its made me covet being able to take great pictures even more. Everything in due time I guess, but until then I can salivate the fantistic photos I got to see including:

Cary Grant
(Hoyningen-Huene, 1934)

Doesn't he look like George Clooney?

Connery & Caine
(O'Neill, 1998)


Julia Roberts
(H. Ritts, 1993)

Gloria Swanson
(Steichen, 1924)

Legends of Hollywood, Cover Vanity Fair
(Annie Leibovitz, 2001)

Fairbanks & Crawford
(Muray, 1929)