As promised in my previous post, whereas Weekend Warrior Saturdays will entail practical moving tips for your London relocation, Weekend Warrior Sundays will share a tidbit in history on the significant people who have made London what it is today (this is how I’ll run with it for a while, at least ).
To start from antiquity, what those who aren’t yet living in London may not realize is that the ancient Romans once settled here. Indeed, let us go back to when Julius Caesar’s army invades England in 55 BC – the Romans land at Kent and journey north until they hit the Thames River at modern-day Southwark. There is only a small tribe living in the area at this time, but when the Romans return nearly a century later, there is a larger settlement there utilizing it as a mercantile port. In 43 AD, the Emporor Claudius invades Britain and establishes its capital city on the north bank of the Thames, naming it Londinium. The city prospers to a population of 50,000 by the 3rd century, yet by the 5th century, the Roman Empire has fallen. Londinium is consequently left abandoned to the Saxons.
Just a little something to consider as you plan to relocate to the UK – it isn’t all about Shakespeare and Henry VIII in these here parts. England has an ancient history that is still present to the eye, with roads that still follow the paths established by the Romans and outcroppings of ruins here and there – in London, you can see remnants of a Roman wall that delineated the city’s boundary immediately outside Tower Hill tube station and scattered between the city centre’s corporate offices!
As I continue to have fun tinkering with our new customer management system, I don’t want to entirely neglect our blog, so here’s a quick tip on saving £££ in London: Living Social (http://livingsocial.com/).
By signing onto Living Social, you will receive daily email offers on top-notch London restaurants, spas, and events. This isn’t your usual annoying, spammy email; they’re genuinely great offers for genuinely great London venues, giving you an insider’s advantage on substantial savings. If you expect to be moving to London soon, this is an ideal site to check out now!
Continuing with our series drawing from the Londonista discussion board on our London Living social network, MelissaMehta writes:
“When I’m a bit London-ed out and want some space and quiet, I head down to The Victoria near Richmond. It’s a fantastic gastropub with a lovely relaxed and friendly feel. It’s like staying at someone’s house. I recommend sitting on the sofas near the fire, reading the Sunday papers and having a coffee before going out for a stomp around the nearby Richmond Park. Despite being only a few miles from Central London, it does feel like being in the countryside. Watch out for beautiful stags and herds of deer, woodpeckers and those pesky parakeets!
Head back to the Victoria for some wonderful food, prepared by Paul Merrick (from the TV show Economy Gastronomy) and served by Mike Sheldon (award winning waiter) and his fabulous team in the wonderful conservatroy (or their garden – if the weather is good – there’s a great play area for children). If you’re in need of a real break, I can recommend the lovely rooms upstairs. I always feel completely re-energised after a weekend at the Victoria.”
What hidden treasures will YOU discover in your new neighborhood once London Relocation Ltd. places you there?
I’d like to devote today’s blog post to making you all aware of the discussion forums we’ve made available to you to talk relocation—specifically, relocating to London. As a London relocation specialist, we would be remiss not to provide you the opportunity to communicate with others who are or already have gone through what you are. This is your chance to share your own insights as well as benefit from those of others who have already been there-done that and can offer you guidance so your total transition can go more smoothly. There’s more involved to moving to London than just flat-searching and setting up bank accounts–it’s an emotional adjustment that often gives one pause to reflect on life choices and goals. Think about it: on moving here, you’re plucking yourself out of a familiar environment and exploring new territory, perhaps starting an entirely new job or career or redefining your professional and personal roles in other respects. It’s a new leaf, a blank canvas on which to paint the new pathways you’ll stride upon, and once you see you’ve surmounted that challenge, there’s no end to the possibilities of new directions you might take!
In light of this, we invite you to share your experiences and/or learn from others’ at the following forums:
Today’s English lesson is dedicated to those words/phrases commonly seen on signs all over London:
Takeaway = Carry-Out
Way Out = Exit
Mind the… = Watch Out for… (e.g., “Mind the Step,” “Mind Your Head”)
Baggage Reclaim = Baggage Claim (“Reclaim” does make more sense, doesn’t it?)
Queue up = Stand in Line
Diversion = Detour
Give Way = Yield
Dual Carriageway = Two-Lane Highway
Humps = Bumps (as in road bumps…get your mind out of the gutter)
As you can see, while using different phrasing, the London signs are nonetheless quite self-explanatory, so you won’t have too difficult a time understanding them. And the signs in this city that you will be most grateful for are the ones painted where the sidewalks meet the street: ”Look Left” or “Look Right.” Now that is tricky, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it to the point where you’ll be forgetting the correct way to look back home! And regardless, when you’re exploring your neighborhoods and finding your London flat through London Relocation Ltd., we’ll always point you in the right direction.
Today I’ve decided to blog about another blog, feeling ever so compelled to give props to quality London blogs that I stumble upon. There are infinite sites out there cataloguing the usual touristy things to do and providing logistical advice, but what I find in theLittle London Observationist are delightful snippets out of an everyday Londoner’s life. Why I think anyone consulting our website might be particularly interested in this is because its author, Stephanie Sadler, is an American expat who seems to be having a passionate love affair with her new London life and truly optimizing her everyday urban experiences. Through her flair for writing and photography, Stephanie presents us with visually and verbally colorful bite-sized candies of an edgy, cultural London existence, be it her own daily updates or perspectives contributed by others under the pages “Guest Posts” or “Listen to a Londoner.” Expats can find empathy on the “Expat Page,” and those seeking some cultural infusion can consult the “London Art Spot” or Stephanie’s own “Bookshelf.” Also to be had in this thoughtful Valentine to the UK capital are a directory of links to other London-related blogs (including London Living!) as well as special-interest links for social activism and the arts.
London Relocation Ltd. hopes you’ll likewise immerse yourself in your new surroundings once you’ve relocated to London. There is so much you can learn on your own from simply allowing yourself to meander through the streets without a map or a timepiece—that’s when the discoveries happen and you chance upon the little pockets that will come to mean so much to you. And it’s when realizing that there are others who are likewise forging their own paths and uncovering glittering nuggets of experience that it becomes so valuable to have a resource like Little London Observationist to be aware of that which you might have overlooked and plot new trails going forward. Happy London living to you!
Early morning after a thunderous night I can breathe easy.
If I’m quiet I may hear the sound of birdsong.
Sometimes there is a mist. It hangs over London like a veil.
Soon empty streets will heave with massing crowds,
but until then all London is at peace.
The gentle tinkling of milk bottles breaks the quiet
and the smell of bacon and fried bread
waft through the chill morning air.
Distant sounds of sirens fill my head and
concrete rises heavenward filling my eyes,
crushing their foundations through my soul.
A sickness seeps through me,
everything beautiful has gone.
“Morning paper, read all about it! ”
Girls hurry buy in tight blue jeans,
men in suits, some in Mac’s, high-heeled ladies,
clicky, click, clack.
Poor old tramp, fingernails black,
stirs on the floor beside a closed door,
‘Got the price of a cuppa luv’, he calls.
The girl quickens her pace.
A couple kiss in tender bliss
A young man sighs, a baby cries,
an old lady dies on the streets of London.
Early morning after a thunderous night you can
breathe easy, all London is at peace……..If you’re
very quiet you may even hear the sound of birdsong.
“The City of London, during working hours is a bustling hive of activity but just before the ‘rush hour’ there is peace. I wrote this in the middle of the night, many years ago. My mind went back to those times when I was young and used to go, with my brother to London to visit my Grandfather. We would always stop to walk through the City and my brother would point out places of interest being much older than me, 14 years older in fact! There was a mist that morning and a fine rain that seemed to lick at my lips. The tranquillity of the early morning streets was rudely broken by people coming into the City to work [...]”
Earls Court was pimped out Monday evening to welcome the biggest names in the British and International music scene for the 2010 BRIT Awards (UK’s Answer to the Grammys). Earls Court’s versatile convention facility that one week houses the UK’s largest beer fest then showcases the latest in baby products the next (and is slated to house volleyball tournaments in the 2012 Olympics) is practically unrecognizable on the inside with the elaborate set designs on stage and opulent table seating for the stars and industry-connected—reserving the upper nose-bleed balcony seats for the regular schmucks like me. I don’t think a majority of the public realizes that you can, indeed, attend the award show for a mere £75 per person. Sponsored by Mastercard, when the tickets become open to the public a few weeks before the event, Mastercard holders get priority access for the first week or so before it then becomes a free for all.
And let me tell you, it is SO worth it: it’s an excuse to get dolled up in the sparkles and bling that you bought for fun but really never have any place to wear, and you can bring your wine or beer right to your seats to sit back and just enjoy the show. Even for me, whose musical tastes are more alternative than the pop stars the awards seem to glorify, there’s nothing like a live performance—and we all know that sometimes the top mainstream hits we like to pretend we hate are now and then the ones we bust out singing and/or dancing to when we’re alone. Nothing wrong with indulging guilty pleasures once in a while.
Speaking of performances, the bass was booming in the house and throbbing in my chest when the likes of Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Dizzee Rascal, Florence & the Machine, JLS, Kasabian, Robbie Williams, Lily Allen, and Lady Gaga graced the stage and emitted their total energy through the microphone (I deliberately leave Cheryl Cole off this list as it’s been speculated she was the lip-syncer…there’s always one, isn’t there). The award presenters in themselves are a treat to see, such as Dame Shirley Bassey (she’s a legend!), the Spice Girls (well, at least Scary & Ginger), comedian Alan Carr, and the gorgeous Cat Deeley (people in the States may know her from So You Think You Can Dance; speaking of guilty pleasures, that show is one of my faves).
Lady Gaga really cleaned up with her 3 awards for International Female Solo Artist, International Album, and International Breakthrough Act. Her own performance was a bit of a shock—rather than delivering one of her better known hits like “Just Dance” or “Paparazzi,” she shifted gears to sombre, avant-garde renditions of “Telephone” and “Dance in the Dark,” which she dedicated to her friend and fashion designer, the late Alexander McQueen. Almost as shocking as her towering blond bouffant was the electric orange wig worn by Lily Allen when she accepted her award for British Female Solo Artist—evidently, she was so convinced she wasn’t going to win that she deliberately disguised herself so the cameras couldn’t capture her disappointment if she lost. She herself had delivered a darling performance of “The Fear” (I could listen to that song set to loop for ages…), reminding me very much of a darker version of Madonna’s “Material Girl” with her black leather leotard and combat soldiers parachuting down holding dainty pink-trimmed umbrellas. Florence & the Machine’s unlikely pairing with Dizzee Rascal for their duet overlapping Florence’s “You’ve Got the Love” with Dizzee’s “Dirtee Love” was a glimmering spectacle for the eyes, and my other favourite was Jay-Z and Alicia Keys thumpin’ out the edgy urban soundscape of “Empire State of Mind.”
So there’s one more item to add to your list of London Things-to-Do when you move to England. Look forward to it next February, and, in the meantime, to have a comfortable set within which to stage the performance that is your rockstar life, contact London Relocation Ltd., the London relocation specialists, as your home search provider.
Concluding with our series of posts on British Airways’s High Life magazine’s 1,000th thing to do in London, below are a few readers’ suggestions of how to appreciate the markets and other miscellany to be enjoyed here:
“Shop at Alfie’s Market on Church Street near Marylebone. Inside the former Jordan’s department store is a magical labyrinth of small shops. A real treat for both trophy-hunting tourists and fans of 20th-century design.”
“Stand on the bridge in St. James’s Park and look towards Whitehall—all the different roofs make a magical fairy-tale scene.”
“For a unique and highly amusing experience, see the overstuffed walrus at the Horniman Museum. The taxidermist of the time (circa 1870) failed to account for the folds of skin that would normally be present. It’s certainly one of the more unusual pieces in the natural history collection.”
“The Greenwich Foot Tunnel, designed by Sir Alexander Binnie, opened in 1902. Made up of 200,000 white tiles, which line the walls, this historical phenomenon links the London Docks with Greenwich.”
“Visit the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. It’s an incredible way to absorb the atmosphere of the Tower without thousands of other tourists. By the end, you feel honoured to have been allowed to witness it.”
If you’re moving to London, you’ll eventually be eager to side-step the tourist trail and discover these hidden nooks on your own. Once the relocation specialists at London Relocation Ltd. assist you with your London home search, you’ll be ready to explore and surely discover your own list of 1,000 things to do here!
Continuing to roll with our previous posts on British Airways High Life magazine’s 1,000th thing to do in London, below are a few readers’ suggestions of how to appreciate the arts here:
“Keats House in Hampstead is a beautiful, peaceful museum dedicated to the world’s greatest poet.”
“Watch a West End musical. The sets and costumes are breathtaking. Great entertainment for all the family.”
“Number One London, more commonly known as Apsley House, is a unique Grade I-listed mansion built by Robert Adam and was once the home of the Duke of Wellington. It is full of opulent interiors and paintings by the masters like Rubens and Goya as well as furniture and artefacts from the period.”
If you’re moving to London, you’ll eventually be eager to side-step the tourist trail and discover these hidden nooks on your own. Once the relocation specialists at London Relocation Ltd. assist you with your London home search, you’ll be ready to explore and surely discover your own list of 1,000 things to do here!
Imperial War Museum - image from http://readthisblog.net/2005/07/
Following up on our previous post of British Airways High Lifemagazine’s 1,000th thing to do in London, below are a few readers’ suggestions of how to appreciate various aspects of the city’s history:
“Lord’s, the home of cricket, is where the sport originated. It still has the headquarters of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and it’s the dream of every cricketer to play there.”
“The trench experience at the Imperial War Museum. Everyone should be made aware of just how lucky we are to be born at the right time and not to have had to experience this first-hand.”
“West Norwood Cemetery is the burial place of the richest, most famous, iconic and inspirational people to have set foot in or shaped the city of London. With thousands of plots, monuments and mausoleums—each with a unique story to tell—and the fascinating history behind the ancient catacombs it’s here that you’ll get a real glimpse of the movers and shakers of the city’s past.”
“For a slice of history, visit Temple Church near the embankment. It’s one of the most beautiful, magical and historical places you’ll see. It dates from the 12th century and was built by the Knights Templar. The church is nestled among a collection of ancient buildings, which make up the Inner and Middle Temple. If you can, attend a service there—the choir is second to none.”
“The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum give you a real sense of wartime London. An absorbing experience where time stands still.” (I personally endorse this one—I’ve been there twice and could easily go again today if I could. A fascinating, authentic experience that is not so overwhelming in size that you can’t take your time and peruse all the information and reflect on its impact—be careful visiting in Spring, though, when student tour groups may flood the narrow and intimate corridors!)
“Few people realise that London is one of the most important urban archaeological sites in the world due to the history along the Thames. Pull on some wellies and head out at low tide to spot 200-year-old clay pipes, bits of Tudor pottery and many other wonderful items.”
And to see history-in-the-making:
“Watch democracy in action at the Strangers’ Gallery in the House of Commons.”
If you’re moving to London, you’ll eventually be eager to side-step the tourist trail and discover these hidden nooks on your own. Once the relocation specialists at London Relocation Ltd. assist you with your London home search, you’ll be ready to explore and surely discover your own list of 1,000 things to do here!
Yep, we’ve been there. No worries, you are certainly not alone in feeling like you’re driving in the wrong lane and going in circles when it comes to tackling all the logistics involved in an international move.
Moving to a new country is one of the most enlightening yet stressful life changes one can undertake–it’s certainly not a “Vacation”…it’s a new everyday way of living! There are endless factors involved–some that are obvious that you can plan for, some that are obscure and take you by surprise. At London Relocation Ltd., we will help smooth over those stumbling blocks as best as we can. We understand how the property market here works, so you won’t have to pull out your pocket translator Clark-Griswald-style to understand–we’ll help manage your expectations in advance and proceed to find you the highest quality living accommodation meeting your requirements and negotiate the lease on your behalf. We can even help you find that spare room for when your Cousin Eddie comes to visit.
Our forte is flat-hunting and setting you up with a UK bank account, but never hesitate to contact us regarding other questions you may have about London life. We also welcome you to interact with the members of London Living with your concerns, as we have a lovely community of expats already living in London who are eager to share their experiences and plan social outings with you when you arrive! The locals are so very friendly, too:
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