Posts Tagged ‘Relocation London’
Monday June 27th, 2011
Relocation London – Awesome August In London - Image by kingston99 via Flickr
Of course, if you have taken the advice of your trusty relocation services, then you still are packing protection… An umbrella! While August is unarguably one of the warmest months of the year, you’ll need to be prepared for the odd shower or two, or splash of rain every day. Who knows…That’s part of the fun and adventure of moving to London. You never know if this years is going to have a drought, or be rained out. But you’ll soon learn that the most important part of relocation to London is getting out of your new London rental and enjoying everything that the city has to offer before you settle down to a more serious September.
The Notting Hill Carnival has to be one of the highlights of moving to London in August. Not only will you be able to walk the streets of London that played host to the iconic movie starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, but you’ll be able to attend the biggest street party in Europe. Each year the streets of West London host the biggest and most diverse summer festival. Over twenty miles of prime London real estate; 1 million party people, and hundreds of food stalls and parties happening all the time.
Traditionally set up by the West Indian community of Notting Hill, this is the Caribbean come to London like you’ve never seen it before. Steel drums, displays and a carnival atmosphere make this one of the biggest and most fun events on the London summer calendar.
This year the Notting Hill carnival will be held on the 28th and 29th of August and it promises to be one of the best ever. The Carnival bands start at about 9am on the Sunday and in a tradition that is typically English, the Sunday is reserved for children with a host of activities to appeal to them and Monday is designated Adults day. Fun for the whole family without trampling on each other’s toes.
The best way to get to the Notting hill Carnival is to use the public transport and many of the roads surrounding the area are closed to vehicle traffic. It’ll be quicker and faster to use the tubes and buses from central London; that, or ask your London relocation agents to move you into Notting Hill before the time!
Tags: international relocation, London, relcation in London, Relocation (personal), Relocation London, Relocation service, relocation to london
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Relocation London
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Monday June 27th, 2011
Relocation London – July Attractions - Image via Wikipedia
If you’ve take the advice of your London relocation agent then you’ll know that July is the perfect time to make the move to London. The city may be jam-packed with tourists, but many relocation services will have no problem in finding a new London apartment for you and making sure that you’re settled in and ready to enjoy everything that London in July has to offer.
July really is the height of summer in England, but if you haven’t packed a brolly to bring with you, then you’ll have to head out and get one as soon as you arrive. While the weather is lovely and warm for the most part, you’ll also find that it is unpredictable at the best of time. Having an umbrella may be just as important as having the London A-Z to get around your new home town.
Once you’re settled into your new London rental you’ll want to get out an experience everything at once. There are some events that are happening in July that should definitely be on your list of things to do.
· Even though Wimbledon is well under way by now, you could still enjoy a day out by heading to the center of world tennis.
· If you’re super fit and even if you’re not then there is nothing like taking part in, or watching the London 10km road race through the stress of London. Everyone takes to the streets of London to raise money for charity and this year it’s being held on Sunday 10 July. A perfectly respectable start time of 9:35 am if you do fancy a bit of a lie in before the race; watching it that is.
· If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then 15 July is the date that all Potter fans have been waiting for. The release of the final Harry Potter film and the conclusion to the movies and books that have made this English boy wizard a part of millions of lives over the past decade. Now that you’re living in London you’ll be able to recognize many of the iconic locations used in the films.
Wherever you living in London in July, you’ll love the festival atmosphere and the tourists having fun. Summer is a great time to explore the city and make it your home before the real slog of work and winter begins
Tags: England, international relocation, London, London Relocation, relocation in london, Relocation London
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London Relocation Top 5 & 10 Lists!
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Wednesday June 8th, 2011
Author: Colleen
Upon moving to London as an expat, you will find that the English accent is more varied than what’s typically represented in American film or television (much like television news anchors speak a universal American accent). Case in point: My friend visited me a few months after I made my own London relocation, and we went to see Billy Elliot. She couldn’t understand a word. That same friend nonetheless took her mother to see it in Chicago, and she understood it just fine. My theory? True, she could have understood it better because she’d already seen it and knew the story, but if I were a bettin’ man (if, indeed, a man at all), I’d like to bet that those Chicago actors were speaking a more generic British accent as opposed to the distinctive one actually spoken by those who live in County Durham, where the play takes place. Chicagoans wouldn’t know any different. Londoners would. The accent in northern England is quite different from what you hear in the south, east, west, and middle; heck, I’m convinced the British can tell what block you grew up on by virtue of your dialect, Professor Higgins-style (see “Why Can’t the English?” from My Fair Lady to know what I’m talking about).
Another case in point: American audiences have been listening to talent-show judges like Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan for ages and understanding them just fine, but all of a sudden, egad! Cheryl Cole?! If you haven’t been following the US X Factor controversy (which I blissfully didn’t hop into until the very end), you can catch up with Metro.co.uk’s succinct timeline here. There were other issues involved in the decision to sack her as a US judge, but don’t think Cheryl’s accent didn’t play any part in it. Sounds ridiculous, I know—I mean the situation, not her accent! But yes, it is tough to understand as an American. Her particular dialect is called “Geordie,” the accent of England’s northeast, which would include, if I’m not mistaken, County Durham; hence, the very accent that threw my friend for a loop during Billy Elliot and took me quite a while to adjust to as well. This region borders Scotland, so it understandably shares a bit of that incomprehensible brogue.
Another diversion from the “typical” English accent that Americans are perhaps more familiar with is “Cockney,” the east London dialect spoken by Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Bert in Mary Poppins, and championed by Guy Ritchie in his films like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (I think Snatch is the one that actually has a guide to Cockney rhyming slang and offers English subtitles, ha!). It’s the dialect that always makes me hear Conan O’Brien say, “‘Allo, guvna!”—a lot of ‘H‘s and consonants get dropped out of that one (“Bluh-ee ‘ell!).
Learn the diversity of the British accent when you relocate to London.
But as you can see from the map I’ve attached here, British accents are more numerous than what I can relate in a wee blog post. Clicking the image will take you to The Economist‘s article, “England’s regional accents: Geordie’s still alreet,” where you can read more on their variety and how they’re trending throughout the England over time. Accents can denote class as well as region, with the royals seeming to have a distinct accent of their own (though apparently the Queen has started to slum it: see “Queen’s speech ‘less posh’“). I also found a page on the British Library’s site that discusses England’s regional voices and enables you to listen to samples of them: “Sounds Familiar? Accents and Dialects of the UK.”
Now, every time I go home, someone usually asks if I’m picking up a British accent myself. Well, the fact is, when I live in my London apartment with my American husband and we still watch a lot of American shows on the telly, I don’t see that happenin’, so you probably won’t either in that situation unless your spouse is British and you’re here longer term. Even in the workplace, London’s diversity may present you many international accents from outside of the UK, so you’ll never be exposed to a single one long enough to pick it up yourself. What you will do, though, is grow more accustomed to the differences in spoken English, understand the British-English terms better and discern the dialects better. So don’t worry that you won’t understand a word when you move to London—check out our blog’s “Language Barriers” category and just be a good listener!
Tags: Billy Elliot, british dialects, British English, British vs. American English, Cheryl Cole, differences between British and American English, differences in British accents, English language, English pronunciation, london apartments, london move, London Relocation, London Relocation Services, Moving to London, Moving to London from US, regional accents in England, relocating to London, Relocation London, rent london, Rhyming slang, Speaking the Queen’s English, Standard English
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Americans Moving to London, London Language Barriers, Moving to London: Tips & Culture
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Monday May 9th, 2011
Author: Colleen
American expats will inevitably speak French in England!
If you’re moving to London from the US, you’ll readily learn that British English and American English are not one and the same. Sure, you’ll get along easier in the UK as an English language speaker, but as we’ve blogged before about differences in terms (see our “London Language Barriers” category for related posts), living in London will entail a language lesson.
It goes beyond just a matter of British versus American, however. French factors into the English language substantially, going back to when William the Conqueror came over from Normandy to rule this land. Sure, we use a lot of French words and phrases in the States like hors d’oeuvre, escargot, rendezvous, je ne sais quoi, etc., etc., but the British incorporate it even further than that. To give a few examples:
aubergine – eggplant
au fait - familiar, conversant
cafetière – French press
courgette - zucchini
compère – master of ceremony
pastille – lozenge
poussin - Cornish game hen (you’d think given the “Cornish,” they’d call it that in England, wouldn’t you??)
pomme frites – French fries in their super slender, McDonald’s-like form; thicker fries are called “chips”
serviette – table napkin
queue – line
Also deriving from the French language are British versus American spelling differences like the -re as opposed to -er of certain words. Eg.:
theatre – theater
centre - center
kilometre – kilometer
and so forth…
The ending of “programme” vs. “program” is another example of such spelling deviations.
And then there are matters of pronunciation. Just to name a couple examples:
Pantene - pronounced “pan-ten” versus “pan-teen”
premiere – pronounced “prem-yare” versus “prem-eer”
Which leaves me scratching my head on at least one word in particular:
fillet - filet
The British not only spell this word with an extra “L,” but they pronounce the “T.” So they say “fil-lett” whereas we Americans in this case adhere to the traditional French pronunciation of “fil-lay.”
I’m no expert in linguistics, so cannot speak to the rhyme or reason of how British or American English evolve (if you want to talk rhyme, though, check out Belinda’s post on Cockney English 
), only that it fascinates me how they do indeed, whether on their own or through the incorporation of other languages. It’s a little daily reminder, almost, of our small world and the aspects that connect rather than separate us, which in itself is a key mentality to maintain as an expat relocating to London.
Tags: British vs. American English, colleen, differences between British and American English, English language, English pronunciation, French language, london apartments, london move, London Relocation, London Relocation Services, Moving to London, Moving to London from US, relocating to London, Relocation London, rent london, Speaking the Queen’s English, Standard English
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London Language Barriers, Moving to London: Tips & Culture
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Wednesday January 5th, 2011
- Image by acb via Flickr
Author: Colleen
‘Tis been a while since I’ve revisited my Speaking the Queen’s English series, which is dedicated to helping familiarize those moving to London with some basic differences between British English and American English. Any American expat who has made a London relocation can attest that sometimes you wish you had subtitles to understand a language you thought you already knew!
In the past, I’ve touched on topics like pronunciation, conversational lingo, getting around (transport and signage), food, etc., but today I’ll touch on some grammatical differences. I am an English teacher, after all… 
To start (and this is one I’ve only just picked up on while reading a British novel), it appears standard to use “has (or have) got” in British English than “has (or have) gotten” as we’ll say in American English.
When you move to London, you may also notice greater use of the word “shall” in place of “will” or “should.” E.g., “I shall never forget you,” or “Shall we go?”
Rather than simply say, “don’t need to” (as in, “You don’t need to do that.”), the British might also say, “needn’t.”
And while the British may use “as well,” “too,” and “also” interchangeably as we do, “as well” is most commonly used.
While the previous three merely strike me as more proper/polite ways of speaking, the following is the most distinct difference I’ve heard in conversation here: use of “do” after an auxiliary verb. To give a few examples:
“I did do.”
“I could do.”
“I could have done.”
In American English, the above would be phrased:
“I did.” -OR- “I did that.” (as in, “I already did that.”)
“I could.” -OR- “I could do that.”
“I could have.” -OR- “I could have done that.”
It seems we Yankees either extend the phrase all the way out to “that” or cut it off right at the auxiliary verb, whereas the British only cut out the “that.” And speaking of cutting out words, “the” tends to get scrapped in British English when referring to certain institutions, such as “He’s in hospital,” versus “He’s in the hospital.” The same goes for “at university” versus “at the university,” though we Americans would do the same with our phrases like “in college,” “in prison,” “at sea,” etc.
Ah, and there is one particular phrase that has somehow evolved in American English into something that means the exact opposite of what it actually says. I think this one really annoys the Brits, too: “I could care less.” The thing is, an American would say this to convey that he/she isn’t interested in the least, so there’s no possible way one could care less than that. If that’s the case, however, then you “couldn’t care less,” which is how the British would say it. If you could care less, then, well, you’re saying you have the ability to care even less than you do, which is saying you do care to some extent, which is not at all what you’re meaning to express! I know I’m guilty of saying it…
All right, Brainiacs, I’ll cut this off here. There are far more subtle differences I could delve into that would really make your head explode, but I don’t reckon they’d be the most immediate to jump out at you in your day-to-day interactions, if they went by noticed at all. You’ll find after relocating to London that you’ll inadvertently pick up some of the local dialect by virtue of being submerged in the culture, but don’t worry if not—we all still manage to understand each other here .
Tags: British vs. American English, colleen, differences between British and American English, English language, English pronunciation, london apartments, london move, London Relocation, London Relocation Services, Moving to London, Moving to London from US, relocating to London, Relocation London, rent london, Speaking the Queen's English, Standard English
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London Language Barriers, Moving to London: Tips & Culture
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Monday December 27th, 2010
Living in London – Shopping in Different Places: - Image via Wikipedia
Author: Belinda
Moving to London will give you the chance to get out and explore the flea markets in London which offer a completely different shopping experience than the high street experience. Even though it may be icy on the streets this Christmas, it is time to get out of your new London apartment and discover the charm and excitement of the London Flea Markets.
Brick Lane
Brick Lane market area is open on Sunday from 8am-2pm, and is the place to go if you like second hand stalls and street performers or really enjoy haggling for a bargain. Brick Lane market is a bustling cosmopolitan market set in the heart of the East End of London. It was, as the name suggests, originally a brick manufacturing area, and later a livestock market. Now it’s a great market for young, edgy, artistic types with an eye for a bargain, whether it is second hand furniture, music, clothes, unusual and artistic collectibles or ethnic goods. In fact, you can buy just about anything you fancy here, including single shoes, old machinery and 8-track cassette decks! Watch out for “second hand” bikes though- Brick Lane has become notorious for the sale of stolen bikes. At the bottom end of Brick Lane are the sari shops with a dazzling array of fabrics, and lots of the boutiques around Brick lane sell vintage and retro clothing- the best known is based at the Tea Rooms. This bustling, slightly chaotic market is near a huge variety of eating-places, especially Bangladeshi and other Asian food, and Jewish bagel shops. Nearest tube stations Aldgate East & Liverpool St.
Columbia Road
Colombia Road flower market is open on a Sunday from 8am to around 3pm. The stalls sell a huge variety of all sorts of plants from cut flowers to bedding plants to quite large trees, and the road is lined with over 50 independent shops which sell a variety of goods from cupcakes to antiques and gardening equipment. The only other street flower market in Europe is in Barcelona, so take advantage of the scents and sights of this one! As a tourist, you may not buy a lot to take away, but you will enjoy the atmosphere and the often hilarious patter of the stallholders, and if you’re staying with friends in London, why not get a thank you bouquet or plant for your host from this market? There are usually street musicians playing here too and towards the end of the day, there are bargains to be had as stallholders lower their prices to sell their goods by the end of the day. There are plenty of nice cafes to stop for a coffee or buy a cupcake or some fried seafood. Colombia Road market can get very crowded but is well worth a visit. Nearest tubes are Shoreditch and Liverpool St.
Tags: Brick Lane, Brick Lane Market, England, London, London Relocation, Relocation London, Shopping, things to know about london, tips on living in london, Travel and Tourism
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Living in London, London Food & Beverage, London Neighborhoods, Shopping in London Places
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Monday December 27th, 2010
Living in London – Tour Guide to the City: - Image via Wikipedia
The best way to explore your new home after settling into your London apartment is to take part in some of the most famous tours that London has to offer. This is a city that is geared for tourists and until you have found your feet after relocating to London, you should experience all that London has to offer from a tourist perspective. Touring London can be done in a number of ways and you will get a different view depending on the tour that you choose.
Bus Tours
London isn’t London until you’ve seen it from the top of a big-red-London-double-decker-bus! Part of the fabric and history of London, you can spend the day enjoying the attractions that this vibrant city has to offer by riding on one of the vintage red buses that London is famous for. Trundle along the streets of London while taking in the sights of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Gaze in awe at the magnificent edifice of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is where Princess Diana was married and is the final resting place of both Nelson and Wellington. London bus tours offer many opportunities to hop on and off at the top tourist destinations. Take in the crown jewels at the historic tower of London which is over a thousand years old.
Taking a bus tour is a great way to get to know London. A bus tour will take you past Cleopatra’s Needle and the famous Globe Theatre, which dates back to the time of Shakespeare. A highlight of a London bus tour is to stop at Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard Ceremony and the Horse Guards Parade. There are many bus companies operating in London.
Taxi Tours
A taxi tour of London is fun, informative and a great start to your London vacation. Get your bearings in London and see the sights in an iconic London Cab with a personal tour guide; and no one knows London like a ‘cabbie’ with ‘The Knowledge’. Informative and friendly, these ‘cabbies’ will help you get to grips with London’s roads and the best attractions on your first day in London. It is a brilliant way to experience London if you’re in a group of up to five people and there are special taxi tours for the little ones.
Taxi tours in London can also be booked around different themes and specific attractions themselves, so you can be whizzing off into the wizarding world of Harry Potter, or sliding into the scary adventures of Victorian London, full of laudanum and ghostly goings-on! The taxi tours are a safe way to get around London and though they are definitely pricier than using other forms of transport, they really add something special to your London experience. For a day trip with a difference, you can also book a tax tour to take you to attractions that are outside of central London.
Tags: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, canadians moving to london, Flats in london, Horse Guards Parade, London, London Relocation, Moving to London, Relocation London, things to know about london, Tour guide, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey
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Shopping in London Places
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Sunday December 26th, 2010
Living in London – Shopping in Different Places: - Image via Wikipedia
Author:Belinda
Once you have settled down into your London flat, and you have seen most of the tourist sights, braved the crowds on Oxford Street on a Saturday morning, you can start moving further afield and begin exploring the fascinating markets that London is famous for. Moving to London should be all about making this city your home while having as much fun as possible and there is nothing more interesting that the London flea markets, each of which has its own character and identity.
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is found in the Notting Hill area of London, made famous by the film Four Weddings and A Funeral. Fruit and vegetable stalls are open all week but the main market is open on Saturdays from 8am -5pm and specialises in antiques of all descriptions, and the second hand market runs on a Friday at the same time. The market is based along two miles of Portobello Road, which is lined with a variety of independent boutiques and antique shops. If you are interested in antiques look out for the PADA sign on shops and stalls. This stands for the Portobello Antiques Dealers Association and ensures prices are always displayed and good accurately described. The Association also has a stand where you can get maps and up to date information and suggestions about where to find that elusive antique you’ve been searching for. Speciality stalls include vintage clothing, handbags, sports equipment, books and jewellery. Grab a bite to eat from one of the food stalls in the middle of the market, which feature fine foods from around the world. Portobello gets very busy and is best visited in the morning as many of the stallholders start packing away at 4pm. The nearest tube station to the antiques end of Portobello road is Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove.
Petticoat Lane
Petticoat Lane is the scene of one of London’s biggest clothing markets, in the Tower Hamlets area of London. It is open on Monday-Fridayfrom10:00am-2:30pm and on Sunday from 09:00am-2pm. Although Petticoat Lane itself has been renamed(Middlesex St), the Petticoat Lane market is still devoted to clothing of all varieties from designer to outré club and street wear, leather goods and bargain buys of all varieties. The market specialises most in women’s clothing, and there are a variety of fabric shops and stalls selling CDs, luggage and electrical goods. Most of the clothes are at knockdown prices, and this is a genuine market for locals, not just a show for tourists! Bear in mind that you may struggle to find a stall where you can try clothes on. The top end of the market, near Aldgate East is where the leather jackets and other leather goods can be found. There are some traditional Jewish food places around here, and the ties to the local Jewish community explain why the market is closed on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. Main tube stations are Aldgate, Aldgate East and Liverpool St, and this market is fairly close to the markets at Brick Lane and Spitalfields.
Tags: Business and Economy, England, Ladbroke Grove, London, london facts, London Living, London Relocation Services, Notting Hill Gate, Oxford Street, Petticoat Lane Market, Portobello Road, Relocation London, tips on living in london
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Living in London, London Food & Beverage, London Neighborhoods, Moving to London: Tips & Culture, Shopping in London Places
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Thursday December 9th, 2010
Relocating to the UK: Moving to London-Sights: Modern Architecture in "The City of London" - Image via Wikipedia
Author: Belinda
If you are relocating to the UK and moving to London, you might be expecting a lot of history; this is after all one of the most historical cities in the world today. When you are done admiring the palaces, stately homes and examples of Georgian architecture, then you might want to spend some time admiring some of the modern buildings that this quirky city has to offer.
If you are in the middle of a London relocation and you keep hearing about ‘The Gherkin’, then do not be alarmed. Going down to the Gherkin is not a secret London ritual that you have never heard about. The Gherkin is the Londoners name for one of the most modern and uniquely designed buildings in the world. It is also rather difficult to miss since it is in the shape of, well, a gherkin!
This building is one of the most modern buildings in the heart of the city as well as being in the heart of ‘The City’. This is another phrase that you might need to understand if you have recently relocated to London. No matter where you live in London, you can be sure that you will meet someone who works in ‘The City’, which can be confusing since everyone works and lives in the city of London. ‘The City’ is an area in the heart of London, which is made up of financial businesses and banks. This is the ‘Wall Street’ of London and it is here that the big stockbrokers and financial high flyers work. The boy’s, and sometimes girls from ‘The City’ tend to dress alike, work, play and live in a certain area and they are among the upwardly mobile set in London’s social scene.
The Gherkin is situated in ‘The City’ and it is officially called the ‘Swiss Re Building’ or is also commonly referred to by its street address: 30 St Mary Axe. Yes, London addresses are frequently confusing! The Gherkin is one of the most admired buildings in the world and has been featured in many films, since its opening in 2004. The building can be seen from over 25 kilometres away and it is well worth a visit, especially if you are going to sip cocktails in the Dome, which is at the very top of the building and offers a 360-degree view of the city. There is also a restaurant in the building, which can be hired for private functions.
The unique design features some of the most innovative ‘green’ solutions for heating, cooling and ventilation and it is well worth taking a tour of this phenomenal building. London is not all about old charm and quaint cobbled streets. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city that teems with modern buildings and a business district that deals in billions of pounds every day. Be warned, if you have a job in ‘The City’ you will have to dress the part! It’s just part of the fun of moving to London.
Tags: 30 St Mary Axe, England, London, london move, london moving, London Relocation, London Relocation Services, moving london, Moving to London, moving to London England, relocating to London, Relocation London
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Moving to London: London Sightseeing
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Friday December 3rd, 2010
Relocating to London: London Shopping – Where To Go First? The opulent clothing department at Harrods, London - Image via Wikipedia
Author: Belinda
Getting settled after relocating to London can be a slightly daunting task and one of the best ways of rewarding yourself for the move is to get out there and drop some cash in the world’s greatest stores. London offers a myriad of shopping experiences to choose from and you will never be bored with exploring all that London has to offer. London truly is a shopper’s paradise, and the fact that so many of the stores have such a rich tradition and history behind them, makes each trip into a sightseeing and experience never to be forgotten.
Bond Street is the area to head for if you are looking to do some serious spending. This street is lined with all of the big name designers such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany. A jewellery lovers Mecca, Bond Street also has many great fashion designers offering the best and the latest designer fashions and original clothing. For men’s fashion, you simply have to head off to Jermyn Street or Savile Row, which has a rich tradition in men’s bespoke tailoring and handmade leather shoes. These suits might be pricey, but until you have had your suit designed and tailored to fit you exactly, you just won’t realise the value of this experience. Londoners, especially the men from ‘the City’, which is the financial district of London, like to dress in the best suits from the gentlemen’s tailors.
Regent Street is home to the most famous toy store in the world. Hamleys has over seven floors of toys and entertainment for children and it has been a British institution for hundreds of years. Oxford Street is ‘the’ high street to visit if you are looking for the best department stores. Huge shops like John Lewis and Debenhams provide a unique and interesting shopping experience that will have you coming back for more. Alternative fashionistas should head off to Camden Market, which is the home of all punk, goth and club wear for the trendy set in London. Camden Market is the 4th most visited tourist site in London, so you should make a day of it and browse through everything they have to offer.
There is one other store that is a must see if you have relocated to London. The store that carries the most prestige and history of any other store in the world. Harrods is the ultimate in London department stores and is to be found in the ultra fashionable address of Knightsbridge. This luxurious store has been open since 1834 and is situated on five acres of prime London real estate. With 330 separate departments and 32 restaurants that serve up treats form around the world, you can spend days just exploring and gawking at the phenomenal displays.
The best place to find edible treats is at the famous Harrods Food Hall, and if you are in London over Christmastime, then the Harrods Christmas lights are a time-honoured tradition. A small point to remember: Harrods has a strict dress code for its customers, and you will not be allowed into the store wearing shorts or t-shirts. Dress up a little, you will feel right at home in a flash!
Tags: Americans moving to London, americans moving to london uk, Bond Street, Camden Market, canadians moving to london, canadians moving to london uk, Harrods, London, London Relocation, Louis Vuitton, Moving to London, moving to London England, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Relocation London
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London Recreation
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Thursday December 2nd, 2010
Relocating to London:Top London Transport Tips – Take me to the River - Image by YellowFilter via Flickr
Author: Belinda
London is a city that has grown up around the River Thames, and if you are relocating to London then exploring the river as a means of transport is one of the must do items on your list. Finding your way around London can be confusing and somewhat overwhelming if you are new to England, but many of the tourist hotspots and famous landmarks are located on the river or within walking distance of the river.
The River Thames winds its way through this city and it is as much a part of the bustle of London life as it was over a thousand years ago when the city of Londinium was being born. Industry and trade made the city of London into one of the biggest cities in Europe and the trade on the River Thames influenced much of that growth. Travelling on the river today will give you a unique and wholly different view of the city. The history of London can be found on every bend of the river and it is a great way to see how London has developed over the years. It will allow you to see the whole of London spread out before you, and best of all, it is a great way to avoid the traffic that has made transport in London into a daily nightmare.
The best way to explore the River Thames is by taking one of the many ‘hop-on’, ‘hop-off’ tours that are offered by the big cruise companies. These tickets allow you to get off and on the boats as many times as you like during the day. These are known as Circular tours and they run from early in the morning throughout the day. A highlight though, would be to take a champagne cruise at sunset under the famous Tower Bridge. For the more adventurous, there are the exciting daytime ‘duck tours’, which are just like the amphibious duck tours that are so famous in Boston. The River Thames caters to every kind of taste, whether it is history, art, or the more modern attractions that are within walking distance of the river landing stages.
The Tate Boat is a great way to immerse yourself in the art world of the Tate Gallery as well as the Tate Modern, and going by boat is much faster than trying to get across London by any other means. One of the most fascinating river tours in London is to visit Hampton Court Palace, the home of King Henry the 8th. The tour winds its way through the heart of the city and into the lush green countryside of Kew before reaching Hampton Court Pier.
Relocating to London will give you the chance to explore the city from a tourist perspective before settling in to life as a Londoner. Besides, you have to learn all about what the city has to offer so that you can impress all of your visiting friends and relatives when they come to visits you in London.
Tags: Americans moving to London, canadians moving to london, London, Moving to London, moving to London England, Relocation London, River Thames, Tower Bridge
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London Transportation
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Friday November 26th, 2010
Author: Colleen
Remember that TV show, “This is Your Life“? Well, I feel like I’m an ongoing contestant on it since moving to London.
Life gets busy and shoots us off into all different directions geographically, professionally, and socially, running through several spheres and growing one network while possibly severing ties to another. Do you ever find during those rare, elusive moments of quiet that a face of the past flits across your mind that you haven’t seen in person for ages? Sometimes those thoughts are accompanied by regret that you lost touch, or it might just be a “huh, wonder what they’re up to these days?” in passing.
Well, if you’re ever keen on having the most random of reunions with the most random of people, relocating to London is your sure-fire ticket. I’m not joking—people from home that I never saw anymore while living there (and wouldn’t if I still did) keep coming out of the woodwork now that I’m in London, of all places. This morning I had coffee with a friend from Chicago that I haven’t seen in almost 7 years. Prior to that I’ve had dinner with a former coworker and his family who I hadn’t seen in probably 9 years, seen a musical with a college roommate I hadn’t seen in 12 years, and had dinner with a friend I met in middle school that I hadn’t seen since high school. Oh, and my husband is currently attending grad school, and among the 95 people in his class representing 42 different countries, 1 of them just so happens to be a girl from my high school dance team who now lives in Germany. Seriously?!?!
And then there are the friends who were already living in London at the time I moved here, all of whom I met during different life stages: coworkers from my first job out of college, a sorority sister from university, yet another gal from my high school dance team, and a friend from elementary school who I hadn’t seen since 4th grade!
Not to mention the 30 visitors who have stayed at our London apartment while on vacation. And then there’s this new and bizarre phenomenon for me: the people of our past who connect with us by proxy in setting us up on “blind dates”—i.e., lunch with a friend of a friend who was studying in Durham, dinner with a relative-through-marriage’s niece who was studying in London, and storing luggage for another relative-through-marriage’s daughter who was studying in Edinburgh (man, looks like these “relatives-through-marriage” are the biggest 
opportunists of ‘em all! ).
Be it business or pleasure that brings them here, travel here they do, and I am officially in jaw-dropping awe of what a hub-of-the-world London truly is. Really, other than home where I established my first circles through family, school, and work, I don’t think there’s any other city in the world that could offer me such a broad network, keeping me in contact with those still very much present in my life while reconnecting me with others from the past…while also connecting me with new and wonderful friends whose independent life paths are now likewise crossing mine. It’s an interconnectedness that gives me a warm fuzzy about humanity and relationships and destiny; I just think it’s the coolest thing in the world (“world” being the operative word in light of this global convergence), and I simply thought I would share that with you today .
Tags: Americans moving to London, canadians moving to london uk, colleen, flats to let in london, flats to rent in london, friends and family visiting london, international relocation, letting agents london, london apartment, london apartments, london business trip, london relocation agent, London Relocation Services, London relocation specialist, london vacation, moving overseas, Moving to London, relocating to london england from us, Relocation London, rent london, staying in touch with friends and family, visiting london
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Moving to London: Tips & Culture
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Wednesday July 21st, 2010
Today’s post is written with a heavy heart indeed…I dreaded going home today to behold the dismal fruits of the tree surgeon’s labors: tree pruning, or lopping, as I’ve come to learn.
I’m no tree-hugger, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I literally wept this morning at the sound of the tree surgeon revving his saw. I looked out my 2nd floor flat at the branches that were always eye-level—indeed filling our entire view out the giant sash windows with vibrant green leaves. As those leaves rustled in the cool morning breeze, it looked as though they were waving goodbye.
24 plane trees, reduced “to point of last reduction,” per the borough council website.
Last night as my husband and I roamed to the opposite side of our square to lament the sheer ugliness of the stumpy trees (they look just like a horrid winter scene painting I made in 5th grade when I couldn’t quite grasp that branches should taper) a neighbor in the square informed us that this occurs every 7 years on this particular site. Over those 7 years, a lovely growth of young branches had emerged, which we’ve enjoyed over the last 2 years; what leaves (pun intended) me sad right now is simply the thought of not getting to see them turn this autumn 
. The leaves also soaked up a lot of street noise, as we noticed during the winters when their bareness created no buffer.
Thanks for listening to me whimper. I’m an aesthetics-oriented gal and have enjoyed those trees and the songbirds that serenaded from their fine branches by mere virtue of dwelling in our flat. My pensive moments writing at the computer that send me looking out the window for the right words to come might meet with a little less inspiration now…I just don’t know.
In any case, this phenomenon is something that I’ve first really come to notice to this drastic extent here in London and elsewhere in Europe. In many-a neighborhood, you’ll encounter this shorn vegetation, which must be approved by borough councils pursuant to Tree Protection Orders (TPO); trees located in historic conservation areas are likewise protected.
I suppose these English gardeners know what they’re doing for the better of the trees, and sometimes it’s necessary to protect the buildings in close proximity—in our case, a Victorian church (which is luckily so pretty in itself), not that I’m sure that’s the reason. I’m devastated that it’s happening in the middle of summer when they’re so lush, but I guess with all the trees in this beautifully green city, the workload has to be spread around all year, and the season of pruning is supposedly irrelevant to what’s best for the tree itself. All we can do is cross our fingers that the trees persevere through the trauma, healing over to shield themselves from disease so that residents can enjoy them for generations to come.
I reckon when life gives us a good lopping, we grow stronger for it, too .
Tags: english garden, London conservation areas, london plane trees, London Relocation, London Relocation Services, london tree protection orders, Moving to London, moving to london from america, relocation companies london, Relocation London
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Moving to London: Tips & Culture
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Tuesday July 20th, 2010
Never fear—we here at London Relocation Ltd. will help even the most demanding of clients
We understand that our clients are quality people with quality expectations (but of course, that’s why they choose to work with our quality company!), so we set the bar high for the properties we will show. In our collaborations with area lettings agents, we emphasize that flats must be located in safe neighborhoods, close to public transportation and necessities (grocery stores, etc.), and be of a high standard from both practical and aesthetic standpoints.
Granted, a part of our job is also managing those high expectations. As I’ve touched on often in this blog (including my brief series on “What to Expect in a London Flat“), London is not going to be the exact replica of where one is relocating from, nor should it be. Money does not go as far, and spaces do not stretch as vast; lifestyles must be adapted on varying levels, no question. That being said, with our own experience as expats of what lifestyle and housing can be like elsewhere, we do our best to match client preferences to the closest London has to offer for a given area and budget, and we’ll persist until the client is satisfied.
Newly refurbished kitchen and bath? All wooden floors? Done—that’s what we like too! And sure, as in the photo, demands such as accommodation of pets can throw a curve ball into the mix, simply because not all buildings or landlords allow them. Yet in a case like this, though moving without a pet will certainly open more doors (literally) to you, it is not to say that pet owners will not still find a living space ideal for both man and beast. This is where having a relocation specialist on your side makes all the difference—increasing your odds by increasing your options.
Relocating to London means embracing a new life abroad with a diversity of cultural experiences, yet it doesn’t have to mean entirely checking who you already are at the door.
You might want to reconsider that hat, though
Tags: Americans moving to London, London Relocation, London Relocation Services, Moving to London, moving to london from america, Moving to London from US, relocating to London, relocation companies london, Relocation London, student housing london
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Rent in London: London Apartment Tips
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Tuesday March 30th, 2010
I just came across an interesting Tweet announcing “The Big Lunch” this year in Britain. What a concept! Sad I missed this last year when UK residents pioneered the first national lunch of this scale. At this point, you’re probably wondering what in heckfire I’m talking about, though it really is what it sounds like: a great big ol’ lunch. Nothing metaphorical about it. As it describes on their website:
“We wanted to know what would happen if everyone in the country stopped what they were doing for a moment and sat down and had lunch with their neighbours.”
Some Big Lunch happenin’s last year, for example (also quoted from www.thebiglunch.com):
- Tranquair Village in Scotland held a Big Lunch in the village hall with traditional games like fir cone’n’spoon, sack races and a treasure hunt.
- A Big Lunch was held on Olympic Way in London on the processional route leading up to Wembley Stadium
- Battersea High Street in South London had a party for 500+ people with entertainment and a BBQ put on by local restaurants.
- East End Park, Leeds – The Big Lunch brought together members of the community from different ethnic groups, as they shared traditional food from their culture with their neighbours.
- 18 Cornwall Care Homes held Big Lunches with family and neighbours including a grannies disco, line dancing and cream teas.
- People’s Park, Banbury held a Big Lunch with knitted bunting from the local knitting club.
- L8 Big Lunch – probably the Biggest Big Lunch, for 5000 people in Toxteth.
- Fighting Close in Coventry Myles gave over a patch of front lawn to all the children in the street to grow their own veg for The Big Lunch. One of the residents also donated a sheep!
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a big kick out of this. It reminds me of the good ol’ street festivals all over Chicago in the summer that bring neighbors together, something I’ve really missed since moving to London. I don’t even speak to any of the neighbors in my building, as everyone stays hidden away (although sometimes that’s a nice thing), and as any London resident will attest, no one makes eye contact—much less smiles—on the sidewalks or on the Tube here. People also won’t step out of your way…ever. I feel like a slalom-skiier swerving side to side to avoid people on a daily basis. What a nice initiative, then, to thaw everyone out and promote community. Let’s do it, folks! This year’s Big Lunch is on Sunday, July 18th.
Nonetheless, London Relocation Ltd. will place you in a flat in a lovely community with super nice neighbors to enjoy during the other 364 days of the year
Tags: Americans moving to London, canadians moving to london, London flats, london moving, London Relocation Services, Moving to London, relocating to London, relocation agents, Relocation London, The Big Lunch
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London Food & Beverage, Moving to London: Tips & Culture
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