2013 Travels

Brussels

Although Husband and I returned to the USA this year, bringing an end to our European travels, we still found ways to satiate our wanderlust. Our move to New York City provided us with a great base for exploring New York state and the northeastern United States, both regions we'd almost fully neglected prior to our move. We did sneak a little bit of Europe in at the beginning though, just for fun.

We started 2013 travelling. After celebrating the new year in London, we boarded the Eurostar to Brussels. After a day there we went to Duesseldorf for our flight to New York City, where we permanently relocated on January 3rd.

Cape Cod

We stayed within the city limits until June when we traveled to Cape Cod in Massachusetts for our first mini-break of the year.

The rest of the summer was mostly spent in the parks of New York City, especially once we discovered the Urban Park Rangers Family Camping program. We also spent a good deal of time at Coney Island, our favorite place in NYC and where we'll be watching the final sunset of 2013.

In late summer and early autumn we ventured into upstate New York, visiting The Adirondacks, Syracuse and the Finger Lakes region, including Watkins Glen State Park and Ithaca.

Watkins Glen State Park

From October we began venturing out of town for day trips and rambles. We hiked Bear Mountain and stayed to celebrate their Oktoberfest, we journeyed out to Long Island for their Oyster Festival and we devoted two trips to Tarrytown, rambling along different sections of the Old Croton Aqueduct.

We already have a few trips planned for 2014, including another big move, so our travel in this area of the USA will greatly decrease after 2013. And, while our travels in 2013 weren't exactly what we had expected, we do realize how incredibly fortunate we are to have had them.

In 2014, we'd like to find ourselves abroad again, with plenty more to write about. We'd also like to find ourselves healthy and happy, wherever we may be.

To all the Travel Bunnies out there, may 2014 bring you good health, happiness and many safe travels.

31 Things I Learned Whilst Living Abroad

In December 2012, which was my last month living abroad (this time around, at least), I compiled the below list of some of the things I learned during my time as an immigrant in the United Kingdom.  Though in all likelihood this post does not signify the end of Travelin' Bunny, I do expect long periods of silence between posts.  Until we meet again, I wish you all happy travels and safe journeys.

31. Every country has hillbillies

30. When in doubt don't use sarcasm

29. There's more than one way to make a bed (see Evidence A)

Evidence A

28. You don't know what you don't know

27. English, even when both parties are claiming to speak it, is not necessarily a common language.

26. I am not a small town girl.

25. European Christmas markets make everything better.

24. Mulled wine makes everything better.

23. Mixer taps (aka regular faucets) are 'new' technology". (see Evidence B)

Evidence B

22. Nothing beats a £3.50 chicken doner kebab. Nothing. (Except, of course, a cheaper one.)

21. It is possible to see Europe for £25 return

20. I am capable of sleeping anywhere (e.g. standing, sitting, on the floor, lumpy futon, hard mattress, surrounded by shouting/crying/thumping).

19. Some cities completely shut down their public transit systems on Christmas day (I'm looking at you London). You wanna go visit your family? Hope they live within walking distance. You have work? Better sleep there overnight. Wanna go see the lights on Kensington High Street? Eff you.

18. Travelling by train, not that great. Don't get me wrong, plenty convenient (at times). Just not that great.

17. Not putting your rubbish in a bin is okay (and not considered littering) because people are employed to clean up after you. Seriously.

16. The USA was referred to as 'the most liberal country in the world' in either an article I read or something I saw on the news. Either way, even if it was just one person's opinion, I didn't know anyone believed that.

15. Michael Bublé and Bruno Mars are very popular.

14. Hotels in the US often have signs near the phone which read 'local calls are free'. I've always thought, 'well duh'. But, now I know that they say that because local calls are not free everywhere - like in Europe.

13. For the most part, things are exactly the same

12. Those of us who possess self-awareness are at a disadvantage and destined to be slightly frustrated with others at all times. (#12b, Europe is full of people lacking self-awareness.)

11. Shower head placement is arbitrary

10. Escalators are complicated and sometimes deadly (this may only apply in Scotland)

9. Generally, low standards/expectations equals more happiness

8. New friends are just as valuable as old ones.

7. Sometimes different isn't wrong, it's just different. But, sometimes different is just wrong. And, sometimes the wrong-different stuff is still different because people are too stupid/stubborn to change it.

6. I have a very unsophisticated palate

5. Street food is a cheap way to sample local cuisine (and delish!). (See Evidence C)

Evidence C

4. Comments are often made about the percentage of Americans who don't have passports (among other unflattering American statistics), both by Americans as well as others. But, I was shocked to find a number of people here who haven't been abroad (not even to Paris). More people in Scotland than London but there are still a good deal of people in London who've never left London. Shocking.

3. Not having to worry about health insurance, just knowing I'm covered, is a huge relief which I didn't expect. I thought because I always had amazing coverage in the States that I was never concerned about it. But I was. And I'm not here. And it's nice.

2. I don't hate all Americans I meet abroad. I may still hate all tourists, though.

1. When I left in 2010 I'd had enough of the States. The politics, the entitlement, the patriotism, the guns, the religious zealots, the anti-choice ignorants, the second class citizen-making. I was ready to never return. But, after about a year, the honeymoon period was over and I started to miss the States, something I didn't think was possible. But, I do miss it. And, I'm looking forward to coming home.

Happy New Year, Bunnies! (2011 Highlights)

Here we are at the end of 2011, the year I started this travel blog.  Looking back at this past year, I wish I'd written a bit more about my travels but am happy with most of what I did write and am thrilled with my 2011 travel experiences.  Starting the year on the steps of Sacré Coeur in Paris and ending it somewhere in Rome, 2011 has been an amazing travel year for me and below are some of the highlights.

Best Travel Experience: Sóller to Deià

Outside castle ruins, Baden-Baden

Best Travel Moment: Stumbling upon a beer serving cafe mid-hike in Baden-Baden, and then another one outside the castle ruins, and another one inside them.

Most Disappointing Travel Experience: Brighton, England 

Most Challenging Travel Experience: We've had a few bad experiences with landlords this year.  Both in Paris and London, our experiences were dodgy and trying and our current Dundee landlord is non-responsive. Happily, having learned from our experiences, we're enjoying a lovely relationship with our current landlord here in Rome.

Most Rewarding Travel Experience: Spending 19 glorious days in Mallorca with no money, proving money isn't necessary when surrounded by a beautiful beach on the Mediterranean.

I have a few travel dates set aside for 2012 (April, June, July/August, December) and only one confirmed destination (Baltimore).  I'll be chasing cheap fares for the other dates and am looking forward to sharing those experiences with you.  Until then, happy new year, bunnies!

What It Costs To Live In London

The hard numbers behind our four months in London:

Rent: We spent £750 per month on our small, furnished studio flat in the Cricklewood area (Zone 2, midway between Kilburn and Willesden Green tube stations).  This included mediocre Wi-Fi internet access and utilities (less electricity).

Electricity: We averaged about £40 per month, including television usage.

Television: A television licence cost us £29.10 per month

Entertainment: Our entertainment costs averaged £55 per month.  This included Buckingham Palace, Zoo Lates, outdoor film screenings, and an Elton John concert (and festival).

Travel: We averaged £370 per month.  This included our weekly Oyster card top-up (£28 per person for unlimited travel, Zones 1-2) plus our train rides to Eastbourne, Oxford, Hatfield, Brighton, and Bath.

Food: We went out a lot, especially during the last half of the summer.  We averaged £475 per month on dining out costs (including pints) and £160 per month on groceries.

I found London to be very affordable.  Although I was disappointed with our flat, at least we were able to find one within our budget which got us there (and the neighbourhood was safe and fun and convenient).  Once there, we found living expenses to be low.  There are plenty of dining options across the economic spectrum and we were always checking out new places.  There are also many attractions that are free (parks, museums, Thames Walkway, etc.) making entertainment very affordable.  Other necessities, like groceries and public transportation, are completely reasonable and, in both cases, cheaper in London than in Dundee (though public transportation isn't as necessary in Dundee).

Yes, you can definitely spend a lot of money in London.  But, the fact that we averaged only £2000 per month for all expenses, doing everything we wanted to do, shows that spending a lot of money isn't necessary to enjoy yourself.

London Walking Tour

Click for more pictures

This past Saturday Le Cool, one of my early finds upon relocating to London in May and my first stop whenever looking for something to do, was hosting the launch party for Artesian Wanders, a walking tour of London in partnership with Fiji Water.  Although the walking tour from Camden to Clerkenwell, an area of the city we haven't spent too much time in yet, would've been enough by itself, we were especially looking forward to this event because it would involve an organized pub crawl and free drinks at the final destination (and I'm a whore for free drinks).

As expected, this walk was SO much fun!  Mike & I joined a larger group, mostly made up of Le Cool writers but with a few other readers such as myself, and had the best time not only seeing the city from a different perspective (we're never with a group and rarely learn anything historic, or of interest, about our surroundings) but also getting to know new people with similar interests (they were all fans of Le Cool).

The walk followed the path of the Fleet River, which flows underneath the city (who knew?) and which we actually glimpsed through a street grate outside the Prince Albert (perhaps my new favourite pub?).

King's Cross station

Another of the many interesting stops along our walk was at King's Cross (where we arrived from Dundee back in May) and St. Pancras.  We discovered not only the circumstances (privatized, competing train companies; capitalism at its best) which caused two train stations to be built right next to each other (seriously, they're neighbours) but also the amazing rejuvenation which St. Pancras has recently gone through (it used to be a hotel and then stood derelict for some time, avoided demolition, and is now a working station again).

We continued on to the Farringdon area, passing the UK headquarters for Amnesty International (a very small and unassuming building), finally arriving at our destination pub, Three Kings, at around 4:30pm (maybe; we weren't really checking the time) where we were greeted by loads of free Palm beer.  We mingled with more of our awesome group and then, seemingly only minutes later, it was 7:30pm and we had to leave for our next engagement.

With or without the free beer and Fiji water, this was an amazing way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon and I'm so happy that we did it.  We made some new friends and had an amazing experience and would happily do it all again.  Our Artesian Wander will definitely go down as one of the highlights from our London summer.

Londres

I'm approaching the two month mark as a resident of London, also the halfway mark.  Although I'm still trying to wring the most out of my four months in London, my endurance is beginning to wane.  Rather than doing something every day I'm down to maybe one week night and the weekend.  I suspect I'll get a second wind in August but, until then, I'm enjoying the groove of being a Londoner and not just a tourist.

I've been a bit more observant of my surroundings this week, perhaps due to the importance of this being the last week of the first half of my London summer.  I've noticed, for instance, that the Londoner's blank stare is a grimace.  Additionally, Londoners will pay to sit in a lawn chair at a public park rather than for free on the grass or park bench.

London is not a bicycle-friendly city.  Although there are bike lanes and 'sharrows' and designated areas for bikes at the front of some intersections and a bike rental program in place throughout the city ('Boris bikes'), there are also 'no cycling' signs everywhere and bikes aren't allowed on the tube or buses.  Perhaps bicycles are considered full-fledged vehicles here (cars aren't allowed on the pavement so why should bikes be?), which might be a good thing as far as safety on the road.  But, not all bike riders are equipped for road travel.  Sometimes you just want to take a leisurely ride through the park but in London that doesn't appear to be allowed.

I enjoy my morning commute.  I love catching the bus every morning to my tube station and riding 30 minutes underground, sometimes standing the whole time, to pop out in the middle of The City.  Taking my time to get to work each morning, I get off a few tube stations earlier than necessary so I can walk along the Thames and past St. Paul's Cathedral.  My morning commute takes about an hour and each morning I find myself stopping to take another picture along the route.  London can be very picturesque, especially when the sun is shining.

I enjoy riding front row upper-deck on the double-decker buses and I prefer riding a bus to the tube, especially on lovely days.  Unfortunately, the bus isn't a practical option for my morning commute but on weekends it's my preference and on late nights it's the only option.

I'll probably have a different perspective, along with different observations, towards the end of the next two months, which I'll enjoy sharing at that time.  Until then, I'm going to continue to relish being a Londoner before midnight hits and I revert into a tourist again.