7½ Things that have surprised me about living in London

Moving from California to London was a major life change in many ways, but I have realled enjoyed it.  And the time has flown.  Last week marked four months since I moved to London.  In honor of the occasion, I thought I would share a list of the things that have been the biggest surprises about living in the UK.

1. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

As an American, I know very little about the British royal family.  However, one of the first things that I noticed about them was that Queen Elizabeth was married to Prince Philip.  Not King Philip, but Prince.  I was perplexed.  Shouldn’t Queens be married to Kings?  I always thought that was the way of royalty.

Well, it turns out I was wrong - or, at least partially wrong.  Since Queen Elizabeth is the sovereign (i.e. she inherited the crown), traditionally her consort remains a Prince so as to not outrank her. 

If the crown had come to Philip, and he was married to Elizabeth, he would have been king and she would become Queen.  But when the crown passes to a female, their spouse traditionally remains the Prince-Consort.

Wordless Wednesday - The Clock

4 Things The Hunger Games Taught Me About Traveling

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard of the The Hunger Games trilogy in both book and movie form.  While most of us will never have to fight to the death with 23 others, there are still several themes in The Hunger Games that are applicable to those of us that love to travel (and live).  Besides the scathing indictment of reality TV (which I wholeheartedly agree with), these are some of the lessons that directly apply to those of us with wanderlust in our hearts and perennially itchy feet.

If it feels wrong, run

Ok, running may not always be the answer, but you should definitely trust your gut.  If something feels off about a place or a person, it probably is.  Chances are that the feeling of unease is your survival instinct, and not your paranoia, that is telling you it’s time to be moving on. Unlike the actual Hunger Games, travellers don’t need to put themselves into dangerous situations to “win”.  A traveller wins by enjoying the experience, trying something new and making it home safe and sound.

Team up for survival

Being self-sufficient and traveling independently doesn’t mean that you can’t interact with others.  Whether they are locals or fellow travellers, we can all gain something through our interactions.  It can be something as simple as a recommendation for a great restaurant or site that is off the beaten track or something deeper like a shared meal or experience.  These kinds of interactions serve to enhance the travel experience and (hopefully) lead to more meaningful interactions with the destinations you visit.

Expect the unexpected

In traveling, as in life, things never go exactly according to plan.  I think of it like planning a wedding – no matter how hard you try, something is destined to go wrong. 

If you prepare yourself for things to go wrong beforehand, it will be much easier to take issues in stride when they pop up.  And remember, if everything went perfectly it probably wouldn’t be much fun anyways.

When all else fails, adapt

When your allies are killed off, your flights are cancelled and things generally go to hell, it is easy to throw up your hands and give in to self-pity or anger.  Instead, try to concentrate on the unique opportunity you are presented with. 

Just like a knife only becomes sharp when it is rubbed against the side of a stone, we only grow as people and adventurers when we are challenged.

Lost in a city?  Enjoy seeing a side of the town that most travellers don’t have a chance to see. 

Encountering delays or difficulties?  Roll with the punches and enjoy the extra time you have in a location.  A lot of people will never have the opportunity to be where you are.

And besides, things are good because no one is trying to kill you (hopefully).

So next time you are travelling, remember The Hunger Games.

And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Wordless Wednesday - When spring comes early

The best little bakery in Paris

To be fair, I may not be 100% qualified to make that judgement.  However, Boulangerie Bazin was my absolute favorite bakery in Paris.  And based on the constant line - out the door and up the street - the local Parisians agree with me.

The croissants were, in one word, AMAZING: light as air, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. 

Ooh la la!

The only thing that would have made them better was if they were just out of the oven, and still warm.  Although considering that I didn’t purchase them until 11 AM that might be asking a little much.

Everything else looked top notch too.  If I had a better command of French - which is currently limited to "croissant, s'il vous plaît"- I may have ordered half of the shop.  As it was, the extra croissants, pan au chocolat and brioche I picked up barely lasted the day.

Boulangerie Bazin specializes in Bazinette aux Graines and is just a block from the Marché d'Aligre market in the 12th arrondissement (district) of Paris.  The Bazinette is named after the proprietor of the shop, Jacques Bazin, and contains flax seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. 

However, if you want to try one of these beauties, make sure to get there early.  Or else all of the locals who are in the know will snatch them all up.  So make sure to stop there on your way to Marché d'Aligre (which is also definitely worth a visit) and stock up on all of your favorites.

Bon appetit!

Boulangerie Bazin
85, bis rue de Charenton (12th arrondissement)
Métro: Ledru-Rollin
Tel: 01 43 07 75 21
(Closed Wednesday and Thursday) 

Do you know of any fantastic bakeries in Paris (or anywhere else for that matter) that I have to check out on my next visit?  Tell me about them!