HiHi from Norway

Yes, that is a real live reindeer. I was mere metres away from this and MANY other reindeers this past week during my Norwegian adventures. This one doesn't appear to have any horns but lots of them did have short, velvety horns. I guess they regrow them every year and the velvet gets rubbed off during the summertime. So that was pretty cool to see so many reindeer just roaming about. It's almost getting to be summer in northern Norway so they were on the move to graze in greener pastures.

Other cool things about Norway:

The Midnight Sun - It doesn't ever get dark in Alta!! The town of Alta (where Nicole and I stayed) is past the Arctic Circle, which means that for about 70 days in the summer the sun never sets but stays up all day, even at midnight, hence the Midnight Sun. It's a little disconcerting to have sunshine at midnight and definitely threw me off a bit psychologically but also makes for a very beautiful setting for those few months. We climbed to the top of a "hill" overlooking Alta to try for the Midnight Sun view one night but it was super windy so we settled for the 10pm sun instead. The flip side of this is the neverending darkness that lasts from November - January where this town never sees the light of day for a few months. That would be really hard I think.

Nordkapp - we visited North Cape, the northernmost point in Norway (and mainland Europe?) that you can drive to. You can hike to some other crazy place, but let me tell you Nordkapp is north enough as it is. The day we went it was actually snowing on the road and it was so windy that we could only be outside for a few minutes at a time. But, we went, we saw, we were at the end of the world practically and it was pretty neat. 

Brown Cheese - I tried this famous brown goat's cheese that is supposed to be a favorite Norwegian cheese, and it was interesting...a little sweet, a little tart, and an acquired taste I think.

Rock Carvings - We saw some pretty ancient rock carvings (between 6000-2000 years old) just outside the town of Alta. The carvings were not discovered until 1970, which is so crazy to me as they've been sitting here near the water's edge for thousands of years. It was definitely a cool thing to see and wonder how things might have been thousands of years ago...I'm guessing by the rock carvings that life had a lot to do with reindeer, fish and skiing.

 And other than that it was a pretty relaxing visit. Bjornar, a family friend, was our host and he was really so so kind to both Nicole and I. He has two daughters the same age as us who are not living at home so we stayed in their rooms and it was kind of nice to be looked after for a few days. We had Norwegian waffles with sour cream and jam (it's good, surprisingly) and he cooked us eggs for breakfast. It reminded me a lot of home with the spacious small town feel of the place, although it did just make me want to go back and visit Norway again soon. Overall a really welcome change of pace from busy, crazy London and a chance to regather my thoughts and perspective.  

But crazy busy London shall soon be my focus again as it's a return to work, moving day and the Queen's Jubilee this weekend!!!! I think I'll need a little bit of Midnight Sun to get everything done in time...

The Plot Thickens...

Indeed the plot has thickened. Which usually means things have gotten more intense (!) or more layers have been revealed to the storyline. Both are true in this case, I believe.

Long story short my flatmates are ending the tenancy on the 9th June now, which means I have less than 3 weeks to find a new abode here in London. Just for fun, I'm also going to be out of the city for 6 of those days (having an awesome adventure with my sister in Norway) and won't be here to view places, etc.

My reaction to this situation: Suck it, London.

Never fear, though, as I have been driven by the panic of my potential homelessness (which I realize is not truly a legitimate possibility but is still frightening) to go to viewings already last night and will hopefully be putting a place down on a deposit tomorrow. Where I will stay. Hopefully for longer than a few weeks, haha. Will keep updating as to how/whether this all works out or not...though the prospect of moving all my stuff is not desirable, I'd rather have it over and done with as soon as possible so that I can carry on with more fun times and adventures.

The next big adventure is a trip to Norway this weekend with my sister Nicole. She has advised me to bring mitts and a hat; I brought neither of those things with me, so we will see how that goes.

In the meantime I will be appreciating any good house-getting vibes that are sent over here. They may come in handy in the next little while.

Life as A Gypsy

Today I had some unsettling news from my flamate. I suppose you might say it was inevitable really. Just as I am beginning to really settle into my life here in London, and I've been in my flat for nearly two months, my flatmates break up and announce that they are potentially (probably) moving out in a few months.

I get where the universe is coming from on this one. I've only moved twice already this year, and approximately 5 times in the past five years, so I must have some sort of deep abiding love for the process of packing up all my belongings and going through all the hassle of changing my address and forwarding my mail and paying damage deposits and hiring trucks and vans, yes? NOT.

But it's as if somewhere out there somebody perked up and said, "What's that, Amanda? You've been living happily in your flat and intend to do so uninterrupted for the next 8 months or so??? That just can't be right." And so they've thrown a little excitement in.

Time will tell what the best option will turn out to be for me. As has been the case in the past, I am in a situation where I would most like to do nothing but am probably going to be forced to do something. Namely stay in my flat and probably take over the lease or find a new room to live in in London and move all of my things there. Both of these options make me irritated; it's hard to say which one more so.

If my constant nomadic behaviour has taught me anything I suppose it would be to adapt fairly quickly to my surroundings. Eight weeks in my flat and I feel as though I live here, my life is here. It's funny because I could never have imagined myself as such a transitory being, but I think it does me good, at least for now. Everything that I really need, I have, short of being an ocean away from my family and friends. And either way this current situation works out, I know I will take it in stride, it just may mean taking on a little more responsibilty or putting in a little more effort than I was hoping to.

So like a true gypsy I will see where the wind takes me in the next few weeks and let any relevant parties know if a change of address is in the works....I apologize in advance if you will have to scratch out my 6th or 7th entry from your address book. What can I say, I'm practically a wandering minstrel at this point...

Sunday In The Park With Amanda

A near-perfect London day:

A few hours spent perusing the Natural History Museum in South Kensington (an area that is swiftly becoming one of my favorites so far) observing dinosaur skeletons and preserved insect specimens. No hurry at all as this museum is FREE and I can come back anytime! What luxury...

Then an absolutely heavenly pain au chocolat and coffee from a cute little bakery called Gail's near the tube station. Walked to nearby Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens to enjoy what feels like the first summery day I have ever experienced, that's how joyful it was making me. Am soon visited by the most adorable border terrier who is hoping to share in my croissant and later in the afternoon see a greyhound streaking across the park. Readers may know that Maxwell, my family's first dog, was a border terrier and that the current hound residing at 1642 is indeed a greyhound (though not grey in colour) called Harley.

Coincidence? I think not.

Blissful afternoon? You bet your hat, sir.




Tell me a good croissant isn't one of life's greatest pleasures. Go on, I dare you.

Channelling My Inner Superhero

I went to see the film The Avengers last night at the last minute with one of my co-workers and really enjoyed myself. It is always nice to see an action movie in the big screen although all of the violence does sometimes turn me off a little. They certainly are not kidding around about big cinemas here either. This one which is fairly near my flat is in Westfield Shopping Centre - which is the biggest mall in Northern Europe or some crazy thing like that. Anyway, it's huge. There are tons of restaurants,every store you can think of and then another wing of the mall for people who can afford designer clothing and stuff. It's one of those malls that has Jimmy Choo as a store...If I could offer a tip it would be not to go to Westfield unless you know what you are going to do there. Going there with nothing to do or buy is VERY overwhelming haha.

Anyway Clare and I shared some delicious Vietnamese Iced Coffees (I will be going back there for those...) and went to see this action-packed movie, just because sometimes that's what you have to do. Maybe I should have spent that 15 pounds (also: movies are expensive here) on something cultural or awe-inspiring or meaningful, but instead I just spent it on a relaxing night at the movies. Of course, relaxing can be a difficult task for me at the best of times and on my way home I got to thinking about all sorts of meaningful life questions. Those superheros have the power to change the world with their incredible strength and undefeatable weapons and seductive spy skills, but what are the things in my own personal superhero skill-set that I will be using the change the world? As in, what exactly will I be doing with my life in general, and also at the end of this working holiday journey in the UK? Until I am starring in blockbuster action flicks (probably never) or get bitten by a radioactive spider (possibly soon) I will have to rely on such mundane things like my introverted creativity and resourcefulness to make my way.

Which is fine. I am learning to appreciate having this time in my life to really, truly consider the next step and that is one reason I took this trip in the first place. Distance sometimes brings clarity and every now and then I seem to be getting a dose of it. Even if I don't know what my next step will be specifically I know that it is important to be familiarizing myself with my superhero skill-set during this time. There is a kind of clarity in having to start anew somewhere fresh - we are always shaped by so many things but it is a kind of chance to discover what you are really like as a person away from all of the distractions and influences that may have clouded things in the past.

So that is a good starting place for me, and a reminder to continue to try to be aware of things that come up for me as I go along. The important thing is to keep listening for those moments of clarity and to hopefully strike a balance between worrying/wondering about the future and enjoying my time here while it lasts. Easy as pie, right?

Stay tuned for how our hero manages to thwart the forces of evil and uncertainty yet again in the next adventure...

Mystic Pizza

I finally saw my first show on the West End this week! I went to see Noises Off, which is a very funny British comedy about a group of actors trying to put on a touring production of a fictional play called "Nothing On." There are sardines, people falling down stairs and doors slamming left, right and centre. Needless to say hilarity ensues.

I also saw Shrek! The Musical which I will have to admit I didn't have extremely high hopes for, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although it will not be the next hit musical it was definitely a decent show with some catchy tunes, and it was worth it just to see the dragon come flying out over the audience.

So I am happy to have begun to see some shows and of course it only made me want to see more! The lucky thing is that I do have time to spread them out and hopefully over the course of the next months I will be able to take in as much theatre as possible :)

I also did a walking tour that was called "Harry Potter on Location in Londontown" which I would highly recommend to any HP fans out there. My sister Nicole and I will be going to the Warner Brothers Leavesden Studio Tour in June but this walk is super convenient as it's right in London and only costs 9 pounds! It was also very cool to see spots in everyday London that were used in the making of the films or referenced in the books - like the entrance to the Ministry of Magic! I also really enjoyed learning that J. K. Rowling (the author) was working in London before she wrote the books and our tour guide showed us the street that may have been her original inspiration for Diagon Alley, a magical little lane with more bookshops than any other street in London. 

If that doesn't inspire you to believe in magic, I had a nice pizza later that same day at an Italian restaurant, where I found this simple, yet profound message awaiting me: