Italia

 Bologna

 Bologna

 Piazza Santa Croce (right by our apartment)

 Ponte Vecchio

 Franny on a carousel in a busy piazza

 Steep climb to the top of the Duomo...

 ... To see this!

 Florence at night

 Palazzo Vecchio

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Nutella croissants and doughnuts for breakfast

On Saturday we arrived back in London... after a fantastic week-long trip to Florence, Italy! For the October half term and for Mom and Dad's 20th anniversary we booked tickets to the Tuscan city. After an early 4 am wake-up on Saturday morning, and a short 2 hour flight through EasyJet, we arrived in Bologna. It was a great start to the trip, especially because after arriving in Florence (by train) it made where we were staying that much more beautiful. Our apartment was the perfect location; near plenty of restaurants, shops, museums, and- of course- gellaterias. While Blogspot might crash if I attempt to write about all of our adventures, I'll include the highlights of the week:

Ponte Vecchio: one of the oldest bridges in the city, and is lined with shops. It's beautiful from afar, and near the Pallazo Vecchio, which houses sculptures such as Michelangelo's David. Overall, we did a lot of walking, which is one of my favorite parts of visiting a new city. It was great to just walk through Florence, looking at the Italian stores, stopping for gelato, and marvelling at the architecture. And we loved the restaurants near the bridge- my favorite meal was probably lunch at Zeb. I had butternut squash ravioli, Dad chose eggplant, and Mom and Franny had fresh pasta with ricotta cheese and pear sauce- so good!

Uffizi Gallery: this museum Mom and I visited on our own, and was very impressive. It's huge, and very confusing (we spent almost an hour searching for a specific painting) but was really interesting. The Uffizi only showcases Italian artists, and I can't remember how many times Mom and I said, "Hey, I know that one!" to different paintings. We saw classics like Botticelli's Spring and The Birth of Venus, and some early Madonna and Baby paintings. The building itself was also beautiful, and the long hallways were lined with statues.

The View from the Duomo: Dad, Franny, and I climbed over 360 steps to see the view from the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The climb was extremely steep, but well worth it once we reached the top. We had an incredible view of the city and the countryside; all tiled roofs and green hillsides. Really, really beautiful.


It was an amazing trip, from the food to the atmosphere. Amiamo Firenze!

First Week on the Job

   

Well, I made it through my first week of training at Abel & Cole, and it actually went really well. The people are super nice, which makes all the difference. Steven says that I've become a nut about all things healthy and organic, but it's hard not to argue with their basic tenet of growing food naturally, treating the farmers well, and making the produce available to lots of people for somewhat reasonable prices and always with a smile. Those prices will be more than somewhat reasonable for me, with my staff discount; and I was impressed with my first weekly bag of goodies. Plus, they have an on-site chef who makes gourmet lunches for us, for just £1.10 per day! The bike ride is pretty easy, although I definitely need to install a bike basket soon, and I can't say that I'm looking forward to the rainy weather commute. But I did it year-round in Seattle, so I suppose I'll brave it here.

I'm training with five other newbies, and they are all quite young (no one under 31yrs), which makes life rather interesting. It's fun to have conversations with them about their boyfriends/girlfriends, their time at Uni., their adventures during their gap years, how it is to live with their parents again, etc. And they are all worried about London rent and expenses, which makes me all the more grateful to Robert and Susan for renting us this house at the "mate rate." The whole experience is just so different to my norm, and the novelty is lots of fun, so far. There are certainly plenty of older folks at work, too, so I don't feel totally out of place; there's even a woman from Ohio! Anyway, I'll report more as I learn more (and there is a lot to learn on the job), but all is going well so far.

We also now have a new favorite local pub, which is only a 15-minute walk from the house. It's called the Tooting Tram and Social Club, and it's just that- a converted tram shed with 50' ceilings and gorgeous chandeliers. There are comfy leather couches and funky old arm chairs, an impressive wood bar, old brick walls, and a welcoming vibe. We watched the England match there last Friday night, and will definitely return.

 

Autumn Afternoon

Today was the quintessential Autumn Saturday. While Franny was out with her friend from school at the Science Museum, Mom, Dad, and I biked to Wandsworth Common. The park was fantastic; brilliantly coloured (I'm trying to get in the habit of spelling things the English way) leaves littered the grass, the air was brisk, and everyone has already pulled out their duffel coats and scarves. We biked through, and then decided to continue on to the Thames.

On the way back we stopped for coffee, tea, and carrot cake, before heading home to put our feet up. The perfect way to end my first two weeks of school, and Mom to begin her first two weeks of job training at Abel & Cole.

The Design Museum

Well, I better do some blogging while I still have some free time on my hands. :)
This week was rather special to Steven and me because Wednesday was our 20th wedding Anniversary. Honestly, it doesn't feel like we've been married that long, but I suppose everyone says that. It's just that I can remember that day on the Cape, and all of the feelings that I had at that time, and it doesn't seem possible that twenty years of our lives have flown by since then. Ah, but I wax nostalgic...

Anyway, to celebrate such a momentous milestone, we are going to Italy for a week during the girls' half-term. And to celebrate on the actual day, Steven and I headed to the Design Museum and for lunch at the lovely restaurant upstairs, The Blue Print Cafe. It was such a grown-up day out, and we had that kind of weird glow that you get when you're really happy and so everyone knows you're really happy and they can't help smiling back. We are most certainly not always like that (would be kind of sickening if we were), but this day was special. A nice gentleman in his pinstripe suit (I would say that 99% of men who work in London offices wear suits) offered to take our photo by the Tower Bridge, so this is us just before lunch.

The Design Museum had a cool exhibit titled "Making Britain Modern," in which there were all these examples of Kodak cameras and Kenwood mixers from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, so it was fun to recognize products from our childhoods. And there was another exhibit called "This Is Design," which featured multiple street signs and other iconic images, which was right up Steven's alley. His keyboard US flag could totally have been displayed there!

The Blue Print Cafe is a lovely restaurant with amazing views along the Thames and out to the Tower Bridge. We were some of the first ones there, as folks here definitely seem to lunch a bit later (typically not before 1pm), so we were seated at one of the best tables in the house. And I had found a deal (you know me, always the deal hunter!) for entrance to the Museum with a two-course lunch and wine at the restaurant, which wasn't advertised on the menu but was a great savings. It was a wonderful day out and a great anniversary.

The Job

Today's news is...I got the job! A little background here is necessary, as I've had folks emailing to ask what this "interview" was that I mentioned last week, so please let me explain. I hadn't started looking for work at all yet because Greta was still home from school until last week, and I was spending so much time getting all of that sorted out. But I was checking out the website for our local organic produce delivery, Abel & Cole, and noticed that they were hiring for their Customer Service Team. As a bit of a lark (and to prove to Steven that I was in fact intending to work this year), I forwarded them a cover letter and resume. I received a call that same day to discuss the position, but was told that they were really looking for full time employees, and I said that I wouldn't be available for this.

Then about two weeks ago, they called me back and said that they would like me to come in for an assessment interview the following Monday. Of course, this was the day that Greta was to start school and Steven was leaving for Devizes, but I said that I could make it. I rode my bike there in about 20 minutes, as it's right in Wimbledon, which is part of the appeal. When I arrived, I was escorted to a room with about seven other people (all young recent uni-grads, by the look of them). Within a few minutes, a few others arrived until there were about 12 of us. The staff explained that they had a series of exercises for us to complete, including a writing assignment, a mock cocktail party conversation, a brief one-on-one interview, etc. They informed us that they would let us know if we didn't pass the writing exercise and we would be free to leave at that time. This was when the bloke next to me said, "I feel like we're on the X-Factor!" In any event, I made it to the final cut and then got the call last week that they would like to offer me the position.

Some details about the job: it will be three days a week, which will change depending on the month's schedule, there are various 9-hour shifts, and occasional Saturdays. I'll be answering calls, emails, and webchat to assist Abel & Cole customers. The pay isn't brilliant (obviously, it is customer service), but I also get a weekly bag of fruit and veg, as well as a 35% discount on anything we order from them (this will save us quite a bit on our weekly box delivery). I can ride my bike there or take the bus, and the people seem really nice. All in all, seems like a pretty good part-time gig for this year, and the first job that I applied for.

Anyway, if this falls through, perhaps we can start selling Steven's art work. Here is a photo of his latest:

Franny's Birthday

Yesterday was Franny's 11th Birthday, and we celebrated in style. After breakfast and presents (the highlight was her new keyboard), we headed in to town for a ride on the London Eye. It was amazing, and I was only mildly afraid of the elevation. In fact, as long as I looked across at the view, rather than straight down, it was absolutely fine. And the views were unbelievable. We had wanted to try it, but the queues and the ticket prices had kept us away, so it was a great choice for such a special celebration.

After the ride, we walked along the South Bank for hours, and of course sampled some ice cream.

It was actually in the low 80's yesterday, a record-breaking beautiful day. There were people everywhere, all out to enjoy the gorgeous weather and fun atmosphere. We made it to the Tate for a quick tour and a trip to the gift shop (I do love museum gift shops and their unique artsy wares). Franny had chosen the Gourmet Pizza Company for her birthday dinner, and it was an excellent choice. We all had delicious dinners and salads, and the people-watching along the River was great fun.

We crossed the Bridge at dusk, and seeing London all lit up with the sun setting in the background was spectacular. We were all tired, but hardly wanted the great day to end. It was definitely a memorable birthday. And Franny's 8-1 win at her football match this morning was icing on the cake! Will write more soon, as the photos of this day tell much more than I can in words.