The Big Smoke

Goodbye Dublin, hello Big Smoke.

Living abroad can be pretty brilliant. Exploring little cobblestone streets.  Stumbling upon a Sunday farmer's market.  Visiting incredible museums.  Tucking into a pint in an old pub. Meeting new people.  Jumping on a flight and landing world's away.  Tasting local, sometimes unidentifiable, cuisine.  No matter where you live, there is something to be said about truly becoming a local.

So as our time in Ireland recently drew to a close, we found we weren't quite ready to pack up our bags and head home. And while we will always recall with fondness walking to work, the nice people and the days the easterly wind smothered Dublin with the smell of brewing Guinnes at St. Jame's Gate, we were also ready for a change of European scenery.

London might be only a 35 minute flight from Dublin, but it is chaotic, colourful and at times, seemingly worlds away.  We set-up temporary camp in Marylebone, in the heart of the city and are enjoying the finer things of life whilst in corporate housing.....free rent.

In a nod to our newly formed Irish roots, our first evening we set out to find a local - Pontefract Castle.  A local meaning the closest pub to our door.  The Pontefract is a mere 20 feet from our flat and is great for specialty ales. Despite being only a block from the crowds of Oxford Circus it retains a traditional English pub charm.  Oxford Circus is my new nemesis as I fight the crowds to find the little hole in the wall that leads to St. Christopher Place where we live.  I swear sometimes it feels like half the population is trying to walk or push past the H&M.

As our second task, we scoped out neighborhoods all across the city that have been recommended and suggested as friendly, safe places to live.  Using the Tube is a little bit like being a mouse, scooting through long winding tunnels, riding up and down escalators and then popping up in fresh air in a completely different locale.

After commuting to work everyday for several years using the Metro in Washington, D.C., I have a great appreciation for public transport and was grateful that after hours of walking in Notting Hill, Fulham, Clapham Junction, St. John's Wood, Regent's Park, Camden, Primrose Hill, Earl's Court and South Kensington, I could duck underground, grab a seat and find myself home in under 20 minutes.  (London lesson 1 - Buy an Oyster card for the Tube or it will cost you a small fortune).