...going to London...

[Kat]

I am stalled on all my scrapbooking and organizing. I haven't done MOC all week. I know I can catch up and I'm not super concerned about that. I am packing for London. We will be living there most of this year. I feel like scrapping is my stress reliever and I've been needing to make time this week.

The hardest part is what to take and what not to take. We discussed taking our blu ray player and some favorite blu rays b/c our streaming is somewhat limited. I am not even sure if it will work over there. We've stocked a years worth of our (prescription) medicines that will take up a lot of space and some comfort items that we use regularly. I'd pack the house if I could.

My husband will be working a lot and I don't venture out much on my own. I found the trains confusing when I visited. But I do like it there so I am hoping it will be an interesting year. We have to leave our dogs behind with their Nana and PawPaw though. They are like our kids so that's the hardest part of all.

If anyone here is from the UK and has advice or suggestions. I am open to hear it! I need lots of luck to pack smart and travel like a minimalist. (ha ha, which I am totally not)

We will be living outside of the city of London in Eaton Square/Windsor near the Castle.

Sharing a couple photos:
This is Windsor Bridge. We walk over it daily to go shopping or to the train station. iPhone shot

This is a shot walking to our flat. This is the house on the corner (ours is to the left down the driveway)

Looking out the window in the living room we can see the full moon over River Thames. We have a view of the water although a small one. On the far right you see the top of Windsor castle (a 5 minute walk) and on weekends when she is there you can see the Queen's flag. (iPhone shot)

 

[LynnG]

Lucky, lucky you! How exciting.

London can be pretty busy and manic. If you are into museums and art galleries it would be good to try and get to them during the week when it might be a little quieter! Otherwise try and find those little interesting corners that aren't swamped with tourists (like Postman's Park) and the nearby Museum of London can be a little quieter than the others. A lot of it will depend on where you will be staying. Happy to give you some tips of places you could walk to or easily bus to if you have the address (eg just the street name or even the suburb plus a few of the names of the streets around where you are) and want to message me.

 

[bbymks5]

I'm totally jealous (in a good way)! I'd love to go to London for a year!

For packing; maybe see if you can find some packing hacks on Pinterest/YouTube?

 

[Kat]

Lucky, lucky you! How exciting.

London can be pretty busy and manic. If you are into museums and art galleries it would be good to try and get to them during the week when it might be a little quieter! Otherwise try and find those little interesting corners that aren't swamped with tourists (like Postman's Park) and the nearby Museum of London can be a little quieter than the others. A lot of it will depend on where you will be staying. Happy to give you some tips of places you could walk to or easily bus to if you have the address (eg just the street name or even the suburb plus a few of the names of the streets around where you are) and want to message me.

I did update my post b/c I forgot to mention we are staying outside the London area. We found it hectic and busy and overwhelming when we were in the city when I visited. And it's much more expensive. We settled in Windsor (Eaton Square) near the castle so it's quieter. Busy still at times and will be busier now because of the upcoming royal wedding behind held there. Learning to navigate is my biggest challenge. We will be going to do more tourist-y things on Sundays. We also hope to get back to Scotland and would like to spend some time in Ireland.

 

[Kat]

I'm totally jealous (in a good way)! I'd love to go to London for a year!

For packing; maybe see if you can find some packing hacks on Pinterest/YouTube?

I never even thought to do that. Great idea. My husband is great at packing but for 3 weeks I took a ton of stuff so now I am packing for even longer. I think I am going to ask about shipping a box of our stuff to make life easier.

 

[bbymks5]

A year is a long time to try and pack for...I wonder if you can find some fun second hand shops to get most clothes from? Do they still sell the converters for electronics and appliances (blower dryers, curling/flat irons etc)? I'm not even sure if I'd bother packing toiletries and things like that?

Will you have to pay customs on the mail? IDK how that works, I just know things can take forever to get overseas.

I never even thought to do that. Great idea. My husband is great at packing but for 3 weeks I took a ton of stuff so now I am packing for even longer. I think I am going to ask about shipping a box of our stuff to make life easier.

 

[Kat]

A year is a long time to try and pack for...I wonder if you can find some fun second hand shops to get most clothes from? Do they still sell the converters for electronics and appliances (blower dryers, curling/flat irons etc)? I'm not even sure if I'd bother packing toiletries and things like that?

Will you have to pay customs on the mail? IDK how that works, I just know things can take forever to get overseas.

We did decide to pack things like deodorant, I like my shampoo a lot and my conditioning sprays, razors, and I checked what I could and couldn't order easily from amazon. Some items that are available are pretty pricey so I chose things I knew that I would be picky about. I ordered a little extra make up and bought a couple extra things there but those are all super small. When I visited, my flat irons didn't convert so I have one already there. They had a hair dryer (furnished flat) so that's easier. We have about 5 plug in converters so that will cover items like my ehd's that we want to take and computers. We can always buy more. They take care of the bed linens and we did take an extra blanket last time (it gets very cold!). I'll buy boots and sweaters there. I think entertainment is a gray area... we want to take our blu ray player and some blu rays b/c the dvd they have is old and you can't stream as easily. Complicates things. They do have freeview tv which is well... free tv. ha ha. I'm a tv/movie junkie so that was one thing I wanted to keep things like home. I also have several books to take that I can read in my downtime. There could be a lot of downtime while the hubs is working.

 

[cfile]

I am stalled on all my scrapbooking and organizing. I haven't done MOC all week. I know I can catch up and I'm not super concerned about that. I am packing for London. We will be living there most of this year. I feel like scrapping is my stress reliever and I've been needing to make time this week.

The hardest part is what to take and what not to take. We discussed taking our blu ray player and some favorite blu rays b/c our streaming is somewhat limited. I am not even sure if it will work over there. We've stocked a years worth of our (prescription) medicines that will take up a lot of space and some comfort items that we use regularly. I'd pack the house if I could.

My husband will be working a lot and I don't venture out much on my own. I found the trains confusing when I visited. But I do like it there so I am hoping it will be an interesting year. We have to leave our dogs behind with their Nana and PawPaw though. They are like our kids so that's the hardest part of all.

If anyone here is from the UK and has advice or suggestions. I am open to hear it! I need lots of luck to pack smart and travel like a minimalist. (ha ha, which I am totally not)

We will be living outside of the city of London in Eaton Square/Windsor near the Castle.

Sharing a couple photos:
This is Windsor Bridge. We walk over it daily to go shopping or to the train station. iPhone shot

This is a shot walking to our flat. This is the house on the corner (ours is to the left down the driveway)

Looking out the window in the living room we can see the full moon over River Thames. We have a view of the water although a small one. On the far right you see the top of Windsor castle (a 5 minute walk) and on weekends when she is there you can see the Queen's flag. (iPhone shot)

How exciting Kat.. I am so jealous Enjoy and everything will fall into place.

 

[bbymks5]

I didn't think of razors, I would have hit a local Boots or another drug store LOL

I hope you don't find yourself with too much downtime! Maybe you can make friends with some of your hubby's co-workers wives/girlfriends? Do.all.the.things.

We did decide to pack things like deodorant, I like my shampoo a lot and my conditioning sprays, razors, and I checked what I could and couldn't order easily from amazon. Some items that are available are pretty pricey so I chose things I knew that I would be picky about. I ordered a little extra make up and bought a couple extra things there but those are all super small. When I visited, my flat irons didn't convert so I have one already there. They had a hair dryer (furnished flat) so that's easier. We have about 5 plug in converters so that will cover items like my ehd's that we want to take and computers. We can always buy more. They take care of the bed linens and we did take an extra blanket last time (it gets very cold!). I'll buy boots and sweaters there. I think entertainment is a gray area... we want to take our blu ray player and some blu rays b/c the dvd they have is old and you can't stream as easily. Complicates things. They do have freeview tv which is well... free tv. ha ha. I'm a tv/movie junkie so that was one thing I wanted to keep things like home. I also have several books to take that I can read in my downtime. There could be a lot of downtime while the hubs is working.

 

[bestcee]

I'm going to tag Cynthia because I know she lives in London. She's also a transplant, so she knows what it's like to leave some comforts behind! And she probably has some good ideas for tv/DVD! @MrsPeel
@londoncuppa Just adores London, so she might have some good advice too!

I also have several books to take that I can read in my downtime.

I know this can be iffy for people, but do you have a Kindle? If you do, and it's attached to your American address, with a library card you can usually check out books. Plus, as an avid book lover, I adore that I can carry around 100's of books in less than the space of one!

What I know about DVD is that UK uses a different region: PAL vs NTSC. Now, an interesting fact I just read is that most European players will play both. So, it might be worth looking into getting one in London if it will play both your US DVD's, and then if you find a second hand store you can always pick up a few movies there without worrying about region differences. I know Cynthia streams tv and movies, so hopefully she'll have a suggestion or two for you?

I'm so sorry about the dogs! I know that was a hard decision you've been toying with for awhile.

 

[LynnG]

I did update my post b/c I forgot to mention we are staying outside the London area. We found it hectic and busy and overwhelming when we were in the city when I visited. And it's much more expensive. We settled in Windsor (Eaton Square) near the castle so it's quieter. Busy still at times and will be busier now because of the upcoming royal wedding behind held there. Learning to navigate is my biggest challenge. We will be going to do more tourist-y things on Sundays. We also hope to get back to Scotland and would like to spend some time in Ireland.

Lovely place to be!

 

[LynnG]

PS I am sure you will be able to sort out getting Netflix or Amazon over there (we even have it here where I am now - in New Zealand - and that's the end of the world LOL).

I bet there is an expat meet up group in the Windsor area if you felt like meeting some people, and they may well organise group day trips, coffee meet ups etc.

You are so close to the train station there. If you go off peak and ask for assistance the first time I bet they will be able to set you up with the cheapest ticket options and make sure you know where you are going. I am sure once you have done it once, you'll be fine - and there are lots of places that are only a stop or few away (even just one stop to the big shopping centre at Slough!). And when you husband is around, it would be fun to catch the train to Paddington and explore around that part of London (Hyde Park, Little Venice etc) You are close enough to Oxford for a day trip too!

Have a fabulous time

 

[carrie1977]

No puppies?! Those babies are going to miss you guys!!

I have no advice. I've never been there so I will live vicariously thru you. Haha!

 

[Kat]

I didn't think of razors, I would have hit a local Boots or another drug store LOL

I hope you don't find yourself with too much downtime! Maybe you can make friends with some of your hubby's co-workers wives/girlfriends? Do.all.the.things.

I did join a photography group there that is people from a forum I am currently in. I am in a DFW version of the same group. Our group here is great so I am hoping for some photography meet ups.

 

[Kat]

No puppies?! Those babies are going to miss you guys!!

I have no advice. I've never been there so I will live vicariously thru you. Haha!

This is by far the number one part I am unsure of. I feel lost with leaving them but hoping for the best. I will have lots of photos to scrap.

 

[Kat]

PS I am sure you will be able to sort out getting Netflix or Amazon over there (we even have it here where I am now - in New Zealand - and that's the end of the world LOL).

I bet there is an expat meet up group in the Windsor area if you felt like meeting some people, and they may well organise group day trips, coffee meet ups etc.

You are so close to the train station there. If you go off peak and ask for assistance the first time I bet they will be able to set you up with the cheapest ticket options and make sure you know where you are going. I am sure once you have done it once, you'll be fine - and there are lots of places that are only a stop or few away (even just one stop to the big shopping centre at Slough!). And when you husband is around, it would be fun to catch the train to Paddington and explore around that part of London (Hyde Park, Little Venice etc) You are close enough to Oxford for a day trip too!

Have a fabulous time

Thank you! We do have Amazon prime UK (which is separate from your US Prime, naturally) but the Netflix subscription works over there although it's different. Different sets of shows and movies. Our problem is we can only use "x" amount of internet per month in this flat. I can't stream too much. A few shows several times a week might be okay but not regularly.

I hope to do some of the tours that are a few hours and near us. My husband understand the trains fairly well but I don't totally get it and I am not sure I ever will. We'll see. He did go to Oxford already so we may visit there but most of it, I just don't know about yet. I thought about getting a book or something.

 

[Kat]

We did decide to pack things like deodorant, I like my shampoo a lot and my conditioning sprays, razors, and I checked what I could and couldn't order easily from amazon. Some items that are available are pretty pricey so I chose things I knew that I would be picky about. I ordered a little extra make up and bought a couple extra things there but those are all super small. When I visited, my flat irons didn't convert so I have one already there. They had a hair dryer (furnished flat) so that's easier. We have about 5 plug in converters so that will cover items like my ehd's that we want to take and computers. We can always buy more. They take care of the bed linens and we did take an extra blanket last time (it gets very cold!). I'll buy boots and sweaters there. I think entertainment is a gray area... we want to take our blu ray player and some blu rays b/c the dvd they have is old and you can't stream as easily. Complicates things. They do have freeview tv which is well... free tv. ha ha. I'm a tv/movie junkie so that was one thing I wanted to keep things like home. I also have several books to take that I can read in my downtime. There could be a lot of downtime while the hubs is working.

I found out that we can ship most items and it could cost 50-100 bucks depending on weight and take 6-10 days up to 3 weeks but for some things that might work ok.

 

[LynnG]

Our problem is we can only use "x" amount of internet per month in this flat.

 

[Kat]

Yup totally! I feel the same way!
Last time we "rigged" our internet to think we were in the US so we could download our purchased digital content from VUDU and Movies Anywhere (formerly known as Disney Movies Anywhere)... I have so much stuff on there. But it does not work in the UK. Neither does Starz so you should have seen me trying to watch Outlander before spoilers got posted.

 

[bbymks5]

That'll be cool!!

I did join a photography group there that is people from a forum I am currently in. I am in a DFW version of the same group. Our group here is great so I am hoping for some photography meet ups.