My Top 5 Favorite Things to do in London

Now that it has been officially six months since I've first moved to London, I'll be honest and say that the incessant noise and stressful, frantic pace of London gets to me sometimes... well, more than sometimes. Just about all the time, really.

But luckily, I found a few favorite places that I enjoy so much here that I can forget all about it and escape... even if it's only for a moment.

1. A weekend afternoon at Borough Market
If there's one thing that can make me feel better, it's food. Located just south of the River Thames, near the London Bridge Station, this outdoor market is HUGE. Fresh produce abound, and so does every tasty delicacy you can imagine. Thursdays are quiet and Fridays and Saturdays are positively bustling. Best of all, the stand-owners and shop-keeps are immensely knowledgeable and usually quite excited to discuss their specialty items with you. I always come back with delicious cheeses and French Sea Salt and an amazing box of whole black peppercorns that I swear smells like spicy rose petals. Bonus: there's plenty of BBQ so my husband is always excited to accompany me.

2. A picnic in Regents Park
Although this gorgeous, well-maintained park is so huge that I get tired just thinking about walking through all of it, this one makes my list for a top place for an impromptu picnic. My favorite spot is in under a tree, right in front of the winding river where dozens of white swans drift ever so elegantly along the water. Just add a fresh baguette, some Milano Salami, creamy blue cheese and a bottle of red wine and you have yourself a perfect picnic for two. Once that summer breeze starts to blow through the tree branches above, you can't help but lay back on your blanket and fall asleep.

3. Night out at the Duke of Cambridge.
There's nothing quite like a night out with your favorite girlfriends at your local Organic Pub. This one in Islington is nothing short of fantastic as a regular spot simply because the entire menu changes weekly! The only problem is if you fall in love with a dish... because it might not be there the next week (I'm looking at you, pot-of-chocolate dessert!). The vibe is very laid back with (gasp!) plenty of room. Dozens of huge wooden tables fill the space making it a perfect place for conversations and uncontrollable laughter with friends. Isn't that the best therapy? I'm also very pleased that organic white wine doesn't give me the slightest headache at all.

4. A sunny afternoon at the Narrow Boat
Yes, it rains a lot in London. Okay, it rains all the time. But once in a while, there will be a stunningly gorgeous afternoon that is filled with sunshine. But those moments can be fleeting and so I've learned what other Londoners have learned: when it's sunny, take advantage of it, because it won't last. And so if it's sunny I love to head over to the tiny little riverside restaurant, The Narrow Boat. Set right beside the canal, the view of the sun through the trees is downright therapeutic when you can grab a table in the patio.

5. A stroll through Camden Passage
Living on a busy main street definitely has its drawbacks: 24-hour double-decker buses that make the ground tremble, a mass of very-quick walking people that fill the entire sidewalk, terrible traffic noise of angry honks and screeching brakes. If it weren't for the quaint little network of side alley called Camden Passage to detour my walk home, I'd go mad altogether. Camden Passage is usually quiet, lined with cobblestone and filled with lovely shops and cafes, but it's also home to a village of antique dealers (the rarest tea cups and lithographs in all of England, perhaps). My favorite is the man who always sells antique jewelry right beside his collection of horrifyingly old, yellowed dentures in a silver dish. This antique market is deliciously odd but the perfect detour and the even more perfect escape.

Upcoming Trips

July: Nice, France
August: Cape Town, South Africa
September: Bruges, Belgium

I'm hoping I'll be able to squeeze Basel, Switzerland in there too, but I'm not sure just yet. Keeping my fingers crossed!

What Do You Mean, a "Feet Festival?"

I just returned from a short holiday in the beautiful village-town of Lanshut, Germany. It was absolutely gorgeous. After reaching the six-month mark of living in the frantic city of London, it was definitely a welcome and much needed change. Lanshut rests near the Mosel River and is surrounded by endless rolling hills dotted with vineyards and evergreens. It felt so good to hear nothing but the still quiet of nature. I already miss it!

My visit coincided with their annual "Viez" Festival on Saturday night. Pronounced "feets", Viez is their local apple wine and tastes like a very tart apple cider. There's also plenty of music and curry-bratwurst! For just three Euros, I got a glass and entry into the huge open grassy area, completely surrounded by thick, deer-filled forests. I then navigated my way through the dozen giant, competing bonfires that blazed under the stars. With the entire town in attendance, the festival began at sundown and continued on well past morning . The Viez bar is in the center and bigger groups ordered their Viez in large plastic watering cans that your neighbor might use to water her roses. The festival got much rowdier as the night went on, but for the most part everyone was in very good spirits.

"Prost!"

Back Across the Pond

My visit to the States was wonderful... but it does feel a little strange to have left it again for London. Still, my Islington flat is starting to finally feel like home. I think a lot has to do with the sun actually beginning to shine in England! Thank goodness for Spring. One more dark day of winter and I probably would have just stayed in bed.

Dear Isabelle on NPR!

I just found out that I will be getting interviewed on
NPR on this Friday, May 9th at 10:30a-11a.
I will be in the studio discussing Dear Isabelle with
Michael on KNPR-FM, Las Vegas (88.9).

If you're not in the Las Vegas area, you can listen live
on the web at http://www.knpr.org/index.cfm

Tune in!

From London to Vegas... Did Isabelle Have a Gambling Addiction to Boot?

Final dates for my upcoming book signings for Dear Isabelle in Las Vegas:

Friday, May 9th : 5-7 p.m., Cheesecake and Crime, Mystery bookshop and cheesecake joint, 10545 S. Eastern Ave. #100, Henderson, Nevada.

Saturday, May 10th: 2-4 p.m., Borders at Summerlin Charleston, 10950 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada.

I will be doing readings of the novel and a signing afterwards. Hope to see you there!

English Sunset

Sunset in Islington neighborhood of London, taken just after the rains had stopped... and just before they started up again.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Despite the ten kinds of rain that fell from the sky this weekend, Spring has arrived in London! Finally! Sure, it's the very last days of April... but better late than never. The best part is that Islington Green is actually beginning to look... well, green. This picture was taken from the living room window of my flat in Islington. I love the juxtaposition of the brave tree in the forefront, who is boldly embracing Spring, against the bare, wintry branches in the background.

note: click on the image to enlarge it. A funny little bird's nest is in the top left corner.

Peace Without Quiet

In this week's New York Times, one headline in particular caught my attention: "A City Where You Can’t Hear Yourself Scream". Immediately I thought of Cairo, Egypt.

And I was right. The article cites a study done by the National Research Center that spent five years measuring noise levels throughout the city of Cairo. Their conclusion? "...the average noise from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. is 85 decibels, a bit louder than a freight train 15 feet away."

85 decibels? Oh, I believe it. With 18 million people all crammed together, this city indeed makes a lot noise. The most constant offenders are car horns. When I first visited Cairo, I was quite uneasy with the amount horn honking we encountered on a simple drive to a museum. It never stopped. We were always receiving blaring series of honks from other cars. And when we weren't-- our driver was doing the honking. It took me a couple days to realize that the intent behind all the incessant honking doesn't mirror that of New York or even Los Angeles, where honking is clearly done to express anger or discontent at other cars.

Cairo is different.

Locals tend not to ever use their turn indicators when making any lane changes or turns. Instead they just honk. Everyone there is quite comfortable with it. Passing a car? Just honk at them. Turning left? Honk away! Turning right? Honk, and honk again if no one heard you. Honking in Cairo is basically the equivalent of letting everyone on the road know, "Here I am! I'm coming!". But it isn't just one car. With over 2 million cars on the roads in Cairo, it is every single car on every road, in every traffic jam, on every commute. Car horns honk in unified alarm throughout the entire city for the entire day, well near midnight.

It's the sort of noise that doesn't soften when you close the windows or shut the door. It just is part of the Cairo background. All you can do, really, is turn on some other noise to help drown it out. Like turning on the radio or TV at a decent level.

The NY Times article also noted that often the noise reached levels higher than 85-- often 95, which is the same level noise a jackhammer reaches.

That was the word that took me back to Cairo as I read through it. "Jackhammer." It is the perfect word to capture the jarring, unceasing, maddening level of noise in Cairo. It just gnaws away at you, to your core. And all you can do is either hold your hands tight over your ears and frown or, you can what the Caironese do: You can cheerfully accept the noise as life. You will never, ever hear an Egyptian in Cairo complain about the noise. They just talk louder and louder until everyone is practically shouting to each other on the street.

Life makes noise! After all, there will be more than enough silence afterwards.

London Book Fair at Earl Court

... taken from the window inside the tube station


....inside the fair





The London Book Fair is in town! I checked it out and learned quite a lot about the publishing industry in the UK. The most interesting booth I came across was actually found on my way towards the exit-- Book Aid International.

I learned that Book Aid International sends "over half a million books to developing countries (mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa) each year" to promote literacy in poverty-stricken countries. They send everything from fiction and nonfiction, how-to manuals and children's books. It is a wonderful program that tackles an issue not often talked about.

Check them out at www.bookaid.org