"Hiya" from London!

Well as most of you know, we have made it!  The flight went well.  John slept, I did not.  Just as expected.  We have settled (sort-of) into a 1 bedroom flat in West Hampstead.  We havent unpacked yet, because we hope to move into our more permanent flat in the next few days if we are lucky.  The dogs also arrived yesterday.  Seems like everything went well for them.  They were in good spirits when they arrived and acted just like normal.  Thank goodness!  Pet Relocation is a great company!  Worth every penny!

We are currently in the process of hunting for a flat!  A very tiring process!  We have seen about 15 properties at this point.  We have made an offer on two.  The first one did not go through, as far as we know, because the landlord was somewhat unreachable.  However, the letting agencies tend not to be too honest, so we don't know if they were just trying to get more money or not.  Either way they wouldn't give us a straight answer, so we've decided to walk away.  It was too good to be true anyways because it is literally 2 doors down and would have been the easiest move of all time.  We did, however, find another place that we really like today and have put in an offer.  It seems promising.  The landlord is at least reachable and seems to like American renters. (They told us this by saying "not to kiss your bums, but the landlord likes American renters") Their words, not ours.  So we are hoping for a good call back soon!  This place has two bedrooms with on suite full bathrooms, a FULL SIZE fridge (hard to come by) and a very nice garden out back for the doggies. 

Other than flat hunting, it already feels like this is home for a while.  Doesn't feel like a vacation when you're flat hunting.  We spent a day with the friends we met on our honeymoon from London.  We had a really good time.  We went to a couple "pubs" and they tried to explain the difference between a pub and a bar but we still don't get it.  They love their beer gardens here.  Simply a patio where you can have a pint or two, with heaters when its cold.  Doesn't matter that its 40 degrees out....everyone is still out there!

We have walked to get our groceries and the grocery store was very interesting.  We looked like fish out of water the first time I'm sure.  Mainly because you don't recognize any of the brands and if you want a pound of beef you need to know how much that is in grams.  Good learning experience I suppose.

We also live very close to Hampstead...within walking distance and also our current favorite place...which is where all the famous people live (Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter, Ricky Gervais, Hugh Grant, Brad Pitt....to name a few)  I'm on a hunt for Hugh Grant.  I'll keep you posted.

Now before I sign off a list of words that they use instead of our American word:
Living Room = Reception Room
Back Yard = Garden
Stove = Hob
Apartment = Flat
Married Couple = Partners
Weiner Dog = Sausage Dog
Zuchinni = Courgette
Yellow Squash = ?  (Said they've never heard of it)
Couch Decor Pillows = Cushions
Metro = Underground or Tube

More updates soon!  Cheers!

Below is a picture of the beer garden we went to.  This pub (The Flask) is over 300 years old.
Also a picture of the doggies the night they arrived.  So tired! (yes, I have a New Kids on the Block shirt on)