London - loving aerial lessons, long walks, and posh dinners

By -

Along the streets of London

October 4-14

Building Mushrooms!
I am afraid I can’t tell you about all the incredible sites I saw in the city this week.  When I was here 3 years ago on my way to study in Spain I made the most of my time in London and saw all of the main tourist attractions.  This time I enjoyed not having the pressure to go and see a bunch of things that didn’t actually interest me much, and used my time mainly to train in an aerial gym and work on my skills.  It has been a while since I have had a chance to take lessons and get some solid instruction.  I even made a few new circus friends-always the best! I also had the unique experience of taking a hand-to-hand class in a retired cathedral.  Some would probably argue this as less than reverent, but I thought it was pretty cool.


Such the gentleman
Keeping it classy
Though I didn’t get into the city much, Alistair and I did go out to an incredibly nice restaurant the first evening, which was a nice chance to dress up and get out. I have realized how much I appreciate going out to dinner with a chef (even if it can be a pain at lesser restaurants since he’s picky). I have so much more appreciation for the food and am much more willing to try things I would never have dreamed of trying before. I even know somewhat how to find and pick restaurants with the best food now. It’s great! I am also trying to improve my cooking skills, though not with overwhelming success.



Since I had quite a bit of free time this week I went on a couple of solo Katie adventures-sat in a café and drank coffee, found a piercing place to add a little more metal to my life (ears nothing dramatic), and worked out at Gravity circus center, this little out of the way gym in northern London. Something I observed on my walks that I have never seen in the states, and which seems to be fairly popular here, is the use of small barges as floating homes.  I guess it isn’t much different than living in a caravan or mobile home but I was impressed by how quaint many of the little river barges appeared. Though some were run down and had random items piled on top of them, most had solar panels, potted plants, fresh coats of paint and looked conveniently comfortable. Who knows, if I get tired of caravan life maybe that will be the next adventure-floating the cities of Europe.




Potential Future Mini Barge Home



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Milton Keynes

By -
Image
Sep 28-Oct. 4 I’ve come to realize that I really appreciate English parks.   They definitely know how to have communal space.   This site has a coffee house, gym, restaurant, challenge course, mini golf, playground, boats (there’s a lake), running trails with exercise equipment, and plenty of green.   It is awesome! This week we are in Milton Keynes, moving closer to London.   Further south means warmer weather. Yay! Alistair even went wakeboarding throughout the week-he was stoked. We also got to use the “guest bedroom” this week.   Oliver, a friend from the states came to visit and watch the show.   It was fun getting to share this side of circus with a performer from home, and pretty great catching up with a familiar face. As awesome as it is here, I do miss my Seattle people. The Lone Tree I am still trying to work on an act, but am having trouble finding time to train aerial and trapeze and trampoline.   I...
Read more

A New Journey: Discovering the Mind and Body through SOMA

By -
Image
On a farm out in Buckley Washington a rooster crows, cows tend to new born calves, and a feisty little old woman named Karen gathers her 7 students in a yurt, to begin their journey. Last spring I had the privilege of going through SOMA ( a specific type of bodywork treatment that targets neuromuscular integration).   After years of going to chiropractors and therapists for back pain, this treatment truly changed my life. Not only did it correct many of my posture problems and get rid of nearly all the pain I had experienced for years, it also reached much deeper into the psychological and physiological patterns that were affecting my body and my life.   After experiencing the profound changes it has had on me, I decided this was something I wanted to bring to others, something I wanted to understand more fully. Every emotional and mental thought we have, everything within our conscious, is directly related to and interconnected with our physical body.   Ev...
Read more

Lincoln-the last week in England

By -
Image
The best of England: Tea, Toasties and Tarts Nov 4-17 Lincoln-a thoroughly uninspiring city, this last stop in England did not warm my heart. November announced itself with bitter cold and pouring rain.   The ground outside our caravan and in the tent quickly became a muddy disaster.   As dreary as it may have been, I found a warm reception at a pub down the street.   I have found it interesting how different pubs in England tend to be.   In the US I think of pubs as cheaper, dirtier bars, but in England it's more like walking into your living room.   There are comfortable chairs, usually a TV on, and everyone is kicking back and talking after work. It’s casual and cozy, and if you happen to bring your own pizza and ask for tea which is not on the menu, they’re fine with that. The owner may even come over and tell you his life story-or that might be just what happens to me. Going back to basics on trampoline (super successfully) On the bright...
Read more