One of the many reasons I love to travel is to experience firsthand how other countries are different than the US. I believe travel expands your horizons, stimulates thinking about how other people live, and makes you appreciate your own life back home. Before I lived for several years in China on a work assignment, I had never appreciated the US’s clean air, water and soil. All those pesky US regulations ensure we are safe from pollution and I’m all for them. When I used to bring Chinese citizens to the US for work trips, they would stare at the blue skies and ask me if air quality was always like that-clean and breathable. On a good day in Shanghai, the air quality index (AQI) was 125 or so and on a bad day, the AQI could skyrocket to 400+ where you could even taste the pollution indoors. An average AQI in Boise, Idaho where I live is 50 or under except for right now during fire season when we are in the 150-200 AQI range. Everywhere we go in the world, I find reasons to both appreciate my home and fall in love with new places. If I’m not on a journey, then I’m planning the next one. So many places to see, so little time. Next up is a girl’s trip to the Netherlands in September!

Because we completed a one month+ pet sit in London in January/February of this year, I was able to compare the day-to-day normal life of working and being at home in the UK with our experience back in Boise. Here are some of my observations:

LIKE:

• History everywhere you look, even on the neighborhood walk with the dog. So much prettier than our 1950s bland architecture in my neighborhood back home.
• Gas hobs aka stoves cook so fast you really can’t turn away from the stove while cooking but dinner gets done quickly. I now know why people on those home buying shows always want a gas stove not electric. When you travel, you learn how to cook differently or starve.
• Heated towel racks are common in bathrooms, working to soften up the towels-more on those below. Warm towels after a bath are pure bliss.
• Local foods that we embraced in the UK included daily tea, hot cross buns available fresh at the grocery, fish and chips, curry, and loads of international restaurants. When in Rome!
• So. Many. Newspapers. Journalism must still be a viable career in Europe. I love especially the really large Saturday editions. Back home in the US, most newspapers have either closed down or are on their way to being solely digital. When I asked for a NYT Sunday paper in Seattle on a trip last year, they looked at me like I was a criminal, and I was told forcefully to read it online, as having a paper edition was wasteful and bad for the environment. They haven’t gotten that message here in the UK and I loved it.

DISLIKE:

• Cars and buses coming at you from left, right and you better be alert. With help from the pavement signs, I learned quickly to look left, look right, and be nimble because traffic is coming at you from all directions you don’t expect coming from the US. And don’t forget MIND THE GAP when you are entering/existing the Tube. Typically, there is not a huge gap between the platform and the train, until there is, and you fall onto the tracks (not that this happens frequently-you’re probably more likely to be pushed onto the tracks, so never stand too close when you are waiting for the next train). Don’t mean to scare you off public transportation. Just be aware.
• Typically, hard water = towels so hard you definitely do not need a loofah to get rid of your dry skin. Putting the towels on the heated rack (love this feature in European bathrooms!) does soften them a little bit and are toasty when you get out of the shower. Ironing them might help too but I don’t iron so that is just a theory.
• No washcloths provided anywhere in Europe-bring them or buy when you get here.
• Dryers-as fast the gas hobs cook, the dryers don’t dry quickly. Also, we found out after waiting a few hours for clothes to dry that our dryer in London required emptying a water extraction tube after every cycle. Who knew? This is how the moisture is collected vs. a venting system that we are used to in the States. The appliances you are used to in the US are different in Europe. Use a translation app if the equipment controls are in a language you don’t know.
• You will find stairs in almost any European house or apartment building because, due to urban density, they build up not out. Great exercise for those legs! Be mindful of your feet and hold onto the banister. Thom and I both slipped a few times as we got used to being alert and not carrying too much when navigating the steep curving stairs.

WTH?:

• Foxes are everywhere in London neighborhoods-they are supposed to be nocturnal, but we saw them daily just rambling down the block in broad daylight like they owned the place. Foxes like garbage similar to racoons and make loud barking/screaming noises at night like the coyotes back home. Once we got used to them, it was not scary or a big deal. We saw one run across the busy road down the block from our house and dodge the double decker bus like a pro.
• Dogs are everywhere in London-on the Tube, in the shops and welcome in some restaurants with their own “Dog Menu”. Now, you would think there might be some food and health laws restricting animals in cafes but apparently not. They are welcome and usually well behaved.
• Off leash dogs run amok in the parks, rolling in the mud (always raining here) yet wearing the cutest outfits.
• Lovely fireplaces are often found in every room of the old houses, but most don’t work-too hard to convert to gas? Perhaps too dangerous to have wood burning for sure in these old homes-don’t blame them there.
• Old houses are lovely but don’t have heat in all the rooms?? Dress warm-layer up. At restaurants, you will also have this type of experience in their bathrooms. Brrrrr…..I used an electric heated throw to stay warm in the living room while enjoying British television shows.
• Many roads have “blinds” where it will suddenly go to one lane where drivers have to be bold and own the lane or take turns-it’s very organic and scary. One blind right outside the Spaniard Inn window where we were dining made us both gasp and chuckle to watch the cars and double decker buses dodging and frequently backing up to accommodate the heavy flow of traffic. Insanity!

CREATURE COMFORTS WE MISSED WHILE WE WERE AWAY: (obviously other than family and our dog)

• Sleep number bed with adjustable positions and warming feet features-the ultimate in sleep experience vs. the average full-size bed.
• TOTO -if you’ve ever experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. Google it. Bidets don’t even come close.
• Gas fireplace that we use constantly back home and is so cozy on a cold winter day.
• Computer lap tray so I can escape to the couch to work sometimes.
• Comfy office-I’m spoiled by my ergonomic office chair and electric standing desk back home.
• Gym equipment in our basement for those cold and/or rainy days to get some exercise. Yes, it does rain frequently in London, so we now understand why everyone has those rubber boots aka wellies and rain gear because you have to go out in the rain, or you’d never be able to leave the house. The plus side is that you don’t need a humidifier because you are living in a rain forest with lovely natural humidity.
• Television sports-you have to get a subscription to watch them most places or go to the local pub. While we do have Chromecast for streaming apps when we travel, we were unable to pick up any US sports because of geofencing so we missed our American NFL football and college basketball that we would normally be watching back home. First world problems, I know.
• Embrace the changes when you travel and enjoy the journey!