A great day!

After a few cups of coffee, a sausage sandwich and some breast milk, Charlie and I caught the 88 bus to Regent Street.  The 88 is the least expensive bus tour of London's greatest attractions.  Once you get to the other side of the river, you pass the Tate, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Whitehall, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.

We walked a few blocks on Regent Street to the world's largest Apple Store.  There's nothing any different about the store, it's just bigger.

Charlotte wants an iPad, but she's going to wait for the iPad3.

 We went to a few stores to look for toys so that I could spoil my daughter.  We didn't find anything very compelling, though Charlotte (naturally!) took to the £30 handmade giraffe at John Lewis.  I told her that maybe we'd bring it home next time.

I learned early in the day that it's difficult to take photos with our fancy camera among the crowds of central London, so I'm afraid this is about all we have.  We went to Mamas and Papas for a diaper change, Marks & Spencer for a bottle, and then we took the bus back to Clapham.

We had a tea together at Under the Greenwood Tree, but we skipped the pond because we both needed a nap.  Only Charlie didn't nap (I did), and so she struggled to stay awake until 8pm and missed Skype with her mum.  Something to look forward to tomorrow! 

We Got a Couch!

Most flats in London are offered furnished. This would be great if they had decent looking furniture, but most furnished flats (in our experience) seem to have cheap, outdated furniture. Our flat was offered furnished or unfurnished. After seeing the overstuffed, white leather couches they had in the living room, we were quick to ask for it unfurnished (aside from a bed, so we'd have something to sleep on!).

The day we arrived we headed out shopping and eventually found a lovely couch at John Lewis. It folds down to comfortably accommodate two sleeping adults (yes, we laid on it in the store) and makes for a stylish, modern couch when upright.




The fabric is a dark gray made up of small black and gray checks:



The best part of this couch, is that we no longer have to eat our meals on our bed!

What I've learned so far . . .

-John Lewis department stores far surpass any other department store I've been to. They have seven floors of shops and restaurants. We purchased our couch there. (It should be arriving on Tuesday! Woo hoo!)

-I have no idea how to work my washing machine. Not a clue. It is currently full of clothes and detergent but I can't get it to work. It lights up, but won't turn on. Blergh.

-Ikea is just the same in the UK as it is in the US except they offer donuts instead of cinnamon rolls. Oh, and they deliver!

-Coffee makers are a bit hard to find here. There were about four or five at John Lewis. If you are looking for an electric kettle, however, you will have no problem finding the perfect one. There were well over twenty different options.

-There are lots of kids and babies in our neighborhood.

-To touch on the previous observation, I will also note that if your child is screaming on your afternoon walk (despite having recently eaten and having recently had a diaper change), and there is no obvious place to sit and nurse her (without going into a cafe) it appears to be okay to nurse her in your local Sainsburys.

-I can't find the battery charger for the camera and the camera is dead. :(

-Alba Pizza is some of the best pizza I've ever had.

-I have no idea how to regulate the temperature in my shower. I think it is just going to be easier to stick to baths (good thing I'm bath person!).

-If you lock the door to our flat from the outside, there is no way to open it from the inside unless you have a key. This could be a problem if someone is ringing your doorbell (to deliver your new iPhones) and you can't find a set of keys!

-Last, but not least, I've learned that Charlotte's playmat allows me to get a shower AND breakfast! I have even had time to do a little organizing, emailing and blogging. :)