Oh, Christmas Tree

I'm back!  It wasn't planned but apparently I needed to step away from the blog.

My post planner has been screaming at me for over week, but I use post-it notes for my planned post

and they all just took a little march forward in the calendar so that I could take a breather.

I love this blog, but sometimes you just need a break, AmIright?

 Now I'm back to squeeze in a few more posts before Christmas.

This is my second Christmas since we moved and I was a bit nervous about the whole month of December.

I had a bit of a wobble over Thanksgiving with a bout of the Expat Holiday Blues.

But, I've recovered quite nicely.  (Thank you for your sweet comments.)

I told Matthew the other day that I've discovered the key to getting through Christmas
when you are far from family and friends.
Lowered Expectations!

I say that with tongue in cheek, but there is some wisdom in there.

Last year I was desperately grasping for the perfect London Christmas.
I ordered a big honkin' Christmas tree but after opening just a few boxes of ornaments
I couldn't get any further.  That massive bare Christmas tree sat there all Christmas taunting me.

So, this year I decided to go a little easier on myself.  No expectations of the perfect London Christmas. 
Just play it all by ear and proceed cautiously.  And I have to say, it's going well.

And we have the cutest Christmas Tree ever.

On a chilly Sunday afternoon, we were both feeling a bit "meh."

"Want to go get a tree?"  "I don't care.  Do you?"

We decided to just get it done and headed over to Greenwich Park to pick up a tree.

I immediately spotted a perfectly shaped four foot spruce and decided that was the one.

They wrapped it up, we put in in the back seat and were home in thirty minutes.

No drama and we were both starting to perk up.

We weren't really sure if we would decorate it right away but the tree shopping seemed to perk us both up.

We put on Christmas Vacation which always makes me laugh like crazy.

Matt quickly got to work stringing the lights and I started getting out the ornaments.

I love ornaments.  I've been collecting them for years and each one holds a special memory.

I keep a basket on the bookshelf and we fill it up as we travel.

So, we started with our 2013 collection remembering all of the great trips we've taken this year. 

Then I started opening the boxes containing the ornaments from previous years.

My ornament collection was one thing that I insisted that we bring with us when we moved.

And I'm so proud.  I was able to open every single box this year and it made me so happy.

So many wonderful memories going all the way back to when I was a little girl.

And it felt so good to put Jessica's ornaments on the tree.

Even though we can't be together for Christmas, this is a family tree and she is a huge part of it.

In fact, there were so many ornaments that they all don't fit on our cute little tree.

I just put the overflow into bowls and baskets on the coffee table.

I wanted to have them all out this year to remind me of so many blessings.

 I love our little tree and the first thing I do in the morning is to turn on those lights.
There is just something about a real tree.

Last year I shared some tips for getting through the holidays far from home.

They really are helping me get through this year.

And I've added one more tip... lower your expectations.

But, in a good way.

What are your tips for getting through the holidays far from loved ones?

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Greenwich Pub Review - The Guildford Arms

*We received a complimentary meal for the purposes of review.  

  Recently, I guest posted over on True Colours while Casey was exploring Ireland and Scotland.

(Have you been reading the posts about her trip?  Wonderful!)

In my guest post I listed five of my favorite things about the UK.  Can you guess what number five was?

Pubs!

I've written about pubs before and they are a definite highlight of life on this side of the pond.

Not in a boozey-party way but as in one of life's comforts.

I've described them as the open plan living and dining room of the UK.

A comfortable place to gather with family and friends, share a meal and a laugh.

At least once a week either Matt or I will send a text that says

"Shall we meet at the pub for dinner?"

Last weekend we were invited to try another one that we'd not yet visited.

The Guildford Arms is in Royal Greenwich and just a ten minute bus ride from us.
So, on Saturday we popped over for a late lunch.

Since the 1990's, because of changes in social attitudes and cheap supermarket alcohol, thousands of pubs have been closing their doors.  Reportedly more than 20 each week.

Pubs are having to reinvent themselves to remain relevant, adding food and entertainment to their offering.

 The Guildford Arms is a perfect example of this reinvention.

  

 It's a beautiful building.  The ground floor pub is cozy and casual with lots of windows to let the light in.

On the first floor is an elegant dining room and the second floor is a private room.

It's a handsome Georgian Pub and they've done a great job of updating the space.
They also have a beautiful garden that is listed in Time Out's Guide to Best Beer Gardens in London.

 

There are two kitchens, one that serves a bar menu and one for the main menu which changes seasonally.

The chef responsible for the menus is Guy Awford who is known for his distinctive modern British style.

He is also the chef behind the pub's sister restaurant Inside, which is recommended in the Michelin Guide and was the runner up in Time Out's best neighborhood restaurant.

Unlike many gastropubs, there was a very respectable beer range on tap.  Matt even counted.

(It's how he rates a pub.) Nine on tap with 4 from his new favorite brewer, Meantime.

They also have an interesting wine menu.  Our Pinot Grigio was lovely and served nicely chilled.

(I didn't have to embarrass Matt by asking for ice cubes.)

But, let's get down to the really important stuff.  The food.

There are several things that I like about this menu.

It's embarrassing but simply true that I'm a picky eater.  I'm not too keen on trying new things.

Sometimes gastropubs can try a little bit too hard to be "posh" and do things with food that just shouldn't be done.

This is just the menu that I want to see.  Really good solid ingredients cooked in an interesting way.

And the prices are more than reasonable for the quality of the food.

Homemade bread (still warm from the oven) with olive oil and balsamic

The balsamic was smooth and sweet.  Matt and I were fighting over it.

Duck Liver & Truffle Oil Pate, Pickled Vegetables, Frisee, Chargrilled Bread

Matt loved this.  The attentive server noticed him trying to get every last bit and offered to

bring him some more bread to finish it off.

Smoked Haddock Fishcakes, Aioli, Watercress, Lemon

Often with fishcakes, it's hard to find the fish from the fillers.  Not in this case.

Flaky white fish was the focus and the watercress dressed simply with lemon juice was the perfect partner.

Pan Fried Cornish Sea Bass, Confit Leeks, Artichoke, Girolles, Fondant Potato, Mushroom Foam
Matt and I always order different dishes so we can share and try more things.
I called dibs on the steak so he selected the Sea Bass.  He was very intrigued with the mushroom foam.
I asked for his review of the dish and he said that "it was very well cooked and melted in my mouth." 
I tasted it and it was wonderful.

Chargrilled Aged Hereford Rib-Eye Steak, Hand Cut chips, Green Salad, Garlic Butter
Few things make me happier than steak & chips on a plate.
I ordered it cooked to medium and it was served closer to well.
But, it was still tender and juicy and that garlic butter was perfect.

White Chocolate & Hazelnut Chunk Brownie, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Tuile

I mean, look at it.  Gooey brownie with whole hazelnuts.  Homemade vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

 

Treacle Tart with Orange Buttermilk Ice Cream
This little slice of heaven was the star of the meal.
Sweet and citrusy... absolutely eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head-yummy-noises amazing.
 That orange buttermilk ice cream is something really special.

This is what they have to say on the website and is exactly what we found to be true.

"The honesty and quality of the food is very much our focus; with an emphasis on imaginative, Modern British cooking, using fresh produce sourced by local suppliers. From chutneys and oatcakes to pasta and ice cream we make everything we serve."

Really good service, excellent food & drinks served in very pleasant surroundings.
Add in a broad product offering which should appeal to just about everyone, and you have a recipe for success.
We can't really call ourselves "Foodies" but we certainly know a great meal when we have one.

We'll be back for sure.



The Guildford Arms
 Opening Times
Tuesday – Saturday  12:00pm – 11:30pm
Sunday  12:00pm – 10:30pm

Food Served
Tuesday – Friday 12:00pm – 3:00pm / 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday  12:00pm – 10:00pm
Sunday  12:00pm – 9:00pm

Visit Guy’s blog for recipes and cookery tips www.guyawford.com



Which three courses would you chose from that menu?

P.S.  You may have noticed that I'm starting to do more reviews on Oh, the places we will go!  I'm working really hard to expand and grow this blog and I hope to do more.  This is all new territory for me and it is certainly challenging to find a balance.  I want you to know that I always consider my readers before I accept any request.  The first question is always "Is this relevant to my life?" and the next is "Will this be of interest to my readers?"  I will always disclose when a post is in partnership.  I've only ever been asked to do an honest review and I will only ever do so. If you have any comments are questions, please feel free to contact me.  

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 *We received a complimentary meal from The Guildford Arms for the purposes of review.
All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.


You can find this review and many others in my
London Attraction Guide.

Cruising Solo

 Matt is on the blog today talking about cruising solo.

Many people won't even consider a cruise, but cruising alone?  Out of the question.

But, Matt has cruised solo several times and I know many other people who enjoy cruising alone.

I've even tried it and loved it!  (Remind me to tell you about the time I joined a Singles Cruise.

I had the absolute time of my life and would highly recommend it if you are newly single.)

But, that's another story.   Here's Matt...

Before I met Selena, I’d cruised on my own.  Alone.  I know!  Crazy, eh?

After I revealed my plans to my friends, and I’d weathered their gentle questioning as to whether I was completely mad, I signed up with Carnival for a week around the Caribbean.  And I had a blast – so much so that I did another solo cruise the next year!

You’ll always remember your first cruise.

I consider myself to be a traveller, and for the people that knew me well, that compounded their confusion as to why I wanted to cruise.  Unlike most people who think the boat is the point of the cruise, I’d long considered cruising to be a great way of travelling to interesting places.  Unpack once, and every day a new port is presented to you.  So I selected an itinerary which featured a port on every day, in case I found I didn’t enjoy the cruising part.

As another precaution in case I hated the ship experience, I invested in a large room with a balcony, so I’d have a comfortable refuge if I wasn’t interested in deck shuffleboard or ballroom dancing.  And that presented the first major challenge to cruising alone – the cost.

 My refuge

Almost all cabins are designed (and priced) for double occupancy, so by taking a cabin for just yourself, you’ll end up paying twice the headline quoted rate.  You’d expect some discount, as you’d only be eating for one, using half the towels, and so on.  But, no - my experience was that the quoted price was simply doubled when I clicked the “single occupancy” button.

But I was very happy with the price I paid.  Remember, I was thinking like a traveller, so comparing what I paid to the cost of creating an independent itinerary that took in 7 Caribbean countries in 7 days (with airfares, accommodation, food, transfers, etc, not to mention the hassle involved in the planning), it felt like a very good deal.  If I’d taken an internal cabin it would have represented outstanding value for the travel opportunities presented.

Going to Antigua for a day?  Probably costs the same as a week’s cruise.

The second challenge was, well, being alone.  I’ve travelled a lot as a single traveller, so I was not at all daunted by the prospect of being thrown into the midst of 2,000 merry holidaymakers without knowing a single person.  I can understand how that might be a major challenge for some, but don’t worry, there are plenty of opportunities to meet people and make friends.

 There were 2,000 people on this ship.  Honest!

Dinner is the first.  You might be tempted to avoid the awkwardness of being alone by eating at the buffet, but if you ask to be seated at a large table in the dining room, you’ll quickly make friends among your dining companions.  I would recommend a fixed dining time so you get to know your companions over several nights – if you hate them all just ask the maître d’ to move you to a different table!

There will also be mixer events organised for singles.  There will be plenty of other singles on the cruise.  Even if there are relatively few that are travelling alone, plenty of single people will be sharing cabins with friends or relatives.  A formal singles mixer isn’t really my thing, so I didn’t attend, but there’s no downside to dropping by and seeing who’s there.

 Don’t worry - the cabin attendants will also introduce you to new friends

Another way of breaking the ice is to check out the forums on CruiseCritic.com before your cruise.  Every major cruise has a forum, and by joining in the conversation prior to departure you’ll often meet like-minded souls before you even embark.  It’s very common for shore excursions to be organised this way, which can be a great way of maximising the time in port.  Most major cruise lines will host a Meet & Greet event on board for Cruise Critic members, which is a great way of meeting new shipmates.  (Selena and I still do this before each cruise.)

Didn’t catch a thing, but a bad day’s fishing beats a good day in the office, right?

Talking of shore excursions, I’d clung to my independent traveller roots by only pre-booking one shore excursion – a fishing trip in St Lucia – which I knew would be a difficult thing to organise on my own.  In the other ports on the first few days of the cruise, I just got off the ship and wandered around, avoiding the crowds as much as possible.  Bliss!  By the end of the week, I was organising trips with friends I’d made on board.

 Brimstone Hill Fortress in St Kitts

With a port on every day of the cruise, and with dinner and shows taking up most of each evening, this cruise provided relatively little time left to enjoy other on-board activities.  Be assured there is a lot more on offer than shuffleboard and ballroom dancing, although you could have done both if you’d been interested.

I recognise that cruising solo may not be for everyone.  You need to be independently minded and happy with your own company.  But the opportunities to meet people were certainly there – four years later I’m still in touch with many of the people I met on these cruises.  For me at that time in my life, cruising was a perfect holiday for me, although I’d have to say that the experience is even better now I’m able to share the experiences with Selena.

Okay, I made him throw in that last bit.

Cruising is something wonderful that we share but it's something that we both love individually.

Would you ever cruise solo?  Why or why not?

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