Aiyer International: Our first week in London town

Cannot believe it's already been a week since we landed in London. And I cannot believe Ram has already left me for a conference and training in Mountainview, Cali till the end of the month. Grrrr

We got super lucky on our flight in because it was only 50% occupied. So Riya was able to walk up and down to her heart's content. She didn't nap very much, but that was expected. Luckily by the time we got to our temporary flat, it was 5pm (9pm Dubai time) and she passed out in the pack n play. Baby girl slept until 6am the next morning! I think she would have slept longer but when we checked on her, her room was so cold and so was she. It was my worst nightmare. I felt awful. Unfortunately the flat only had single glazed windows and though we cranked up the radiator and all, it stayed pretty cold in her room. So we were forced to leave her door open so the heat from the common areas could keep her room temperature more manageable.

Riya has had a rough introduction to the city. Sadly she broke out in a rash that made her itchy and red all over. We wasted an entire day at two different A&E's and walked away with nothing- no diagnosis or prescriptions. I was furious. Thankfully the pharmacist was knowledgeable and suggested some creams which we are using now. I also bought a humidifier for her room because I suspect its the radiator and dry air that's the culprit. We are not out of the woods yet but it hasn't gotten any worse, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Luca, on the other hand, is loving the cooler weather:)

The building we are in has been very accommodating and felt very bad for us. Lucky for us another flat became available on the ground floor that has double glazing and the living space was larger, so we jumped on it! The first flat was quite small and we were very over crowded, not to mention dangerous for a baby! I expected small but that was a major reality check. There were exposed radiators all over and all the rooms were closed off from each other, so I couldn't let Riya out of my sight for even a second. Oh and my sweet darling has decided she has enough courage to start climbing on her own, without looking to me for support, so up and down the couch she went!

Anyway, the reality of staying in the first flat for 2 months quickly became unrealistic. Trust me when I say I was not being a brat. It was just going to be too difficult to keep Riya entertained and most importantly safe. And the fact that I could not leave her alone for a second made it quite frustrating. I couldn't get organized or multi-task and that was a recipe for disaster. Luckily, my complaining paid off this time and the new flat is much better! We have an "open" concept kitchen and the living space is 25% larger and its more baby friendly. Not to mention Riya's room is warm and cozy:)

With the housing issue now sorted, we were finally able to get out of our grumpy haze and really enjoy the town. We are a 10 minute walk from the High street (the area with all the shops, cafes, and restaurants) and it has been nice just exploring the area. We are also very close to public transportation, which Ram must take to go to work. I actually rode the bus for the first time and managed not to get lost! The buses here are so clean and I felt really safe. It will be a whole other adventure with Riya and her stroller. I will be avoiding the tubes/trains for now as a lot of them don't have lifts. I would have to put Riya in the carrier but several layers of clothing + a wool jacket + bundled baby in a carrier made it very uncomfortable for both of us! Riya just screamed:/ So for now, the carrier is not an option. Baby steps...

The area we are staying in is called Islington. Its part of Central London, but on the East side. We have a Wagamama, Chipotle, and Tortilla within walking distance, so Ram was quite pleased:) We have a mall with Gap and H&M, so I'm quite pleased:) The weather is mid to low 30's but I'm not finding it that cold. I guess I have good gear:) Thankfully Riya doesnt mind being bundled up though she refuses to wear mittens, so that's been an ongoing battle!

We were hoping to have time to play tourist in our new home town since Ram has never seen the sights, but we got wrapped up in all of the above. So we chose to spend the weekend exploring some of the neighborhoods we are interested in so we can narrow down our search. More on that in the next post.

For now, here are pictures of our temporary digs: