Oxford vs. Cambridge

There is a long standing rivalry between these two universities. Rowing is a competitive sport here, so it's no surprise that the rowing race between these two universities would be a major event. Lucky for me, the race was passing along my side of the river Thames :)

The course takes place on the 4.2 miles stretch between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames. This was the first year in history that they held all three races on the same day: women's, men's and the reserve race. Typically the women's boat race occurs on a different day at the Henley Royal Regatta, a day devoted to rowing races. Since those races won't be nearby, I'm so glad to have experienced this oh so very British tradition!

Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, however Cambridge has won the most races. As my friend Sejal and I walked along the River Thames we saw mobs and mobs of people just sitting out and picnicking with their sandwiches and booze. Pimms was overflowing that day. It was a windy but sunny day. It was all very British. It was all very fantastic.

 In the end, Oxford beat Cambridge in all 3 races. It was neck and neck at one point for the men's and all very intense and cool to see! 

Brussels

When we learned there was a 4 day holiday weekend for Easter, we decided we had to take advantage and go somewhere. We haven't had a proper family vacation since our disastrous one in the Maldives last April!

Having Europe and the UK at our fingertips is so nice. Flying or taking the train to go to another country in less than 3 hours is plain awesome. The short travel times are even better when you have a toddler in tow. But deciding on the first vacay spot was not easy at all. I labored over the decision for weeks and we were already into March when it was time to make a decision.

I was able to cross off a few on the list since Ram will be traveling to some of the cities for work. But we also needed a city that didn't have too much going on. We aren't really in a position to do sight seeing all day. My first thought was Brussels. Its only a 50 minute flight, Belgian beer is our favorite, and it didn't look like it would be an overwhelming city to visit. Who can say no to frites, waffles, chocolate, and beer?! Not us!

We found a hotel located in the city centre so everything we needed was less than a 10 minute walk. This proved useful when Ram unilaterally decided we were leaving the stroller in London. The streets are all cobblestone and it didn't make sense to have it for the airport. I was nervous but it worked out well for the most part. Being stroller free was liberating in some ways but challenging in another. And I was worried I would be doomed when we get back. Thankfully, that was not the case:)

Riya loved the freedom of walking whenever she wanted and she definitely gave us a lesson in patience on this trip! It rained the first two days on the trip which was a bummer. Nevertheless, we made it to the famous Delerium Cafe which holds over 2,000 Belgian beers. Ram and I decided on this trip we would never repeat beers and we would each order something different every time. I am proud to say neither of us had a beer we didn't like it:)

The waffles, frites and chocolates didn't disappoint either. I wish I had gone back for thirds, but alas, it was time to go. All in all the trip was a success and I'm so happy to cross Brussels off our list!

They sell a curry ketchup sauce which we tried and thought it was pretty good! 

Galleries Royales St. Hubert

Grand Palace 

View from our hotel

Mmm Mmm MMM

Riya agreed:) 

Mannequin Pis! 

The Royal Palace

Home Sweet Home

After a very long week, we are finally unpacked and settled in our apartment.  We have had 4 homes in 5 years and this was the most challenging move (well, maybe it's a tie with the 2 international moves in one year nonsense). It's not easy to unpack and organize your entire life with a toddler running around with complete disregard for my need to set up our home! In all fairness, the timing wasn't good for her either. Riya is finally cutting her second pair of bottom teeth and one just broke through the skin on my birthday.

As you can imagine, we haven't been able to explore the area much but I'm already loving what I see and I have a long list of places to check out! It would appear that we have moved to pram central! It's almost too busy on the streets when I am walking Luca in the evenings. We keep having to pull over and wait :p

So the borough we live in is called Putney. Depending on where/how you want to get to central London it can take 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Not bad for London.  I made it a priority to see as many attractions as possible while we lived centrally and the few that are left, I'm fine with saving for another time. I'm in no rush cause we are Londoners now:)

So here are some pics of our new home:

Street view:

Our building: 

The entry hallway. To the right is a common area and the first 2 bedrooms and left is the kitchen which leads into the sunken living room. Straight ahead is the stand alone bathroom and to the right of that is our master bedroom:

Room on far right is the guest/playroom with an ensuite bathroom. The room next to it is Riya's

Guestroom/Playroom. 

Guestroom ensuite 

Stand alone bathroom 

Riya's bedroom:

Master bedroom: 

Office and Ensuite bathroom is to the left 

View from bed

Kitchen/Living/Patio:

Kitchen is across the hall from the first bedrooms.