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This week I begin my 4×4: four weeks, four countries. First stop, London (England)!

• Sunday, 03 May went to church in London. Then to Borough Market. I walked around and decided to construct a picnic, all because I bought the funkiest and strongest blue cheese in London (or so I was told). Found some crackers, almonds, strawberries, olives, cookies, and a smoothie. Walked to several parks but decided they were all kind of mid. Kept walking and found myself on the banks of the Thames, with a magnificent view of Tower Bridge. Had my picnic, read, and then laid down and watched clouds move across the sky. Walked home along the Thames and got a beer and chips at a pub while I read and did some writing.
• Monday, 04 May Bank Holiday in England! Whatever that means. But the Tate Modern was open so I went there, checked out some still lifes and portraits, and then joined a tour where we examined some paintings for their thematic connections to identity. Had dinner at a yummy Italian spot and then back to the flat. Later that evening picked up my brother from the bus station!
• Tuesday, 05 May had to move flats because the first wasn’t available for the entire time we were going to be in London. In the new place, the owner wanted us to meet her cats, because one is especially nervous. The owner was satisfied with the cats’ attachment to us and then headed out. Then we headed out to high tea at Roast in Borough Market. The tea was okay, but the setting was an oasis above the market! And then to see Kinky Boots! This is the show that we planned the entire rest of the trip around! It did not disappoint! On the way we stopped off at Lush to make a Lush spa appointment and at Mariage Frères to investigate if they had their summer tea-infused ice cream sandwiches—they did! 
• Wednesday, 06 May took the train out to Richmond, England, where Ted Lasso is filmed and takes place! I love that show and was beside myself seeing the green, the pub, the cute little street. There was even a Ted Lasso store where I bought a Richmond FC sweatshirt! We got a beer and meal (including fish and chips) at the pub and then walked around. There was a perfume shop I got a little vial from and we chatted with the merchant about filming the show. Turns out, Virginia Woolf lived in Richmond! So we took some pictures of me conversing with her statue on a bench. Then we got some gelato, made a trip to the pharmacy for some allergy meds, and then back on the train to London. Stopped by the house to change, and then off to dinner! And Lion King! Also did not disappoint! On the way home we stopped by Dishoom to pick up some chai to go. And they gave it to us for free!
• Thursday, 07 May spent the day in Oxford, the og college town. Walked along the streets taking in the beautiful buildings. I realized that the signature building at Boston College, my undergraduate institution, and the Law Library at the University of Michigan remind me of each other because they both look like Oxford buildings. Took lots of pictures and tried to figure out the college system—I think we were successful. Got a bite at The Covered Market and explored a bookstore and game shop before heading back to London. Dinner at Dishoom! Where we also got free chai on the way out!
• Friday, 08 May started the day on a mission to go see the new Banksy, which was put up last weekend under the cover of night. On the way stopped by Mariage Frères to get some tea-infused ice cream sandwiches (we were too full on Tuesday when we popped in to inquire if they had them). The ice cream and the sandwich cookies are infused with tea. They are delicious. Then walked over to Waterloo Place to see the new Banksy. I had seen the pictures, but it was so moving to see it in person. We had another afternoon tea scheduled at Pan Pacific London, so headed there for a relaxing meal and refreshment. And then to the global flagship Lush store for massages. I got a scrub + massage, and it was a totally immersive experience, including sound and light. The theme of the massage was play, and my post-massage drink that included a smoke bubble reminded me to do that!
• Saturday, 09 May got up early to head to the airport to head back to Norway. Landed in Oslo and got lunch, did some writing, put my luggage in storage, and walked around town. Had dinner at Ostebutikken, highly recommended by my Rover bestie. Then saw a Laura Ramoso show! It was entertaining. Took the bus (because there was track work on the trains) to Halden. Put in a load of laundry.

So that was a fun rundown of what I did this week, but something I also wanted to highlight was the idea of Looking Up. I’m compiling a list of things to remember as I close out this year and reenter my life in the States, and I’ll probably blog about it sometime in June before I return, but I want to write about one of the items that was pretty prominent this week: Look Up. 

When I’m commuting to a school in Norway where I’m going to do a workshop, I often find myself staring at the turn-by-turn directions on google maps on my phone to direct me to where I need to go. Sometimes I arrive as school is starting, so in those times I just follow students. But I realized around January that I would be standing right in front of where I needed to be, and still looking at my map for that location. What am I doing? I would ask myself when I realized it. Just look up. 

For the rest of the semester, I would still check the map, because I go to a lot of places where I’ve never been, but I’ve also been more conscious of what’s right in front of my face. My favorite example of this is at one school I was going to I had to cross a very busy road after I got off the bus. I couldn’t find a crosswalk though, and wondered how I was going to the other side of the street. In the fall term, I would just run across traffic. But I realized eventually that this could not be right. And google maps wasn’t a help—they said to cross the street at a non-existent crosswalk. So at this one bus stop I started looking around instead of just at my phone. I didn’t panic or rush. I started noticing where a few others were going. I started looking across the street where I was supposed to end up. And then I saw it: there was a tunnel. And now I could safely cross the street.

When I’m running in a new city, this is generally my attitude—look up—just because I don’t want to run with my phone in my hand. It’s also really hard, I think, to run and look at my phone and the street at the same time. But when I’m walking in a new place, I have much more reliance on my device. 

This week in London, I was proud of myself of how brave I was in finding directions and getting around. Definitely felt more confident in my navigational skills and in figuring out new transportation systems. What was completely disorienting, however, was where to look when crossing the street. England (and Thailand) are two of a handful of countries that drive on the wrong (yup, I said it) side of the street. When other countries do things differently, I’m usually like, okay, cool. But this one is just completely baffling. On some London streets, there are painted signs on the road that tell you where to look. There are arrows and giant letters that read, “Look Right” or “Look Left.” Even with these signs, I always look the wrong way first. 

When I’m in Norway or in the States, or anywhere else in Europe that’s not the United Kingdom, when I approach a street crossing, I look to my left. But in London, you have to look first to your right. Or when I’m on my way to the bus stop, I will look in the direction of where the bus is coming from to make sure I don’t need to pick up the pace. But in London, I would have no idea where to look. I could not manage to figure out which way to look. I would try to use other clues, like which ways the cars on the street were parked, or the direction of the street signs or traffic lights, but I was confused the entire week. I could not get it correct the entire week I was in London.

And then when we were on the bus, I could not get over that we were on the other side of the street. I couldn’t get over that a right turn for a London driver is a left turn for me, and vice versa. Watching oncoming traffic while riding on the bus, I could never predict what the other drivers would do or where they would go. Not because they were bad drivers, but because I was completely confused about driving when your steering wheel is on the right side of the car. 

I’ve spent a lot of time telling you how confused I was because it’s really bewildering to not know where cars were coming from when you’re a pedestrian and a runner and trying to catch a bus. I felt like I lived on a completely different planet and had never walked on a street with cars! At one point during the week, I was so confused that I just gave up trying to follow any instincts and just kept swiveling my head maniacally when I approached a street crossing and crossed the street. I was forced to look up, to look around, to take in and to be present in my surroundings. One morning when I was running and daydreaming I was almost hit by a black taxi because I didn’t think to turn in the direction that the car was coming from. Does one ever get used to cars coming the wrong way?!

Another way I’m thinking about looking up this week is when I wanted to yell it at other pedestrians. I run in a lot of places, and London is the first place I have ever wanted to yell at other pedestrians because they were on their phones and drifting toward me as I ran toward them. I even tried out some phrases with my brother. Should I say, in my best British accent, “oy! Watch it!” or maybe a simple “oy! look up!” In London, because of the driving situation (see above), it’s also confusing what side of the sidewalk to walk on. There is no consensus! It is madness on these streets! But I think we can all agree that we cannot drift from one side of the sidewalk to the other side in a collision course with another person! Notice others! Look up!

The Banksy my brother and I got to see live was also a reminder to look up. The sculpture has a figure in a suit, walking off the plinth and not knowing they’re doing so because there is a flag covering their face. Sometimes, our patriotism or nationalism can cover our ability to see, to our detriment. The figure is about to injure themselves by stepping off this structure and they don’t even know it. They’re not looking.

The last way I’m thinking about looking up: if you noticed from my weekly rundown above, on Sunday after my picnic and reading I laid down and just looked at clouds moving across the sky. I was looking up! I cannot remember the last time I just watched clouds move across the sky. It was beautiful.

For me, it feels like to Look Up means a) to be mindful of where I am and what’s going on in that space and b) to have the time to slow down and pull my head up and to just notice and look. Maybe this is why I like art museums: all you have to do is look and you can spend as much time as you want looking at just a single thing.