Well, somehow Kyle and I arrived in England after a boat ride, two long train rides and many subway rides with far too many pieces of luggage. With the exception of heavy bags, however, our traveling experience was quite pleasant. Our first leg of the of the journey was on an overnight train from Venice to Paris. We bought first class sleeper tickets (believe it or not, cheaper than airfare), and enjoyed our little double sleeper immensely. After a decent night’s sleep, we woke up the next morning in Paris.

We had the day to spend in Paris before our late afternoon train to London, so we stored our bags in the luggage lockers in the Gare du Nord, and set out to explore. The area of Montmartre was a short walk away, and we visited the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur on the top of the hill (with a view of the Eiffel Tower), and the Moulin Rouge. It was quite thrilling for us to be in Paris, even for one day, and we look forward to returning to explore another time.

Our train ride from Paris to London was uneventful, and the passage under the English Channel was nothing to write home about. We arrived in London St. Pancras in the early evening, and took a series of trains out to Merton (a southern borough of London) where we found the house of our friend, Adrian Hewitt. Adrian is a friend whom Kyle met in Venice, and he and his family have been very kind to put us up in London, and now Oxford, and to help us settle in.

So yes, Oxford is our location now, and if all goes well, we hope to establish ourselves here and live for the next 18 months or so. Kyle and I are absolutely thrilled to be here – everything so far seems charming, picturesque, clean, and beautiful. We already feel at home in this lovely university town, and we can’t wait to make it our own in the coming months!