HRP pass Part I

In true George Lucas style, I have told the second part of the story without telling the first! Hopefully I won’t make as much of a mess of it though!

Earlier in the year, I took Christine down to Hampton Court, to christen my birthday present, an Historical Royal Palaces pass! We met at Waterloo and took the train there. It was warm, but not as warm as I thought it might be, so I ended up being a bit chilly, but it was still a great day for walking around and looking at this amazing building!

The approach! The main entrance was actually closed for an event, so we entered near the kitchens.

This fire was sooooo toasty, and the centuries of smoke stains are pretty impressive!

The roof in the main hall – I didn’t actually get any good photos of the whole hall. I was too busy reading all the facts about the King’s hall on the tables!

I did get a photo of the high table though!

The courtyard. We got a fantastic little piece of historical theatre here between King Henry VIII, Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper!

And behind the Tudor front, lies the second life of Hampton Court, inhabited by the Hanovers.

Quite a different look!

the privy garden

We had lunch, with scones and jam and cream, in a warm little kitchen under the Tudor wing, and wandered around, headed out to the Maze, which was fun, but also slightly disappointing. I’m beginning to think Mazes are never quite as fun as I imagined them to be when I was small. Then we wandered through the various gardens, saw the oldest Grape Vine in Britain, and went to the Members room for a cuppa, only to find it had closed. We browsed the shops, but were very restrained, before jumping, relatively exhausted, back on the train to Waterloo.

It was such a great day and I really want to get out there again before I leave. I imagine it would look AMAZING in the snow!

And I have to show these, because, well, don’t you think they look like the mushrooms in Mario Bros?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HRP pass Part II

I had a late shift at work on Monday. And I mean a late one – a sunset, starting at 5pm. So rather than sit around the house doing nothing all day, I thought i’d head over to Kensington Palace and finally check out the Fashion Rules exhibit on my HRP membership. I had been to the launch members talk earlier in the year, complete with cute little garden party afterwards. Which was kinda really awesome – champagne and nibbles at Queen Vicky’s home? How elegant!

I got off one tube stop earlier than i meant to, but it did mean that I was greeted by a view of Kensington Gardens (West of Hyde Park) that i hadn’t seen before.

The Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens

I then walked over to the palace… and before I could get there it bucketed down so hard that my shoes were soaked through! Luckily I had an umbrella to protect everything above my knees… *sigh*

This bust is a replica of the one in Kensington Gardens and was made for Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee… By her daughter Louise!

Queen Victoria’s wedding dress. She was SO TINY!

Her riding habit. The quote from her diary on the window lament’s her not being a man, and thus able to fight in battle.

Living in the later part of Queen Lizzy’s reign, I kind of forget that she got to dress like, well, a queen! These dresses are amazing. The green in the background is a dress she wore in Pakistan. Diplomatic dressing!

Some serious beading and embroidery going on on these frocks!

Princess Margaret had some smoking style! I LOVE this dress!

Sadly poor Di got to dress like a Princess in the 80s… For the fashion of the time these are amazing, but they mostly look like sacks or misplaced prom dresses…

I absolutely LOVE this stair case! We travelled up it at the Fashion Rules members night and I got to linger on it this time. It makes me feel like I’m in a movie!

Imagine hosting all your parties in a room like this!

And looking up into this? Not sure how much of this is the actual shape and how much is the paint job, but it’s bloody impressive either way!

I felt somewhat rushed, and very damp thanks to the downpour, but it was still fantastic. The saddest bit was that I really wanted to sit down with this guy and play Magic Jacks. I ended up helping both the girls he was playing with as neither of them seemed to really get the hang of it.

(Also, he was cute)

I like it though: Basic rundown (as much for myself as anything else) 3 facedown cards, three face-up and 3 in the hand each. Must have a minimum of 3 cards in your hand. You play through in turn, 2-A, 2 resets the pack, 7 means the next person plays a lower card, and a 10 burns the deck. Once you play a card, you pick up to have 3 in your hand (if you have 3 or more, you don’t pick up). If you can’t play, you get the played deck. Once all cards are burned or played, you play the 3 face up cards, then the 3 face-down blind. Simple, but I like it. I’m pretty sure I’ve come across it before with a different name.

I really like the actors who interact with the visitors at the Palaces. They had them at Hampton court, but I didn’t really expect them at Kensington. I didn’t get a chance to watch their interactions other than the card game. man, that’s a job I’d love.

I will try and get back here one more time before I leave, take some more time (same with Hampton Court!). But in the meantime, there’s still Kew Palace and the Banqueting House to get to. And of course, my favourite? The Tower!! (I’ve been twice, but once more can’t hurt!)

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The countdown begins.

Last wednesday marked 18 month since moving to the UK.

*sigh* I really do love it here, but I wonder how much of that is because it’s summer right now and I do LOVE a British Summer.

I went to Hampstead Heath today, finally, with a friend from Aus (Hi Pete!) which was just lovely. We sat in a secluded bit of the Heath that made it feel like we were in a rural forest, and talked about life and love and all those things, then we wandered around the open paths, and around the pools… I kinda really want to go swimming there! There probably won’t be another day like today where i have the time to go though. Also, I don’t actually like swimming! But the water looked cool and inviting, and i think it would remind me of the river-swimming I did enjoy in the Murray as a child.

I didn’t take masses of photos, but here’s a few.

  

Such a glorious day for aimless wandering, fresh air, peace and quiet (honestly, despite the people it’s so quiet!), some friendly pats with dogs and some cider and berries and a good ol’ chat.

Sadly, though, I now have just over 5 months before my visa is up. And so my thoughts must turn to planning how and when I get home. And where home will be.

At this stage I will probably move back to Adelaide, though I’m thinking of detouring via Canada and Seattle USA for a short spell on the way back to Aus (the advantage of being on the other side of the world is that absolutely everywhere is on the way home. Except Antarctica.) I want to visit my darling Miriam, since being in London constantly reminds me of her, then head over to the West Coast which I missed last time, then down to Seattle to see my family there.

I am a bit saddened by the realisation that I will probably have to leave the UK before my 33rd birthday. My visa expires on the 13th of Feb, and unless I try reentry on a tourist visa (which can be tricky, despite being legal) I need to leave by then. This is heartbreaking as I REALLY want to celebrate my birthday with all my London friends.

I have also discovered that my Great-Grandmother was indeed born in Scotland, but sadly that is one generation too far to get an ancestry visa. It really is frustrating as I don’t want to stay forever, just another summer, but it’s pretty impossible unless I get married or get another job, and loving my job and the people I work with is a big part of why I want to stay.

Like I said. *sigh*

But I have 5 more months to enjoy, a few more cities in Europe to visit (Bruge, Stockholm and Rome are all on the list, plus getting down to  France again to see friends and say goodbye to Paris), some British sights to see (I’m looking at you Harrogate), the most to make out of my Historical Palaces pass and a winter christmas and new year’s to experience.

Bring it London. I’m ready!

 

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It’s about Time…

we leave on Sunday for Edinburgh to perform our Doctor Who related show, so i thought it was about time I showed you all the photos of Cardiff (see what i did there? no? that’s fine, i’m quite tired)

It was a little while ago now, so stick with me while i remember!

I went by bus, because it was cheap, and, in aussie terms, not that far. Also, Britain is SO green in the spring, a colour you just don’t see back home, so it was pretty too.

Cardiff is pretty small, so i just walked everywhere.

The view that greeted me as i meandered to my hostel

I didn’t do much my first night, just found a nice place (that might be generous, but the steak and cider were both good and cheap) to have dinner and relaxed in my very nice hostel.

The first full day I spent in Cardiff Bay – it was the spring bank holiday and the weather was absolutely perfect!

The Welsh Millenium Centre (complete with Torchwood entrance)

A perfect day for a perfect view

The old customs house and merry-go-round

This is the pier where the ‘public’ entrance to Torchwood was, complete with the wall of mourning for Ianto Jones. Such a strange thing!

Of course a trip to Cardiff Bay wouldn’t be complete without doing the Doctor Who Experience. It was totally cheesy, but i absolutely loved it. The ‘experience’ part of it was aimed at children, but i had such a moment of glee as we walked out of the engine room of the TARDIS and into a hall, I really felt like I was in the TARDIS and it was AWESOME. and there were daleks! they were huge and scary, even though they were clearly mechanical. Such fun!

The actual exhibit afterwards was absolutely worth it though. really enjoyed looking at the costumes and props!

There’s a TARDIS in the bay!

It’s Bessie!

Oh yeah! It’s a lego Dalek. you better believe i want one!

River Song was here…

aaaaaand another TARDIS. there was an older version and the most recent version in the exhibition

I took the opportunity to do some research…

I got to stand in the Fourth and Fifth Doctors’ TARDIS…

 

And totally felt like i was in the wreck of the Tenth Doctor’s TARDIS

 

I got up close and personal with some Daleks

And some babby Weeping Angels too

I ate an absolutely delicious dinner of mixed Tapas at a South American restaurant on the bay and was absolutely exhausted when i tumbled into bed!

The next day I spent wandering around the city. I wanted to do the walking tour, but just missed it, and had the clever notion of asking a local for a recommendation for breakfast.

And a proper breakfast it was! It was Garlands in Duke’s Arcade and the whole vibe reminded me so much of Melbourne i almost felt a little homesick. I had a MASSIVE brunch, with tiger bay pudding (which is a variation on black pudding and much yummier) and all sorts of deliciousness! I stayed for ages! (and totally went back the next day). If you are in Cardiff. GO!

A lovely atmosphere (if quiet) for a lovely meal

In the afternoon,  it was off to the Castle. I love Castles. Such an oddity to an Aussie!

The actual castle within the walls.

The palace, built much later…

You can walk through the passages in the walls, where locals took shelter during WWII. It’s kinda creepy…

But it is really cool when you finally get to a window! This is the park, next door.

It was a long way up…

And a long way down again too!

Totally worth it for the view though!

 

After exploring the castle itself, I checked out the palace. It’s an interesting story, basically it was redecorated in the 19th century by some guy with more money than sense to look like what he thought a medieval palace should look like. which of course is nothing like what a medieval palace looked like at all. But it is incredible and it’s a real fairytale house!

The interiors in the palace were amazing…

I REALLY want this library. I can imagine the library in the TARDIS is like this…

And next door to the castle is the park, complete with the Animal Wall which used to be in a different spot, but someone moved it, and added more animals… I stopped paying attention. I did take photos of every animal though, but I’ll only show you one…

 

The last day i didn’t really do anything particularly exciting. It was a dog of a day and I ended up going to the museum, which was a bit of a let down actually, though I did learn a little bit about the geological, geographical and evolutionary history of wales. I wish I had taken the day to go to St Fagin’s which is a historical museum, complete with wool mills and other ye-olde-things.

I guess that means I just have to go back!

I did really love Cardiff though – the people were lovely, the food was AMAZING (reminds me a bit of Tassie!) and the weather put on a good show until the last day!

 

 

 

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Autumnal Amsterdam

Autumn has well and truly set in. It’s been rather cold this month, though i’m still finding that temperatures i would be absolutely rugged up in back home are tolerable here – this bodes well for winter as i’m not wearing ALL the things yet. Haven’t even bought thermals yet!

I had four days off in a row and the lovely Sarah, who i met on the plane moving over here had some holiday so we booked a last minute trip to Amsterdam, a city neither of us had been to. As you all know, I’m quite happy travelling on my own, but it was wonderful to have a travelling companion!

We headed off on a saturday afternoon at a very reasonable hour, but it was still sort of dinner time by the time we got there, headed to the hostel, checked in etc. Amsterdam greeted us with rain… and more rain… but it was still deliciously pretty and full of trams and canals, both of which make me happy. We stopped in at the the Apple store which was pretty much round the corner from our hostel and asked a staff member (after chatting about working for the same company  – later discovered a friend of mine trained her at covent garden!) where she would recommend eating. she gave us the names of a few places, one, Cafe de Koe, was very close by and we headed there – it was a proper local place, not a tourist in sight. I had (belgian) cherry beer (not at all beery and totally delicious) and Venison and we had a great chat with the bartender and our waitress giggled at our attempts to translate the dutch menu (we got some of it right)

The hostel was a complete dive, but again, not such an issue when you’re with a travelling companion, but it’s really not worth discussing – except it was cheap and easy to get to, but i wouldn’t recommend it really.

The Sunday was our most accomplished day. We booked the free walking tour with new europe tours, who came recommended to me and i would HIGHLY recommend to others. They operate all over Europe and I fully intend to at least do the free tours in as many cities as i can! They work on tips so they make sure they are very informative and entertaining. Our guide Kendra was rocking and walk took us through the red light district, to the edge of the Jewish quarter, back through Dam Square, over the 4 main canals, to the Jordaan area where we finished up and had a delicious traditional lunch or mash with onion and carrots, a sausage (or meatball) and gravy and i had a mulled wine. Perfect comfort food after walking in the rain!

The Old Church, right in the heart of the Red Light District. Because sailors like sex. then they like to repent about the sex. When this was a catholic church it sold chits of forgiveness for the sin of adultery that sailors could buy BEFORE sampling the wares of the area. those business savvy Dutch!

The Royal Palace in Dam Square

The very phallic WWII monument in Dam Square

When telling us about the East India Trading Company (and the West India trading company and a whole bunch of interesting stories) Kendra gave us the choice of being out of the rain in a bicycle shed… we said yes, but it was also actually REALLY cool!

This guy was a bit of a Michael Moore of his time, exposing the 1% in a VERY boring book…

Narrowest house in Amsterdam. Crazy.

The best cheese shop in Amsterdam. I sampled the wares. I very much liked it! (bicycle not included)

Westerkirk (west church – the Dutch are CRAZY with how they name things)
This is right next to the Anne Frank House

We were so impressed with the tour that we decided to purchase tickets for one of the paid tours as well as tickets for a canal trip recommended by the company. The tour was at 7, so we took a good tip and headed to the Anne Frank House at 5,30ish to try and avoid queues. We didn’t completely manage to do that, but we were in pretty quickly. It was a remarkable experience. I cried. I don’t know how to explain here the effect being in that house had on me, except to say it made me incredibly sad and angry and heartbroken for mankind. I have never read Anne Frank’s Diary, but i will now, knowing just what a strong young lady she was.

The paid tour we went on was the Red Light District tour. It was INCREDIBLY fascinating! It was definitely titillating to walk past all the windows and see the women working them, but the information on the history of the area and the social and financial impact of the area and the business was really interesting, especially for someone like me who absolutely believes that prostitution should be legalised (at least in some form). Amsterdam proves a few of my beliefs about the benefits of legal prostitution. Namely, protecting the participants (both procurers and clients) and providing funds for the community through taxation.

The tour also talked about the generally accepting atmosphere of Amsterdam and we discussed the place of gay clubs, bdsm clubs/stores and other niche markets. Each sexual movement has its own flag and each has it’s place in Amsterdam. It’s remarkable how open this city is.

The canals in the Red Light District – complete with swans.

After the red light tour we took up another of Kendra’s recommendations by heading to a coffeeshop. Well we were in Amsterdam! 3.50 Euros later and Sarah and i had managed to smoke half a joint between us and were very happy. we then walked to the best burger place in Amsterdam (again, thanks to Kendra) and I DEVOURED an incredibly overpriced but terribly delicious burger and fries. We got into our hostel room at around 12 and crashed out!

On Sunday we got to a slow start having both slept VERY well, and walked along the Prinsengraacht to a highly recommended (by both Kendra and our Apple friend) pancake house. We were early so we wandered through some markets and took FAR too many photos of the canals (The sun was finally shining!!) before going back. Unfortunately I’m pretty sure the pancake i ate (knew i should have chosen sweet over savoury!), compounded with the boat ride we went on afterwards, did not agree with me and i began to feel quite nauseous. Other than that, the canal trip was gorgeous and we picked up even more info on Amsterdam and it’s secrets and history!

Prinsengraacht

canals, complete with trio of buskers

are you sick of canal photos yet? I’m not!

After we left the boat I was feeling quite queasy, so we took it pretty easy, but stopped into the Sex Museum up near Amsterdam Centraal. It was really interesting (and rather arousing!). It was a refreshing experience to be somewhere where curiosity about others’ sexual habits is a good thing and all those questions you would never dare ask are answered. Also? people have had dirty minds for a VERY VERY long time! I was particularly fascinated by how many pornographic items are from the Victorian era! And pornography is totally worldwide – there is not a single culture without its sexual expression! One thing i was surprised by though was the lack of sex toys… anyway! I didn’t like the gimmicky stuff in there though – i think the actual exhibited items speak for themselves.

We wandered around a little more – stopped into some shops, checked out the Magna Plaza (stunning building, couldn’lt believe it was a shopping centre!) before heading to the final restaurant recommended to us – Cafe de Klos

The Main street, leading from Dam Square to Amsterdam Centraal

Magna Plaza
Even commercialism is stunning in Amsterdam.

I needed to include this photo as they managed to erect an entire funfair, including ferris wheel, in Dam Square OVERNIGHT.

Despite managing to eat a rather decent dinner and getting to bed early, I was, unfortunately, sick as a dog all monday night. I greeted Tuesday completely exhausted and still nauseous. And of course we had to check out of our room at 10, with our flight home booked for 9! I was devastated and particularly concerned about ruining Sarah’s last day in Amsterdam. I was DETERMINED to get the most out of my time there so we dropped our stuff in the lockers at the train station and headed to the Rijksmuseum with the hope that being inside out of the rain and the cold and quietly taking in some culture might suit my sickly disposition. It did and it didn’t. It’s really hard to take in art while you’re trying not to throw up! The good new is i didn’t throw up again that day, the bad news is that by the time i saw the famous Night Watch by Rembrandt, I could barely take in anything around me so i don’t remember it particularly well! There are some things i do remember really liking, and the info on the history of the Dutch golden age was great. I have decided i really like Jan Steen and it was great to see what gave Rembrandt his reputation. His portraiture was indeed superb. I just wish i could have focussed. At least there were a lot of stools around! I almost fell asleep waiting for Sarah to enjoy the museum (I really didn’t want to rush her and i was sitting, so i was ok) but it was still only 1pm!! We found a cafe where i had a little lie down on a bench and some peppermint tea and some sparkling water and Sarah had lunch. I was a mess and we couldn’t find anywhere to leave me while Sarah explored, so we decided to chuck it in and head to the airport early.

Well, it was the best decision, because EasyJet came to the party for once and allowed us to switch to an earlier flight for no charge! so instead of flying out at 9, we left lovely Amsterdam at 5 and i was in bed by 8 – still queasy and completely and utterly exhausted. I still don’t know exactly what made me sick, but i felt rotten and it took me a good three days to get my appetite back properly.

Despite the disappointing ending to my trip, I absolutely loved Amsterdam. I would definitely go again. It is a strange city, but so beautiful. It is thoughtful and thought-provoking, open and inviting and accepting, but private as well. It is completely fascinating and I really enjoyed (most of) my time there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Belated) Bath and Stonehenge

I can’t believe i’ve completely forgotten to blog about this! Worst blogger ever (though i have been busy :P)

A few weeks ago i took a (groupon bought!) trip to Bath by way of Stonehenge. It was amazing! It was a coach tour and the tour guide provided some really interesting info without being overly verbose. We had plenty of time to contemplate and observe, but at the same time he pointed out cool things, like when you could see Wales in the distance and the White horse of Somerset on the side of a hill!

I am starting with Stonehenge, since it’s where we stopped first. I honestly never thought i’d be so fascinated by a pile of rocks. But I really felt there was something absolutely extraordinary about them, especially when you realise that firstly it was built 3 times and that one of the circle of stones comes from freaking Wales, so took some SERIOUS effort to get them to that exact spot. In fact, they tried to do it without modern technology a few years ago… and they couldn’t (i don’t know who ‘they’ are though… archeologists probably)

I’m going to post a whole bunch of photos now… if you don’t like rocks, skip ahead 😛

At various times and from various angles the light was just amazing on the stones!

The Altar stone in the centre of the circle

The little stones in the centre were the original henge, made with stone from Pembrokeshire in Wales. They must have REALLY wanted to put them there. They were a horseshoe shape and were eventually surrounded by the more familiar stones.

This stone is the Heelstone and casts a shadow on the alter stone at dawn on the Summer solstice

The view from the Heelstone

Nearby Burial Barrows. There were a lot of significant sites here, including the remains of a woodhenge – they didn’t just build them of stone!

And just for Mel – a whole bunch of sheep. they were pretty much in all the surrounding paddocks 🙂

After an hour at the henge, we popped back on the bus and headed to Bath, arriving at around 12.30 (we left really early from London). I wish i’d been able to get a snap of Bath as we came in… it was just stunning, laid out in wonderful arcs of light coloured buildings… *sigh*

We stopped right near the Abbey and the Baths, and were meeting back there in just 3 hours…

Bath Abbey was founded in the 7th Century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th Centuries

Buildings like this sometimes make me wish i were religious.

I took a couple of snaps of the abbey and popped into the info centre for a map before going straight on to the Baths themselves. So, incase you didn’t know, the Romans quite liked the hot springs here and named the settlement Aquae Sulis  and built some really awesome bath houses. Over time the various Brits took over the town and while the baths continued to be used the buildings changed, namely being rebuilt at around the same time as the Abbey – 12th and 16th Centuries. The Modern Baths have tried to recapture the essence of the original structures. Sometimes it seems a bit cheesy, but the history is interesting

The Baths at Bath

And from Ground level

The Goddess Minerva – only a few 1000 years old

Original stonework – possibly a gorgon?

The Pump in the Pump Room. The water is warm and pretty gross tasting.

When I had finally gotten my fill of the baths, I headed up the hill towards the circus. I wanted to see this round building and head towards the Assembly rooms to see the fashion museum

the buildings are just beautiful with their Georgian architecture

The Assembly Rooms. I so wish i’d had more time to explore- the internal architecture is great and the Fashion Museum is so much fun!

Inside the Assembly rooms – the octagon room

Playing around with crinolines and corsets in the Fashion Museum

Queen’s Park

I stopped just near here at the Regency Tea Rooms (Jane Austen House) for a quick little lunch of finger sandwiches and scones and jam. so desperately needed.

All in all it was a great little whirlwind trip. I definitely want to spend some more time in Bath!

 

 

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Out and About

I start my new job tomorrow, so that, coinciding with a flying visit from an American friend, was the perfect excuse to do some sight seeing in my last few days as a tourist rather than a tax-payer!

Jen arrived on Wednesday and after getting her settled and clean after 17 hours of travelling (LA is far too! who knew!) we headed out to the Tower of London. Because it’s made of WIN!

This time i took some good photos on my proper camera instead of the piss-poor phone camera photos i took last time. Not willing to say these are OODLES better, but they are better.

It was, unfortunately, raining, so the Yeoman of the Guard tour was not so much a tour as a hurried walk to the chapel where we got a half hour talk. MADE OF WIN. Our Beefeater was absolutely hilarious and very informative and a great speaker, creating a real sense of sadness at some points and tension as he told of the battle of Argincourt and other epic stories. I could honestly go to the tower just to listen to the Yeomen talk since i think i will hear a new story every time. As our Beafeater explained, he was a soldier (although he was actually a medic) and now he’s a historian. Pretty cool.

The view of the Tower

The White Tower from a window under the Bloody Tower (where they have the torture exhibit!)

What the White Tower actually looks like. Still haven't been inside... Next trip!

Where the Crown Jewels are kept. Saw them this time. My favourite was the MASSIVE diamond on the Queen Mother's crown.

The Memorial on the spot where Anne Boelyn and co lost their heads

So on Thursday we got off to a later start than planned, but we headed to the Natural History Museum. I have a feeling South Kensington is quickly going to become one of my favourite places, since i was already in love with the V&A and now have a massive love for the Natural History Museum too!

Such an impressive building (and diplodocus)

There was a FANTASTIC exhibition – Animals Inside Out. sadly no photos as they weren’t allowed, but also, i don’t want to gross anyone out! It was weird, an elephant cut in half, a sectioned giraffe, a dissected horses head, all fine… but the nervous system of a cat? totally weirded me out. I felt skeezed and completely fascinated all at the same time… So elephant’s heart? bigger than it’s brain. Goats? can have up to 3 kids and they fit together in the womb like one of those wooden puzzles. Hare brain? is in face hare-brained (ie, tiny). Shark livers? MASSIVE. it was all fairly awesome!

Didn’t take a lot of pictures in the rest of the museum … but did have to snap this one – as i’m pretty sure this is the LARGEST POSSUM I HAVE EVER SEEN.

what were they feeding it? check the numbat for size comparison

Also, did find out that opossums are in face marsupials – which i did not know. I was also TERRIBLY disappointed that all the big cats were off exhibit for research 😦

The blue whale was pretty darn impressive though

The scale is a bit off in this photo as was trying to get the giraffe in, but the blue whale takes up the whole room.

On Friday we headed out to Soho to a place called The Breakfast Club. I am a bit in love and this is quite dangerous given that it’s right near my new job… but the food is AMAZING and the atmosphere is very like something you’d find in Melbourne. (must add, Time Out has not let me down for good food joints yet!)

I didn't even mind all the yellow!

Jen wanted a proper English breakky… which is what she got. I personally had pancakes and bacon and it was AMAZING

Black pudding and all... and those potatoes? THE BEST EVER!

In the afternoon we headed back to the NHM since i needed to exchange the worst umbrella ever ™ for a new one. which hopefully will last longer than a day this time. We then went to the V&A to check out the British Design exhibit and have a general poke around. I STILL need to go back though! so much to see there! I also LOVE the shop there. picked up some lovely hand painted buttons!

From there we walked to Albert Hall, along Hyde park and then down to Buckingham Palace – proper sight seeing. I was fricking buggered at the end of it though, so we walked just a little further and ate delicious noodles at Wagamama in Victoria since Jen had never been there. we ended up ordering the same thing – hilarious!

The Royal Albert Hall

Hyde Park at dusk

The sun sets on Buckingham Palace

As we walked through Hyde Park corner I went to check out the Australian War Memorial i had been told was there. I will be very very busy on Anzac day, but it was a goodly reminder to take stock. It’s a very impressive monument, if simple. The back wall ‘weeps’ and all those words are actually made up of the names of Australian towns and suburbs, presumably those that suffered losses… I spotted Sydenham, Modbury, Woolongong, North Brisbane, Fraser Island, Torrens Island, Brighton… too many to take in…

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall remember them.

So that was the last week… yesterday i stayed in bed, caught up on my shows and finished my Aeolian shawl (blogging it soon on my other blog) and today i will head to the shops and then go to the airport to meet a friend who is bringing me 13KG of STUFF! so excited!

Tomorrow i start training at Apple!! wish me luck!

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