I travelled down from Sheffield today. Heading to Colchester via London. I spent the whole afternoon in London with a dear friend. She'd come in from the South to meet me. We had a proper catchup over a pub lunch and stayed drinking Diet Coke for hours. Then we took the Tube over to Liverpool Street Station, where I dumped my luggage at the "Left Luggage" facility (Only £8.50/bag for the day, £5 for each additional day after) so we could run about unencumbered. One of the brilliant things about London is all the hidden gardens, quite historical nooks and other gems waiting for discovery. I'd previously been to St Katherine's Wharf, and knew it was one of those gems. We found several areas I'd not previously explored that were fantastic. We ogled the million-pound boats/ships (a two masted sail boat is seriously a ship!) and decided which house would be ours when we were rich and famous. Then we walked over to the South Bank and had our tea in a quite pub. I was really surprised that it wasn't jammed full of people on a Friday evening, but it wasn't. Yes, it was busy, but it wasn't crazily packed. We walked back to the station via Potter's Field, which I'd never noticed there before, and I caught the train home. A really lovely afternoon spent with one of my dearest friends.
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
London, Hoorah!
Since Lois' flight left this morning, and she needed to be at Heathrow for half 7 in the morning, we decided to go spend the night. Booked into the Comfort Inn at Heathrow. Not a hotel we'd recommend, we discovered, but that wasn't the point! The point was to play in London in the afternoon and not kill ourselves getting her to the airport in the morning.
Anyway . . . we got around the M25, and checked into the hotel. It was mid-afternoon, so we weren't entirely sure we really wanted to spend the money to go into London. But, I decided that it was worth it to spend the afternoon playing, instead of just sitting in the hotel. After all, if we were just going to sit and "do nothing" we could have stayed at my house til evening, and been more comfortable. So, we went in! I'd been really wanting to go to the Barbican to see the little zebra finch sound scape "art" instillation. Yeah . . . that was fun! I particularly wanted to go with Lois, since she's one of the few people who will appreciate it in the same way as me. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed, but here's the youtube video promoting it:
Oh boy was that fun! If you're in/around London, we'd totally recommend going. It's only on til the middle/end of May, though! So, you'd better hurry.
After we left the Barbican, we were trying to figure out how to walk from there to the Museum of London. They're very close to each other, but it's a bit tricky to get from one to the other in the most direct line. We figured out that, you actually have to go up to the "Highwalk" area! This is a network of raised sidewalk sort of things connecting a bunch of the City of London (as opposed to "Greater London") buildings together, above traffic level. The whole area is a network of quiet nooks, private gardens and waterscapes. A total hidden gem in the heart of London.
The museum was fun, and a total recommendation for anyone traveling through London. I've been before, but it's quite large, so it's worth more than one visit. Especially since come May, it's going to be opening a new exhibit. They've been working on it for 3 years, so it's probably going to be quite something! (Besides, it's FREE!)
After the museum, we went to Victoria Station for a "traditional" dinner. When we lived in London together, we lived near Victoria Station, and we'd go to this restaurant, Garfunkles, there. There's nothing special about the restaurant itself, but, we enjoyed remembering living in London together. That was a magical summer :-)
By the time we got back to the hotel, Lois had a headache. So, we just chilled for a couple hours, watching "Mock the Week", "QI" and "Would I Lie to You?" - 3 BBC productions that are all very funny. Mock the Week is a comic show about current events. Would I Lie to You is a bluffing game where celebrities read off pre-prepared cards, and the other team (also celebs) have to decide if it's true or false. Kind of like the game "2 Truths and a Lie", if you've ever played that. QI, though, is my favourite! It stands for "Quite Interesting" and it's a quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry. Yeah. You can imagine from there. It's really funny, and (surprise!) quite interesting.
Took Lois to the airport this morning. Very sad to see her go, but it was so wonderful to have her here. I'm really grateful that Grandma sent her over for the week. It was the perfect present.
I'd specifically asked at the front desk about check-out time (told 11.00 am) because, if possible, I wanted to avoid the whole driving in Rush Hour thing. Not exactly fun. Left the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and took Lois off to the airport. Got back to the hotel and discovered that my bag (which I'd left in the room) was not there, and the room was being cleaned! Ummm..... what's going on?!? The front desk had the room listed as being empty! And that I'd checked out. Ummm.... no. So, I made them find my bag (had my laptop in it!!!) and let me back into the room, since I'd not checked out! Anyway, not impressed. Like I said before, not a hotel I'd recommend.
Anyway . . . we got around the M25, and checked into the hotel. It was mid-afternoon, so we weren't entirely sure we really wanted to spend the money to go into London. But, I decided that it was worth it to spend the afternoon playing, instead of just sitting in the hotel. After all, if we were just going to sit and "do nothing" we could have stayed at my house til evening, and been more comfortable. So, we went in! I'd been really wanting to go to the Barbican to see the little zebra finch sound scape "art" instillation. Yeah . . . that was fun! I particularly wanted to go with Lois, since she's one of the few people who will appreciate it in the same way as me. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed, but here's the youtube video promoting it:
Oh boy was that fun! If you're in/around London, we'd totally recommend going. It's only on til the middle/end of May, though! So, you'd better hurry.
After we left the Barbican, we were trying to figure out how to walk from there to the Museum of London. They're very close to each other, but it's a bit tricky to get from one to the other in the most direct line. We figured out that, you actually have to go up to the "Highwalk" area! This is a network of raised sidewalk sort of things connecting a bunch of the City of London (as opposed to "Greater London") buildings together, above traffic level. The whole area is a network of quiet nooks, private gardens and waterscapes. A total hidden gem in the heart of London.
The museum was fun, and a total recommendation for anyone traveling through London. I've been before, but it's quite large, so it's worth more than one visit. Especially since come May, it's going to be opening a new exhibit. They've been working on it for 3 years, so it's probably going to be quite something! (Besides, it's FREE!)After the museum, we went to Victoria Station for a "traditional" dinner. When we lived in London together, we lived near Victoria Station, and we'd go to this restaurant, Garfunkles, there. There's nothing special about the restaurant itself, but, we enjoyed remembering living in London together. That was a magical summer :-)
By the time we got back to the hotel, Lois had a headache. So, we just chilled for a couple hours, watching "Mock the Week", "QI" and "Would I Lie to You?" - 3 BBC productions that are all very funny. Mock the Week is a comic show about current events. Would I Lie to You is a bluffing game where celebrities read off pre-prepared cards, and the other team (also celebs) have to decide if it's true or false. Kind of like the game "2 Truths and a Lie", if you've ever played that. QI, though, is my favourite! It stands for "Quite Interesting" and it's a quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry. Yeah. You can imagine from there. It's really funny, and (surprise!) quite interesting.
Took Lois to the airport this morning. Very sad to see her go, but it was so wonderful to have her here. I'm really grateful that Grandma sent her over for the week. It was the perfect present.
I'd specifically asked at the front desk about check-out time (told 11.00 am) because, if possible, I wanted to avoid the whole driving in Rush Hour thing. Not exactly fun. Left the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and took Lois off to the airport. Got back to the hotel and discovered that my bag (which I'd left in the room) was not there, and the room was being cleaned! Ummm..... what's going on?!? The front desk had the room listed as being empty! And that I'd checked out. Ummm.... no. So, I made them find my bag (had my laptop in it!!!) and let me back into the room, since I'd not checked out! Anyway, not impressed. Like I said before, not a hotel I'd recommend.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Underground Blues
I had a traumatic weekend: Lost my car keys, house keys, mobile phone and ipod (it's only a nano). Thought I'd been pick pocketted, because they were all in the same pocket. Was obviously distressed to discover them missing (especially the keys!) at 1.00 in the morning! I was on my way home from London and started looking for my car keys (car was parked on the street, near the station - free parking on the weekends, but residents only Mon-Fri.) No car keys. No house keys!!! The phone and ipod were secondary. Anyway, walked home from the station, and had to wake my poor (lovely!) neighbour to get my spare key (SOOOOO sorry, D, if you're reading this! And, THANK YOU for letting me in!) at 1.30 in the morning. Thought, well . . . maybe I should ring the phone, on the off chance that they hadn't been stolen, but lost. So, I dialled my mobile, and *shock* someone answered! The manager for Charlotte St Blues (http://www.charlottestblues.com - go, if you're in London!) had found them - house keys, car keys, phone and ipod (but, no ipod headphones, for some reason) - and he would put them in the safe for me to collect! Yeay!!! Of course, I still didn't have car keys, but at least I knew where they WERE!
Not having keys was a bit challenging for Sunday. Not only did I have to go to Chelmsford (30 minute drive) for church, but also, my car was in a weekend-only parking area! So, my lovely neighbour came to my rescue AGAIN and helped me get back to my car and try my 'sudo' spare key. Turns out, it will open the doors, and release the wheel lock, but it doesn't have an immobiliser chip (anti-theft device), so it won't turn the engine over. Drat. Ok, so came home and called the AA (Automotive Association). They sent a recovery vehicle, and the man was SO nice and helpful. Seriously made a stressful situation much easier. He came to my house, gave me a lift BACK to my car, then hooked my car up to the tow-bar, and I steered whilst he towed me home. Then, he parked the car in my drive! And, he made total sure that I'd be ok, that if I needed to replace the keys I had a way to do that, or to get the keys back . . . really great. I totally recommend them as a company!
So, still had the problem of getting to church. Fortunately, Chelmsford Ward shares a chapel, and they're on the afternoon schedule at the moment. I've never been so grateful for 2.00 church in my life! Had a think, who do I know who'd be driving from Colchester to Chelmsford . . . umm . . . no one. Ok. What about Ipswich? (Colchester's about 1/2 way between the two cities) Ah! 2 of the Stake YW Presidency are in Ipswich (they're sisters. Like, blood related. ) They're friends. I can ring them! And, G and H came to my rescue! I called them my Damsels in Shining Armour! They also get a total thumbs up from me.
Right, so what does this all have to do with Underground and Blues? Well, I had to go back to London today to collect my keys. And in the Underground there was a fantastic busker. He was playing this crazy instrament (no idea what it is) and the music he was playing! Oooh! WHERE were my bluse friends when I needed them?!? Cruel and unusual punishmenet to have me find such a fantastic bit of Blues Culture and NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH! Asked if I could take his photo, and he said, "Please do!" He totally made my day! :D
Not having keys was a bit challenging for Sunday. Not only did I have to go to Chelmsford (30 minute drive) for church, but also, my car was in a weekend-only parking area! So, my lovely neighbour came to my rescue AGAIN and helped me get back to my car and try my 'sudo' spare key. Turns out, it will open the doors, and release the wheel lock, but it doesn't have an immobiliser chip (anti-theft device), so it won't turn the engine over. Drat. Ok, so came home and called the AA (Automotive Association). They sent a recovery vehicle, and the man was SO nice and helpful. Seriously made a stressful situation much easier. He came to my house, gave me a lift BACK to my car, then hooked my car up to the tow-bar, and I steered whilst he towed me home. Then, he parked the car in my drive! And, he made total sure that I'd be ok, that if I needed to replace the keys I had a way to do that, or to get the keys back . . . really great. I totally recommend them as a company!
So, still had the problem of getting to church. Fortunately, Chelmsford Ward shares a chapel, and they're on the afternoon schedule at the moment. I've never been so grateful for 2.00 church in my life! Had a think, who do I know who'd be driving from Colchester to Chelmsford . . . umm . . . no one. Ok. What about Ipswich? (Colchester's about 1/2 way between the two cities) Ah! 2 of the Stake YW Presidency are in Ipswich (they're sisters. Like, blood related. ) They're friends. I can ring them! And, G and H came to my rescue! I called them my Damsels in Shining Armour! They also get a total thumbs up from me.
Right, so what does this all have to do with Underground and Blues? Well, I had to go back to London today to collect my keys. And in the Underground there was a fantastic busker. He was playing this crazy instrament (no idea what it is) and the music he was playing! Oooh! WHERE were my bluse friends when I needed them?!? Cruel and unusual punishmenet to have me find such a fantastic bit of Blues Culture and NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH! Asked if I could take his photo, and he said, "Please do!" He totally made my day! :D
Friday, 5 December 2008
Let The Christmas Season Begin!
A couple weeks ago Sara had this brilliant idea to go into London to watch the lighting of the Norwegian Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square. Every year the Norwegian people give the Birtish people a Christmas Tree as a thank you for the help given during the Second World War. This tradition got started in 1947, I think they said. Anyway, it's been 62 years since they started (we all know how my maths skills are. Someone else figure out if I remembered the date right or not!) We had a great time listening to the brass band and two church chiors. Really good fun. We'd got a little rain in the middle of things, but it quit pretty fast, so it wasn't miserably wet. Just slightly damp.
Here's the video of the lighting. The man speaking is the Mayor of Oslo. (Sorry the video is sideways. I forgot that if you turn the camera, it takes the video sideways. Ooops.)
Here's the video of the lighting. The man speaking is the Mayor of Oslo. (Sorry the video is sideways. I forgot that if you turn the camera, it takes the video sideways. Ooops.)
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