Updates - Travels, Theatre and Random London

It's been a while since I've posted an update on what I've been up to... three months in fact! How time does fly! So buckle up ladies and gents, I'm going to try and distil 3 months worth of London life, travels, thoughts, and more into a few paragraphs or before you nod off to sleep...whichever comes first.

July

Holy cow was it a busy month. It saw the end of Ramadan and a celebratory Eid picnic with my London friends family, just a before starting my travels. I spent 10 days checking out Salzburg and Vienna in Austria before flying home, packing like a mad woman (and organising last minute movers) moving flats and then flying out to Tallinn, Estonia for a few days.

Both Austria and Estonia are beautiful and I had a great time exploring. As you no doubt noticed though, I have failed to write anything about them save a favourite moments post from Tallinn. I will get there...one day...(What? It's possible!)

On the moving side, it was hard to say goodbye to almost two years with my flatmate who had become like a sister to me :( but I'm happy that she is following her dream of living in sunny Spain. I was nervous about moving in with a bunch of strangers...moving in with people has always been odd to me...but two months in and things are still going well.

August

Back from my travels, I settled back into life in London, restarting my couch to 5K, catching up with friends over lunches, dinners and coffee. Not content to sit still for long though, I booked on to a London street art tour (wish I'd done it sooner!) and went on a couple of escapes from London. One escape was a taster of the Peaks district national park in Derbyshire and one to explore the seaside town of Whitstable.

And what's London life without a little bit of culture? I was over the moon about going to a talk by an author fast becoming one of my favourites and getting a couple of books signed - total bookworm heaven for me. Plus I managed to squeeze in a trip to the theatre to see Kinky Boots! It is such a fun musical, I highly recommend it.

The month ended on a warm and fuzzy note. An old flight attendant friend of mine popped into London for a few hours, I hadn't seen him in years and it was great to catch up, I only wish we'd had longer! There is something about old friends which is very comforting, it's like being home and grounds you, don't you think?

September

OK so London was on form this month. The city put on not one but two events. It was the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London so they had a bunch of events for that. I saw two of them, one was a light installation on St Paul's dome and the second was a fire garden at the front of the Tate Modern complete with live atmospheric music which made for a very unusual night.

The second event was the annual London Open House weekend (if I had a pound for every Londoner asking me what that is...!). Basically, London opens its doors to the public, for free. There are a mix of buildings; private homes, government buildings, members only clubs, churches, museums, places of worship, company buildings, theatres, community centres, libraries... the list goes on. Some you need to prebook, some have a ballot (like 10 Downing street) and other you just arrive and queue for.

I had an idea of where I wanted to go and managed to fill my weekend peeking behind closed doors. The highlights for me were seeing inside the Astronomical and Geological Societies (they had some serious #bookshelfporn) and the bizarre only-in-London moment, lying on the auditorium floor looking up at the spiral staircase of London's City Hall.

Aside from London's festivities, I hit up the theatre again...three times. Harry Potter (tickets booked 10 months earlier), Matilda, and a couple of nights ago, Secret Studio Lab.

It was also the month I got to know my flatmates a bit more, we went out for dinner and hit up Colombia Road flower markets for some flowers for our garden - stopping for brunch and coffee of course. They are fun and lively and really down to earth, I'm so relieved that things are going well so far!

There were more brunches and dinners with friends to be had too. Oh, and did I mention that time I watched Notting Hill in a bed under the open sky? Or when I saw Bumblebee and Anthony Hopkins filming for Transformers 5 in central London?

Reflections

Despite the rosy picture all this paints, the past few months had its difficult moments and quite a bit of naval gazing. A close friend of mine was going through a rough patch both on the work and family front and needed support which I did my best to give. Inevitably though, being so close to that made me think about my own family situation, I worry about my mum all the time and it's hard not being able to be there for her - it has made me rethink a few things. I don't know if this is a case all expats face or if everyone gets it expat or not?

I also realised that I can shoot myself in the foot by being too polite. I can come off as indifferent and I forget to relax and just be myself. Not smart. And it has the additional downside of feeding my bad habit of putting others first All. The. Time. (I'm not saying you shouldn't put others first, sometimes its important, I'm just saying that I do it beyond what is healthy).

I did find out (in a rather convoluted way) proof that I have pretty strong will power and a bit of courage. There was something bothering me and you would not believe the lengths my subconscious went to, to ignore that something and pretend everything was fine. Eventually it took my painfully acknowledging that it was a weakness (what? I have a weakness? no way!) to turn it into the first step in building up some strength, after all, we are human and we all have strengths and weaknesses.

Right, enough deep and meaningfuls. Did you fall asleep? You have some drool on the corner of your mouth...don't worry, I wont tell...here's a tissue ;) If you didn't fall asleep during all that...seriously, you probably need to reduce your caffeine intake.


Till next time!
xo

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Kinky Boots London

Ladies, gentlemen and those who are yet to make up your mind...

It was a Tuesday  night and I had this urge to buy knee-length bright red boots and strut around London. At the same time, I was thinking 'Oh God! I hope this urge doesn't last!' I wasn't crazy, I'd just seen Kinky Boots and loved every minute. I was glued to my seat, my eyes following the actors around on stage, barely able to keep up. There was colour, attitude, hilarity and a touch of moving moments to give it heart.

The cast was brilliant, those actors playing drag queens can sure strut their stuff. I mean, I'm used to heels but never in a million years could I pull off some of the stuff they did! Splits, flips, jumps twirls, dance moves and more. (Were there specific training sessions on how to walk in six-inch heels? How many twisted ankles were there in rehearsals? And how on earth can you do a flip and land on heels!! Seriously, it shouldn't be possible.)

I think Lola and Lauren did an amazing job. Lola, had me wrapped around her little pinky from the moment she exploded onto the stage and Lauren was brilliantly awkward and perfectly imperfect.

Lola: [looks horrified] Burgundy. Please, God, tell me I have not inspired something burgundy. Red. Red. *Red*. *Red*, Charlie boy. *Red*! Is the color of sex! Burgundy is the color of hot water bottles! Red is the color of sex and fear and danger and signs that say, Do. Not. Enter. All my favorite things in life.*

*source

Seriously, Kinky Boots was awesome. It was the perfect antidote to my mid-week-itis, going-back-to-work-after-holidays-itis and general feelings of 'meh'.  Its lively, fun, made me want to dance in my seat and put me in a great, bouncy, this is why I love London, kind of mood.

It was all last minute, mind you, I scored FRONT-ROW tickets for £20 thanks to a nifty little app which I've now added to my 8 tips for booking theatre tickets post.

Be yourself, everyone else is already taken - Oscar Wilde (quoted by Lola)

Seriously, go see this show if you haven't already, and if you don't leave with a smile on your face, and feeling just happy to be you then I really will buy red boots and strut around London, twisted ankles be damned.

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Updates - Egyptology, the Circus & the Engllish countryside

Lets talk Egyptology, circus acts, wonder.land, a new production of the Tempest, a Roman bathing spot, cute villages, rolling hills and the simple pleasure of a hug.

You'll have to forgive the complete dry up of any blogging over the past four(!) weeks, I've been busy with mum who has been visiting all the way from Sydney. Its been great having her in London. There have been coffees, chatty brunches, English countryside trips, travel adventures and lots of hugs (you're never to old for a good hug!). I'm sure there will be loads more in store but for now, here are some things I've been up to.

A few of weeks ago, after work, I went to the Beyond Beauty exhibition at Two Temple Place. There I was, looking at ancient Egyptian artifacts, learning about how the Egyptians viewed beauty, in a gorgeously restored medieval hall, and to top it off, listening to live jazz music floating through the air. I had a 'this is why I love London' moment that made me grin like an idiot. Sadly the exhibit is now closed but Two Temple Place will be open again to the public during London's Open House weekend in September – put it into your diary, this place is worth seeing even without the Egyptology exhibit.

A few days later a couple of friends and I ran away to the Circus. Circus Restaurant that is. All dressed up, with a booking made months ago, we sat down to dinner while being serenaded by a drag queen dressed in Olivia Newton-John nightie from 'Grease' who took absurd pleasure in stroking a fellow diners bald head. Well, at least that was one of the acts that had us giggling away. From trapeze artists swinging above diners to hula-hoopers(?) the acts made everyones jaw drop. It was a fun night out at one of Londons quirkier restaurants.

Now, for someone who loves the theatre, I've been quite remiss in booking anything. Or so I thought. I almost missed seeing Wonder.land entirely. I was drifting asleep the night before when my brain decided to tell me about it. That shot me awake in no time and had me frantically searching through my emails to confirm. Whew. It was one of the oddest productions I've seen. It is a modern adaptation of Alice in Wonderland mirroring our current relationship with technology. Cleverly done with special effects blurring the line between physical and virtual actors - there is a great scene where the actress playing 'virtual' Alice drops into the top of a structure and is shown as a virtual character disintegrating. However, I left simultaneously not sure if I'd necessarily want to see it again and desperately wanting a teapot full of glitter.

Over the Bank holiday weekend I took mum to Bath and the Cotswolds and had the pleasure of seeing her face light up at the old Baths, the bright yellow flower fields of rapeseed in the countryside and the incredibly cute Cotswold villages. One of our stops was at Lower Slaughter (no I'm not making that up, its a real name and comes from old English for 'wet land' or muddy place). We had tea and sandwiches in a cosy room with stone floors, huge fireplace, low ceilings, wooden beams, lead windows and the smell of fresh scones from a neighbours table that made our mouths water despite our own tea!

This weekend, mum  and I hopped up to Edinburgh and landed an awesome room overlooking the city and the Balmoral Hotels clock tower. Mum was speechless, it was adorable. She had a great time touring around Edinburgh and getting lost in its layers of history, the stories in its stones and its beautiful views. Seeing her wide-eyed and in love with the city was worth missing out on London rare 25 degree weather and donning layers for Edinburgh 12 degrees. By the way, if you are going to visit Edinburgh from London, unless you are strapped for time or the airfares are much cheaper, I recommend going by train. Its only about half an hour's difference in the end and it means you skip the security, immigration, boarding saga.

So that's been my life for the past few weeks, bit manic, filled with warm hugs, good chats, and adventures. Till next time, what do you do when family visits? I'm always on the lookout for new ideas so any suggestions are most welcome!

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Time Run - Escape Room

One should never tamper with time. One never knows the consequences. Cranial shrinkage, for example, can be very unpleasant and it can take one a number of months to recover, in the meantime you look like a walking potato. We all know that in changing the past we can impact time to the point where we erase ourselves. But the temptation is there, to change something, to go back and erase that moment.

In London however, time travel is for fun. There is a time portal which will zap you into the past to observe the sights and sounds (and smells!) of a bygone era. And there is another portal you can step through and help find a very precious artifact buried in time. Indiana Jones eat your heart out.

I am no longer surprised at London's oddities, in fact, it seems the further east you go the weirder London gets. But I digress. This particular time portal is in a Lab a couple of minutes walk from London Fields tube station. Unlike most labs, understated, nondescript, hidden, this one is blatantly obvious. And this time portal is exactly where I found myself a month ago with two fellow time travellers and great puzzlers counting down to our allotted time before ringing the modern buzzing contraption.

We were shown into Luna Fox's lab by one of her assistants who looked like he had just stepped out of the Victorian era. He promptly briefed us on our assignment and advised that we would be assisted by Babbage, Luna's own creation of artificial intelligence, throughout our journey.

Leaving all our own items locked away in a wooden crate, we took our first step into the unknown to retrieve the Lance of Longinus, an object of great power and great danger should it fall into the wrong hands.

The Verdict

The set
Time Run has to be the most detailed escape room I've been to. The set is incredible, everything is immaculate. From the moment we stepped through the door we were immersed in that world. The briefing room full of old furniture, papers, maps, bottles and other contraptions is only the start. The person briefing us never broke his character and at the end, the person debreifing us was the same. Even if we accidentally introduced a modern word 'Google' we were corrected. It was seemless, brilliant and exciting.

The challenge
The great thing about Time Run is that there are many puzzles to be figured out with varying complexity, some requiring a team effort. Its definitely doable with 3 people but I think 4 would have been perfect.

The value
Unfortunately Time Run happens to be the most expensive escape room in London, which makes for an expensive hour or so and if you go as a family it can be a hefty expense. However I can honestly say that it is well worth it. It really is like stepping into a movie set and is brilliantly done. I wish I could tell you more but it's impossible without giving it away.

Final words
I cannot wait till they bring out another escape room. I'll be there with bells on!

Other games I've been to:
The Killer – Enigma Escape, Operation Black Sheep - ClueQuest, Leo's Path - Archimedes Inspiration

Other games coming up:
JM's Office – Hint Hunt, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Enigma Quests

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The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

Imagine you were sick, gall stones, and you had to have an operation where a thin metal rod was stuck into your *ahem* and a small incision to be made behind your *ahem* to get them out. Now imagine that I told you the operation would be without anaesthetic. And because of that there will be men holding you down. And there will probably be about 150 medical students watching. But it'll be over really fast ,45 seconds in fact. That's not so bad is it? Did I mention the blindfold?

Try not to think about the red stain on the pulled out part of the operating table...

Hidden in an old church attic, lost for almost hundred years is a small old operating theatre. It used to belong to the female ward of the St Thomas hospital before the hospital moved and its grounds sold to the railway companies.

Entrance to the Old Operating Theatre - no the patients did not come up this way.

The theatre has been on my list of things to see in London for a while and a couple of weekends ago I finally managed to visit. I was even more fortunate to be squeezed in to the lecture which was booked out (there were a couple of no shows). The lady giving the talk was brilliant, she made a few grown men cringe and kids squirm.

One of the knives used for amputation

She talked about a couple of operations back when the operating theatre was in use, one an amputation another a gallstone removal - both operations would have been held at midday, to make full use of the natural light from the skylight. She also spoke about how medicine was viewed, how operations were about taking things away from the body because it was all about doing things fast, before anaesthetic began to be used and it could slow down. She spoke about how the theatre was found, like a little time capsule, years later. It was fascinating.

Ready to saw off that leg?

Even the operating table itself had so many unique features - firstly this was pre-recognition of germs...hence wood. It had grooves for the blood to trickle down and was quite low so the men holding patients down would be gravity assisted. Can you guess what the elevated head piece was for?

After the talk I had a look around the small herb garret which had been used for drying herbs used in medicines of the time before a patients recovery room. There were displays of doctors instruments, old medical equipment, pathology, herbs, early medication, an apothecary shop and more. I even came across a small pamphlet talking about a lady named Miranda who, determined to be a doctor, made herself over as a man, named James Barry, became a successful doctor and was buried as a man. Can you imagine that kind of dedication?

Whether your interested in medical history, are a medical student (like some I overheard), like secret and forgotten pieces of the past, or just want to see grown men cringe ;) The old operating theatre is unique and the oldest in Europe.

Anaesthetic masks

A visit costs £6.50 for adults and the Saturday 2pm lecture books out weeks in advance so book early! While you are in the area, you can always pop in to Borough Markets for a bite or a coffee :)

If you cant visit in person, do have a look at their virtual tour, the images from the garret do far better justice to the space than my photos!

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Dawn breakfast at Duck and Waffle

Lets start with yes, I'm crazy, and no, I'm not a morning person...This is the truth about what really happens when you go to a dawn breakfast at Duck and Waffle, London's highest restaurant sitting on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower.

9.43pm (eve of) Get into bed & set alarm for 4am. Your phone almost dies in shock. Curse your cockamamie ideas.
9.51pm Snug and warm in bed, realise you haven't packed your camera, don't get up, switch your watch to your other wrist so it's a reminder in the morning.
4.00am (day of) Alarm goes off. Swear. Hit snooze....Hit snooze a few times actually.
4.15am Roll out of bed. Swear again because the hearings not on. Turn heating on, get back into bed.
4.30am Sh*t, you're probably going to run late. Roll unwillingly out of bed. Grumble. Get ready in a frenzy and bolt out the door.

4.50am Text friend and ask how many times she has cursed you this morning.

4.52am Friend texts back. 'Maybe just twice since I got up'. Could be worse.
5.10am Realise too late that you forgot your camera* and swear on the bus. Get odd looks from the only two other people on bus.
5.17am OMG you can actually get a seat on the tube! Damn, forgot to bring a book.
5.20am Moan on Twitter that you forgot your camera. Twitter cares. Twitter loves you.
5.30am Scare Warn Duck and Waffle on Twitter about your caffeine-less state and tell them to ready the flat whites!
5.50am Geez it's quiet. And why are there other people around? They can't all be going to Duck and Waffle. Are they crazy?
5.53am Crap, still at Bank. You're going to be late. Swear, quietly.
6.02am Its still dark outside. You're definitely late. Stop and take a photo anyway.

pic
6.04am Made it! Say hello to equally crazy friend. Order a coffee STAT. Hide the crazy till it arrives.

6.09am Wow. Its really something up here....

6.20am 

6.30am Oh crap, I cant eat all that.

6.31am

6.34am

7.00am

7.06am

7.09am

7.15am Order a second coffee. You need a second coffee. The first one is just to keep you awake, the second is so you can function.

7.30am Defeated by a waffle :(

8.00am Grumble about having to go in to work. Have epiphany that work pays for Duck and Waffle and other crazy ideas. Take grumbling back and replace with grudging acceptance.
8.30am Arrive at work, gloat to workmates. Bump up grudging acceptance to "it's not so bad really". Don't worry, it doesn't last.

*A big thank you to R @wildgastronomy for lending me her phone to take some pics and lending me her pics!

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Recap of 2015 in photos

Ive been looking back at 2015, all the things I was lucky enough to see, do, experience. And when I see all these photos, it is really easy to see what a wonderful year it has been. Then again, its highly unlikely that a year, which starts out with furry purrers, to turn out badly right? ;)

*Warning: This is going to be a long post!! Grab a coffee or popcorn!

January started with my first visit to Lady Dinah's Cat cafe where I fell in love with the teddy bear of a cat called Petra followed by a massive bloggers afternoon tea at the Browns Hotel.

February was a quieter month with a quick escape to Cambridge, one of my favourite day trips from London.

March took me to Spain to see Valencia's Las Fallas festival. I was stunned and amazed by the often towering paper mache sculptures and the level of detail and care put into them. It was wonderful to see all the festivities accompanying the sculptures such as the Falleras parading down the streets, the music, street food stalls, street lights, daytime fireworks, Flower Offering, all culminating in the Crema - the burning of the sculptures.

In April I discovered a time portal in London, checked out the awesome stage adaptation of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime', made another trip to the cat cafe and sampled delightful macrons while discovering London's beautiful Mews.

May was a bit of a busy month. It threw me down Alice in Wonderlands rabbit hole where I became part of the Red Queens guard with the lovely Emma. I also managed to squeeze in a trip to Amman, Jordan and a jaunt to Margate and the mysterious shell cottage. Such a busy month demanded coffee and both a brunch at Beany Green and the London Coffee festival were happy to provide the requisite caffeine. I also voted in a UK election for the first time!

June was time for more theatre; A night at Shakespeare's Globe to see a Comedy of Errors, and the immersive kind, thanks to Punchdrunk's collaboration with The Maritime Museum.

July saw my dressing up in blue for my friends wedding in  Dole, France. It was brilliant to be part of such a special occasion and I fell in love with rural France. Back in London, I found my way to a cute little park with a memorial for everyday heroes and joined a tour of hidden treats in Piccadilly.

August was like May, but hopped up on caffeine. There was an abundance of good food, from finger licking slow cooked ribs to the zing of a Peruvian brunch, even Sushi Samba saw a repeat visit. I dodged Enigma Escapes Killer thanks to some quick thinking from my team and did a taster session at the Heartbreak Hotel. Bloggers were out in force too, with two trips to amazing sites, Eltham Place and the original home of Downton Abbey - Highclere Castle.

Crab Churros - Pachamama

 

Sushi Samba

Eltham Palace

Highclere Castle

The same day as Highclere Castle saw me make a mad dash back to London and the airport to fly to Dublin. I spent that long weekend checking out Ireland's Cliffs of Moher, Galway, driving along the Wild Atlantic way, traipsing back to the UKs Northern Ireland for a Black Cab tour of a troubled Belfast, walking in a giants footsteps at the Giant's Causeway and crossing a rope bridge to the site of the Iron Islands from Game of Thrones. Ireland's natural beauty is breathtaking, I'd love to hire a car and drive around at my own pace one day. And Dublin, what a fun city, live music, friendly people, and of course the bookworm paradise of Trinity College library, I'm still mega bummed that it was so touristy that they shuffled you around the ground floor and you couldn't reach the books or the upper level :( boooo!

Cliffs of Moher

Dublin - Temple Bar

Dublin - Trinity Collage Library

Diner en blanc launched for the first time in London in September. Thanks to the lovely Emma, I joined 1200 other guests in a sea of white for the most elegant picnic I've ever been to! Absolutely stunning. Later on I tried another cool cafe with decent coffee in Shoreditch and discovered London's second kitty cafe! September brings with it London Open House weekend and I was lucky enough to get a freebie ticket to see INSIDE the St Pancras Apartments - the clock tower one to be exact! I also managed to finally book myself in to the backstage tour run by the Theatre Royal and then walk across to see 'Heartbeat' by Charles Pétillon consisting of 100,000 white balloons floating above Covent Garden. The totally sweet Mandy invited me to join her at a private viewing of the Science Museums 'Cosmonauts' which was brilliant, really fascinating and I have been so remiss in not blogging about it yet, especially as we were given the privilege of taking photos inside! Lastly, for a change of pace, I did a bit of bird and otter spotting at London's Wetland Centre - it was so odd to see such a place in the middle of London!

Diner en Blanc in London

October involved brunching and exploring Exmouth Market, trying 101 Thai kitchen (the most authentic Thai restaurant I have come across so far in London) and my first work trip to Wroclaw, Poland where I got to see a real Lamplighter! Some very organised bloggers arranged a charming country outing filled with Autumn colours, fallen leaves, noisy ducks, a silk mill and idyllic countrysides vistas. I also finally got to see Austentatious, a brilliant improv theatre company, one that had me laughing weeks later.

I chose to escape to Seville in November for a few days to celebrate my birthday. It was great to walk around in warm 25 degree weather with crystal clear blue skies, dine al fresco and buy delicious biscuits from cloistered nuns. A lovely new brunch spot (Restaurant 34) was on the menu along with a repeat visit to 101 Thai Kitchen for a birthday dinner. Oh and Stomp, a West End percussion production high on buzzing energy - it really is amazing what you can do with the smallest items to make music.

December brought a whirlwind trip to Beirut, a beautiful lunch at Clos Maggiore, work xmas parties and all the festive decorations and atmosphere in London. It also was my first Chambers of Flavour experience, another one I have been remiss in blogging about. And lets not forget my trip home for the holidays :)

Quite the year! Part of me hopes 2016 will be bigger and better. Part of me wants to nap the whole way through to recuperate from 2015! Either way, it'll be another year in London and I'm sure, no matter what, I'll love it.

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