London Calling

pricy ane?

I've probably said this before, but I love London.  I live a few hours' drive away, so I usually make do with the odd day-trip here and there, but a few months ago a friend and I decided to bite the bullet and actually stay there for a couple of days. We rented a gorgeous Airbnb right on Brick Lane, aka hipster central (I say this fondly).  I think sometimes Airbnbs can be hit-and-miss, but ours was definitely a hit, despite the initial horror of unlocking the door only to find people inside - luckily they were the cleaners, rather than other double-booked guests. We didn't meet our hosts, but they left a very sweet folder of tips and recommendations, which was thoughtful.

My parents visited Shoreditch a year or so ago and were amazed to find themselves usually being the oldest people there. Walking around, I could really see what they meant. It is a hub of young, arty types with beards.  What was weirder to me, though, was the fact that this art hub was nestled right next to the City.  You could turn a corner and go from graffiti'd lanes full of ironic jumpers to Suit Central.

One of the brilliant things about Shoreditch is the fact that there's always something to look at.  Almost every building had something quirky about it, whether it was the design of the building itself or just street art of a giant cobra.

I am so hungry right now

Obviously you can't really go to Brick Lane without getting a bagel.  Generally I am not a big bagel fan. I find them too much hard work - too chewy, unwieldy and sticky.  But Brick Lane bagels are something else, particularly the salt beef bagels.  Not only is the bagel itself far softer than standard shop-boughts, but they are seriously stuffed to the brim with tangy tender beef. The ladies behind the counter may be slightly brusque (to me, anyway, a sheltered small town girl), but they are very generous with the salt beef.
However, salt beef bagels are not the only thing worth a pilgrimage to Shoreditch for.  Brick Lane is also the home of Dark Sugars, the ultimate chocolate shop.  When you step in and are instantly breathing in pure chocolate with a hint of air, you know you're onto a winner.  When their hot chocolates involve actually hacking off slivers from a lump of solid chocolate, it's a double win.  Those hot chocolates are the stuff of dreams. They're practically a pudding.  Needless to say, it's ruined hot chocolate for me forever and I will never be able to drink it from anywhere else again.

LOL

Did I mention that my friend pretty much took the reins completely when it came to what to do, where to go etc?  Well, she did, and it was a good thing - I am one of the most indecisive people in the world, and I think she knew if she left it to me we'd never get anything done.  One of her 'suggestions' was going to see a comedy show.  I've never seen live comedy.  I get easily embarrassed and I was convinced that I would be cringing throughout. How wrong I was.
We went to the Comedy Store on a Wednesday, which meant that it was the Comedy Store Players' night of improv.  I had even less clue about improv, and wasn't really familiar with many of the players (clearly I don't listen to enough Radio 4, because my dad was).  It requires audience participation (two words that would usually strike fear into my heart) but only a little bit, and only if you want to. The 'games' are all explained here.  Needless to say, I had an amazing time, and part of this was because everyone - audience and performers - also seemed to be really enjoying themselves. The atmosphere played a big part in making it such a good night.

London is currently under construction

On our last day in London we went to Skygarden, which is at the very top of 20 Fenchurch Street, aka the Walkie-Talkie building. I was pretty amazed that it was free to visit, only requiring booking in advance for entry.  Even that was less of an issue than I'd thought - my friend had somehow booked us tickets for three weeks' time, but they let us go on up anyway, complete with our going-home suitcases.
The gardens themselves are unfortunately a sideline to the amazing view of London that you get from the vast windows, so most visitors are staring out rather than looking in. From there you can see St Paul's, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, as well as other assorted skyscrapers. Photos-wise, I am always amazed at the people who manage to get beautiful blue-sky photos, or stunning sunset shots.My photos are almost inevitably shades of grey, but I love London all the same.

Up, Up and Away

Hot air balloon in action

The older I get, the harder it is to choose a birthday present.  I know, I know, that's such a tough problem to have, but the way my mum nags, it kind of is.  It got to the point where I was actually asking for help in choosing, and in the end my dad (with an air of desperation) suggested a hot air balloon ride.  Why not?

Mixed salad

The balloon took off (if that's the right phrase) from gorgeous Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire.  The hot air balloon held about 17 people including the pilot (again, I think that's the right phrase) and a co-pilot - I had no idea the basket would be so big! The journey was so, so smooth, as well, and it felt really serene just drifting along.

Moo

Seeing everything from above like that is quite odd, as well. I suppose the nearest I'd come in the past is that moment when taking off and landing in a plane, where you're just under the clouds and everything looks like a patchwork blanket. Flying over the Westonbirt Arboretum area we obviously got to see a lot of gorgeous countryside, as well as Westonbirt House and Highgrove.

Oh, and did I mention it was a champagne flight? Only the best, naturally.
The landing was the only bumpy moment during the whole flight. There are seats and hand-holds in the basket, so we were all prepared and it was pretty soft, really.  As this took place in September the weather wasn't exactly sunny, but it was clear and not too cold so I was pretty comfortable and got a lot of photos.  It's definitely an experience I'd recommend.

In Bruges

First things first, if you haven't seen In Bruges, get thee to Netflix right now, because it's good. OK, it may not be everyone's cup of tea - the language is uniformly foul and there's a hugely generous helping of black comedy - but Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are fab in it, and Ralph Fiennes's evil streak doesn't stop at Lord Voldemort.  Also, I doubt there are many other films where Bruges is such a central character.

This is the only beer brewed in Bruges itself, and it's brewed in the Halve Maan brewery right in the centre.  We toured the brewery and saw the whole process, as well as seeing the view from the top of the building, where my photo above was taken.  As part of the tour every visitor got a glass of Brugse Zot to try (but only at the end, once everyone was safely downstairs and nowhere near any staircases).  Brugse Zot means Bruges Fools, but apparently it's also a slang word for drunkard, which could be apt.  I have to confess that I was not a beer drinker before I went to Bruges.  My only experience with beer was when I was on a school trip to Germany and drank Bitburger every night, and that was only because that was what everyone else was drinking.  However, Bruges was an education for me.

Yes, that is an actual beer glass.

Yes, Brits like beer.  But when you go to a pub in the UK, if you order a pint of Stella it's just as likely to be poured into a mismatched San Miguel glass as it is an actual Stella glass.  Not so in Bruges.  Each beer seems to have its own distinctive glass, and that beer will come with that glass.  Kwak, above, was probably my favourite, and not just due to the frankly ridiculous glass, although that was what caught my eye in the first place.  A word of warning, however - once the beer level gets below the narrowest part of the glass, it can tend to run all over the place when you tip it to drink, meaning that you suddenly feel an awful lot drunker than you are thanks to the beer running down your chin.
The above photo was taken in Staminee de Garre, which is an amazing place to learn about and try different beers.  It's located in a tiny, easily-missed little lane off one of the main streets of the Bruges city centre, but it has no trouble attracting customers.  The upstairs, where we sat, felt almost like a beer restaurant, in that there were tables with menus as well as a traditional bar. Luckily for us beer novices, the staff were friendly and knowledgeable with recommendations and advice.

A light snack

On to Belgium's most famous food.  These monster waffles were courtesy of Lizzie's Wafels, again right in the city centre.  I don't think any of us were quite expecting something so huge, but luckily we opted to skip lunch.  Waffles, with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce - what can I say?  Go big or go home.

This is the Belfort, which is probably the best-known Bruges landmark and is pretty much what the rest of the city is shaped around.  Of course, that means huge queues to get to the top, and no, there's no lift.  Duh.  We visited on quite a hot day and there was a fair amount of time spent queuing in bright sunshine, which is not my favourite thing in the world.  The ticket lady was also not the politest person I've ever met, and yes, the stairs are very narrow and crowded, as there are people going up as well as going down.  I think I was a bit too British for my own good that day, as I found myself stopping and giving way for people and waiting for thank-yous that never came. Such is the life of a tourist.

However, the view was lovely. As negative as I sounded, I was really glad I'd done it, because there was no end of views to take photos of.  That was what struck me about Bruges - the fact that pretty much every building, every house was pretty.  You could wander down a side street of residential houses and see something beautiful.

Like I said, I've no idea what if any significance these buildings have, but I saw them as we were wandering on our way somewhere else.  It was just so easy to stumble across something lovely, which I think is really important.
In case you couldn't guess, I would highly recommend Bruges.  We were only there a relatively short time, but we saw so much beauty in such a small space.

Breakfast in America

"Why would anybody ever eat anything except breakfast food?" "People are idiots, Leslie."

While we were in Las Vegas, we found a diner where their entire breakfast menu was bigger than some main menus in the UK.  Seriously - although the Americans don't do baked beans, they still go in for breakfast in a big way.  Something I spotted but didn't go for was steak.  Steak for breakfast!  Instead I indulged my inner Leslie Knope (who happens to be my role model in so many ways) and went for waffles.

I suppose that this is the American version of a full English.  When it comes to this, there are a few things I will happily embrace, like the apparent fondness for mixing sweet things with savoury.  I didn't try the famous bacon and maple syrup pancake combo, but above you can see the icing-sugared bread right next to the fried egg, along with a pot of syrup that just came with every meal, whether you had pancakes or not.  I've probably mentioned my terrible sweet tooth, so anything that is basically pudding for breakfast is perfectly fine with me.  Also fine?  Potatoes. Yum.  However, I have to object to the American version of bacon.  I know, I know they think it's great and amazing and everything, but... it's not.  Look at it! There should be some actual meat on bacon, rather than being stiff, streaky crunchy stuff that gets stuck in your teeth. Sorry, USA.  You win when it comes to waffles, but you could learn from us about bacon.

Behold, the most perfectly blended ice-cream ever.  This was our snack at the Hoover Dam, and as you can tell, it wasn't the most beautiful view from where we sat in the coach park, but our main concern was shade and ice-cream.  All I can say is, it was an unexpectedly lovely ice-cream.

Cinnamon and vanilla are officially the best flavours.

These Jelly Bellys were a nostalgic indulgence for me.  When I was about 14 and had nothing better to do, I used to buy about £6 worth of pick&mix Jelly Bellys every time I went shopping with my friends.  It became one of those running jokes - whenever we went shopping, we would always have to dedicate at least 10 minutes for me to pick out what flavours I liked.  I clearly had my priorities in order.  This time I ate these while sitting on the balcony of our hotel in Monument Valley. I'm a classy bird.

My Sedona

(It was so hard not to sing the old The Knack song whenever we talked about Sedona)
After the intensity of Vegas, Sedona, Arizona couldn't have been more different.  To begin with, its beauty is natural, thanks to the gorgeous red sandstone rocks.  We also found that there is a serious emphasis on all things New Age, because some think that Sedona is a spiritual hotspot for vortexes and gateways to other dimensions... Er, yeah, we tried to avoid that aspect, but you couldn't help but notice the psychics, spiritual counsellors, clairvoyants, and various things to do with auras and reiki and other things we'd never heard of.

Stripey rocks

There are sights like the one above all over Sedona, and needless to say it was a popular location for cowboy films.  I still can't get over the idea of cacti just growing in the wild, like the desert version of dandelions.

My friend: Did you see that big hole thing in the ground while you were there? 

It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway - the Grand Canyon is big.  I'm not entirely sure what I expected; everyone's heard of the Canyon but I realised I didn't have much of an idea what it actually looked like.  The scale is impossible to describe, because it really is just that big.  You look out over it and you can't see anything else.
Unfortunately, I had grown accustomed to boiling hot sunshine, Vegas-style, so I showed up in a sleeveless top, printed trousers and sandals, with a skinny cardigan for 'warmth'.  I may as well have worn a jumper made of paper for all the good it did me, and meanwhile I was surrounded by sensible types in sensible hiking clothes and sturdy boots, feeling like a typical townie tourist teenage girl.  Luckily my dad took pity on me, and I spent the rest of the day wrapped in his (several sizes larger) glamorous black fleece.

Betatakin

This is part of the Navajo National Monument in the Navajo Nation territory in Arizona.  Betatakin in particular is an ancient cliff dwelling where some of the ancient Pueblo people lived during the 1200s.  Going somewhere like this really made me realise just how ignorant I am about Native American culture and history - I don't know if it's different in the States but when I was in school I can only remember one mention of Native Americans in six years of history lessons.

High-five

This is a 'butte' in Monument Valley which is on the Arizona-Utah stateline, and again part of the Navajo Nation reservation.  It's hard to believe that places like this actually exist on Earth, because to me it honestly looks like Mars.  Monument Valley has been the location for oodles of films and so it's basically the stereotypical image of the American West.
Although almost all of our Arizona stay was in Sedona, we spent the night at The View Hotel, which is the only hotel overlooking the valley.  Our balcony meant that we were able to get up early to catch the sunrise over the valley, which was amazing (but cold).

I walk a lonely road...

I took this photo from the back of a bright pink jeep.  This particular jeep belonged to the (self-explanatory) Pink Jeep Tours, which was taking us on the Diamondback Gulch tour.  With a name like that, how could we turn it down?  It may have been one of the bumpiest, most gravity-defying car journeys I've ever been on, but it gave us a good opportunity to see some of the Sedona sights that we wouldn't have seen otherwise, and on the way back we saw the most stunning sunset.
Still to come - my favourite part, the food.

Viva Las Vegas

Hmm, original title there...
OK, I have to admit - normally Las Vegas would not be top of my list of Must-Go places.  Firstly, I'm not actually old enough to do either of the two main attractions: drinking or gambling (you would not believe how annoying it is to go from legally drinking for three years to suddenly being a child again).  Secondly, as lame as it sounds, I like my holiday destinations to have at least a little bit of history, some beautiful views or gorgeous houses.  Las Vegas is all about being NEW NEW NEW.  More is more in Vegas.
So when my family and I were invited to a wedding in Las Vegas (yes, the bride and groom were already together, rather than an impromptu drunken trip to the Little White Wedding Chapel), I really didn't know what to expect.

First impression...

It turns out that Las Vegas is a bit like a theme park, complete with rollercoasters.  The hotels alone are like tourist attractions in themselves, like the pyramid-shaped Luxor, or the (frankly ridiculous) Excalibur, which looks like a castle from Shrek 2 thanks to its brightly coloured turrets.

Blue and gold

It's safe to say then that Las Vegas takes a little bit of getting used to.  We went out along the strip on the evening we arrived, while I was feeling really jetlagged and desperately in need of sleep.  It was slightly overwhelming - what I hadn't realised was that almost everyone walking along the strip in Las Vegas are tourists, and if they're not tourists, they're trying to hand you cards advertising strip clubs or call girls.  Presumably that's exactly what someone wants on a family holiday...

The Bellagio

My brother looked at me in horror when I admitted that for a while I'd thought this Vegas landmark hotel was called the Villagio rather than the Bellagio - it turns out that Villagio is the name of our local pizzeria.  My photo is not really doing the fountain display justice, because those jets of water went up ridiculously high and there was some impressive choreography.

Something old, something new

We passed this place almost without noticing it when we were on our way to the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.  After a bit of research, it turns out that the Little Church of the West is the oldest building on the strip - all of 72 years old!  It's also the location of Angelina Jolie's wedding to Billy Bob Thornton, which I still find slightly weird...
Next posts include my Arizona trip and an entire post dedicated to food in America.  What a surprise...

Normandy, France - Part 3

I think I must enjoy torturing myself because I am currently a) starving, b) living off a student budget and c) in dire need of a food shop as I only have creme eggs and spaghetti in my cupboards.

I'm going to be honest - this wasn't my food.  Despite salad being the obvious choice for a boiling hot day in Rouen, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I'm on a seafood diet... I see food and I eat it. Badoom-tsh.

This wasn't mine either.  No, I went a little bit mad.

Big enough?

This is what I'm talking about, and it was all mine (needless to say, I didn't quite manage to finish it).  I know it seems silly going to France and having pizza, that well-known traditional French dish, but I like to think by ordering one with several French cheeses splodged on top, I was sampling their cuisine with a twist.

Unfortunately this photo doesn't really do these enormous meringues justice.  They were about the size of my hand, and we bought them in a bakery in Lyons-la-Forêt.  I have a major sweet tooth and also a weakness for huge meringues.  (Incidentally, the best ones I've had in the UK are from the cafe in the V&A Museum.)

This was just simple steak frites, which I happen to love. Weirdly this was fairly well-done, which I didn't expect in France!

Number one...

I worked out that I had four crème brûlées while I was in France.  As I said, I have a sweet tooth. 

Normandy, France - Part 2

We were staying relatively close to Rouen, so a few of us drove into the city for the day.  It's a really lovely place, with some gorgeous old buildings and a lot of history.

Place du Vieux Marché

This is the main market square in the centre of Rouen (where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake). There are streets leading off the square with lots of shops and restaurants, and they're all very picturesque.

Tick tock

This is the Gros Horloge astronomical clock which dates back to the 16th century.  It's situated over a shopping street and so there are always crowds of people wandering backwards trying to take a picture of it, which is a little bit awkward when you're trying to get past.  I was unfortunately one of those irritating photographers.

This is another of the narrow little streets in the city centre, with the cathedral in the background.  At the other end of this street I had an amazing ice-cream (which was much-needed thanks to the ridiculously hot weather).  I also couldn't help but get four giant macarons from one of the many sweet shops in Rouen.  Seriously, if you want macarons, Rouen is the place to go.

Rouen cathedral

Here is as full a picture as I could get of Rouen Cathedral - these pesky 13th century architects don't make things easy.  We had a look inside, which was a welcome shadowy relief from the sun, and the interior is just as stunning.

My next and final France post is dedicated solely to food, my one and only true love.

Normandy, France - Part 1

Right now I'm sitting in a freezing cold room in a student house listening to the rain and the wind battering the windows.  Understandably, I'm reminiscing about last summer, which I spent in Normandy in France.

Chateau Gaillard

Unfortunately, this was the weather on our first day there.  I had managed to convince myself that I would be leaving rainy Britain for gorgeous, sun-soaked France, and had packed accordingly.  That is how I found myself venturing out under the dark clouds in a vest top.

The view from Chateau Gaillard

The 'chateau' in question is actually a ruined mediaeval castle up on a hill, so it's not somewhere to ogle luxurious interiors and gorgeous ballrooms.  However the chateau looks down over the Seine, so it's worth going just for the view - just about, anyway.  We attempted to push a wheelchair up an immensely narrow, rocky path to get to the chateau.  Needless to say, it didn't work.

Blue sky!

Luckily the weather improved pretty soon, so we visited Lyons-la-Forêt, which is really pretty.  The photo above is of the main square which has lots of lovely half-timbered buildings and a market hall.  For such a picturesque place it wasn't at all busy or touristy either time we went there. 

Just the little cottage where we stayed... Er, no.

This is Parc de Clères, a zoo based around a 14th-century chateau, which itself was pretty stunning. The zoo part is nice because it's fairly open, with peacocks and wallabies wandering around on the grass.  Here I finally saw a peacock doing the proper tail-displaying thing, although as usual it was too late to take a picture. 

My France posts are fairly photo-heavy, so I'll spread them over several posts. Next up is Rouen!

Harry Potter Studios Tour

It has to be said - I am a major Harry Potter fan.  I've reread the books to the extent that most of my copies no longer have covers, I can quote the films by heart and I'm frankly quite proud to say that I went to a midnight showing of Deathly Hallows Part 2 the same day I was due to go on holiday.  So I think it's fair to say that I am highly biased when it comes to describing this day out.

"You're a wizard, Harry."

As you might be able to tell from the rare blue sky, we went in the summer, so it was understandably busy.  However, this wasn't really an issue.  It's absolutely enormous, and there's so much to look at which means that people are very spread out.  We only had to queue once at the very start in order to actually go on the tour, and while we were queuing we got a look at Harry's cupboard-under-the-stairs.

It seemed like pretty much every outfit worn ever in the films was included in this tour, so you're fairly certain of seeing your favourite character in some incarnation. Seeing the little Hogwarts uniforms worn in the first film was funny - they were so small!

"Wangoballwime?"

Seeing the props from throughout the film series really brought back some of the details I'd forgotten, like the Yule Ball.  I definitely want this for my next party.

This book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince

I make no bones about it; I'm a Snape apologist.  I know he was a horrible bully at times and I know he was cruel, but he's got such a tragic back-story!  The Prince's Tale always reduces me to tears.

"I must not tell lies."

One of my favourite bits of information from this tour was the fact that in order to create Umbridge's kitten plates, they actually had to film hundreds of real kittens to be green-screened onto the plates. Best job ever?

"The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price."

The amount of detail included in these films was honestly amazing, and it made me see them in a whole different light when I rewatched them later.  The wand-room at the very end is well worth a look - it's like Ollivander's, with thousands of wand-boxes all stacked up on top of each other, and each box has the name of someone involved in the films, including cast and crew.  I was tempted to stay there forever until I'd found as many recognisable names as I could, but I was lured away by the gift shop which followed.  I was remarkably restrained, but I couldn't resist a gorgeous cream Ministry of Magic mug.