Long London Picspam
So. London. I got home on Sunday and had planned to do a picspam the next day, but then I got a massive attack of snot and the barking cough, so I had to take it slowly. But I finally managed to sort out my photos; how did I make so many in only two days? I narrowed it down to 62 (...) plus a video of Big Ben:
It took me nine boings to get my phone to work, but at least I captured the last one! *grins*
London, day/night 1: travel to and from Amsterdam
I'm used to traveling with my huge backpack, but I couldn't resist trying the SpongeBob SquarePants backpack I bought in the US last summer; everything fit! I was allowed to take it on the bus even, together with my trusty shoulderbag:) This is me on my bike, happily cycling to the station in Z.
Art on Almere station by Margriet Maduco. Before I went to my brother for dinner, I met up with sillie82 to hand her the Love Yourself Shirt I ordered (to save on shippingcosts (heh) we combined our order, I got myself a purple tanktop:) We ended up talking for almost an hour to catch up on fandom *g*
After dinner brotherdearest brought me to the Sloterdijk station (glad he did, I would have gotten lost, it's ridiculously huge with trains, trams, subways and busses). As soon as I got on the Megabus I tried to sleep so I could handle getting up at 3 a.m. when the bus reaches Calais in France and you have to get off to go through customs (the French were surprisingly easygoing, the UK customs took ages). You also can't stay on the bus when it's on the ferry, which leaves at 04:35. Most people try to find a seat on the boat to catch more sleep, some just lay down on the floor. It's classy traveling;)
London, day 2: sightseeing, hotel, theatre and a bubble bath
I found a seat near a window so I could see the sunrise and the white cliffs of Dover, where we arrived 6 a.m. my time, but since we travelled back in time, it was now 5 a.m.:) Two and a half hours later I got off the bus at Victoria Coach Station and then walked to the nearest place for breakfast. I sat down at Leon where I had toast with Blossom Honey and a muffin with sausage and egg (an English muffin, obviously, not the US cupcake look-a-likey;) It was delicious \o/
Because I couldn't check in to my hotel until 2 p.m. and I didn't have a big backpack to carry around, I decided to get in some sightseeing and started walking down Victoria street (which leads to Westminster Abbey, eventually;) HEY, LOOK: IT'S BIG BEN!
Just kidding, it's actually Little Ben in front of Victoria Palace, haha, look: it's tiny, aaahw. *chinhands*
Westminster Cathedral. I took loads of photos of details, but had to narrow it down for this picspam (if you're interested? Wait, where are you going, come back!) I like the contrast with the modern architecture when I'm standing with my back to the Cathedral.
More old in between new: The Albert, a Victorian pub, build in 1862 stands strong next to huge office buildings. I turned a corner to find a quiet side street and found the Westminster Public Library, gorgeous.
It was even more quiet in the Dean's Yard, a well hidden spot in the middle of the Abbey. From there I walked back onto Parliament Square for a look at the Westminster Scholars War Memorial.
Here it is: the front of Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall (I couldn't stop looking at that poor guy mowing the lawn by foot!)
For real now: Big Ben!. On the corner of Westminster Bridge stands the statue of Boadicea & Her Daughters by Thomas Thornycroft (1885). (In the background across the Thames you can see the London Eye)
My favorite photo of the weekend, and definitely one of my favorite statues, that I came across as I walked down Victoria Embankment. Text on the bottom said Fleet Air Arm.
I sat down with crisps and lemon juice at the Embankment Gardens (where I caught up with the Big Bang Summaries;) The Gateway in the back marks the position of the North bank of the river Thames before the construction of Victoria Embankment in 1862.
Love this sign up on the Princes of Wales cafe and also -unrelated- the story behind the Eleanor's Cross, which stands in front of Charing Cross station.
I won't bore you with my story of once again getting lost in Covent Garden and my fruitless mission to Neal's Yard. We'll just jump ahead an hour and a half later to lunch at Choccywoccydoodah:)
This is the interior of the girly loo, so pretty :-D and that is my lunch: a salted caramel chocolate Brownie (made with ground almonds and without flour) served with raspberry coulis, drizzled chocolate and icecream (I'd guess mango). For a drink I had a white chocolate explosion icecream shake with popping chocolate candy. *rubs belly*
The Choccywoccydoodah shop displays an overdose of chocolate artworks (all real!) and cakes. I got some chocolate and cakeslices to go for Mother's Day. (No, really, I especially bought boozy cakes, so I wouldn't eat them myself;)
After this decadent lunch I took the underground to my Hotel, checked in, had a bit of a lie down and a long shower to prepare for an afternoon and evening in town...
Gold leaf covered aluminium statues by Rudy Weller of the three graces diving from the roof of 1 Jermyn Street, London. Across from this is the Prince of Wales Theatre where I joined in the lottery for a ticket to Book of Mormons. I'd tried this last year for two performances, but had no luck... This time however...
I WON! Hot dayum! Great seat too: Stalls, seventh row in the middle \o/ I had some time for dinner beforehand (and another failed shoppingmission, blech) and ended up at Pret a Manger, where I had a Mac and Cheese dish in which they sneakily hid some cauliflower, so I had vegetables too;)
Look how close I am to the stage (no zoom!). At the top you can see a statue of the prophet Moroni which moved with sound and light effects, very cool:) The Book Of Mormon musical was very different than I expected, good fun but also thinky thoughts (hidden as bad jokes, just like in Southpark by the same creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker) Very happy I got to see it.
As per tradition: my bubble bath *smishes*
London, day 3: Camden, Prim Rose and other bits of London
Another tradition: the hotel's English breakfast *munches* - including hashbrowns this time!
I stored my backpack and extra bag of goodies at the hotel and then went into town again. This is a detail on the Russell Square hotel (not my hotel, which is in an underwhelmingly ugly building).
I took the underground to Camden which is crazily busy; I didn't stand in the crown long, but this Mad Hatter act was gorgeous! I only allow myself one photo of the shopfronts per visit. Did I already make this one before? Still pretty:)
I kind of rushed through Camden once I discovered my beloved shoesshops were gone and took a turn at Regent's Park Road with this glorious graffitti.
This bridge was painted by the Primrose Hill Community Association and was just getting a touch up:) I had initially intended to climb Primrose Hill, but it was too hot, so instead I took a shortcut right to...
... the Primrose Bakery, known for it's swirly cupcakes. LUNCHTIME! I had the Saturday's specials Cookie Dough, Malteser and Rose with a big glass of cold milk, nom. (Rose is not a flavour I'd eat again, it's just weird;)
Bye, pretty bakery! Hey, check out this manhole cover that proofs I really am in London:)
How cool is the winged lion of St. Mark's Church (1851)? From here I had to walk through the HUGE Regent's Park to get back to the centre (the nearest Underground station). Oh well, my feet weren't happy but I got to see more winged lions and lots of pretty flowers.
Back in town I tried to get other theatre tickets and while I was looking for the London Coliseum I accidently ended up at Trafalgar Square, hello Nelson's Column. Worth it for the awesome skeleton horse. (Gift Horse by Hans Haacke - Tied to the horse’s front leg is an electronic ribbon displaying live the ticker of the London Stock Exchange)
(The last tickets available for matinee of Sunset Boulevard were standing room only and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stand for two plus hours. So no more theatre for me.
Instead I went back to the hotel to get my stuff. Taking the Tube to Cockfosters will never not be funny :o) Cool adverts underground also make me happy.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in Russell Square Gardens until it was time for dinner. I took the underground to Oxford Circus and from there walked through Carnaby Street to get to Mother Mash in Ganton Street. Best mash and meat pie in London for sure.
I had Bubble & Squeak: fried mashed potatoes with cabbage, peas and onions plus my favorite Angus Steak Pie: look at that tender meat *munches*.
Ooh, they have such pretty lights in Ganton Street now: they change colour!
I bought dessert in a supermarket on the way to the busstation, cool name, cool flavour:) Getting on the bus took some time as the driver had to check in all the luggage and passengers. Stayed awake until after the ferry crossing, but managed to sleep on the bus from 03:20 until arrival in Amsterdam at 07:45.
Back in Amsterdam, bye Megabus, you offer a good deal:) Train back to Zwolle.
And back on my bicycle \o/ Besides the cake from Choccywoccydoodah, I also brought cupcakes from Primrose Bakery for Mother's Day, I was amazed they survived! My mom, her boyfriend and I had to sample them all: Carrotcake, Crunchie, Salted Caramel and Red Velvet. All good, mm-mm.
The end!
That was a lot of babbling too, oops.
I hope to catch up with everyone in the next few days (and also get a move on with all the art-challenges, yikes!). Off to bed now to fight the snot. Goodnight!
Click to viewIt took me nine boings to get my phone to work, but at least I captured the last one! *grins*
London, day/night 1: travel to and from Amsterdam
I'm used to traveling with my huge backpack, but I couldn't resist trying the SpongeBob SquarePants backpack I bought in the US last summer; everything fit! I was allowed to take it on the bus even, together with my trusty shoulderbag:) This is me on my bike, happily cycling to the station in Z.
Art on Almere station by Margriet Maduco. Before I went to my brother for dinner, I met up with sillie82 to hand her the Love Yourself Shirt I ordered (to save on shippingcosts (heh) we combined our order, I got myself a purple tanktop:) We ended up talking for almost an hour to catch up on fandom *g*
After dinner brotherdearest brought me to the Sloterdijk station (glad he did, I would have gotten lost, it's ridiculously huge with trains, trams, subways and busses). As soon as I got on the Megabus I tried to sleep so I could handle getting up at 3 a.m. when the bus reaches Calais in France and you have to get off to go through customs (the French were surprisingly easygoing, the UK customs took ages). You also can't stay on the bus when it's on the ferry, which leaves at 04:35. Most people try to find a seat on the boat to catch more sleep, some just lay down on the floor. It's classy traveling;)
London, day 2: sightseeing, hotel, theatre and a bubble bath
I found a seat near a window so I could see the sunrise and the white cliffs of Dover, where we arrived 6 a.m. my time, but since we travelled back in time, it was now 5 a.m.:) Two and a half hours later I got off the bus at Victoria Coach Station and then walked to the nearest place for breakfast. I sat down at Leon where I had toast with Blossom Honey and a muffin with sausage and egg (an English muffin, obviously, not the US cupcake look-a-likey;) It was delicious \o/
Because I couldn't check in to my hotel until 2 p.m. and I didn't have a big backpack to carry around, I decided to get in some sightseeing and started walking down Victoria street (which leads to Westminster Abbey, eventually;) HEY, LOOK: IT'S BIG BEN!
Just kidding, it's actually Little Ben in front of Victoria Palace, haha, look: it's tiny, aaahw. *chinhands*
Westminster Cathedral. I took loads of photos of details, but had to narrow it down for this picspam (if you're interested? Wait, where are you going, come back!) I like the contrast with the modern architecture when I'm standing with my back to the Cathedral.
More old in between new: The Albert, a Victorian pub, build in 1862 stands strong next to huge office buildings. I turned a corner to find a quiet side street and found the Westminster Public Library, gorgeous.
It was even more quiet in the Dean's Yard, a well hidden spot in the middle of the Abbey. From there I walked back onto Parliament Square for a look at the Westminster Scholars War Memorial.
Here it is: the front of Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall (I couldn't stop looking at that poor guy mowing the lawn by foot!)
For real now: Big Ben!. On the corner of Westminster Bridge stands the statue of Boadicea & Her Daughters by Thomas Thornycroft (1885). (In the background across the Thames you can see the London Eye)
My favorite photo of the weekend, and definitely one of my favorite statues, that I came across as I walked down Victoria Embankment. Text on the bottom said Fleet Air Arm.
I sat down with crisps and lemon juice at the Embankment Gardens (where I caught up with the Big Bang Summaries;) The Gateway in the back marks the position of the North bank of the river Thames before the construction of Victoria Embankment in 1862.
Love this sign up on the Princes of Wales cafe and also -unrelated- the story behind the Eleanor's Cross, which stands in front of Charing Cross station.
I won't bore you with my story of once again getting lost in Covent Garden and my fruitless mission to Neal's Yard. We'll just jump ahead an hour and a half later to lunch at Choccywoccydoodah:)
This is the interior of the girly loo, so pretty :-D and that is my lunch: a salted caramel chocolate Brownie (made with ground almonds and without flour) served with raspberry coulis, drizzled chocolate and icecream (I'd guess mango). For a drink I had a white chocolate explosion icecream shake with popping chocolate candy. *rubs belly*
The Choccywoccydoodah shop displays an overdose of chocolate artworks (all real!) and cakes. I got some chocolate and cakeslices to go for Mother's Day. (No, really, I especially bought boozy cakes, so I wouldn't eat them myself;)
After this decadent lunch I took the underground to my Hotel, checked in, had a bit of a lie down and a long shower to prepare for an afternoon and evening in town...
Gold leaf covered aluminium statues by Rudy Weller of the three graces diving from the roof of 1 Jermyn Street, London. Across from this is the Prince of Wales Theatre where I joined in the lottery for a ticket to Book of Mormons. I'd tried this last year for two performances, but had no luck... This time however...
I WON! Hot dayum! Great seat too: Stalls, seventh row in the middle \o/ I had some time for dinner beforehand (and another failed shoppingmission, blech) and ended up at Pret a Manger, where I had a Mac and Cheese dish in which they sneakily hid some cauliflower, so I had vegetables too;)
Look how close I am to the stage (no zoom!). At the top you can see a statue of the prophet Moroni which moved with sound and light effects, very cool:) The Book Of Mormon musical was very different than I expected, good fun but also thinky thoughts (hidden as bad jokes, just like in Southpark by the same creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker) Very happy I got to see it.
As per tradition: my bubble bath *smishes*
London, day 3: Camden, Prim Rose and other bits of London
Another tradition: the hotel's English breakfast *munches* - including hashbrowns this time!
I stored my backpack and extra bag of goodies at the hotel and then went into town again. This is a detail on the Russell Square hotel (not my hotel, which is in an underwhelmingly ugly building).
I took the underground to Camden which is crazily busy; I didn't stand in the crown long, but this Mad Hatter act was gorgeous! I only allow myself one photo of the shopfronts per visit. Did I already make this one before? Still pretty:)
I kind of rushed through Camden once I discovered my beloved shoesshops were gone and took a turn at Regent's Park Road with this glorious graffitti.
This bridge was painted by the Primrose Hill Community Association and was just getting a touch up:) I had initially intended to climb Primrose Hill, but it was too hot, so instead I took a shortcut right to...
... the Primrose Bakery, known for it's swirly cupcakes. LUNCHTIME! I had the Saturday's specials Cookie Dough, Malteser and Rose with a big glass of cold milk, nom. (Rose is not a flavour I'd eat again, it's just weird;)
Bye, pretty bakery! Hey, check out this manhole cover that proofs I really am in London:)
How cool is the winged lion of St. Mark's Church (1851)? From here I had to walk through the HUGE Regent's Park to get back to the centre (the nearest Underground station). Oh well, my feet weren't happy but I got to see more winged lions and lots of pretty flowers.
Back in town I tried to get other theatre tickets and while I was looking for the London Coliseum I accidently ended up at Trafalgar Square, hello Nelson's Column. Worth it for the awesome skeleton horse. (Gift Horse by Hans Haacke - Tied to the horse’s front leg is an electronic ribbon displaying live the ticker of the London Stock Exchange)
(The last tickets available for matinee of Sunset Boulevard were standing room only and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stand for two plus hours. So no more theatre for me.
Instead I went back to the hotel to get my stuff. Taking the Tube to Cockfosters will never not be funny :o) Cool adverts underground also make me happy.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in Russell Square Gardens until it was time for dinner. I took the underground to Oxford Circus and from there walked through Carnaby Street to get to Mother Mash in Ganton Street. Best mash and meat pie in London for sure.
I had Bubble & Squeak: fried mashed potatoes with cabbage, peas and onions plus my favorite Angus Steak Pie: look at that tender meat *munches*.
Ooh, they have such pretty lights in Ganton Street now: they change colour!
I bought dessert in a supermarket on the way to the busstation, cool name, cool flavour:) Getting on the bus took some time as the driver had to check in all the luggage and passengers. Stayed awake until after the ferry crossing, but managed to sleep on the bus from 03:20 until arrival in Amsterdam at 07:45.
Back in Amsterdam, bye Megabus, you offer a good deal:) Train back to Zwolle.
And back on my bicycle \o/ Besides the cake from Choccywoccydoodah, I also brought cupcakes from Primrose Bakery for Mother's Day, I was amazed they survived! My mom, her boyfriend and I had to sample them all: Carrotcake, Crunchie, Salted Caramel and Red Velvet. All good, mm-mm.
The end!
That was a lot of babbling too, oops.
I hope to catch up with everyone in the next few days (and also get a move on with all the art-challenges, yikes!). Off to bed now to fight the snot. Goodnight!