UK touring: day one.

Picked up the 'Pug' (Peugeot) in the snow at Avis and drove back to the hotel to pick up our bags.

London driving is crazy, even with the Tom Tom giving directions and off peak. Trucks just come at you, expecting you to get out of their way- kind of people in the street here really.

Once we were out of the 'congestion zone' pretty smooth sailing. In the sticks there seems to be a courtesy on the road absent in the city- had a few thank you waves.

First stop was Brightlingsea to try and see Rach's great uncle Cyril. No luck, so left a note.

Next, on to Rachel's childhood village called St Osyth. Very cute, centuries old buildings close to the road, a big old priory and roads made for horse and cart. Snow on tiled roofs, and flurries in the air. Saw her old school, and her childhood home- we think. Tiny houses in the township, then vast paddocks beyond. I (t) see similarities between the town and the little towns in the Adl Hills.

Now in the seaside resort town of Clacton-on-Sea. A lot like Victor Harbour, and a complete ghost town in winter.

2 degs here right now, and only a handful of locals. Our hotel has 2 people on, and I reckon one of them was on his break having a nap when we arrived.

Our beach back home is very nice. Will see if Clacton looks better/busier in daylight.

Found a great little restaurant on the esplanade- we have the 100 seat restaurant to ourselves. We would not have got a table in summer. 4 staff to 1 table. My kind of ratio.

A Fat Duck.

'Dinner by Heston' was something we will never forget (not just because of the visa bill).

Dinner is a restaurant dedicated to recreating English classics with modern techniques and flair.

Heston Blumenthal's number 2 heads up this kitchen (of about 20 chefs) while H takes care of the Fat Duck and the rest of the empire. Apparently he was on site today but we missed him.

Started with the Meat Fruit. Very Heston, a perfectly measured parfait with a orange essence jelly coating. Perfect weight, balance and texture. The mandarin essence in the jelly provides a long citrus rind finish and marries the appearance.

The 'powdered' duck, omg, was fantastic.

Soaked in a brine of salt for days, then cooked in a vacuum bag in hot water. Ensures it is cooked from the inside out. So tender, best ever and as the Aussie waitress told us this ensures that the molecules remain whole.

Roger Sabon Cotes du Rhone 10' was a good fit but was hard to exercise restraint on a list that had every icon wine imaginable.

Chef modified the chocolate dessert to be gf- on a chocolate base instead of biscuit. Everything is made from scratch.

Cat- the choc pots were almost as good as yours. Dark and milk choc with earl grey tea. Make chai tea, mix in to ganache.

With a bit too much wine under our belts, we spent a few hours browsing and drinking wine in Harrods. Note, with Rachel keeping Trav away from the 750 GBP plates; not for the set, for one.

Changing speeds a little, Rach hit the ladies floor while Trav hit the men's floor in Zara. Specials galore, best 100 pounds ever spent. 2x ladies tops, 2x ladies dresses, a ladies coat, 2x men's shirts (that fit) and a men's woollen pullover.

Too cool for us!!

Sunday...
Argos- great prices and service. You pick from the catalogue, pay at an e-kiosk, and your product is taken from the warehouse out back and presented when your number is called. Like in-store eBay.

Islington
Jamie's Italian: great decor we both wanted to take home. Great food; truffle and butter risotto, polenta chips, arancini (Rach fave), procuitto with spaghetti. All simple, all awesome.

Clear that Jamie is much more than just food now, top notch marketing and interior design.

He has made the right friends- right down to the waiters toolbelts. Mans big leather belt, done up at the back with a leather pouch, black. Doesn't hurt that all the waiters are beautiful to look at.

Studded pastel pink barcelona style booth seats. Rustic steel tables, Italian steel chairs in complementary colours. Enamel tiles in orange, jamon hanging from the bar, plates elevated from the table with cans of Italian totatos, Jamie branded tea towels for napkins (you can buy these as many would walk).

Chalk boards with nice script. Everything knows its place, and every detail has been well considered as part of the whole.

A journey to Italy in an office tower in London. Style, textures, colours, grids and lines with a touch of well placed bespoke fittings and kitsch.

Saddlers Wells: After three trains and full bellies we watched people dance that would dream of butter risotto but never have the pleasure.

Mod space, mod ballet. Ex Royal Ballet dancer, and the little pub across the street takes orders for drinks at interval.

6 short pieces focussing on the male dancer, which is unusual because there are not many.

Principal dancers from various co's. Highlight was Sergei Polunin who didnt miss a beat and defied gravity with little effort. Interestingly, Sergei last week walked out of his principal role in the Royal Ballet and this was the last time he'll be seen until he takes on a new position which is is a mystery at the mo.

More bravos and despite the split format a lot of clapping at the end....... again!!

Changing of the guard...

Saturday...
Wow, a big crowd to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. A lot of tradition and pomp, but I am sure that they would not have played the James Bond soundtrack back in the good olds.

Also, had our first London bus experience this morn- the top level moves around a little more than we are used to.

Saw the second half of the National Gallery- we knocked off the renaissance period a few days ago. 17th c to 20th c was full of the classics- Monet work that goes beyond the garden was memorable.

Booked a car and looking forward to seeing the rest of the UK from Tuesday. Entries will be less frequent without wireless.

Also, found a cute alley in soho/covent gdn.

Rockstars and a canal

Friday...
Walked north towards Little Venice this morning, and arrived at the very touristy but appealing Camden Markets- sunny most of the way.

The Canal is a fantastic walk though some of London's most elite and no so elite burbs.

Near Edgeware Rd it has a middle east feel, with a lot of 'council' housing. Near Regent Park towards Primrose mansions line the canal- apparently this is where all the rock stars live. It was almost surreal to see such big houses on such large blocks given the housing density all around.

Camden Markets are in a hip and edgy part of town, a lot of Mohawks and street art. Kind of like the old Rundle Street on roids and before it got all posh with designer labels. Brings back memories of St Kilda.

We have never seen so many places advertising GF food- picked up a GF flan, an apple pie and a cheddar ball. The Indian street food also rocked the g-free. Not having any trouble yet with finding good gf food.

Your turn Cahill!!!

A lifelong quest to beat Matt Cahill at his own game- funniest head in the hole shot. Found this one across the road from the Nat Museum- and there was a line up!!

Happy Australia Day!!!!!

For our first bout of homesickness, we wish we were there to share Australia Day with you all.

Although we do not get the public holiday, good news is we are on holiday anyway!

Also, happy Chinese New Year. We spent last night with a great group of Aussies at the Four Seasons in Bayswater.

Great duck as expected, but the Paper Bag Pork rocked our world (yes, cooked and presented in a paper bag).

The traditional raw fish/salad mix up for good luck was also really nice to share. As a group, we had to mix the ingredients with our chopsticks as high as we could- the higher you go the more luck you get!!

Today...
Started out with really nice sunny weather for Aus Day. Shot below across the road from the Churchill war rooms in Westminster. Note, it rained heavily 10 mins after and did not stop.

After the National Gallery (we were hoping to see all the Aussies in Trafalgar Sq but not to be...) we walked to Waterloo to do what Aussies do best, have a pub dinner.

Thanks for the Anchor&Hope tip Simon- best ice cream ever (we had seconds) and one of the best terrine. L to R- cuttlefish and ink risotto, terrine and polenta w celeriac, radicchio, Adrahan cheese. The original gastro pub.

A quickie at the museum

After lunch in Holburn with an old friend at a very cool bistro we wandered down to the British Museum.

We took the 'if you have an hour' route, and saw some very old stuff- impressive but walking the whole gallery was exhausting.

Highlights were the Lewis Chess Set with pieces made from the tusks of walrus in around 1200 and the Rosetta Stone which was hard to get anywhere near with tourists pushing in for a photo.

Beautiful old building, and took more pics outside. Scale, grandeur and detail. Loved the columns and the massive atrium.

Off now for dinner in Bayswater, they have a slightly yellowed newspaper article with the headline 'best duck in the world'. I wonder if they have tried Hongs in Grote Street? Thanks to our new friends Ryan and Soo-Ling for the invite.

Dirty birdie and classic Bordeaux

I met our good friend Simon in Sth Kensington for what was a very memorable night.

Sampler carry a wide range of hard to find independent wines and the classics. their many Enomatic machines mean that you can try many of them before you buy- or just stop by after work for many (small) drinks.

Simon summed up the concept well saying it was 'like a kid in a candy store'.

Picked up a 96 Grande Puy Lacoste, a classic wine, and stopped in at the roast chicken shop where Prince Harry is a regular.

It was one of the best roast chickens I have ever tried- so moist. Apparently it is due to the birds being trucked in from Sth France, and a French rotisserie to match.

Thanks Simon for a very memorable night out. T

Westminster et al.

A great touristy day out with our Aussie bro Ed through Westminster, and later tonight the West End for Phantom of the Opera.

In line to sit in the gallery of the Houses of Parliament in the stunning Westminster Hall (pic below). Looks like we should only be in line for around 1 hour which is ok (last pic). The vaulted wood carved ceilings are amazing but circa 1097 stone floors are cold enough to cramp calves.

Visited the Westminster Abbey- kind of creepy given all the monarchs buried in their tombs. Photos do not do it justice (not that we could take any pics inside) very ornate and huge ceilings and detail.

Just had my (Trav) first serve of Heinz baked beans while os- I almost forgot how good they are.

Enjoy the 30s in Adelaide Eddie!!

Note: viral marketing stunt in Trafalgar Sqaure for orange juice brand Tropicana- the council workers swarmed to the big orange sun with bikini girls. Yes, it is 4 degrees.

Superbrands

They are the masters of localising their brand, and making it feel very genuine.

The most international of travelers, easily adapted accross languages and cultures with their simple brand, distinctive look and disciplined and consistent application.

They do not belong to any religion, do not promote eating disorders (they are in fact overweight and very happy about it). The American candy looked even more at home in London than it did in NYC.

Make M&Ms not war!!

Laundrettes

Bo Bo's Bubbles is a step up in the laundry game, with prices to match.

In Hells Kitchen we were paying 2 USD per washing load, here we are paying 5 GBP.

Location, facilities, and size much better here in Kensington, but an example of how cheap power is in the US with nuclear. It was a quarter dollar to dry for 15 mins in USA, here, a pound.

Not sure if I would want to live near a nuke plant, but the financial benefits are obvious. It is used all over the world, and the two recent disasters (Japan and Ukraine) both occurred because of a lack of maintenance. Australia leads the world on controlling and regulating industry so risk could be substantially reduced.

Speaking of nukes, they love the servo sambo here- everywhere. Glad I can participate in this aspect of English culture. Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose all have a few GF lines and the bread here is really good. It is mostly made with brown rice flour.

3 quid for GF sambo, OJ and a small bag of apple and pear slices. Bargano.

T

TATE Modern

A massive warehouse/factory on London's Southbank was a joy to visit. Like the Guggenheim, the architecture provides a third dimension to the experience, but making it even more amazing is its sheer size and that it is a reno. Wright was given a blank canvas with his Guggenheim.

The art is framed by the at times stark and minimalist and modern industrial space- this lets the artwork breathe and provides the viewer focus even if there are school kids running around modern classics from Miro, Giacometti and Picasso.

It went from feeling like a nightclub after hours when we walked in with it's black walls, painted in windows and massive film installation to a very user friendly, freely laid out and easy to navigate space. The TATE offers an education experience that is not seen elsewhere.

Although it does not have the number, or magnitude, of MoMA it does not have its feeling of clutter. Stand out piece today was the film installation by Tacita Dean, followed closely by a Kandinsky from his early years and a cubist Picasso.

Afternoon tea at the gallery restaurant provided sweeping views of the Thames and city skyline (and awesome mint tea).

London Architecture

It may not have the massive buildings of New York, but London's low skyline provides a mix of eccentric, ageless and beautiful buildings that somehow all seem to meld together.

From The Gherkin and The Shard to the ancient columns and ornate spires and domes of buildings like Westminster abbey and the tower of London and bridge they one together to create a surreal view that always provides something that you did not notice yesterday.

They are very good at combining the new with respect for the old here. Two examples stand out so far- the ruinart champagne bar at the Royal Opera House (check out the floating bar amid the atrium) and the Tate Modern art gallery- a renovated warehouse on the bank of the Thames (more on how the building frames the artwork later...).

In London it's all in the detail.

Opera house champagne bar,
Approach to Tate, and
The unfinished shard looking down the Thames.

At the ballet

Our early morning line up produced great seats for the last nights show of Romeo and Juliet by the Royal Ballet. Only about 10m away from the stage but to the side a bit. We could see into the orchestra pit which was very cool.

And we were lucky enough to see the male lead "everyone" is talking about, Carlos Acosta. He was good but Trav and I particularly loved the lead female, Tamara Rojo. She was beautiful and a perfect dancer and actress. They were a sweet R&J :)

Trav's fav bit was when she gave her arranged suitor the cold shoulder- really nice pas de deux where she danced uninterested. Also v impressive when she was 'dead' and Romeo tried to reenact their earlier dance. He just threw her about (gracefully of course).

Lots of curtain calls at the end and many rich 'bravo-ers' near us... This made me giggle but yes it was an amazing show in an amazing venue!

Bravo!

Ps- dinner at the 16 square metre pub restaurant at the White Lion was also an experience.

R

Lines and Loos

8am and in line for standby tickets to the ballet in Covent Gdn. One of the main reasons I choose to live in Adelaide is that there are rarely lineups- for anything.

The trade off is that we are a less crazy state, and, we get less of the big shows (because no-one is prepared to line up).

I have not lined up as much in my life as much as we have lined up in NY esp, and now London. Even for Starbucks you need to line up 10 mins for a toilet in NYC.

Speaking of toilets, the one thing they don't tell you in Lonely Planet is how the facilities differ from place to place.

Planes: little water, tiny, suck like a garbage disposal.
NYC: massive toilet bowl, they are prefilled with water 2 inches from where you sit and suck like a 747. You can flush anything down these bad boys- like a desktop computer. They also all flush automatically when you stand up and walk away. Freaky.
London: small like Aussie, don't flush well, low ceilings and sometimes under the stairs. Watch your head on the way out. Would struggle to flush an iPhone.

2 hours in line was worth it, have never been so happy to pay for tickets. Romeo and Juliet ballet tonight- a sellout at the Royal Opera on its last night.

T.

Ps- Cat, great stationery. Renos at Covent Gdn too, but the ballet crowd is less pushy, although one old lady was trying to con us in to buying standing tickets so that she had a shot down the line.

Beheadings

None of these have happened in our hotel room yet, we are doing well after a few weeks in each others pockets...

However- we did learn about the beheadings, murders and mysteries of the Tower of London today. The yeoman wardens (aka beefeaters) actually live in the tower which is amazing, they are super qualified ex army serviceman for the Queen.

Crown jewels very impressive, particularly the 540carat diamond. Big security there.

On our walk into town we go past the McLaren store- Senna's car on display!

Renos advice for London- make the doors bigger.

A lot of the city is currently undergoing renos in prep for the Olympics and tourist $$$$ inc our hotel- pic below.

Walked in to town to see a real palace today, grabbed lunch in a little pub off Leicester sq (sq also being renovated).

General observations....
People are generally more pushy in the street and stores than NYC but not as congested.
Doorways and ceilings are for people who fall into the midget range.
Supermarkets are very gf friendly.

Happy birthday Bouty!!!

Tubing

16 jan

Off to see our good friend Ed in Greenwich for some lunch and slowly getting our head around the subway here (read Rach doing well t struggling).

Trains are very different here- manhattan is long and thin so it is hard to get it wrong. London is weblike so easy to get a long way from your destination.

Kensington is nice, has a nice 'high' (main) street inc Harrods. Some kitschy theming like 'the Egyptian escalators'.

All retail here is expensive cf USA. They have the same numbers but the pound sign makes it much more expensive. Great to see they have Whole Foods Market here too- a pity that Coles and woollies have a stranglehold on the Aust market as they would be a great fit- great gf section.

Now on overland train after 3 connecting tube trains 'severely delayed'.

Looking forward to finding wifi we can use- all the free public stuff here requires that you have a local phone connection too, hotel takes kidney as daily acces fee.

Update- just found out how to use the wifi cloud at local pubs- yay!!!

Thanks Ed for a great tour of Greenwich!

No wifi in the nice hood.

They say 'go for worst house in the best street'. We have taken this idea and applied it to our hotel.

Known Locally as the 'royal borough' Kensington has some beautiful hotels- ours is not one of them.

The hotel we bought online was supposed to have their renos completed by now, instead we arrive at a demolition site as far as the facade goes, and get given a room that would rival country victoria at the sa border. Then the heater didn't start AND we were in a crap room with no heat.

With that we saw an opp to push for a new room (one without mould in the grout) and got pushed upstairs to a smaller room, but onte that was updated at the end. Of the 80s.

Best airport yet... All 15 mins...

Dusseldorf, like a German car, was made well. Functional, clean aesthetics, and very easy to use with the signage very clear and precise. The materials used will age well and carry a sense of firm elegance. Airport envy after the LAX, JFK and Newark experiences. Sydney international on the other hand was out of this world amazing- no wonder people think Aussies drink a lot, a huge duty free booze mall.

Very efficient changeover- we did not get a chance to sit and two customs stops took 10 mins. Bus to the airport on the runway- the 737-300 feels like a cesner after the cattle truck from USA.

More stamps in the passport.

Have just arrived in London after a short flight back over the water. Sunday morning here so customs was a breeze.

Off to find our hotel now, get some lunch, and try and stay awake all day on 1 hour sleep. suck it up!!!

American chocolates

Whilst I sit at the airport busily looking up our next hotel address an directions and costs for getting there from the airport, Trav is exploring the airports supply of mint chocolate. I can't complain though as I loooovvvee mint chocolate...

So, junior mints which we had the other night- so yummy and cheap even at the airport at $1.37 and Godiva in a tin. Very cool, Trav particularly loves this. Packaging is very good over here, not always enviro friendly but impressive.

Farewell NYC

Last night's jazz expedition was well worth it- saw a Grammy winner perform Nat King Cole tracks in Spanish with a fantastic band at a place called Birdland (Ed you would have loved it). We were playing 'keep each other awake' with an 11pm starting time.

Mountaintop on Broadway was great- very much made for the African American audience with Martin Luther King Jr. day coming up.

For a little while it felt like the scene in Animal House when the frat buddies see Otis and the band outside of their neighborhood. Some people had travelled to NY just to see the play.

Got to meet Sam L at the stage door after he show- both he and Angela Basset were flawless. 90 mins, no intermission, one scene.

On our last day in NYC we fit in as much as we could- bring on UK!

Tall buildings, as far as the eye can see...

A very touristy day before we head off for London tomorrow.

Laundry- headed over to Hells Kitchen to our local laundromat and a haircut. Raphael took much more care than I do in the bathtub with the buzz cutter. Ol school barber shop, forgot what it felt like;)

Just got back from the Empire State Building, wow, NY is a big city. Brooklyn looks bigger than Adelaide, and it was great to see the other classic buildings like the Flatiron and Chrysler (trav's fave) from the air rather than street level.

Today is the coldest day we have had for a while, and up 86 floors outside we were glad the railings were so high as we felt like we were going to be blown over.

On the way home (the hotel) it started to snow, this is the first time I have seen real snow (Trav). It was pretty cool at first, but then the wind picked up and it felt like ice chips being shot at you. I'm not looking forward to a real snow fall.

Back at the hotel now where I can form words again. It is so cold that I lost feeling in my lips and face. BOM says it feels like minus 9c.

Off to a broadway play starring Samuel L in a few hours, and will try to fit in some jazz on the way home.

Will miss the city but well and truly time to move on- its pace, opportunity and accessibility mean that it is hard to sit still for too long without feeling like you are missing out on something.

Funniest thing happened today. Rach was approached by a hawker in the street (there are many) wanting to sell comedy tickets. The automatic response is 'no thankyou'.

Rach saw a guy coming, his opening line was 'do you like black people?'. Rach's 'no thankyou' was hilariously timed and I gave the guy a high five for the most inventive approach yet.