Farewell Cuz

It's been three months since my cousin showed up on my doorstep and we shared fun times in London, Paris and Vienna. After backpacking for two and a half months, Lisa's finally coming home.

I took a day off to hang out with her for the last time in London. After I finished work, we met at a quaint pub in Tower Hill, The Minories. We had a grill dinner and headed over to the Tower Of London for the Ceremony Of The Keys.

This ritual has been practiced for over 700 years, whereby guards and a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) lock up the Tower. At 10pm every night without fail. We stood in the open to watch this procedure and it was freezing!

We went for a walk over Tower Bridge, which was my first time after nearly 3 years of living in London.

In front of a blurry bridge.

Now that's better!

For supper we took a cab to Brick Lane for a salt beef bagel. Lisa's packed her suitcases and we did'nt get to sleep till 2am.

The next morning we had a delicious lie in. We shopped at Bond St and had a late lunch at Tayyabs in Shoreditch. Their dishes and mango lassi is amazing! Glad Lisa got a last minute curry fix.

Then it's back to the West. We went to Knightsbridge for Harrods and had mulled wine at Winter Wonderland.

It was sad to see my cousin off but it won't be long before we meet again in Sydney. We parted ways in the tube as I had to go to Camden for a burlesque cabaret dinner.

It was at Proud Kitchen and I was going by myself. Because I could, although I brought a book. It was a bawdy night with the acts spread out over two hours.

What a crazy 24 hours that flew by. And 48 hours from now-Paris again.

Winter Wonderland in London

I used to think that you had to go to Germany for a Christmas themed getaway. Not anymore. Here in London, they put the amusements of Oktoberfest (bar the beer steins) plus Christmas markets in Hyde Park.

Slow moving crowds and the cold suddenly becomes appealing. My girlfriend K and I went to Winter Wonderland this opening weekend. It was pretty with the millions of glowing lights. Market stalls sold candy, gingerbread, handmade wooden toys, leathergoods and clocks.

We drank the obligatory mulled wine and checked out the rides. Aromas of wurst sizzling and roasted chestnuts filled the air. How wonderfully wintery!

We're coming back in a few weeks with a bunch of others. For the rest of the evening we ended up doing another wintery activity, relaxing at home.

When I entered the house, K's dog PEED ON ME. He was jumping around my leg and as warned, he got a little too excited. Luckily it was a wee bit (heh heh) on my quick-dry sock. But gosh I have the worst luck with pets. (Once a friend's ferret farted on me.)

K cooked dinner and we watched Just Go With It. Jack Russell jumped on the bed and when I thought he was nuzzlng under my arm, he actually was licking his behind! Bless him. He is a dog after all.

I got home after midnight. Was nice after a day of gym, grocery shopping, flat cleaning and being out and about.

The next morning I made banana pancakes and played the Crazy For You soundtrack. It was a lazy Sunday morning with my brewed coffee and heater (temporarily borrowed from my landlord).

Why do weekends go by so quickly?

My First Halloween

Halloween is celebrated in UK almost as fanatically as in the US. So I was excited when I went to my first party dressed as Black Swan.

For my costume I bought most of the materials from Ebay and constructed it myself. Bits of feather boa was sewn onto a corset and for the tutu, I knotted strips of tulle along a belt.

A girlfriend and I made a pact that we'd take the tube together in costume. Hers rocked, a zombie bride. It was amusing on the train as no one wanted to sit near us. We got lots of strange looks and smiles.

At the party our host served brains and imitation fingers. There were many scary looking guests. We had fun scrambling to get into character everytime a guest arrived.

On the way home, many Halloweeen partyers emerged onto the tube. People recognised my costume and started chatting to me. What a bizarre experience!

My London Life – Sunday

It’s Sunday night. I’m cold and tired.

Morning-walked to Chatsworth Road Market from Homerton. Found Banhmi11 stall and waited for my banh mi to be grilled. It took ages because they had a late start but I did’nt mind chatting to one of the managers. Snacked on fried plantain from neighbouring Nigerian stall. Devoured banh mi on way back to train station.

Afternoon-Op shopping in West Hampstead. A favorite me-time activity. Bought two books, a dress and a kick ass jacket. Chilled out at home with a cup of coffee.

Evening-Bought last minute ingredients for dinner from convenience store downstairs. Owner was kind enough to put on tab because nearby ATM was’nt working. Went for a walk to Hampstead to pull out cash anyway. Bought a freshly baked (still warm) baguette from Le Pain Quotidien. Cooked moules marinière and did’nt simmer white wine long enough. Felt slightly tipsy after dinner.

Bedtime-Mysterious hissing sound turns out to be water leaking from my heater. Carpet is wet. Hope landlord fixes asap. Had to turn off the heater tap so my room is cold. Blogging on couch. Wearing doona.

My London Life – My Saturday

It was supposed to be a weekend to bum around. I’ve been daydreaming all week of napping on the couch. And now it’s Saturday, there’s not a minute to spare.

Morning-Craving cheese souffle so I made one for breakfast which serves two. Ate the whole thing, oops. Viewed a flat where the owner must have lived there all of his life. It was like walking into a time warp. The place was built in the 1930s and nothing appears to have changed since.

Midday-Hit the gym for Body Combat. My favorite class. I was on fire!!! Went grocery shopping. Of my haul, I bought a huge hunk of sirloin and a bag of fresh mussels. And Cillit Bang for the prolific limescale in our shower.

Afternoon-Flatmate cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. I could’nt resist attacking the limescale anyway with the new spray. Installed “DIY double glazing” on my windows which is merely plastic film stuck on double sided sticky tape and blowdried to get rid of creases. Better insulation than nothing, I suppose.

Late afternoon-Craving Maccas so walked to Hampstead to pig out. Love cheeseburgers and fries. Ate a macaroon chocolat from Paul on the way home. It’s completely dark by 5pm.

Evening-Faffed around on internet. Flat smelt like fried lemongrass and ginger pork so I complimented Vietnamese flatmate on cooking skills. Was offered some of the dish with rice. Yummy! Also had a Aberdeen steak burger (no bun) with salad. Watched Sex And The City movie on TV. Turned down offer to go clubbing. It’s Saturday night but I have no energy left to play.

Bedtime-Snug on couch with laptop and doona. Plan for Sunday’s activities.

Vienna-The First Night

I joined Lisa in Vienna while she's backpacking in Europe.

I arrived at Wombats hostel, finding Lisa expertly organising tomorrow night's piss-up with a girlfriend she'd just met Amy, her lower bunk buddy.

They took me to a middle eastern diner across the street and I ordered a huge lamb grill. Lisa and Amy raved about a wine called Sturm so it was natural to toast to a fab weekend with it.

Sturm ("schturm") is fermented grape juice. It's deceptively alcoholic. We ordered the "special" (out of the red or white varieties) and it came in a generous serving, chilled and cloudy red. I was hooked instantly. Mix with girl talk and good food, it's pure happiness.

I can't shut up about this stuff. It's slightly fizzy and as sweet as juice. You can't cap the bottles or they'll explode. Only areas in wine growing regions sell Sturm from because it's difficult to store and transport.

The owners were having a late night chat and smoking in the dining area. It's one thing I don't like about Austria-you're allowed to smoke indoors. Even though they have "non-smoking" areas, they are usually at the back of the restaurant and there's a lack of ventilation in winter. My hair and clothes reek of smoke so eewww!

We went back to our dorm and settled to bed. I love this hostel because it's clean and spacious. Even the dorm's bathroom is nicer than the one I have at home!

Broadway Markets And The Book Club

I've lived in London for almost three years and it was'nt until recently I started exploring the funky area of Hackney.

It took a fair effort to get to Hackney from my flat. Old Street tube was shut so I had to take a train and two buses to get there. But I finally found the elusive Vietnamese bagettes or banh mi I was craving for.

It turns out they're not the same as the ones in Sydney. These were made with grilled meat and the bagettes are lighter and crispier so you can have more than one (or maybe that's just me?)

They also sold pho in a cup! The broth is apparently slow cooked for 72 hours. It was very tasty. Nom nom.

I watched buskers while chomping on my banh mi. The market has a Glebe feel to it. I was in my element with the atmosphere and the clear sunny day. Nothing thrills me more than a market with fresh food.

I took an alternate route home by walking along the Regents Canal and taking a train from Haggerston. From the picture, it does'nt look pretty outside-of-London standards, but in real life it was a lovely walk.

Maybe it was the food, weather or the walk but I felt damn chipper. I got back to Hampstead and chilled out with a bunch of friends in a beer garden.

That evening I went back to Old Street to celebrate a friend's birthday at The Book Club. It's a popular nightclub with ping pong tables and electro swing music. Can you believe it? I was dancing away thinking, the DJ's from Paris, singer's from Sardinina and I'm sure as hell not in Sydney.

The bus to Old Street was packed and a funny thing happened when a woman shouted at people to move down the bus. Seconds later, she quite audibly remarked: "oh wow, I just moved people like I was Jesus."

It took two buses to get home after closing time and I was pooped.

The next morning I had a fry up in Hampstead Heath and relaxed the rest of the day.The weather is getting consistently chilly and grey. Heating is on and my coats are out of storage. Winter's coming. Soon daylight savings will end and my days will be spent in the snugness of my couch, wrapped in a blanket!