So last weekend I finally got to visit Elizabeth in London! It was a bit of a struggle getting down there what with the being stuck in a lift for an hour and then arriving two hours late to Victoria Station because of a wreck on the motorway, but I did make it. After that everything went fairly smoothly. Cold and sometimes wet, but definitely smooth.
As soon as I got there we headed over to her place in East London and I got to meet all of her flatmates. I tried really hard to remember all of their names, but there were a couple that just kept slipping my mind. Anyway, after some fish and chips we were all off to a club. We didn't stay out too late, but we still managed to sleep until 2 the next day.
Once we finally got our lazy selves out of bed we headed to Borough Market. Seeing as how our breakfast had consisted of a couple of Digestives, we started off by grabbing a cup of mulled wine (not a fan) and a heavenly chicken and mushroom pie. It was probably one of the most delicious things I have had in a while, but that could be because I was starving and it was a bit chilly. Still I am going to give all the credit to the actual food. Once we were feed we strolled through all the different stalls, and I must say I am a huge fan of markets. There seemed to be tons of people there, despite the weather. There was a plethora of sweets, veggies, fruit, meats (including some rabbits hung by their feet), and items I can't even remember any more. We even came across this amazing pair of musicians playing in a tunnel. If it had been a bit warmer I could have stayed and listened to them all day. However it was getting a bit late (that seems to happen sooner when you sleep 'till 2), so we grabbed some paella with chorizo. Basically it was a pretty awesome day for food.
That night we decided to take it easy, instead of clubbing we hit this bar called Brew Dog. It was pretty packed, but then we headed downstairs to this "hidden" speakeasy type basement. The bartender even made us these fancy cocktails based on what flavours we wanted. Elizabeth got this one called the Nutty Professor which basically tasted like a delicious meringue. If it hadn't of cost 8 GBP I might have gotten another.
Sunday we continued our exploration of the city by walking four miles from Elizabeth's flat to Chinatown to see the Chinese New Year celebration. We ended up missing the parade but the streets were still packed with with people wandering around the various stalls of Chinese gifts and food under strings of red paper lanterns. After all that walking and only a light breakfast of cookies we had to break for lunch at Garfunkel's before going any further. I had been wanting to eat there for a while for the simple reason that every time I see it I think of Art Garfunkel and start singing one of his songs. For this meal the soundtrack was "Slip Sliding Away". Unfortunately the food of the day did not even come close to matching that of the previous.
After just a short break we resumed walking and headed towards Covent Gardens market. This time the drink of choice was cider, and it was definitely a better choice than the mulled wine. The market was alright, but we did get to here some talented musicians and watch a pair of guys juggle while on giant unicycles. Seeing as how I can't do either one of those skills I was extremely impressed. They also had that nice "British humor" that I am going to miss when I see street performers back home, which to be honest is basically never. Eventually we made it to Fleet Street, but no meat pies for us here. We started to head back to the flat but not before stopping at the Sommerset house. Like most museums, once I got past the realist paintings i was in heaven. There were just these amazing works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Manet. I actually think I found a new favorite work by Manet. It was this breathtaking unfinished piece of a woman with barely visible male figure behind her.
Despite how long we had already been walking we decided it would be a good idea to walk all the way back Its not like London has public transportation or anything. Actually I've grown to like walking, however, the wind, decreasing temperature, and rain made the voyage back a bit more trying. By the time we got back my jeans were soaked and the only logical plan for such a night is to put on your PJs, make some pasta, and watch a crappy/awesome TV show.
Monday it actually snowed! Nothing like I have had in Bradford, but Elizabeth was ecstatic. We rushed out to Victoria Park to enjoy it all. Elizabeth had saved this loaf of bread in order for us to feed the geese,, and this loaf was rock hard. It was a struggle to tear off pieces and in the mean time the geese swarmed us. They were a bit intimidating because some can been ridiculously mean. Despite their behavior towards each other we managed to feed them directly from our hands without losing any fingers (a legitimate concern if you ask me) I even got to see this fantastically dangerous playground that she had been raving about. Promises were made to go back when everything wasn't covered in snow.
Then it was time for me to head off, this time without any hang ups.
As soon as I got there we headed over to her place in East London and I got to meet all of her flatmates. I tried really hard to remember all of their names, but there were a couple that just kept slipping my mind. Anyway, after some fish and chips we were all off to a club. We didn't stay out too late, but we still managed to sleep until 2 the next day.
Once we finally got our lazy selves out of bed we headed to Borough Market. Seeing as how our breakfast had consisted of a couple of Digestives, we started off by grabbing a cup of mulled wine (not a fan) and a heavenly chicken and mushroom pie. It was probably one of the most delicious things I have had in a while, but that could be because I was starving and it was a bit chilly. Still I am going to give all the credit to the actual food. Once we were feed we strolled through all the different stalls, and I must say I am a huge fan of markets. There seemed to be tons of people there, despite the weather. There was a plethora of sweets, veggies, fruit, meats (including some rabbits hung by their feet), and items I can't even remember any more. We even came across this amazing pair of musicians playing in a tunnel. If it had been a bit warmer I could have stayed and listened to them all day. However it was getting a bit late (that seems to happen sooner when you sleep 'till 2), so we grabbed some paella with chorizo. Basically it was a pretty awesome day for food.
That night we decided to take it easy, instead of clubbing we hit this bar called Brew Dog. It was pretty packed, but then we headed downstairs to this "hidden" speakeasy type basement. The bartender even made us these fancy cocktails based on what flavours we wanted. Elizabeth got this one called the Nutty Professor which basically tasted like a delicious meringue. If it hadn't of cost 8 GBP I might have gotten another.
Sunday we continued our exploration of the city by walking four miles from Elizabeth's flat to Chinatown to see the Chinese New Year celebration. We ended up missing the parade but the streets were still packed with with people wandering around the various stalls of Chinese gifts and food under strings of red paper lanterns. After all that walking and only a light breakfast of cookies we had to break for lunch at Garfunkel's before going any further. I had been wanting to eat there for a while for the simple reason that every time I see it I think of Art Garfunkel and start singing one of his songs. For this meal the soundtrack was "Slip Sliding Away". Unfortunately the food of the day did not even come close to matching that of the previous.
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| Al Bal by Manet |
Monday it actually snowed! Nothing like I have had in Bradford, but Elizabeth was ecstatic. We rushed out to Victoria Park to enjoy it all. Elizabeth had saved this loaf of bread in order for us to feed the geese,, and this loaf was rock hard. It was a struggle to tear off pieces and in the mean time the geese swarmed us. They were a bit intimidating because some can been ridiculously mean. Despite their behavior towards each other we managed to feed them directly from our hands without losing any fingers (a legitimate concern if you ask me) I even got to see this fantastically dangerous playground that she had been raving about. Promises were made to go back when everything wasn't covered in snow.
Then it was time for me to head off, this time without any hang ups.
YOU FOUND THE PAINTING. Oh, and when you come again, I found a climbing gym!
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