Wednesday 26 September 2012
Self ridges extravagance
London does department stores on another level!
Self ridges, Harvey nicholls, Harrods- they cater at a level that would be unsustainable in Australia. To the wealthy of Europe and Asia who seem to travel here just to shop.
These stores often have me thinking, how can there be enough people spending this much money to have these kind of stores.
Yes a stark contrast to the poverty I saw in rural areas of Rwanda.
Actually a stark contrast to what I saw in some parts of London. There must be large income gap!
Self ridges, Harvey nicholls, Harrods- they cater at a level that would be unsustainable in Australia. To the wealthy of Europe and Asia who seem to travel here just to shop.
These stores often have me thinking, how can there be enough people spending this much money to have these kind of stores.
Yes a stark contrast to the poverty I saw in rural areas of Rwanda.
Actually a stark contrast to what I saw in some parts of London. There must be large income gap!
Stonehenge
This place had me scratching my head in puzzlement.
Don't get me wrong, I am a nerd for fantasy novels and medieval movies. So I really wanted to go here and see this infamous place.
But when I got there I realised how small the structure is and non-spectacular.
It looked like a small pile of rocks.
We were given audio devices and I really didn't have the patience to listen to how each rock structure differed from one in aesthetics and what it may have meant to the people of medieval times.
I think part of my disdain comes from frustration at the number of tourists.
Really there was like 1 million tourists taking multiple pictures of each of the rocks and blades of grass even. I got there, was frozen by the cold wintery wind (in a country where summer just ended) and saw the million people and wanted to get out of there.
Sadly it is in the middle of nowhere with no public transport. Yes I did think about a taxi Jess and realised the exuberant fare I would spend all of rest yr paying back.
Good points about this visit because you should always leave your audience on a positive note.
1. The English countryside is beautiful, more so than the rocks
2. I finally learnt what summer and winter solstice is. I had a hippie intern earlier this yr who was shocked I didn't know what it was. Stonehenge works as a calendar and accurately predicts the winter and summer solstice. But half of it has been destroyed by people who took stones away to build houses with and tourists who took it back with them. So it used to work as a calendar...
3. I will say stonehenge could be described as enigmatic if you could delete all the tourists from the view
Xox tourist no 762 of 1 million in London ATM
Don't get me wrong, I am a nerd for fantasy novels and medieval movies. So I really wanted to go here and see this infamous place.
But when I got there I realised how small the structure is and non-spectacular.
It looked like a small pile of rocks.
We were given audio devices and I really didn't have the patience to listen to how each rock structure differed from one in aesthetics and what it may have meant to the people of medieval times.
I think part of my disdain comes from frustration at the number of tourists.
Really there was like 1 million tourists taking multiple pictures of each of the rocks and blades of grass even. I got there, was frozen by the cold wintery wind (in a country where summer just ended) and saw the million people and wanted to get out of there.
Sadly it is in the middle of nowhere with no public transport. Yes I did think about a taxi Jess and realised the exuberant fare I would spend all of rest yr paying back.
Good points about this visit because you should always leave your audience on a positive note.
1. The English countryside is beautiful, more so than the rocks
2. I finally learnt what summer and winter solstice is. I had a hippie intern earlier this yr who was shocked I didn't know what it was. Stonehenge works as a calendar and accurately predicts the winter and summer solstice. But half of it has been destroyed by people who took stones away to build houses with and tourists who took it back with them. So it used to work as a calendar...
3. I will say stonehenge could be described as enigmatic if you could delete all the tourists from the view
Xox tourist no 762 of 1 million in London ATM
Chinatown London
I am missing Asian food so much here. Every 2nd store is not a sushi place and the sushi sold at m&s and sainsburys is just...sub par.
So this lead me to dragging my German friend to China town. The food was ok...nothing on box hill or swan st or Melbourne china town.
Despite the food quality, I loved being in familiar Asian restaurant settings (they really all smell the same) and hearing the Singaporean accent (yes I must have been missing it Shivs).
Sadly my friend did not want to go again the next night, 'we can't have Asian every night!' umm yes we can.
So now I miss Melbourne :( and Asian food :(
So this lead me to dragging my German friend to China town. The food was ok...nothing on box hill or swan st or Melbourne china town.
Despite the food quality, I loved being in familiar Asian restaurant settings (they really all smell the same) and hearing the Singaporean accent (yes I must have been missing it Shivs).
Sadly my friend did not want to go again the next night, 'we can't have Asian every night!' umm yes we can.
So now I miss Melbourne :( and Asian food :(
Laduree
An afternoon at Laduree... Much better than an afternoon at hospital.
I will not own upto how much time I have taken up at hospital but I tell all my fellow European union friends that I have a job and am just about to graduate and burnt out blah blah blah
But for Laduree... Gorgeous French cafe
Famous for its hot chocolates apparently- it is literally melted chocolate. It was too syrupy for my tastes but I am told people line up miles for it.
The macaroons were good and I had no room to try any of the larger deserts.
But what was special about this place was the decor as you can see in my photos. It was a beautiful, quintessential cafe and exactly the kind of spot you'd imagine Parisians in for afternoon tea.
I bought macaroons for my parents that they packaged beautifully in handmade boxes with ribbon.
They are all now consumed!
So an excuse to go back to buy a present for my parents again?!
I will not own upto how much time I have taken up at hospital but I tell all my fellow European union friends that I have a job and am just about to graduate and burnt out blah blah blah
But for Laduree... Gorgeous French cafe
Famous for its hot chocolates apparently- it is literally melted chocolate. It was too syrupy for my tastes but I am told people line up miles for it.
The macaroons were good and I had no room to try any of the larger deserts.
But what was special about this place was the decor as you can see in my photos. It was a beautiful, quintessential cafe and exactly the kind of spot you'd imagine Parisians in for afternoon tea.
I bought macaroons for my parents that they packaged beautifully in handmade boxes with ribbon.
They are all now consumed!
So an excuse to go back to buy a present for my parents again?!
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Ingenuity of mAn
One of the doctors on my unit just told us a story and it's so ridiculous I had to share!
At this hospital you need to samples of blood for group and save before any procedure can occur! Why? FRAUD
People of kings sell their identity for a small price to people from Africa and India who then come over here to get free first world care!!
Apparently they're are even billboards saying 'come have your baby at kings'
Then ABO incompatibility occurs.
At this hospital you need to samples of blood for group and save before any procedure can occur! Why? FRAUD
People of kings sell their identity for a small price to people from Africa and India who then come over here to get free first world care!!
Apparently they're are even billboards saying 'come have your baby at kings'
Then ABO incompatibility occurs.
Sunday 9 September 2012
Brighton
We went to Brighton on a rare sunny day in England.
Once I got over the stony beach, it was lovely!
Once I got over the stony beach, it was lovely!
Gordon Ramsy's Maze
I was taken here by a friend the other night and now I have such an appreciation for miscellin star restaurants. It was beautiful.
I want to try more miscellin star but that would require starving for a week to afford it.
I want to try more miscellin star but that would require starving for a week to afford it.
Madame Tussauds
I went to Madame Tussauds... lame i know.
I got paid out so much for saying I wanted to go then saying I was going by every tom, dick and harry.
My professor: "groan... they're are far better things to do in London".
Whatever, I loved it.
I got paid out so much for saying I wanted to go then saying I was going by every tom, dick and harry.
My professor: "groan... they're are far better things to do in London".
Whatever, I loved it.
It would have been much nicer if I was not wearing work clothes- but it is still a good reason to get off work!
They were all life sized- some ppl are really short i.e. christina and some are really not i.e. beyonce and diana.
Apparently it costs 150,000 pounds to make one wax figure and they keep all of them in archives.
There was also a 4D movie, which seems all the craze in touristy spots now (there was also one at the London eye). Basically you watch a 3D movie but your chair tilts and moves in tune to the movie and sprays stuff in your ear, face and punches your back.
There was also an underground train ride with moving puppets telling a tilted history of england- also pretty cool.
So I think well worth the trip!
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Sunday 2 September 2012
Saturday in London
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View from the markets
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Gluten free goodies
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Harvey Nichols very cool window displays
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Picaddily circus
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Watching the paraolympics in Trafalgar Square
Blog posts have been very sparse...
This morning we went to Borough markets for breakfast. Incredibly crowded.
London. Summer. Olympics. That is all there is to it.
So many bloddy tourists. I recognise the irony of this. I don't know how the locals handle this number of tourists. And ludo said I complain so no more complanining.
There was beautiful food at Borough markets (including lots of gluten free baked goods for mel)! London has such close ties with so many European countries- so the food is much better than they have at Australian markets. I will be such a pumpkin when i return.
Then we went across to picadily circus, oxford st and bond st for more shopping. Yes more. Can never get enough.
Trafalgar square had a big screen showing the paraolympics and we watched, along with a huge crowd. Its strange sitting with people who are not cheering for your team (no I only support England in the cricket nothing else).
It really is a good time to be in London, the atmosphere is very exciting. They then started a concert when the olympic coverage finished. Hmm...its hard to describe the music but like cheesey sing along mexican... I totally wanted to stay but I was outvoted.
We then went across to the Angleic a pub in Angel where Jess lives for dinner. lol. Great names.
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