Emm in London

A Day at the Natural History Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:59:34 PST

Stephen and I spent a day at the Natural History Museum on Tuesday with my friend Bonny and her son Matthew. We haven’t seen each other in months so I decided to leave my camera at home and focus on being sociable instead. Thankfully, I still managed to snap a couple of photos using the trusty Instagram app on my iPhone.

Check out my interview at London Living! I was asked five questions as part of their London Grilling series.

Llyn Padarn, Llanberis, Snowdonia

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:16:00 PST

Exploring castles is hard work and we had explored both Beaumaris and Caernarfon castles in one day! We took the scenic route back from Caernarfon to Betws-y-Coed and decided to take a rest at the beautiful Llyn Padarn in Llanberis. Llyn is the Welsh word for lake.

We found this area quite enchanting. There were sheep seemingly roaming wild (although I have no doubt they belonged to one of the neighbouring farms) and there were beautiful swans in the water.

Llyn Padarn is a glacially formed lake and it is linked to Llyn Peris at its south-eastern point. It is close to the town of Llanberis.

Llyn Padarn is located in Snowdonia, an area of incredible natural beauty in north west Wales which was designated to be a national park in 1951. The landscapes and vistas were breathtaking at times and the area is popular with hikers, walkers and climbers.

There was one slight blemish on the landscape and that was the evidence of the heavy slate mining that took place for almost two centuries until the late 1960s. Thankfully, the nearby Dinorwig Quarry closed in 1969 and all that remains of the local industry at Llyn Padarn is the National Slate Museum.

We were fortunate to spot the Llanberis Lake Railway train making its way along the track on the northern bank of the lake. Next time we visit Snowdonia (and I have no doubt that we will return) we’ll make sure we take a ride on the railway and visit the National Slate Museum and Padarn Country Park too.

If you click on the photo above, you will get a better view of the train.

The Ruins of the Abbey of St Edmund

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:02:00 PST

The Abbey of St Edmund was not a just building but almost a town in itself. The ruins lie sprawling over a massive area and you can see the remains of not only the church but also of the infirmary, dormitories, cloisters and priory. It is obvious that the abbey was quite magnificent and it is heartbreaking that it fell victim to Henry VIII’s notorious Suppression of the Monasteries in 1539.

In the photo above, you can see the remains of the garden wall of the abbot’s garden (left) and the dovecote (or pigeon house). The abbot lived apart from the other monks in his own palace but the abbot’s palace is now completely demolished.

It was a grey, cold and cloudy day on the day we visited, so do click on the photos to see more detail.

The buildings above were located on the edges of the complex, between the abbot’s palace and the church. I think they may have been the monks' dormitories.

The Abbey of St Edmund was built on a cruciform plan in the early 1100s. In the photo above, you can see the north transept of the abbey with the St Edmundsbury Cathedral peeking out to the west.

This is the east-facing apse of the abbey where the shrine of St Edmund was located behind the high altar.

Do click on the photo below to see the 19th century historical marker. It looks like these plaques were installed in 1842 and I find it interesting that the ruins would been as inspiring to visitors 170 years ago as they are today.

In 1214, it was at the altar of the Abbey of St Edmund that 25 barons swore to obtain the ratification of the Magna Carta from King John.

This is the north transept of the abbey taken from inside the church.

This is all that remains of the walls of the prior’s garden.

The chapter house is one of the more exciting parts of the ruins for it is where the remains of several of the Abbey’s abbots are located. A manuscript discovered at the end of the 19th century revealed that eighteen of the abbots were buried in the chapter house and the coffins and remains of five of the abbots were revealed to the public in 1903.

Thankfully, the coffins were closed again and today, you can see the five graves. In the photo above, I have featured the grave of the abbot Samson who lived from 1182 to 1211.

One of the strangest aspects of the ruins is that houses have been built right against them. I think this reveals the selective nature of the decline of the abbey and it is strange that it was allowed to fall into such a state of ruin while the houses and St Edmundsbury Cathedral remain.

During Henry VIII’s reign, the cathedral was known as St James’s Church and it was located within the precinct of the abbey. It was first built in the 12th century but was largely rebuilt in 1503. At the time of the Suppression of the Monasteries, St James's Church was a parish church, which I believe is linked to its survival. It is now a Church of England cathedral.

The BRIT Awards: Something For The Fans

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:13:00 PST

The nominations for The BRIT Awards 2012 were announced this week at The Savoy Hotel in London. While the nominations for British Single made me very sad (Ed Sheeran, Example and The Wanted, I am looking at you), the nominations picked up somewhat for British Group and Mastercard British Album of the Year. I am a massive fan of Chase & Status, Elbow, Kasabian and PJ Harvey but sadly, they can’t all win so this year’s awards are going to be very exciting!

I wrote about The BRIT Awards 2012 in November last year and talked about how MasterCard are offering an exclusive priority booking opportunity for BRIT Awards 2012 tickets on their Priceless London site. Well, the sponsors have stepped it up a notch with the launch the Something For The Fans competition that will give fans the unique chance to perform a duet with one of their favourite chart acts. Not only that, the duet will be featured at The BRIT Awards and aired live on ITV1 on February 21st 2012, giving the winners priceless exposure if they are trying to break into the music industry.

To win the chance to perform a Priceless Duet with artists including Emeli Sandé, JLS and Labrinth, visit the Something For The Fans website to register and provide your audition video. By entering the competition, you will also put yourself in line to win one of hundreds of pairs of tickets to The BRIT Awards.

Wow, if only I could sing (and I assure you that I really cannot), I would definitely enter the competition! Then again, I can tell you some nightmare stories about me being overcome with shyness when meeting my idols, so perhaps it is better this way. Maybe I should enter the competition for blogger access at the awards instead?

This is a Sponsored Post but as always, all opinions and music madness are my own.

Events: A Place at the Table and Hidden London

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:14:13 PST

I’ve attended two very different events in the past two days and just wanted to tell you about them before I pass out! I’m strangely tired for the third week of the year but January is always pretty busy for me.

Daedalus Theatre: A Place at the Table

A Place at the Table is a powerful theatrical response to the on-going troubles in Burundi, Rwanda and the African Great Lakes Region. Featuring an all-female cast, predominantly from Central/East Africa, this intimate, immersive production explores the shockwaves from the 1993 assassination of Burundi’s President Melchior Ndadaye backwards through colonialism to ancient legend and forwards to the Rwandan genocide and the continuing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

You may or may not know that I (try to) do a lot of reading and writing about the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia. When the Aegis Trust sent me an email to let me know about this production, I immediately bought tickets and last night, we went along to the Southwark Cathedral to watch it. I was blown away to discover that despite knowing so much about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and how the situation there spilled into the DRC, I knew next to nothing about the historical and current situation in Burundi.

The play takes the format of a United Nations Security Council hearing and is supported by original footage and photography. Eye witness testimony is brought to the table through the technique of verbatim theatre. Many people have remarked that this technique does what politics and the media fail to do.

This is a powerful and extremely disturbing play but one that is essential viewing for anybody interested in the situation in the Great Lakes region of central Africa. There will be two more performances at Southwark Cathedral (tickets) this week followed by a performance at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Action Centre on Friday (tickets).

Navigating Hidden London

Tonight I went to an event at the London Transport Museum called “Navigating Hidden London”. It was an interview with David Long, author of Hidden City: The Secret Alleys, Courts and Yards of London’s Square Mile and was conducted by Matt Brown, editor of the Londonist. If, like me, you are crazy about London’s secret alleys, courts and yards, then you really should get his book.

He gave a wonderful quote which went something like this:

“It is one square mile and at the age of 50, after 30 years in the city, I am still finding new alley ways”.

After hearing David and Matt speak, I have pinpointed the following areas for future exploration:

- Star Court (or was it alley?) to see the Parisian-style pisoire
- The Barbican, especially Chiswell Street and the remains of St Giles

- Passing Alley in EC1
- One New Change
- Fen Court with the abolition of slavery installation art
- Wardrobe Place

How exciting!

I also met up with Pete from The Londoneer who was very excited as he had spent the afternoon at the Olympic Village. Look out for photos on his newly re-designed site!

The Church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:59:10 PST

When you visit the East Anglian town of Norwich in Norfolk, the first thing you notice is the beautiful 15th century church in the centre of town. The Church of St Peter Mancroft lies on a slightly elevated position next to the market and opposite the Norwich City Hall.

The church was built between 1430 and 1455 but it has a Norman foundation and a church was first built here in 1075 by Ralph de Guader, Earl of Norfolk.

We spent a whole day in Norwich during our recent trip to East Anglia, so think of these photos as “before” photos. We took some stunning photos when night fell later on in the day.

Virgin Presents World's First 270° Projection

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:30:03 PST

Last night, a few lucky guests were treated to a stunning 270° display at Senate House in Bloomsbury to kick-start Virgin Money's quest to make money better. If you don’t know, Virgin Money is launching banking services in the UK in 2012. They will be offering savings, investments, mortgages, credit cards, insurance and pensions.

Virgin Money is very specifically launching into a suspicious and jaded banking environment in the UK. Many consumers (myself included) have lost faith in the banking industry and founder Richard Branson recognises this. He hopes that as a trusted brand, Virgin can “can come in and shake up the industry.”

Virgin bought Northern Rock at the end of 2011 and they plan to turn all 75 branches across the UK to Virgin Money branches by the end of the year.

Of more interest to me was the actual event last night. It looked amazing!! At On 5.15pm yesterday evening, BMB neon launched the world's first 270° fully immersive projection. The display took viewers on a exhilarating journey through the Virgin brand story. I wish I could have attended but my classes started again last night and I couldn't go!

What do you think? Do you think Virgin Money will step up to provide great service to banking customers and restore their faith in the industry?

I think it could work if they ensure that service levels in the branches and on help lines is excellent, provided by trained, customer-focused staff. We need a bank we can trust but it is also time that first class services arrived in the banking industry in the UK.

Check out this video from last night:

Disclaimer: This is a Sponsored Post but all opinions contained herein are my own

Abbey Gate and Norman Tower, Bury St Edmunds

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:19:00 PST

In December, we spent a week at Swilland Mill in Suffolk and visited the historic town of Bury St Edmunds. The primary attraction was the ruins of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds which was once one of the richest Benedictine monastries in England but which fell into ruin following Henry VIII’s Suppression of the Monasteries in 1539.

Today, Abbey Gate and the Norman Tower are the only two surviving buildings which could give an idea of the magnificence of the Abbey of St Edmund.

The Abbey Gate is the entrance to the Great Court. The original gate probably stood slightly to the left but it was damaged in 1327 when the townspeople revolted, plundered the abbey and kidnapped the abbot.

The existing Abbey Gate was rebuilt in 1347 and is quite beautiful.

It has battlements, a portcullis and arrow slits in the walls.

It is just a pity that for all its defensive features, the Abbey Gate provided no defence when Henry VIII went on his rampage against the monasteries.

The Norman Tower and Gatehouse lies further to the south of Abbey Gate, on the other side of the present-day St Edmundsbury Cathedral (dedicated as the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund).

Norman Gate was built by Abbot Anselm between 1120 and 1148 and it was the principle gateway into the abbey precinct. The belfry is still in use today and serves the cathedral.

The Norman Tower and gatehouse is four-storeys high and is virtually unchanged from its 12th century state.

How magnificent is that? I love Norman architecture. Next time I will take you through the ruins of the abbey.

The Sound and Vision Exhibition, Hall Place

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:58:00 PST

One of my favourite sections of Hall Place was the Sound and Vision Exhibition which takes visitors through a history of home entertainment. I found it fascinating and it appealed to my love of history, media and television.

The revolution of home entertainment began with Thomas Edison’s patented phonograph machine, followed swiftly by Emile Berliner’s invention of the gramophone, both occurring in the late 19th century. Guglielmo Marconi’s innovations in wireless technology during the 1890s changed the face of communication worldwide, especially during World War I as parties were able to communicate across great distances first through Morse code and later using voice technology. The ability to transmit soon turned into the birth of broadcasting and the British Broadcasting Corporation was formed on 18 October 1922.

While Edison and Berliner succeeded in bringing music and entertainment to people’s own homes, that was nothing compared to the advent of radio which brought news of a world war into people’s living rooms. It may surprise you to know that the father of television, John Logie Baird, had all but perfected his invention by January 1926 and the BBC began transmitting and producing programmes throughout the 1930s. This service was suspended during World War II and television services resumed in 1946. Television went on to win the battle to become the world’s number one form of entertainment and the rest, as they say, is history.

The exhibition features excellent examples of vintage phonographs, gramophones, radios and televisions and runs until March 2012. It is a small exhibition so I wouldn’t suggest going all the way to Hall Place just for this, but I definitely think Hall Place has enough to offer to entertain visitors for an afternoon. As with the rest of Hall Place, entrance is free.

(Click the photo above for a better look!)

2011: A Year in London

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:13:12 PST

At the end of 2010, I began to feel that something was missing from my life in London and, by extension, from Emm in London. I felt that although I still lived and worked in London, life was getting in the way and this wonderful city was passing me by. My resolution for 2011 was to do at least one London-based activity a month and I have to say, it was a resounding success. In 2011, I fell in love with London all over again and I can begin 2012 knowing that I will continue to explore, research and marvel over this wonderful, quirky, historic city.

The Secret London Walk

I began the year by taking a secret London walk with my friend Kathy. Using Andrew Duncan’s Secret London: Exploring the Hidden City, with Original Walks and Unusual Places to Visit as a guide, we walked from the area west of St Paul's, past Smithfield Market, through Ely Place and into Holborn.

We had a really good time exploring and this walk has inspired me to do at least two further walks this year.

Focus on: Graffiti Photo Walk

In February, I went on a Focus on: Graffiti photo walk with Melizza from Sifting Through... Expat Edition. We had a lot of fun while learning how to use our cameras too. The photo walk was organised through The Photo School and my resolution this year is to attend at least 5 of their classes or events.

Editors at Royal Albert Hall

In 2011, I officially became a music snob and learned that the only way to watch live music is to attend a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

We went to see Editors at the Royal Albert Hall in March and it was incredible. We also went to see PJ Harvey in October and it was equally amazing. I narrowly missed out on seeing one of my favourite bands of all time, The Cure, at the venue in November but only because I was in no way prepared to pay £150 (each) to see them. I regret this decision but am happy to say I used the money to buy plane tickets to Munich in March 2012.

Afternoon Tea at the Chesterfield Mayfair

In April, I joined my colleagues for afternoon tea at the Chesterfield in Mayfair and finally understood what the fuss was all about. I loved my afternoon tea experience and certainly want to try out other locations across London this year.

We went on the day after the royal wedding and it was a very exciting time to be in London!

An Endless Afternoon in Camden Town

In May, I spent a long afternoon in Camden Town with my friend Gyda. I hadn’t been to Camden Town in years and it was so much fun to shop, browse and eat on that beautiful, sunny afternoon.

Race for Life

In June, I took part in the Race for Life for the fourth year in a row. This year was in Crystal Palace Park and I managed to take a couple of photos of this historic park.

June was an interesting month too as I attended two book events featuring some of my favourite authors (Garth Nix, Jason Wallace) and I also attended an event on Rwanda: Strengthening Society Through Genocide Education. It occurred to me that these are opportunities that I would perhaps not have had in South Africa and it made me appreciate living in such a big, metropolitan city like London.

The Alternative London Walking Tour

In July, I went on an Alternative London Walking Tour with Melizza and her husband Greg. This was an interesting guided walk through London’s East End and the best part about the tour was that it was free!

I took a million photos but, being the bad blogger that I am, never did manage to do a post about the walk. With street art changing on a daily basis, I imagine that there is no other solution than to go on another Alternative London walking tour in the near future.

An Afternoon in Kew Gardens

We spent an afternoon in Kew Gardens and it was really lovely. Unfortunately, Kew Gardens is such a massive site that we only saw a fraction of what there is to see.

I would definitely like to return one day to see the Japanese gateway and pagoda or the wildlife conservation area.

A London Cab Tour

We went on a fascinating black taxi tour with Graham from London Cab Tours. On the tour, I learned all about the Queen’s neighbourhood in 5 Things You Didn’t Know About St James’s, London as well as seeing London through the eyes of a cab driver.

We also met the City of London boundary dragons and had the privilege of exploring Lincoln's Inn in Holborn on this great tour.

Wandering Down Portobello Road

In October, we were blessed with incredibly warm weather and together with my sister-in-law Sandra, I went to visit Portobello Road for the first time ever. We had so much fun and Portobello Road really is a photographer’s dream. I would definitely like to visit again some time soon!

Art by Offenders Exhibition

In November, I attended the Art by Offenders exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall. This was a fabulous collection of artwork by offenders, detainees and secure patients across the United Kingdom.

One of the best things about London is that there are so many art galleries, museum and exhibitions with free (or very inexpensive) entrance. In 2012, I definitely want to see more of London’s art galleries and museums.

The Enchanted Palace at Kensington Palace

In November, I met up with a lovely group of expats and bloggers to visit the Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace.

This was a magical display that took us through several centuries of real-life princesses and enchantment in the palace.

Hall Place Gardens

My last London-based activity for 2011 took place at the very edges of London in the London Borough of Bexley. We visited the lovely Hall Place and Gardens and took a peek inside the grand old residence too.

The remainder of December was dedicated to family and travel as Stephen’s parents were visiting from South Africa. We had a lovely week in Suffolk (which I shall begin blogging about next week) and we had a fantastic and relaxing Christmas and New Year.

I hope everybody has had a great festive season and is energised and optimistic for the year to come. I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every person who read Emm in London, visited and commented in 2011. I am not exaggerating when I say that none of this would be worthwhile without your encouragement, inspiration and friendship. Here’s to a fabulous 2012!

Inside Hall Place: Former English Stately Home

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:41:38 PST

Hall Place

Last week I introduced you to the Tudor and red brick splendour of the Grade I listed Hall Place in Bexley, Kent. Hall Place is less than three miles from my house and I had often marvelled at the contrast between the 17th century red brick half of the house and the 16th century stone half (which can clearly be seen in the photo above).

In the my previous post, I explained a little bit about the original owner Sir John Champneys and Sir Robert Austen who built the stone and red brick wings respectively. I also mentioned the exquisite topiary gardens which lie on the banks of the river Cray.

Perhaps the most colourful and notorious resident of Hall Place was Sir Francis Dashwood, a notable rake and member of the notorious Hellfire Club, who purchased the home c. 1772. His descendant Maitland Dashwood returned to the house in 1870 and undertook a great deal of restorations. It is assumed that Maitland Dashwood was responsible for much of the wood panelling that can be seen around the house.

In the photo below, you can see the panelling in one of the topiary garden-facing rooms in the newer 17th century wing of the house (above) and also in the parlour which is in the original 16th century wing (below). The other two photos were taken in the passage between the two wings and show the wooden mock-Tudor finishes. (I’m assuming they would have been added at the time of the extensions and not during the original build).

Remember to click on any of the photos below for enlargements!

Interior rooms at Hall Place

The home remained in the Dashwood family until 1926. Lady Limerick was the last tenant in the building, before it came under the full control of the Municipal Borough of Bexley at her death in 1943. Lady Limerick was known for her lavish parties and it is suggested that she lived with a female companion, a fact that might have been scandalous at the time were it not for the high profile figures attending her parties. All is forgiven though as it was Lady Limerick that was responsible for the topiary garden.

Despite a £2-million refurbishment courtesy of the Heritage Lottery Fund, you will note that there is very little furniture in Hall Place. This is because the bulk of Lady Limerick’s furniture was sold at her death and added to the estate. The furniture that does remain is authentic and I imagine that more would be added as it is located or restored. Sadly enough, we were told that a storage facility located nearby was broken into a fortnight ago and several authentic (but not yet restored) items were stolen, including a Victorian bath.

Hall Place was used as a boarding school for much of the 19th century and it certainly had that haunting atmosphere of a former school. During WWII, it became an important army communications centre for the American forces and went on to become a technical school for girls, then the headquarters of Bexley’s Libraries and Museums service before finally becoming a museum and historical visitor’s centre.

The Chapel at Hall Place

One of the most interesting parts of the visit was the chapel located in the original Tudor wing. This fascinating display is aimed at children and explains several aspects of Tudor life including the food that they ate, the clothes that they wore, the various positions that people held in society and, importantly, the increasing conflict between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

The Great Hall at Hall Place

The Great Hall lies at the heart of Hall Place and was designed for grand feasts and long nights of festivities and entertainment. Feasts are still held at the Great Hall today, with events such as weddings, Tudor evenings and Christmas dinners.

Hall Place Kitchen and Great Hall

I was really impressed by the old kitchen, which lies just off to the side of the Great Hall. There you can see the remains of the old staircase that may have lead up to the Minstrels gallery and you can also see the old ovens. It is likely that the height of the room would once have been twice as high as it is now. Unfortunately, my photos simply did not do justice to the old kitchen. Above, you can also see the view of the Great Hall from the Minstrels Gallery, showing the detail of the wooden finishes in the ceiling.

Tudor detail at Hall Place

Running along the side of the building, around the Great Hall, were several of the living rooms of the original house. Amongst these was the Great Chamber and Long Gallery. I have to admit that without furniture, this room failed to impress me despite the intricate pressed ceiling. I found far more inspiration staring out of the windows!

Hall Place Gardens and Eastern Front

The upper floors of the 17th century wing are home to a series of exhibitions relating to WWII and the Victorian period when the home was used as a boarding school. There was also a Sound and Vision exhibition which I will tell you a bit more about next time.

Thank goodness for the riverside cafe and art gallery to wind down after such a long visit! It is difficult to believe that there is so much to see here and that it is all for free! I will definitely return in the summer. I especially want to photograph each of the heraldic figures of the topiary gardens that represent the Queen’s Beasts.

Summer in the City

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:42:14 PST

A record-breaking autumn of heatwaves and warm temperatures is finally giving way to a cold and grey winter. Fear not! It is the winter solstice on Thursday 22nd December so surely it is time to begin counting down to summer?

There is no doubt that London looks better when the sun is shining and so I have decided to feature a couple of snapshots taken in the City during the summer for this week’s edition of Blue Skies and Sunshine.

London Metropolitan University – Moorgate

This is a close-up of the beautiful neo-classical building which houses London Metropolitan University at Moorgate. It was built by Belcher & Joass between 1900 and 1903 and was formerly the headquarters of Cable & Wireless. I love the globe and dome details.

Christ Church Greyfriars

All that remains of Christ Church Greyfriars is the shell after it was bombed during the Blitz in London. When you consider how close this site is to St Paul’s Cathedral, and that much of the surrounding area was levelled, it is amazing that St Paul’s was not destroyed too. The bombed out Christ Church Greyfriars remains as a public garden today and a peaceful reminder of the horrors that London experienced during the extended bombing campaign.

St Paul’s Cathedral

This 17th century Sir Christopher Wren building was in fact a key target of the Blitz and was in fact hit by bombs during the campaign between October 1940 and April 1941. On 12 September 1940, a time delayed bomb hit the cathedral and was successfully defused and removed by the bomb disposal unit. Had the bomb detonated, it would have destroyed the cathedral.

Could this just be the luckiest building in the whole of London?

These are some of my favourite buildings in the City of London. In 2012, I plan a self-guided Haunted London walk as well as an exploration of the old Roman sites of Londinium. I will be sure to let everyone know when I embark on those (free!) tours, just in case you’d like to join in.

Tudor and Red Brick Splendour in Hall Place and Gardens, Kent

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:01:00 PST

For several years we have driven past the grand old house at Hall Place in Bexley and I have always wanted to visit. Naturally, I was attracted by the castle-like turrets but I was also intrigued by the presence of two distinctly different architectural styles. On the left in the photo above, you can see the original Tudor styling as built for Sir John Champneys in 1537. It is said that due to Champneys’ elevated position in society, he had access to building materials such as those taken from the remains of Lesnes Abbey in nearby Abbey Wood (Henry VIII was embarking on his notorious Suppression of the Monasteries and Lesnes Abbey was one of the first to be closed in 1524). The Tudor wing has a distinctive chequerboard pattern made of flint and rubble masonry.

Just under 100 years later in 1649, Champneys’ grandson Richard sold the house to Robert Austen who embarked on a series of renovations and added the red brick wing that you can see above. The red brick extension encloses a courtyard which includes a staircase tower topped by a prospect room. You can see the southern front of the house as well as the staircase tower in the photos below. Also visible below is the beautiful and fantastical creatures from the topiary garden and a view of the extensive lands surrounding the house.

Hall Place rests on the banks of the River Cray and I can only imagine that these grounds must be stunning in summer. There were geese swimming in the river and the light was beautiful on this crisp but clear winter afternoon.

The gardens of Hall Place are designed to be strolled through at a leisurely pace. I think you will need to click on the photo below to enlarge the image but one of the most intriguing aspects of the display was the timeline of botanical gifts and acquisitions against the backdrop of recent history. There were plants and shrubs from all over the world, the date of their arrival at Hall Place and the important events that had been taking place at that time. In the photo below, you can see a Geranium Endressii which arrived from the Pyrenees in 1812 contrasted with the Battle of Waterloo which took place in 1815.

I think this must be the perfect location for a summer wedding. I looked on their website and they do actually offer wedding packages at very reasonable prices. They do both ceremonies and receptions which can take place in the grand old Great Hall inside the Tudor wing of the house. I will show you photos of the interior of Hall Place in my next post.

Below is a view of the western front of the house, seen in the late afternoon sunlight. We saw a gorgeous sunset at the house too. You can see the wing details on one of the topiary creatures too. They are so cute.

We decided to have dinner in the excellent Miller & Carter Bexley restaurant which is located in Hall Place’s old barn. We often go to the restaurant to celebrate special occasions and they have the best fillet steaks I have ever tasted in Britain (or outside of South Africa for that matter).

Hall Place and Gardens is run by Bexley Heritage Trust, an independent charity set up to preserve, promote and protect Bexley’s heritage. Incredibly, Hall Place and Gardens is free to visit, although there may be a charge on special event days.

Art Deco Perfection: The Chrysler Building

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:54:41 PST

Today’s choice of photo for my Blue Skies and Sunshine series is quite deliberate. It is the stunning Art Deco Chrysler Building in New York City. It was once the tallest building in the world before being surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931 and is currently on a level with The New York Times Building as the third highest in New York City.

It doesn’t really matter how high The Chrysler Building is or what accolades it receives because the fact remains that it is graceful and beautiful, a masterpiece of the Art Deco architectural style that is so prevalent in the city. To me, this building symbolises grace, elegance and understated success.

I took this photo during my visit to New York City in 2009 on one of the few relatively clear and sunny days I had there. That trip was in itself an achievement for me as I was meant to visit a friend there and that all fell through at the last minute. I very nearly did not go but ultimately decided to embark on the solo travelling adventure of a lifetime.

And today this building inspires me to reach for my dreams. I am writing one final exam for the year this week and am one year into the five-year plan that I set last year. My plan? To become an accountant and work for an international development agency. It is a rough convergence between where I wanted to be and what I could already do. Onwards and upwards, as they say!

The Enchanted Palace at Kensington Palace

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:33:40 PST

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with a group of other expats to visit the Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace. This peculiar yet magical exhibition tells the story of seven princesses who have lived at Kensington Palace throughout the ages and visitors are tasked with discovering the identities of all seven.

I am terribly tempted to let out all of the secrets I uncovered in the Palace but I suppose I will have to make some attempt at keeping the names of the princesses secret! See if you can guess them all – not just their names but who they actually were.

We began in the Room of Beginnings, which I am sure you will agree is a very good place to start! We encountered a charming Explainer who was only too keen to share his impressive knowledge of British royal history.

We were given a map as we entered but luckily there were very helpful hands to show us where to go next.

The Room of Royal Sorrows told the story of a princess who wept when she was betrothed to a much older man and then wept again when she could not produce an heir. We were told her name was Mary but can you guess which Mary?

The exhibition is really charming and interactive. In each room, you can find the name of the room tucked away somewhere, as well as the names of the princesses in seven of the rooms. It would really be fun to take children along as they can dress up as princesses and be challenged to find al the clues.

In the Room of Enlightenment, we earned all about Princess Caroline’s admiration of philosophers, theologians and scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton. The next room was the Seat of Power, a strange room where voices echoed and visitors were encouraged to declare their dreams and wishes out loud.

The cherubs on the overmantle were especially interesting. They were commissioned by King William III following the death of his wife Mary in 1694 and the artist Gibbons took care to carve sad faces in a reflection of William's grief.

My very favourite room was the Room of Flight. I was already enjoying the room, with its lighting and photographic opportunities, but then I heard the Explainer telling the story of the princess and I was fascinated.

Having witnessed the effects of her parents unhappy, pre-arranged union, this princess fled from her arrangement to marry William, Prince of Orange and instead married for love. Her union to Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was short-lived though, as she died in childbirth. Such was the height of the princess’s popularity that the nation plunged into a state of mourning resulting in a shortage of black cloth that lasted for several years.

By now I am sure you have noticed that the Enchanted Palace exhibition is more than a little macabre. In the Room of Palace Time, we learned that some Palace stories repeat themselves endlessly. The exquisite Clock of the Four Monarchies in the photo above has four painted scenes, which tell the tragic stories of four great monarchies of antiquity. Needless to say, I was thrilled to discover that one of the scenes represented the most tragic monarch of all time, Queen Boudica. The clock was made by Charles Clay and John Pyke and set up in the room by Princess Augusta in 1743.

I was absolutely impressed by the clock, ornate ceiling and finishes in this room. Kensington Palace really is quite stunning and it will be worth a visit when the building works are complete.

The Room of the World, the World in a Room was an adventurous room that reminded me of the exotic tales in Around the World in Eighty Days.

The room tells the story of the famous princess who could only understand the world around her by collecting it. This is another stunning room with impressive artwork.

The Room of Royal Secrets tells the astounding story of Peter the Wild Boy, a feral child who was kept as a pet by King George I. I tell you, the more I learn about British history, the more I feel that it is stranger than fiction!

In the Gallery of War and Play, we met up with one of the Detectors. Let me tell you, these people are stark raving mad, perhaps due to the centuries they have spent looking after the Palace and its inhabitants.

The room had a wind dial which I thought was quite stunning. It is powered by a weather vane on the roof but has to be disconnected in high winds. The room was a reminder that princes also lived here, as well as princesses. We were challenged to guess how many toy soldiers there were and I correctly guessed 6,000! The Explainer didn’t seem to believe me that I counted them (using my awesome counting skills!)

The Rooms of Lost Childhood were quite sad actually, a reminder that all too often, young princes and princesses were expected to grow up well before their time. They were to be seen and not heard, brought up by nannies and governesses, and generally ignored by their parents. When they were in the company of their parents, they could not act like children but had to be properly behaved and attired at all times.

I imagine it was a very lonely upbringing, especially for those that were only children.

The Room of a Sleeping Princess gave us a glimpse into how charming a princess’s bedroom could be and how her dreams could become her sanctuary.

In this room, a princess woke up one day to find that that she was queen. She would not even have become queen were it not for the death of the princess in the Room of Flight.

Two princesses were remembered in the Room of Dancing Princesses, including perhaps the most tragic of them all. After spending so long in centuries gone by, we were suddenly brought into the 20th century with its music, glamour, fashion and film.

These princesses loved to dance and to socialise and in their own way, they captured the hearts and imaginations of people around the world.

One last room and one final princess was to be found in the Room of the Quarrel. This is the room that tells the story of how an argument lead to the severing of a lifelong friendship between a queen and her best friend. That silly Sarah Churchill had begun to abuse her privileged position and they had an argument so severe that it is said that they never saw each other again.

This is a temporary exhibition open while building works are taking place at the palace and it is only open until 3 January 2012. It is such a pity that the exhibition is only running for another couple of weeks as it really is quite magical. If you travel by train, you can get 2-for-1 entry which means it only costs about £12 per couple to enter.

Thank you to Jen from She Went Away for organising this great day out, it was good to see you and Lindsay (hope you got over your cold). It was great to see Melissa from Wanderlust and her boyfriend too and I finally got to meet Oneika from Oneika the Traveller!

Glass and Chrome in Sandton , Johannesburg

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:56:44 PST

Michelangelo Hotel Sandton

My path to becoming an eternal tourist began in December 2006 when my cousin Michael came to South Africa to visit. Suddenly I had to find out what we could possibly do in Johannesburg for three weeks and I discovered just what an amazing tourist destination South Africa can be. I began to see the world around me through the eyes of a tourist, as if noticing everything for the first time, and it made sense to continue doing that when I arrived in London in 2007.

Despite my optimism and best intentions, Sandton was not an area that I could grow to love. Sure, it has great restaurants, shops and cinemas but it's basically soulless. Then again, I worked in Sandton, so that probably coloured my perceptions, and I also had to spend between 2 and 3 hours a day in traffic just to get to and from work.

The area known as Sandton has always been an affluent area and it used to be a series of farms and horsing estates. Then Sandton City shopping centre was built in the late 70s (it is now one of the biggest shopping centres in Africa) and residences and office blocks began to emerge around it.

Up until the early 90s, the financial centre of Johannesburg lay sprawled amongst the skyscrapers and listed buildings of downtown Johannesburg but crime forced many businesses to take flight and set up in Sandton, Midrand and surrounding areas. Sandton’s capacity as the new financial district of Johannesburg was cemented when the Johannesburg Stock Exchange moved there in the late 90s.

Now some of the major companies in Africa have their head offices in Sandton, but it is also an area full of trees, shopping precincts, restaurants, hotels and office blocks. We had some time to kill before Christmas lunch last year and so we took a look at some of the new and not-as-new architecture in the area.

The Gautrain Rail Station

Our journey through Sandton started naturally with a visit to the Gautrain station, which had just recently been competed in June 2010. The Gautrain is the first mass rapid transit railway system in South Africa and it links Pretoria, Sandton and OR Tambo International Airport. It was meant to alleviate the huge amount of traffic on the roads in the greater Johannesburg and Pretoria areas but anyone with half a brain would have known that the traffic flow comes from the suburbs which are not serviced by the new train system. The lack of adequate public transport is my second highest reason for not returning to live in Johannesburg, after the crime.

24 Central

I couldn't resist taking a photo of 24 Central as I worked for the company that redeveloped it from tired old bank premises into a trendy office block with restaurants and shops.

First Rand Bank Ltd headquarters

Quite a few banks have their headquarters in Sandton although the headquarters of three of the four major South African banks remain in Johannesburg.

Old Mutual headquarters

The Old Mutual Headquarters always amused me because they tried so hard to emulate classical architecture and they failed miserably.

Sandton Central

One thing you will notice wherever you roam in Sandton is the abundance of greenery and South African flags.

15 Alice Lane Towers Sandton

Finally, we made our way to the western edge of the business district to try and see the intriguing new black and white building that we had noticed peeking out above other buildings. 15 Alice Lane Towers is the new home of law firm Deneys Reitz and I was quite impressed with how modern and architecturally interesting it is.

So what do you think? Do you agree with me that Sandton is pretty charmless or would you be willing to tackle up to three hours of traffic a day, simply to work in this green, sunny, modern business precinct? This was a post in honour of my “Blue Skies and Sunshine” Sundays but it has had the strange effect of making me grateful for my easy journeys into grey and cloudy London every day. I treasure my alone time on the train and the chance to sit back, read or play with my phone.

I might miss the sun but my love affair with London is far from over!

Caernarfon: Within These Town Walls

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:43:00 PST

Caernarfon is an historical town located in north-east Wales. It is famous for the imposing and magnificent Caernarfon Castle, one of King Edward I’s famous castles, but its name derives from the time that it was a Roman fortification. Caernarfon was named Segontium in Roman times but it was an important strategic post against Ynys Môn (now known as the the Isle of Anglesey) and thus the current name derives from the Welsh name "y gaer yn Arfon" which means "the stronghold in the land over against Môn".

There is evidence that Caernarfon has been inhabited since pre-historic times by the Celtic tribe the Ordovices. The Ordovices were subjugated by the Romans and used in their battles against the druids living on Môn.

Môn was also known as the isle of Mona and historians might know that Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus moved on from the absolute destruction and devastation of Mona to defeating Queen Boudica in the battle of Watling Street in 60 or 61AD. I would apologise for the impromptu history lesson but I am fascinated with anything to do with Boudica!

Caernarfon is a special treat for a castle lover like me because in addition to the magnificent castle, the town itself is surrounded by town walls that were built at the time the castle was built (1283-1285). The photo at the top shows the view looking north, towards Anglesey. You can see the famous Market Hall which was built in 1832. If you click on the photo, you will be able to see the northern walls in the distance.

The photo above shows the view of the East Gate, one of two original entrances to the town. Caernarfon has extended beyond the boundaries of the town walls and that is the road you would take to access the new town.

Another view of the northern wall. On the left, you can find the Black Boy Inn which was built circa 1522. You can still stay at the inn, giving you the privilege of staying within the town walls, and you may or may not be happy to know that the price of a room no longer includes a free bottle of gin and the services of a young lady for the night.

On the inn’s website, they say that the archway through the wall was not part of the original design but was only added in the 19th century to aid the flow of traffic in and out of the old town.

This is the north-eastern tower of the town walls. It is one of the eight towers and is in remarkable condition given that it was built over 725 years ago! It is difficult to see, but the tower is still mostly intact and you can get a better idea of the intact state of the entire wall by checking out this aerial view on Bing maps.

This is the view to the west, showing the West or Water Gate. In 1854, the The Royal Welsh Yacht Club took the West Gate as its clubhouse.

The old Market Hall is still in use today although I doubt that they still use this old lifting mechanism. I love seeing old contraptions like this though.

Having explored north, east and west within the old town walls of Caernarfon, it was time to head south, towards the grand Caernarfon Castle. I love the photo above with the narrow street, shops, pub and castle up ahead. There is something unmistakeably Welsh about the scene, especially when you notice the bilingual signs everywhere.

The new town of Caernarfon seems almost plain in comparison to the charming old town that resides within the town walls.

Returning to Novi Sad, Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:13:00 PST

Apart from posting photos of warm and sunny places, I have another cunning trick for avoiding the winter blues this season: planning my vacations outside of the UK next year. For various boring reasons, not least of which was the fact that Stephen was applying for his British citizenship and passport, we haven’t left this country since January 1st. I don’t know why this makes me so sad, but perhaps it is because we are so close to the wonders that Europe has to offer.

It is our tenth wedding anniversary next year, so I have ~~demanded~~ planned a trip to Italy in April. We were also planning on going to Croatia and Bosnia in September but that might not pan out anymore. We’re definitely going to South Africa in December though.

With all that travel planned, I still wanted to return to Serbia, the country I fell in love with last year. So I made a promise to myself: if I could manage to put aside some extra money, I would reward myself with a short trip. It worked and I can finally say with some certainty that I will return to Serbia in 2012.

So this week’s instalment of Blue Skies and Sunshine is dedicated to Serbia. This time I intend to spend at least 1-2 days in Belgrade as I didn’t see much of the city last time, apart from the airport. It would be great if we could spend some time in the famous Fruška Gora mountains too, if only so that I can smell that glorious pine-scented air again.

I haven’t decided whether my trip will coincide with the Exit Festival again. The problem is that the more time I spend at the festival at night, the less I am going to see of the surrounding city and area. Regardless of when I go, I intend to explore more of the Petrovaradin Fortress, especially during the day. Exit Festival is held inside an exquisite 18th century Austrian fortress, making it the most beautiful festival I have ever attended.

I also hope to see more of the streets of Novi Sad and Belgrade, to observe the stunning architecture and the contrast between old and new. I want to see more of the graffiti and street signs, especially as I’ll be able to read it this time (I taught myself to read Cyrillic after my last visit).

I’d also like to visit some of the towns and cities in the surrounding area of Vojvodina, maybe Pančevo or Subotica. That would only really be possible if I didn’t visit during festival time. I guess I’ll have to wait to see who is headlining before I decide.

When I visited in 2010, we went up into the mountains for a barbeque with Maja’s friends. There was something so familiar about it all, about the hills and countryside, the pig on the spit, the friends sitting around the fire, chatting all afternoon and drinking beer. It really reminded me of South Africa and it just felt like home. Home with a stunning array of neoclassical and Baroque renaissance architecture just a half hour away.

Art by Offenders at Royal Festival Hall

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:13:44 PST

The Great White Shark, Adie McLellan, HM Prison Wayland, Norfolk

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Jenny Woolf’s blog An English Travel Writer and I saw that she had been to a fascinating exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank. The exhibition was called Art by Offenders, Secure Patients and Detainees and it is run by the Koestler Trust, the body that awards, exhibits and sells the artwork of offenders, detainees and secure patients in the UK.

Jenny mentioned that the exhibition was in its final days (it closed on Sunday) and I knew I just had to visit it myself.

In a word, I was amazed by what I saw. The level of talent, expression and emotion expressed in these works of art was incredible and I was really touched.

The work above was created using matchsticks and it must have taking extreme patience, focus and time to complete. Lots of time.

The Heed 1, Garry Slavem, HM Prison Addiewell, Scotland
Know Your Enemy, Anon, HM Prison Shotts, Scotland
Misspent Youth, Daniel Hogg, Bracknell Probation Service, Berkshire

This is not the type of exhibition that you rush around, that is for sure. The pieces just seem to draw you in, to demand that you consider them, look at them and think about them. For instance, in Know Your Enemy, the artist commented on the fact that society judges and pigeon-holes people based on appearances or circumstances which causes alienation and marginalisation. But we mustn’t jump to conclusions as maybe this character is not the enemy after all.

Misspent Youth, Daniel Hogg, Bracknell Probation Service, Berkshire

This piece of work really impressed me and the strangest thing is that I was going to walk past it when it pulled me back. I realised that the brush on the left (see above) was the finished product, the person who grew up, completed their rites of passage. And the unfinished work represented the person who fell into crime, drugs or gangs at a young age. I totally got that. So many of the people I have spoken to who have overcome those early experiences feel that there were so many areas of their life that were left unfinished, so many things they had to learn about the most basic things when they entered back into the mainstream. This artist has left prison now, having completed A-level art in prison, and is now completing an art degree.

Not So Amazing, Anon, HM Prison Whatton, Nottingham

The work above was quite interesting and I tried to get a close up of the detail (you can click on the photo for a better look). The man on the far left has “I’m not a number” written on his shirt and the prison is called HMP Mazed. I love the play on words and the depiction of the prison as a maze. This painting won the James Wood Q.C. Platinum Award and was submitted for the theme ‘Help’.

The Charlton Athletic Football Fan, Paul Denham, Salinas Valley State Prison, California, USA

The image above caught my eye not only because of the unusual scene that it depicts but also because of the artists’ sense of humour in the title that he chose. It occurred to me that spending time in a prison a million miles away from home must be incredibly difficult and I wonder whether he needs to hold on to his identity as an English football fan.

Inner Turmoils, Sebastion Wilbur, John Howard Centre, London (secure psychiatric centre)

The detail on this piece was incredible and much of this piece was done in pen on paper. It had been torn in places and it was quite sad as although framed, putting it behind glass would have detracted from it, so I feel it is a fragile piece of work. As the curator remarked, it is as though the artist poured his emotions out of his head and into his hand.

Heads Up, Anon, HM Prison Pentonville, London
The Dallery, Group of 2, HM Prison Hewell, Worcestershire
Prison of the Future, Anon, HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, London
Demon in Solitary, Dean Polley, HM Prison Littlehey
They Still Wear Suits Like This, Don’t They?, Michael Lester, HM Prison Shepton Mallet
All Alone, Richard Gordon, HM Prison Lindholme, Doncaster

I found many of the images above quite powerful. In The Dallery, the woman’s sense of isolation and resignation is quite clear, especially when you notice that her eyes are closed beneath her sunglasses. They Still Wear Suits Like This, Don’t They? was especially powerful and reminded me that individuals often spend upwards of 25 years behind bars only to emerge into a completely different world from the one they left behind.

Untitled,Darren Perry, HM Prison Ranby, Nottinghamshire

The artist explained that the work above was about how "many prisoners get out and take for granted all the really good things they have". I thought this was quite an important message and wonder how many of us sit through our lives ignoring what is right in front of us.

Who’s Bad, Bevan Davidson, HM Prison Hewell, Worcestershire
They Still Wear Suits Like This, Don’t They?, Michael Lester, HM Prison Shepton Mallet
Last Supper, Christopher Courana, Swinfen Hall Young Offender Institution
My World, Anon, HM Prison Full Sutton, York
Disappoint Man, Anon, Feltham Young Offender Institution, London
U Got Mail, Anon, HM Prison Shotts, Scotland
Door, Mukhtak Noor, Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre

I stood looking at this collection of works for a long time, as did a man next to me. I was particularly taken with the Michael Lester piece, as mentioned above, and also Mukhtak Noor’s Door. I felt quite strange that we have ‘immigration removal centres’ and it felt a bit like the England of Children of Men, not the civilised country I thought I was moving to. The man next to me stood looking at U Got Mail for a long time and then remarked to me how powerful that feeling is, receiving a letter in prison.

Life?, Group of 8, HM Prison & Young Offender Institution, Hydebank Wood, NI

This group work is so simple and yet it raises so many questions. What is life? What is life in prison? Is that life? A very good piece.

My Twisted Path to A Lightermint, Anon, HM Prison Whatton, Nottingham

This last piece really impressed me because it was so current and it dealt with so many of the issues that are facing people today. It cannot be easy to find yourself on the wrong side of the law and to feel that the whole system is against you. I quite liked the humour in the title of this one too.

My Twisted Path to A Lightermint, Anon, HM Prison Whatton, Nottingham

Once I finished walking around the exhibition, I wondered outside to the riverside terraces of the Royal Festival Hall. Everything looked so pretty and festive and I took a moment to admire the London Eye and the lights on the river. It was to be the last remotely warm evening in an unseasonably warm autumn.

I then headed off to Drink, Shop, Do near King’s Cross Station to attend the re-launch of Richenda Walford’s fabulous site London Remembers. Richenda’s goal is to visit every single street in London to catalogue all of the memorials, plaques, monuments and statues that the city has to offer. She has thousands of entries on her site and counting.

It was also amazing that in a city of 7.5 million people, I ran into Melizza from Pincushion Treats. It is not the first time I have randomly run into people I know in this city!

By the way, Drink, Shop, Do is a fabulous little tea shop that is open until late at night and they served us yummy sandwiches. I would love to visit there again one day.

A Little Turkish Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:14:16 PST

I began blogging at Emm in London in July 2008 and our trip to Turkey was the very first trip I blogged about. We had only arrived in London a year before but by July, we certainly needed a beach holiday. So it was that we headed off to the Grand Newport Hotel in Gümbet, near Bodrum, for an all-inclusive holiday.

This was the view that greeted us when we arrived at the hotel at about 7am in the morning. The hotel overlooked a bay which lead to the Aegean Sea.

For seven long days, the temperature soared into the early 40°c (which is very hot in Fahrenheit) and it was still hovering around 30°c at midnight each evening. Suffice to say, I was in heaven.

I am pleased to say that we didn’t spend every day by the pool and we managed to take an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus is a photographer’s dream and it really helps to have a knowledgable guide like we did because I found it just fascinating.

The photo above shows some columns from the temple of Hadrian and the next photo shows the breath-taking, exquisite Celsus Library.

We like to maintain a good mix of culture and relaxation on holidays like this, so in addition to our day trip to Ephesus, we went on an excursion to a Turkish village, sampling their food and seeing how they make their famous Turkish carpets, and we also went on a Turkish night, complete with belly dancers and traditional food.

The last day of our holiday was perhaps the best as we left the hotel and spent the day in a beachside bar at Bitez Beach. Well, not inside the bar, exactly, but beside the sea.

I definitely want to return to Turkey but I think we’d head out for Istanbul next time and try to see something new. I’m really keen to see the Bosphorus Strait and bridge.

As far as beach holidays go, I am planning a trip to Croatia in around September next year and I have promised that it will include at least 2 or 3 days lying on the beach at Split or Hvar. I cannot wait.

This past week was so successful in terms of getting things done! I have worked for four days, studied for 3 nights and a day, gone out twice to meet up with London bloggers and I even squeezed in breakfast with my family today and three taxation mock exams. I didn’t pass them all so I guess I’ll be even busier in the next 36 hours as I take a day of study leave and write the exam on Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

Social Travel Sharing With BlablaCar

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:12:00 PST

One of the most enduring memories I have of university (and it certainly isn’t what I was meant to be learning in class) is the feeling that every single penny counted. I’m not sure how I managed to spread the meagre money I was earning across my numerous social engagements but I know that it was done with due care and consideration.

I’ll never forget the time I went on holiday to Hermanus, near Cape Town in South Africa and was returning to Durban in Natal before heading back home to Johannesburg. Now, South Africa is a big country and you couldn’t really pick three points further away from each other! Unfortunately, I did not know anyone who was taking the route by car and a plane ride was so absolutely outside of my means that I decided to take a twenty-four hour bus ride from Hermanus to Durban.

Did I mention that my holiday had in fact consisted of me being a youth leader at a summer camp and that I was perhaps the oldest person on the bus, along with 70 children aged between 9 and 19? Well, this bus ride was to go down as the single most unpleasant experience of my life.

We’d all stayed awake through the last night of camp, saying goodbye to the incredible people that we’d met over the previous three weeks, secure in the knowledge that we could sleep on the bus the next day. Sounds reasonable, right? Wrong. I was stuck for twenty-four hours with 70 tired, irritable and upset children and I was the very last person who was going to get any sleep but the first to clean up any evidence of travel sickness.

Of course, all of this came rushing back to me when I heard about a new social travel-share site called BlablaCar.com. Quite simply, BlablaCar connect drivers with empty seats with people looking for a ride, thereby reducing costs, saving the environment (by reducing the number of cars on the road) and giving people a great way to stay social and meet new people. This sounds like the car-share version of Couch Surfing and I wish we had something like this when I was at Uni!

This service is completely free to use, which I think is just incredible, and over 40 campuses in the UK have their own dedicated Campus website linking up university town drivers and passengers heading in the same direction. But the concept isn't exclusive to students - anyone can visit BlablaCar.com and benefit from the service.

To mark their launch on campuses across the country, BlablaCar are offering a £3,000 to the university club that is the most active on the site and the Campus competition is open to any university club looking to raise vital funds through student journeys. Interested clubs can email campus@blablacar.com to request an information pack.

Disclaimer: This is a Sponsored Post but all opinions and troublesome memories of traumatic bus rides are my own.

Blue Skies and Sunshine in Johannesburg

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:15:42 PST

Quite a few people remarked on how sad I seemed to be about the lack of sunshine in my post on Southend-on-Sea. The truth is that I love hot weather and I will always miss sunshine and blue skies when they are not around. In order to stave off the winter blues as we head into what JaPRA coined 100 Days of Darkness, I have decided that from now until the end of winter, Sundays will be sun days. It will give me a chance to tell you about some of the places I have seen and it will also give me some much needed blue-sky-therapy each weekend.

And because my friends and family in South Africa have been so helpful in moaning about the heat wave this week, I thought I would start off with some of the beautiful blue skies we saw on our trip there last December.

To be honest, this is what most of my photographs from the trip looked like, which is why I never got round to posting about it much.

Arrival, 12 December 2011

This was taken on the day we arrived on 12 December. By this time, London was about to head into their second serious snow-storm of the season and we were seeing blue sky for the first time in weeks. Summer is the rainy season in Johannesburg so it is very likely that most photos will have some evidence of clouds.

Sunset, 13 December.

Johannesburg has the most incredible sunsets. There just seems to be so much sky and the whole expanse of it just lights up with beauty and wonder during the sunsets. It is at times like this that I feel the most liberated.

Loeries relaxing on a telephone wire, 14 December.

I love loeries and they are one of my favourite South African birds. The Wikipedia article I linked to above is hilarious; I have never, ever heard of them referred to as “go away” birds.

Sun filter, 19 December 2011

I think it is fairly typical of any city with a rainy summer season that sometimes you’re not going to see much sunshine for a couple of days. That certainly happened during our last holiday but I didn’t mind as it was still warm and cloudy weather is perfect sun tanning weather.

Swimming, 24 December 2011

I spent the overwhelming majority of my time next to this swimming pool. I bet you’re really glad that I didn’t blog a day by day breakdown of my trip! Can you remember where you were last Christmas Eve?

Always look up, 24 December 2011

Of course, there is no better place to look up than in Johannesburg in summer. How beautiful is that?

Sunset, 24 December 2011

We had a magical time on Christmas Eve and Stephen made sure to call me out of the house so that I could see this exquisite sunset.

Man-made Forest, 25 December 2011

Johannesburg is the largest man-made forest in the world with over ten million trees. The second largest is also in South Africa at Graskop. I miss living in a city with so many big, healthy (and often evergreen) trees. This photo was taken in my brother- and sister-in-law’s garden. Look how you can’t even see their neighbours!

Orange Iris, 25 December 2011

I love irises and they have a huge patch of orange irises in their garden.

Flags in Sandton, 25 December 2011

Ever since I went to New York City and Washington in 2009 and noticed how many flags there were flying everywhere, I have had this “thing” about Great Britain and how seemingly embarrassed they are to display the Union Jack. Of course, what I saw in the USA is nothing compared to South Africa. You see the national flag everywhere, on car bumpers, over their wing mirrors, randomly on the side of the road, on products and outside buildings. We South Africans love our flag as it symbolises hope, unity and our exceptional sporting abilities.

Well now, the sun has just broken out in England too! Perhaps I worked some voodoo with this post?

Street Art London: Invader

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:58:42 PST

I had a slightly embarrassing experience a couple of weeks ago. I picked up my sister-in-law from Paddington Station and as we drove through London's East End, I got terribly excited when I saw a couple of Invader pieces. Of course, no one else in the car knew what I was on about so I thought it a very good idea to remedy that situation. This is a guest post on the incredible Invader by Griff from Street Art London. Have fun spotting the invader in each photo!

Those of you have seen Exit Through the Gift Shop will be familiar with the work of 'Invader' who featured heavily in Banksy's film. For those who are not so acquainted, Invader, as he is known, is a French street artist who has been invading cities around the World since the 1990's. It all began in Paris in 1998, but since then waves and waves of Invaders have spread rapidly to cities all over the World from Bangkok to New York, Tokyo to Berlin and most recently, this Summer, Sao Paulo. London has not been spared.

Invaders are literally that – homages to the classic Space Invaders arcade game of the 1980s. To create his street art, Invader uses tiles – usually the two by two centimetre glass ceramic ones of the type that you would tile the bottom of a swimming pool with. Thus, classic Invaders are very small and sometimes quite hard to spot given that they are made up of these mosaic tiles. However, Invader has been known to 'go big' on occasion with larger tiles and there are a few such examples lurking in London – most notably at the Truman Brewery's Ely's Yard, just off Brick Lane.

Invader's work centres around the increasing surveillance in today's urban environments and society as a whole. Invader seeks to countenance this developing trend by installing his own silent sentinels in cities to monitor its population. Invader doesn't make it easy for us to find him though and always places his Invaders in nooks and crannies, up high and down low – in places that only become obvious once you have discovered them.

Invader has visited London on many occasions since his first visit in 1999 and overall has left over 100 Invaders in the city. Many of them are still around today if you know where to look... The images that accompany this post should yield some clues as they are all still riding on the street. There's a particularly high concentration around Soho to get you started.

For more street art news, sightings and photographs, you can visit Street Art London and check out their Facebook community. You can also attend one of their street art tours around east London and experience the works of Invader, Stik, Roa and even Banksy for yourself.

All photographs in this post are copyright of Street Art London.

A Moody Morning in Southend-on-Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Emm in London) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:22:54 PST

We recently attended a wedding in Rochford, Essex and stayed the night in nearby Southend-on-Sea. Southend-on-Sea first became a seaside resort in the Georgian era and we couldn’t resist taking a quick look around the parade on the morning of our departure.

I am sure that it is quite pleasant in spring and summer but a combination of cloudy skies and Victorian-era fixtures gave the place a foreboding feel on the morning of our walk. It was ideal weather for monochrome or silhouette photography!

I have to say that the area was remarkably well preserved and you could just imagine fancy families visiting in Victorian times. The gardens were just impeccable and beautifully sculpted.

Southend-on-Sea is located in the middle of the Thames Estuary where the River Thames meets the North Sea. According to Wikipedia, “the estuary has the world's second largest tidal movement, where the water can rise by 4 metres moving at a speed of 8 miles per hour”. I think that is fascinating but it reminds me of how precarious it can be living in this area. I once wrote about the Thames Barrier which protects Central London from tidal surges from the North Sea. Of course, I live east of the Thames Barrier and wouldn’t be protected at all!

The Southend-on-Sea County Borough War Memorial commemorates the dead of both world wars. It looks out on to the Thames from Clifftown Parade. I’m really quite sad that I decided to walk on the right-hand-side of the memorial, because had we walked on the left, we would have seen the lawn in front of the memorial. The lawn is inlaid with cement lettering that reads “Lest We Forget” and is visible from the sky. (You can see it on this satellite view in Google Maps).

The reason we had taken the right path, of course, was to gain a glimpse of the famous Southend-on-Sea Pier. (You can just see it in the distance in the photo above). This is the world’s longest pleasure pier and stretches out over a mile into the sea. It was built in 1830 and is so long that a diesel-hydraulic railway runs the length of the pier. Unfortunately, the pier is prone to disaster: a boat ran through it in 1984 and fires almost destroyed it in 1995 and 2005. Each time the pier and surrounding areas has been restored, adding to the continuing grace and elegance of the area.

Sadly enough, that sense of pride doesn’t appear to extend to the hotels across the road. The hotel that we stayed in was dingy and overpriced with unnecessary steps taken to cut costs. I couldn’t help compare this to our experience in the Isle of Wight, another favourite Victorian seaside destination, where no cost seemed to have been spared in catering to guests’ needs.

And now I realise that I only seem to visit beaches in cloudy weather lately! I definitely need a scorching hot beach holiday soon.

The BRIT Awards 2012 with MasterCard

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:07:43 PDT

The BRIT Awards are the ultimate awards ceremony, showcasing the best that the British music industry has to offer. For over 30 years, the awards have recognised the biggest achievements in music but it is often the awards night that offers the most iconic moments in music history. Who could forget the 1998 BRIT awards when Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba threw a bucket of ice cold water over Labour minister John Prescott and Björk gave her legendary "I am grateful...grapefruit" acceptance speech?

The BRIT Awards 2012 with MasterCard will take place on Tuesday 21st February at London’s O2 Arena with James Corden returning to oversee proceedings. The good news is that MasterCard are offering an exclusive priority booking opportunity for BRIT Awards 2012 tickets and tickets are available exclusively to MasterCard customers until 24th November 2011.

And in case you’ve not been paying attention for the past couple of weeks, MasterCard has recently launched the Priceless London site. This site gives MasterCard customers exclusive access to the very best that London has to offer including hit West End shows to after hours, private late night parties at London’s famous museums and deals on dining and accommodation across the city.

I do hope that there are more offers for concerts, festivals and music events in the future and I expect that this will come in the spring and summer months. In the meantime, winter is a fabulous time for museums and attractions and you can take advantage of 2-for-1 entrance to Friday night exhibitions at the V & A Museum and 2-for-1 entry to London’s biggest attractions including Madame Tussauds and Alton Towers.

Make sure you bookmark the Priceless London site and follow the MasterCard Facebook page for exclusive news and offers. I see big savings and adventures for the future.

Disclaimer: This is a Sponsored Post but all enthusiasm and opinions are all mine.