On London Time

Happy 2013! (or where to watch London's fireworks)

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:31:00 +0000

Happy 2013 readers! This New Years I managed to nail it. That's right, I was here:

On my third New Years Eve celebration in London, I finally managed to bite the bullet and attempt braving central London.

And if you live here, there are horror stories of central London on New Years. Think elbow-to-elbow crowds, freezing fingers, and waiting patiently for hours and hours in the icy cold to see the fireworks. Once the fireworks finish, think hours of queuing to get onto the street from the bridge you chose, queuing to get into the tube stations (which promptly close from overcrowding), and then queuing to get onto the tube platform, and then jamming yourself quietly into the corner of a tube train to make it home.

But it turns out all the queuing is simply not worth it. Those people are confused and lost.

Because the fact of it is, you can see London's fireworks without all that. You just need to get to a bridge that's a bit further up the river. Instead of crowding onto Westminster bridge or winding your way through the heaving crowds under the London Eye - head to a different part of the river.

If you make it to Vauxhall Bridge or even Chelsea Bridge, you'll have a fine view of the fireworks. And even be able to move spread out your arms and not touch anyone else! Now that's the definition of personal space in London.

If you had to one of these bridges, all you have to do is stroll up ten minutes before the fireworks go off. There's no jockeying for position, or shoving your way through. Just easy viewing (provided you get the angle right - make sure that you have a good view of the London Eye where they shoot the fireworks off).

Then, it's as simple as just making sure not to take any public transport for at least another 60 minutes - everything will be busy and horrible.

Instead, after watching the fireworks, slip into a nice local pub for a crowning glass of champagne to welcome in the new year (try The Warwick or Cask pubs - just double check they're open past midnight).

Easy, right?

Now the hard part is just remembering all this when 2014 starts peeking its little face out.

Breaking the silence

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:47:00 +0000

Breaking the silence with a little poem for ya'll...

For No One Knows What Tomorrow May Bring

by David Willems

You must allow youself to LAUGH
And not only to laugh, but to laugh HARDER, LOUDER and LONGERThan you ever have before.
You must allow yourself to SMILE
And to smile WIDER, STROMGER and MORE OFTEN
Than you ever have before.
When you EAT, you must TASTE your food.When you BREATHE, breathe DEEPLY.
When you HUG, KISS or SHAKE HANDS
Do it FIRMLY and with COMPASSION
And when you say I LOVE YOU...MEAN IT.
It is your LIFE and now you must LIVE itFor that is the greatest HONOR you can give to anyone
Who never had a chance.

Thanksgiving menu planning

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 21:26:00 +0000

If there's one thing I love it's a good list. Or a good stack of cookbooks just waiting to be read - and made into Thanksgiving shopping lists!

This year I'm celebrating Thanksgiving with a dinner party - turkey and all the "fixins". Which includes in no short order:

pumpkin
pecan
apple

Turkey

gravy
stuffing

Cranberry sauce (with orange zest and Thyme)
Potatoes dauphinoise
Green beans
Sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble
Cornbread ...or regular yeasted bread...To Be Decided
clam chowder (to start)
green salad

There are just a couple of rules about Thanksgiving in my mind; namely, there has to be some over-the-top turkey themed decoration. And there has to be cranberry sauce and at least 3 kinds of pie. You can't have Thanksgiving without pie in bulk - it's just one of those facts.

Also, everyone has to say what they're thankful for. It's what separates a Thanksgiving dinner party from just your average dinner party (And pie. Did I mention pie? Lots of pie.).

Where to drink beer in Brugges

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:57:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to take a quick weekend trip to Bruges. Did you know Belgium is a scant 2 hour train journey from London? This is quicker than getting to Plymouth - a monstrous 4 hours in a trundling train to the coast.

It turns out that when you book a Eurostar ticket to Belgium they give you one free transfer. You can actually just wander onto a train to any destination in the country and they will accept your Eurostar ticket. Not bad!

Naturally I went to Brugges - the fairytale city that plays the backdrop to the shoot-up (comedy?) movie In Bruges.

And naturally the thing to do when in Belgium is drink beer. I'm not normally a beer drinker (weirdly, that's failed New Year's resolution in 2010). But this changed - albiet temporarily - when I got to taste the beer in Belgium! I guess it has its reputation for greatness with good cause.

The thing is the beer in Brugges is not like any other beer I've ever tasted.

Rather than a lager which is sort of bitter and watery and boring (OK, that's my take), beer in Belgium is a drink like wine. There are loads of different kinds, and each one is presented in its own special way.

In fact, every single beer has its own special glass to drink it out of. Which is impressive considering there are over 350 beers available.

When in Paris, eat baguettes. When in Brugges - drink beer.

There are two places I went in Brugges that I thought were just right for experiencing the beers:

1. De Halve Maan

The last brewery in the city boundaries, De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) offers tours and a lovely sunny courtyard to relax in. The price of a scant €5 includes one free beer (which costs about €4 without the tour), plus a tour of the historic parts of the brewery.

Just be sure to book your tour a few hours in advance - especially if you are trying to visit on the weekend.

While you wait, be sure to ample the beer on tap. It's unfiltered and fresh straight from the brewery. Even the 10% dark beer is delicious!

2. Cafe Rose Red

As quaint and tacky as can be, Cafe Rose Red is an amazing little bar that offers over 300 beers. Its beer menu is a small book unto itslef.

Not to mention that it has easily the best, most beer-crazy staff you could ever wish for. All the tasting notes are clearly explained when you ask - and in English which is helpful after staring blankly at a menu of 300 beers. . .

On top of that, the recommendations are expert! Their staff seem to have tried every single beer on the menu, and know about each individual one. From my end, I would especially recommend a dark cherry cuvee brut beer...or maybe the raspberry beer which arrives in its own small wicker basket. But you can always ask them. I suspect they will have just the something you are after.

This llittle bar was so good that I went back both nights for further samplings and recommendations. Not noisy place, but pleasantly full throughout the evening with a mix of tourists and locals (and locals are hard to find in this town).

Eating cake with cheese ( or a recipe for Bara Brith)

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 22:03:00 +0000

I've had a bit of a baking drought for the past few months. There have been minimal cakes in my life, and too many store-bought biscuits (suitably dunked in tea of course- how did I not know about this before?!).

I'm finally settled into my new flat, and a bit of baking is naturally in order. There's nothing that says home like cake-baking.

Plus, I've recently been introduced to the concept of fruitcake and cheese. Wait! Bear with me here. Before you decide this is clearly a terrible idea, think about fruit and cheese for a minute . . . Fruit and cheese are a classic combination that's widely accept as delicious.

So why not fruit cake and cheese? As long as the fruitcake isn't too sickly sweet of course. This sort of situation and combination calls for specific types of cheese, and a specific cake.

You just need to make sure you bake a Bara Brith (a sort of welsh tea cake), and find the strongest, crunchiest cheddar cheese you can find.

This cake is apparently so classically Welsh that it's included on their national tourism site - along with recipes for leeks and Welsh Rarebit. So it must be serious! The recipe is nicely straight forward, and perfect for a Sunday afternoon watching the rain race down the window, drinking marathon cups of tea.

Recipe for Bara Brith

450g (1lb) mixed dried fruit
300ml (1/2 pint) tea
2 tbsp marmalade
1 egg, beaten
6 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
450g (1lb) self-raising flour
honey to glaze

Soak the fruit overnight in the tea.

Next day, mix the marmalade, egg, sugar, spice and flour into the tea and fruit. Spoon into a greased 900g (1lb) loaf tin and bake in a warm oven (gas 3, 325ºF, 170ºC) for one and three quarter hours or until the centre is cooked through. Check from time to time that the top doesn’t brown too much, and cover with a sheet of foil or move down a shelf in the oven if necessary.

Once cooked, leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 minutes, then tip out of the tin on to a cooling tray. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top with honey.

Serve sliced with salted butter and some tasty farmhouse Cheddar. Store in an airtight tin.

N.B. My cake only took 1 hour to cook, and used a lot less flour (these are probably related). The dough should be stiff, but not dry.

Plus, it's the perfect accompaniment for your morning commute on the tube.

Why are Londoners Grumpy?

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Londoners have a bit of a reputation. They're known as...well, a "bit" grumpy. A bit out of sorts. Londoners are constantly rushing - or sunk under the grey skies of the morning commute.

But the grumpy reputation belies a penchant for a stream of apologies that politely tumble from commuter's mouth at every opportunity. Bump into someone, and both parties apologise profusely as they continue on their way - no matter who was at fault a 'sorry' is always given both ways. On the commuter belts of the the tube, sorry might be the only words exchanged on a Monday commute (besides "mind the gap").

I think visitors to might be mistaking London quietness for rudeness.

Of course, if you catch a tube at 8AM you're going to be met with a wall of glum faces staring at the morning paper. But won't you see the same morose faces staring out of car windows in bumper-to-bumper highway traffic in Los Angeles?

I think the quietness is in some ways a defense reflex - surely common to all big cities. Why would you have a chat with the person next to you on the tube? When you live in a city of 16 million strangers, it would be hard work to be temporary friends to them all. Much easier to be polite if your paths cross (saying sorry to each other as you both rush for the same train), but ignore each other otherwise.

And I think that's a really important differentiation about Londoners. They're not grumpy so much as in their own world. If you're lost or need directions, almost anyone would stop to help. You just need to accept the fact that a total stranger isn't going to compliment you on your cute hairstyle. They'll leave that to the people who really matter (your friends).

London Day Trip: Golders Green

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:54:00 +0000

I was recently asked where to go in London that isn't touristy, but still essential to see before you leave.

For me, one of the key places I would take visitors to is Golders Green. A less famous suburb of London, it lies unassumingly in North West London - just past King's Cross.

Without the crowds of Camden or hectic striding suited businessmen of Canary Wharf, this is a quiet piece of London that's worth a day just bumping around (you're likely to bump into some lovely sites).

I would argue London's charm isn't in Trafalgar Square or Buckingham Palace (although these are brilliant in their own, tourist-laden, way). Instead, to see what London's really about, you need to explore the odd nooks and crannies that are hidden up winding streets. And Golder's Green is one of these places.

The area is especially noted for its large Jewish population. Coming to this area of London is completely different to anywhere else in the city.

Where else can you find Kosher Dim Sum next to a Kosher Indian restaurant, followed by a Jewish Cultural Centre and a Swaminarayan Temple?

This is the area I live, and it's like peering into a semi-familiar world. The area has London's diversity, but rather than a veneer of British-ness, there's an overlay of Jewish culture on nearly everything you come across.

Visiting Golders Green

Most of the London Day Trips I recommend are actually outside London, but this time I would suggest going on a 'day trip' to an unusual area of London - Golder's Green. You could spend a lovely day here - first head to Carmelli's bagel bakery on the high street. Pick up some bagels, pastries, or whatever takes your fancy. From here, it's a short 1.5 mile walk to Hampstead Heath - one of London's greatest parks.

You can easily spend a whole day wandering through the park - it has everything from bathing pools to English rose gardens, small forests and emus.

When evening falls, head back to the high street for a quite coffee (the high street boasts more than a dozen), or perhaps for some Kosher-Italian-Thai food?

Getting There and Away
The closest tube station is Golders Green on the Northern Line.

Living in London 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 20:20:00 +0000

OK, I'll admit it. I was a sceptic of London hosting the Olympics. But starting with a stunning/quirky/weird/quintessentially British Opening Ceremonies, I'm afraid my mind has been totally changed. Along with (most of) the city of London!

Just like during the run up to the Royal Wedding and the run up Diamond Jubilee everyone grumbled and newspapers whined - until the event dawned. Then suddenly the whole city joyfully turns out, decked in red-white-blue-absurdity.

What amazes me is the level of detail and planning that has gone into the event. The city is running like clockwork (minus a few tube failures which were bound to occur). And every single corner, park and sidewalk has been appropriately decorated:

There are new signs up everywhere in Olympic-Pink, and helpful pink-vested volunteers standing on the street corner to guide lost event goers in the right direction.

Plus, the organisers have also provided a load of free events for everyone who's missed out on tickets - a needed gesture in a city where ticket allocations have been an on-going issue. This includes setting up a bunch of huge TV screens in the major parks around London. Sadly there is airport-style security you have to go through to get in - and you're not allowed to bring food or water into the park.

This Friday I went to Hyde Park to see the big screens and cheer with the crowd. There were 3 giant TVs playing different events continuously all day - plus pop-up food stalls and stupidly expensive bars:

Perfect for cheering on the home team - and checking out what ridiculous patriotic costumes people have chosen to wear (A giant cheese-shaped hat, anyone?)

London Isn't About the Royalty...

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:47:00 +0000

London isn't about the royalty, Buckingham Palace, or Hyde Park. Instead of thinking of Big Ben presiding over the Thames, think of this before you arrive in the city:

After visiting London's stately museums and palaces, be sure to check out some of the youthful parts of London -it's not all tea and biscuits (although these are still good!).

Vintage Shopping: Covent Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:43:00 +0000

I've written before about finding the hidden shopping gems of London. Shoreditch in East London provides more vintage stores than you can shake a stick at.

The next stop on my Shopping in London Adventures is Covent Garden. Most people who know about the area think of the tourist-mecca itself:

Image courtesy of mcxurxo with some rights reserved

However, the area has a lot more to offer than a tourist-trap-market and shopping in chain stores. Like many places around the world (sadly), Covent Garden has a lot of the boring chain shops like Zara, Gap, and Marks and Spencer. However, if you wander off into the tiny alleys and streets just by the markets, you will be pleasantly surprised (although your wallet may be surprised as well).

Read more »

How to Find Local Farmers Markets in London (and escape the tourists)

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 18:54:00 +0000

As regular readers of this blog probably know, Borough Market is one of my favourite discoveries in London.

However, the crush of people and thousands of camera-snapping tourists can make it a bit of a trial to visit. I like to walk through a market - not shuffle, which is the usual state of this market on a Saturday (watch out - it's closed on Sunday).

However, London does have a flourishing set of farmers markets that are hidden from the tourist stampede. You just have to know where to find them.

There is a great web resource London Farmers Markets which has maps of every market in London, along with opening hours. It also includes a handy list of the growers who (usually) show up.

I've found a great market in Marylebone which happens every Sunday. It has the lovely feel of a local market, and sets up shop in a quiet car park off the main road. It is chock full of fantastic stalls, including goat cheese, pies, and the most fantastic sausages. Guinness and Beef sausage anyone?

On a Sunday morning we try to wander through the market and pick up something unusual and special for the week. There is also an amazing salad-bar style stall. There's boxes upon boxes of greens - including lots I had never tried before (always the sign of a good market). Sorrel salad anyone?

Additionally, this market is not far from Regent's Park - making a perfect afternoon of market-visiting followed by park-wandering.

Plus, you get to feel part of the best parts of London -which of course happen outside of the famous museums, gardens, and promenades. Although I would recommend visiting Borough Market - but perhaps not for your weekly shop.

Preparing for the London 2012 Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:20:00 +0000

With London 2012 looming in the near future, I suspect the Olympics is going to become an on-going topic on this blog!

After much preparation and moaning from the general public, the actual signs of the event have started to appear. This means the Olympic fast-lanes on roads have started to appear, along with signs telling Londoners not to drive or use public transport during the Games (who needs to go to work? Oh wait...)

Yesterday when I got on the Central line on the London Underground this is what I saw:

That's right, the London Underground is being decorated for the games. This one is supposed to be weight lifters I think?

Londoners still don't seem very enthused about the Games - I guess it's wise to approach it with some trepidation after what the Olympics inflicted on Athens (part of Greece's economic collapse has been attributed to hosting the Olympics).

I suspect that once the Games begin, Londoners will be there with bells on.

This is what happened with the Royal Wedding in 2011 and the Diamond Jubilee in 2012. People moan a bit, but suddenly the day before it happens suddenly the entire city becomes ridiculously excited - with more flags and bunting than you can shake a stick at!

See you at the opening ceremony?

PS Most excitingly of all I actually know two people participating in the opening ceremony. Amazing!

Eating Bagels in London

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:09:00 +0000

One thing I have always missed from the USA is bagels. Proper bagels - pumpernickel - toasted with cream cheese, and fresh from your local bagel shop.

And I'm excited and over the moon to have finally found a bagel shop worth a mini-pilgrimage to in London.

Beigel Bake in Brick Lane has fantastic fresh beigels -boiling and baking right under your nose. Just be sure to get the right beigel shop! Look for the blue and white sign, and avoid the yellow/red beigel shop next door (even though they claim to be London's best...it's all lies!).

The beigels are ridiculously cheap at just £0.25 per plain beigel, and you can buy by the dozen or half dozen. While I was there they only had a few flavours: onion, plain and poppyseed. I'm not sure if it rotates by the day?

I was recommended to try the hot salt beef beigel with mustard. Heaven! What was hot beef to them was corned beef to me, and the mustard cleared my sinuses right out (a new mustard experience for me). But it was one of those perfect food experiences!

I would recommend the place to anyone who has a bagel craving, or just to hungry people passing through Shoreditch.

The only real downside here is a lack of anywhere to eat. There's one narrow counter where you can quickly wolf down your beigel of choice, but nowhere to properly sit and savour it - as it deserves to be.

Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB

Getting there and away

Your closest tube stops are Old Street or Shoreditch High Street. Although to be honest you're in for a little , albiet pleasant, walk either way.

How to Visit Edinburgh on the Cheap

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Rather the brave the London crowds, I headed up to Edinburgh for a taste of Scotland over the Jubilee weekend.

I booked with East Coast direct to Edinburgh - it's not exactly cheap at £120 round trip, but stacks up pretty well against an airfare. (Plus, my train departed from King's Cross which is about 40x easier to get to than any of London's airports)

So my backpack and I jumped on the train Friday evening...arriving Friday evening. The views do really get beautiful once you leave the city with the greenest greens you can imagine - a beautiful break from the grey buildings that permeate London.

Just look at that green! It makes your eyes sigh, sit back, and whistle a little tune.

I was visiting one of my oldest friends who is working on some farms around Scotland. And boy were we on a budget! But Edinburgh is a pretty magical town - and you can do almost everything without breaking even the smallest bank.

Read more »

Jubilee-ing it up 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:10:00 +0000

While London celebrates the Queen's Diamond Jubilee I am off to Scotland to meet up with a very dear friend. We will see what Edinburgh has in the way of royal festivities. Somehow I don't think it will stack up to the £32 million celebration in the capital.

I am actually surprised by the amount of bunting and red-white-blue that is cropping up everywhere. Even my beloved Jubilee tube line (opened at the last Jubilee) has been redecorated in celebration, complete with painted bunting and a flag:

It seems that while London is a bit grumpy and pretends to not be excited by anyone - actually they secretly get excited about things!

This actually bodes well for the Olympics. If you want to get a Londoner to moan and sign - just mention The Dreaded Games Which Will Disable Our Transport Networks. Always worth a groan and a sigh. And maybe, just maybe, some excited happiness closer to the time? You never know...

Tips for Eating Tapas in Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:39:00 +0000

Weirdly, one of the things I was unprepared for in Spain was tapas. Of course, this is one of the most famous things about Spain - so you would think it would fit straight into expectations.

I have had tapas a few times in London, with varying results. In particular, we had an amazing tapas experience while visiting Oxford last summer: fried goat's cheese with honey anyone?

But I've always associated tapas with the world of restaurants. Instead, Spain greeted me something completely different.

3 Reasons to Move to Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:55:00 +0000

My top reasons to visit/live/breathe in Spain

Number 1: It's perfectly acceptable to drink thick hot chocolate for breakfast (maybe accompanied by churros):

Number 2: Everyone gets to take a nap every afternoon (potentially behind blue-shuttered mountain windows):

Number 3: Tapas for dinner. Long narrow bars lined with bits and bobs of food, just waiting for a flash in the pan (and the sangria, did I mention the sangria?):

Of course, like an good Brit I also have to mention the weather. So coming in as an unofficial Number 4 - sun, sun and more sun.....

Visiting Sos Del Rey

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:05:00 +0000

Happily back from a beautiful 9 days in the North of Spain, I have learned that I can speak a bit of Spanish, but not understand it, tapas make the best meal in the world, and every day should end with a beautiful glass of red wine.

I have also (re)learned that having a good guidebook with you is essential! I am a slave to Lonely Planet, and purchased their book on Spain before we left.

As a result, we ended up in the beautiful village of Sos Del Rey. Situated in the mountains in Aragon in the north of Spain, it's unlike anywhere I have ever been in my entire life. The North of Spain is often described as a window into old Spain, and that's exactly what we found in Sos:

We arrived at the base of the medieval town during the siesta period - the town is on such a steep hill with such narrow twisty streets that all cars have to park at the bottom. We got out, and walked up and into the village. The entire experience was totally strange- clearly people were living here, but amongst the ruins and slate windows, we didn't see a single sign of life. I guess everyone had closed up their shutters and gone for their daily nap.

We were in the town for a few hours, and didn't see another living soul - just silence with massive buzzards wheeling overhead.

Read more »

Columbia Road Flower Market II

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:34:00 +0000

I'm on holiday this week - running around the borders of France and Spain and gobbling tapas and seafood galore..in the meantime enjoy.

I've written about Columbia Road Flower Market before- and this year I was more than happy to return!

The street absolutely fills with tourists and shoppers alike. The market only runs on Sundays until 3PM - so I would recommend getting there early to avoid being choked by the crowds.

But despite the crowds, it's always worth a browse just to see the proliferation of blooms just waiting to be wrapped in brown paper for the tube journey home.

Now take the colours you've just seen, and add the smell of fresh cut flowers and herbs, combined with the sound of street hawkers charming the crowd into buying. I think we have a winner.

1000 Awesome Things About London

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Recently I've been reading a (now-ending) blog called 1000 Awesome Things. Every day the author posts a story about something awesome. Essentially this is an entire blog devoted to appreciating the small and big things in life.

While London can be a bit of a trial to live in sometimes (so many people!), there are easily 1000 awesome things contained within the city. However, 1000 might take a while, so here's my top 6 to start us off:

1. Museums
This one's a no-brainer. London is home to the best, brightest and most beautiful free museums in the world. We're talking top quality here, people. I can't imagine being a schoolkid, and going on field trips to the British Museum or Natural History Museum as standard. Ace!

2. Visitors

One of the best things that has happened since moving here is the amazing visitors who pass through. London is a hub to the rest of the world, and a gateway to Europe. I am blessed enough to enjoy the company of friends and family passing through. As a result, I've been able to museum-hop with my cousins, drink coffee with high school friends, celebrate New Years with university mates - and see my dad as he stops by on a business trip.

cousins!

3. Quirky pubs
This isn't something I've written much about on this blog, but London really does rule the pub scene. Every neighbourhood has its local, and pubs operate as the centre of a lot of social life. Every book club I've been to in London meets in a pub - not the first choice I would have put my finger on.

Pub Christmas party with the book club

But the best thing about these pubs isn't just the variety of nonsensical social events that are associated with them, but the mishmash of quirkiness you usually encounter. In a good London pub, you should get mismatched wallpaper, squishy chairs, fireside grills, and some serious history. After moving here, the first pub I went to was founded in the 1600s and has been serving pints since Shakespearean times.

For a start, I would recommend heading to miniature pub the Ye Olde Mitre, built in 1546 (and tucked away in a corner - you will need sharp eyes to find it).

For a taste of proper British pub food, head to the Newman Arms - where yes, they have a pie room. Here they only serve traditional pies, including those made with suet (taking 'traditional' to the next level!). So go on, while away a Sunday afternoon with a pint and pie, you won't regret it.

Read more »

Shopping in London: ShoreDitch

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:20:00 +0000

One of the challenges of visiting any city is getting outside the tourism-circuit and seeing how people actually live in the city. This is also the challenge when someone comes from out of town to visit - you want to show them the other, tourist-free sections of the city.

So here's my advice for you - the London Tourist Who Wants to Go Shopping. When you come to London, a lot of people will tell you to head straight for Oxford Street in the heart of central London.

But you should ignore the people who tell you this!

Oxford Street is full of chain stores on an unimaginable scale. Want to see a Primark that's as a big as a city block? A Top Shop so full of teenagers you have to queue to get on the escalators that take you from floor to floor?

Instead, head to the east end of London to an area called ShoreDitch. A respite from tourists and chains, and the home of the trendy and young, this is the place for shopping and culture.

Some rights reserved by Isoflow

One of the quirks of the area is its mix of grunge, poor, and up-and-coming. Here you will find interesting coffee shops, quirky restaurants, and the remnants of industrialisation and derelict shop fronts.

British Summertime: A Paler Shade of White

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Well folks, it's officially British Summertime! Last Sunday the clocks went back, the sun started shining, and the entire country sat in the park and basked in the warmth.

Last year I experienced my first summer in London, and it wasn't anything like I expected; It wasn't consistently warm, and wasn't always sunny. But it also had moments of pure glory. Spring seriously comes out in force in the parks - as people's paler-shade-of-white skin is exposed for the first time in 6 months (finally a country where I blend in!).

Greenwich for the day

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:53:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I visited the London borough of Greenwich for the first time. Famous for the home of Time - Greenwich Mean Time or GMT- as well as it's harbour and meridian line.

London Day Trip: Bath

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 09:12:00 +0000

"If your only going to visit one other city in England besides London, make it Bath" - Lonely Planet.

Now that's some advice I am willing to take! Continuing with my New Year's resolution to travel more around the UK, this past weekend I headed to Bath. The downtown area of Bath is a dedicated UNESCO world heritage site due to its beautiful architecture.

Simply imagine the setting for a Jane Austin novel, add some cars and tourists, and you pretty much have a perfect picture of the town:

Pulteney Bridge

Away for the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Emma) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:03:00 +0000

I'm away in Bath this weekend, so my weekend post will be delayed. Pictures, commentary and sage advice about Bath to come next week!

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting out of London and savouring life at a slower pace.

As a side note, did you know that if you book your journey to Bath with First Great Western train service, there are lots of 2-for-1 offers available. Mint!

Ice in Trafalgar Square