Apres_Londee's Trip Report: London & Rome
Jan 6th, 2009, 07:54 AM
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Apres_Londee's Trip Report: London & Rome
Well, I just returned from a two week trip to England and Rome and as usual the posters on this board were invaluable to me while planning. Thank you everyone who answered my questions and provided advice, and thank you all posters past and present (and Fodors itself) because I almost always find at least 75% of the information I need by doing a search. This is without a doubt the very best travel resource I know.
This Christmas trip sort of came up out of nowhere near the end of the summer. The original plan was a week in London and then a week in Rome with my sister in October. Then my sister found a new job in the summer and couldn't take vacation time in October. After some discussion, we decided to go to Rome the week after Christmas instead. My parents were going to be visiting my sister in England at Christmas, and they kindly offered to pay for my share of the apartment rental if I joined them. So the new plan was to spend some time in England over the holidays, and then take off to Rome with my sister. Luckily, I was able to change our apartment rental in Rome with no trouble.
Unfortunately, my sister couldn't join me in Rome after all due to some visa troubles in the UK (things are getting sorted out on that end now, thankfully...hmmm, maybe I should get her to ask everybody�s favourite illegal "sandy" for some additional advice). This meant I would be on my own in Rome. Besides being disappointed, I was also a little nervous about going alone. I had a wonderful time, though, and ended up falling in love with the city and enjoying myself immensely.
I'm not very organized when it comes to trip reports but I'll do my best to try to keep things relevant
This Christmas trip sort of came up out of nowhere near the end of the summer. The original plan was a week in London and then a week in Rome with my sister in October. Then my sister found a new job in the summer and couldn't take vacation time in October. After some discussion, we decided to go to Rome the week after Christmas instead. My parents were going to be visiting my sister in England at Christmas, and they kindly offered to pay for my share of the apartment rental if I joined them. So the new plan was to spend some time in England over the holidays, and then take off to Rome with my sister. Luckily, I was able to change our apartment rental in Rome with no trouble.
Unfortunately, my sister couldn't join me in Rome after all due to some visa troubles in the UK (things are getting sorted out on that end now, thankfully...hmmm, maybe I should get her to ask everybody�s favourite illegal "sandy" for some additional advice). This meant I would be on my own in Rome. Besides being disappointed, I was also a little nervous about going alone. I had a wonderful time, though, and ended up falling in love with the city and enjoying myself immensely.
I'm not very organized when it comes to trip reports but I'll do my best to try to keep things relevant
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:03 AM
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<b>Snow-mageddon</b>
And Snow-nami. Those were the words being bandied about by the media on the Friday I was scheduled to leave. To top it off, as a result of the storm, sheets of glass were falling from the top of one of the buildings in the area where I work. The streets around my office were closed off and everything was closing early due to the weather. I left the office even earlier than I had originally planned.
About an hour after I got home, I received a telephone call from the airport transfer service I usually use. They told me they wouldn't be able to send the car I had pre-booked to take me to Pearson International because of the weather. My level of freak-outedness went up a notch.
It then took me an hour to get through to a taxi company on the phone to order a cab. Finally I got through (and was breathing through a paper bag at that point to prevent hyperventilation). I asked how long will it take for the taxi to arrive. They said they had no idea and wouldn't make any estimates given the conditions.
I was almost five o'clock by that point. My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:40 pm, and according to Air Canada it would be departing on time. I should note that there is no train service to Pearson. There is a shuttle bus, but in order to catch it I would have to walk down the street to the subway station in the storm, dragging my suitcase with me.
Trying to get the shuttle would have been a bit of a gamble anyways. Subway trains are usually affected by the weather and I didn't even know if the shuttle service was running because when I tried calling, no one was answering the phones.
Thankfully, the taxi I ordered arrived at my apartment in under an hour and the drive to the airport wasn't even that bad. The worst of the snow had stopped and the roads were almost deserted. The taxi driver couldn't believe it, he kept exclaiming how smooth the ride was going. The chaos at Pearson was being reasonably well-managed and things seemed more or less under control. My flight ended up being over 2 hours late but that was a pretty minor disruption all things considered. I did have one heck of a headache by the time we boarded though.
And Snow-nami. Those were the words being bandied about by the media on the Friday I was scheduled to leave. To top it off, as a result of the storm, sheets of glass were falling from the top of one of the buildings in the area where I work. The streets around my office were closed off and everything was closing early due to the weather. I left the office even earlier than I had originally planned.
About an hour after I got home, I received a telephone call from the airport transfer service I usually use. They told me they wouldn't be able to send the car I had pre-booked to take me to Pearson International because of the weather. My level of freak-outedness went up a notch.
It then took me an hour to get through to a taxi company on the phone to order a cab. Finally I got through (and was breathing through a paper bag at that point to prevent hyperventilation). I asked how long will it take for the taxi to arrive. They said they had no idea and wouldn't make any estimates given the conditions.
I was almost five o'clock by that point. My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:40 pm, and according to Air Canada it would be departing on time. I should note that there is no train service to Pearson. There is a shuttle bus, but in order to catch it I would have to walk down the street to the subway station in the storm, dragging my suitcase with me.
Trying to get the shuttle would have been a bit of a gamble anyways. Subway trains are usually affected by the weather and I didn't even know if the shuttle service was running because when I tried calling, no one was answering the phones.
Thankfully, the taxi I ordered arrived at my apartment in under an hour and the drive to the airport wasn't even that bad. The worst of the snow had stopped and the roads were almost deserted. The taxi driver couldn't believe it, he kept exclaiming how smooth the ride was going. The chaos at Pearson was being reasonably well-managed and things seemed more or less under control. My flight ended up being over 2 hours late but that was a pretty minor disruption all things considered. I did have one heck of a headache by the time we boarded though.
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:11 AM
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<b>London</b>
I spent three nights in London at the beginning of this trip and one night at the end before flying home. This was my third time in London.
I left London after my first trip liking it but also feeling sort of ambivalent about it. My second trip, I began to really like it. After this third trip, I quite like it a lot.
London still doesn't feel like a thrilling, special destination to me but I always enjoy my time there and I do love many things about the city.
<b>Hotel: Holiday Inn Camden Lock</b>
I stayed in two different hotels, both booked through Hotwire. My first hotel was the Holiday Inn Camden Lock, about a five minute walk from the Camden Town tube station. I really liked the location. Camden Town may not be the most attractive neighbourhood around but it's certainly interesting and the tube stop is pretty convenient- it's only a few minutes ride away from Trafalgar Square for example. And it's convenient for going back home because all the Northern lines run through Camden Town station.
The hotel is on a nice commercial street about a block away from the Camden scene/action/whatever you want to call it (I'd maybe call it "aging balding punks with beer guts and tourists strolling along with their children and toddlers in strollers-land"
The office for CBS Outdoors (a cable TV station?) is right next door and I was able to look into the offices through my hotel window and compare their cubicles to the ones in my office.
The hotel itself is perfectly serviceable and nice. The reviews and pictures over on Trip Advisor are pretty accurate. For CAN $66 per night (approx. 33 GBP) I'd say it was an amazing bargain.
My biggest complaint would be that the walls are a little thin. One night I could actually hear a man snoring in the room next to me. I couldn't understand what the noise was at first. It sounded like a loud machine was running somewhere in the distance but I pressed my ear against the wall and confirmed it- this guy was really sawing logs.
I spent three nights in London at the beginning of this trip and one night at the end before flying home. This was my third time in London.
I left London after my first trip liking it but also feeling sort of ambivalent about it. My second trip, I began to really like it. After this third trip, I quite like it a lot.
London still doesn't feel like a thrilling, special destination to me but I always enjoy my time there and I do love many things about the city.
<b>Hotel: Holiday Inn Camden Lock</b>
I stayed in two different hotels, both booked through Hotwire. My first hotel was the Holiday Inn Camden Lock, about a five minute walk from the Camden Town tube station. I really liked the location. Camden Town may not be the most attractive neighbourhood around but it's certainly interesting and the tube stop is pretty convenient- it's only a few minutes ride away from Trafalgar Square for example. And it's convenient for going back home because all the Northern lines run through Camden Town station.
The hotel is on a nice commercial street about a block away from the Camden scene/action/whatever you want to call it (I'd maybe call it "aging balding punks with beer guts and tourists strolling along with their children and toddlers in strollers-land"
The office for CBS Outdoors (a cable TV station?) is right next door and I was able to look into the offices through my hotel window and compare their cubicles to the ones in my office.The hotel itself is perfectly serviceable and nice. The reviews and pictures over on Trip Advisor are pretty accurate. For CAN $66 per night (approx. 33 GBP) I'd say it was an amazing bargain.
My biggest complaint would be that the walls are a little thin. One night I could actually hear a man snoring in the room next to me. I couldn't understand what the noise was at first. It sounded like a loud machine was running somewhere in the distance but I pressed my ear against the wall and confirmed it- this guy was really sawing logs.
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:21 AM
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<b>Day One in London</b>
I didn't do anything on my arrival day in London except nap and watch TV. I was exhausted when I arrived after all the stress of getting there and always being so busy and stressed at work. All I wanted to do was relax, so that's what I did. I don't have a TV at home so watching it is a bit of a novelty for me.
I stretched out on the bed and watched the second half of the Nightmare Before Christmas before falling asleep. Later on I made some quick phone calls to family and friends back home, then had a long soak (the bathroom had a big tub) and although I planned on going out to pick up a few toiletries and some food, instead I ended up staying in all evening getting room service and watching TV. All the networks were in a tizzy over the Strictly Come Dancing finale, the Doctor Who x-mas special and the forthcoming new Doctor Who casting announcement (are the British really as obsessed with Doctor Who as the media would lead us to believe? I mean really.) And the Credit Crunch of course. How could I forget that?
That night I decided to order room service. I was starving because I hadn't eaten all day. I ordered a cheeseburger and tiramisu for dessert. The tiramisu was great. The cheeseburger was horrible. Chutney on a cheeseburger? Come on. I scraped it off best I could and managed to eat about half before giving up and moving on to dessert.
<b>Day Two in London: Possible Celebrity Sighting and Christmas Shopping</b>
The next morning I headed over to St Pancras station. I needed some toiletries and spring water and things like that and this being a Sunday, I knew at least the Boots and other shops at the train station would be open. The place was packed with holiday travelers and, like a pack of hyenas waiting for an elderly wildebeest to die, there was already a small crowd circling Boots before it opened.
On my way back home from St Pancras, I had my first and only possible celebrity sighting of the trip. Stupid and cliche as it sounds, I think I saw Noel Fielding outside Camden Town tube station. A short man with very, very black and expensive-looking hair walked by and I caught a glimpse of his face and just as a conscious thought registered ("hey, that guy looks just like/is that Noel Fielding" two teenaged girls walking in front of me all of a sudden whipped around and started snapping pictures and going omg and mildly freaking out.
I didn't really care enough to turn around myself to try and catch another glimpse myself and end up looking like a dolt so maybe it was him, but maybe not.
I spent the afternoon walking around Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden, just wandering around and doing some Christmas shopping. I had fun in Stanford's travel book shop where I spent some time browsing and bought myself a couple of maps of Rome. I also got some regional maps of Scotland for my dad for Christmas, because my parents are tentatively planning a future trip.
I also went to the National Gallery shop and bought the "Renaissance Faces" exhibition catalogue. I saw this exhibit during my visit in October and regretted not buying the book because I enjoyed it so much.
The exhibition is on until sometime in February 2009 and for anyone going to London before then, I highly recommend it.
I didn't look in any of the galleries that day because I was weighted down with shopping bags and getting tired by that point. The foyers were beautifully decorated for the holidays, though. I spent another exciting evening lazing around the hotel room watching TV (and listening to the guy next to me snore).
I didn't do anything on my arrival day in London except nap and watch TV. I was exhausted when I arrived after all the stress of getting there and always being so busy and stressed at work. All I wanted to do was relax, so that's what I did. I don't have a TV at home so watching it is a bit of a novelty for me.
I stretched out on the bed and watched the second half of the Nightmare Before Christmas before falling asleep. Later on I made some quick phone calls to family and friends back home, then had a long soak (the bathroom had a big tub) and although I planned on going out to pick up a few toiletries and some food, instead I ended up staying in all evening getting room service and watching TV. All the networks were in a tizzy over the Strictly Come Dancing finale, the Doctor Who x-mas special and the forthcoming new Doctor Who casting announcement (are the British really as obsessed with Doctor Who as the media would lead us to believe? I mean really.) And the Credit Crunch of course. How could I forget that?
That night I decided to order room service. I was starving because I hadn't eaten all day. I ordered a cheeseburger and tiramisu for dessert. The tiramisu was great. The cheeseburger was horrible. Chutney on a cheeseburger? Come on. I scraped it off best I could and managed to eat about half before giving up and moving on to dessert.
<b>Day Two in London: Possible Celebrity Sighting and Christmas Shopping</b>
The next morning I headed over to St Pancras station. I needed some toiletries and spring water and things like that and this being a Sunday, I knew at least the Boots and other shops at the train station would be open. The place was packed with holiday travelers and, like a pack of hyenas waiting for an elderly wildebeest to die, there was already a small crowd circling Boots before it opened.
On my way back home from St Pancras, I had my first and only possible celebrity sighting of the trip. Stupid and cliche as it sounds, I think I saw Noel Fielding outside Camden Town tube station. A short man with very, very black and expensive-looking hair walked by and I caught a glimpse of his face and just as a conscious thought registered ("hey, that guy looks just like/is that Noel Fielding"
two teenaged girls walking in front of me all of a sudden whipped around and started snapping pictures and going omg and mildly freaking out.I didn't really care enough to turn around myself to try and catch another glimpse myself and end up looking like a dolt so maybe it was him, but maybe not.
I spent the afternoon walking around Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden, just wandering around and doing some Christmas shopping. I had fun in Stanford's travel book shop where I spent some time browsing and bought myself a couple of maps of Rome. I also got some regional maps of Scotland for my dad for Christmas, because my parents are tentatively planning a future trip.
I also went to the National Gallery shop and bought the "Renaissance Faces" exhibition catalogue. I saw this exhibit during my visit in October and regretted not buying the book because I enjoyed it so much.
The exhibition is on until sometime in February 2009 and for anyone going to London before then, I highly recommend it.
I didn't look in any of the galleries that day because I was weighted down with shopping bags and getting tired by that point. The foyers were beautifully decorated for the holidays, though. I spent another exciting evening lazing around the hotel room watching TV (and listening to the guy next to me snore).
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:28 AM
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Hi yk!
Yes, as I was sitting on my couch listening to busy signals in the phone and the wind and ice pounding outside my window, I did pause and think:
Is the universe trying to tell me something?
I was half expecting my plane to crash.
Yes, as I was sitting on my couch listening to busy signals in the phone and the wind and ice pounding outside my window, I did pause and think:
Is the universe trying to tell me something?
I was half expecting my plane to crash.
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:41 AM
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<i>who is Noel Fielding?</i>
he he. I have to google him to see who he is, and I still don't know who he is!
but Apres, you seem to manage to see celebrities every time you're in London. Noel Fielding's wiki says he resides in Camden.
Thanks for the review for the HI Camden Lock. I never thought of staying there as I feel that's too far away, esp if I want to return to the hotel in the afternoon for a rest. But to see how cheaply you got that hotel, perhaps I'll reconsider next time.
BTW, I don't ever travel without my ear plugs anymore. They hardly take up any space, and come in handy (on planes, in hotels etc).
Did you take the tube from the airport to the hotel?
he he. I have to google him to see who he is, and I still don't know who he is!
but Apres, you seem to manage to see celebrities every time you're in London. Noel Fielding's wiki says he resides in Camden.
Thanks for the review for the HI Camden Lock. I never thought of staying there as I feel that's too far away, esp if I want to return to the hotel in the afternoon for a rest. But to see how cheaply you got that hotel, perhaps I'll reconsider next time.
BTW, I don't ever travel without my ear plugs anymore. They hardly take up any space, and come in handy (on planes, in hotels etc).
Did you take the tube from the airport to the hotel?
Jan 6th, 2009, 08:55 AM
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<b>Day Three in London: Banksy, Southwark, and the Tate Modern</b>
On Monday morning instead of going to the Camden Town tube station, I walked north up Camden High Street to Chalk Farm, hoping to see the piece done by Banksy (the famous graffiti artist) located across from the station.
It was mild outside that morning and I had a very pleasant walk. The streets were quiet with hardly any traffic or people about. Along the way I passed some music scene landmarks which were fun to see- the Barfly, the Hawley Arms (still intact), and the Roundhouse.
I finally made it up to the whitewashed wall along the Roundhouse and across from Chalk Farm station. I was shocked to discover the well-known Banksy that was there (a maid sweeping rubbish under the rug) has been completely defaced. Someone has scratched it out completely- only a vague darkish lump of the original shape is visible. This was a huge disappointment for me, and it made me sad to see a work of art destroyed.
I remember being disappointed last October when I found many Banksys in Islington around Angel station had been removed. High-five to Archway whose Banksy is still in pristine condition.
I tubed down to Blackfriars, walked across the Millennium Bridge (which was lovely as the weather was so calm and mild) and spent some time exploring around Southwark which I quite liked. As luck would have it I inadvertently wondered upon <b>Borough Market</b> just as it was opening.
I’d never been to Borough Market, and it wasn't even on my radar for this trip. I would have assumed it would have been closed, it being a Monday, but I suppose it was operating on pre-Christmas hours. Before heading into the market, I popped into <b>Konitor & Cook</b> and bought the most expensive baked goods of my entire life: 5 gingerbread men and a small box of 9 goodies (mince tarts, chocolates that looked like little plum puddings and cinnamon cookies) set me back over 40 GBP, or $80 CAN but boy did they ever look cute!
(I took them to my sister's at Christmas, but sadly I forgot to try any of them!)
I had a lot of fun wheeling through Borough Market, which was without a doubt one of the most downright Christmassy things I've ever experienced. There was a choir singing carols. There was hot mulled wine (smelled wonderful. tasted awful). There were butchers with turkeys, pheasants, and other game birds hanging upside down, strung up by their feet, fully feathered. There was a stall with what must have been over fifty flavours of Turkish Delight. There were gooses and goose fat, mince pies, exotic teas, swags of lavender and mistletoe and enormous heaps of dark chocolate.
After about half an hour, things started to get crowded so after surreptitiously disposing of my mulled wine I scooted over to Monmouth for a coffee and then headed out of there.
My next destination was the <b>Tate Modern Gallery</b>. Yes, I dragged my little bag of expensive pastries through the gallery. I kept a close eye on the gingerbread men to make sure they didn't get broken.
I'm not sure what to think of the Tate Modern. I didn't go through the entire gallery, only those sections that interested me, but I found the collection to be a bit of a disappointment.
I think I was expecting something as spectacular as the National Museum of Modern Art at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. The modern collection at the Tate is nowhere near that level, but to be fair the Tate Modern is really more famous for its contemporary art collection.
I skipped past the surrealists, but it seemed to be the most crowded part of the gallery. Also, the Rothko exhibition was jam-packed. I decided to pass on the exhibition because it was so crowded, and although I would have been interested to see the Rothko’s it wasn’t a "must see".
There were a lot of French tourists in the Tate Modern, touring the galleries with their young children and discussing the pieces with them, which I got a kick out of seeing.
One section that was interesting was the so-called Viennese Actionists. You just know that any room in an art gallery that has a warning posted at the entrance is going to be a freak show, and the Viennese Actionists didn't disspointment. One girl beside me kept going "Ewwwww". Lets just say that these are the dudes who gave modern art a bad name in the mainstream press and the general public. I actually liked seeing this collection, mainly because I've always had a soft spot for trouble makers.
When I was done at the Tate, I decided to take a <b>Thames clipper</b> back to Embankment. It was actually a lot of fun riding a boat along the river.
That evening back in my hotel room, I watched <b>V for Vendetta</b> on TV. I must give credit where credit is due- I don't think a film where the heroine helps the hero blow up the White House would ever be broadcast on US primetime TV so kudos to Britain for that, even if it is an incredibly weird movie.
(Speaking of men who look like old lesbians, don't under any circumstances google the Wachowski Brothers, especially Larry. And if you do, and your search leads to looking at pictures of Buck Angel, well, I can't be held responsible for the consequences. It happened to me and I'm scheduling some therapy sessions as we speak)
On Monday morning instead of going to the Camden Town tube station, I walked north up Camden High Street to Chalk Farm, hoping to see the piece done by Banksy (the famous graffiti artist) located across from the station.
It was mild outside that morning and I had a very pleasant walk. The streets were quiet with hardly any traffic or people about. Along the way I passed some music scene landmarks which were fun to see- the Barfly, the Hawley Arms (still intact), and the Roundhouse.
I finally made it up to the whitewashed wall along the Roundhouse and across from Chalk Farm station. I was shocked to discover the well-known Banksy that was there (a maid sweeping rubbish under the rug) has been completely defaced. Someone has scratched it out completely- only a vague darkish lump of the original shape is visible. This was a huge disappointment for me, and it made me sad to see a work of art destroyed.
I remember being disappointed last October when I found many Banksys in Islington around Angel station had been removed. High-five to Archway whose Banksy is still in pristine condition.
I tubed down to Blackfriars, walked across the Millennium Bridge (which was lovely as the weather was so calm and mild) and spent some time exploring around Southwark which I quite liked. As luck would have it I inadvertently wondered upon <b>Borough Market</b> just as it was opening.
I’d never been to Borough Market, and it wasn't even on my radar for this trip. I would have assumed it would have been closed, it being a Monday, but I suppose it was operating on pre-Christmas hours. Before heading into the market, I popped into <b>Konitor & Cook</b> and bought the most expensive baked goods of my entire life: 5 gingerbread men and a small box of 9 goodies (mince tarts, chocolates that looked like little plum puddings and cinnamon cookies) set me back over 40 GBP, or $80 CAN but boy did they ever look cute!
(I took them to my sister's at Christmas, but sadly I forgot to try any of them!)
I had a lot of fun wheeling through Borough Market, which was without a doubt one of the most downright Christmassy things I've ever experienced. There was a choir singing carols. There was hot mulled wine (smelled wonderful. tasted awful). There were butchers with turkeys, pheasants, and other game birds hanging upside down, strung up by their feet, fully feathered. There was a stall with what must have been over fifty flavours of Turkish Delight. There were gooses and goose fat, mince pies, exotic teas, swags of lavender and mistletoe and enormous heaps of dark chocolate.
After about half an hour, things started to get crowded so after surreptitiously disposing of my mulled wine I scooted over to Monmouth for a coffee and then headed out of there.
My next destination was the <b>Tate Modern Gallery</b>. Yes, I dragged my little bag of expensive pastries through the gallery. I kept a close eye on the gingerbread men to make sure they didn't get broken.
I'm not sure what to think of the Tate Modern. I didn't go through the entire gallery, only those sections that interested me, but I found the collection to be a bit of a disappointment.
I think I was expecting something as spectacular as the National Museum of Modern Art at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. The modern collection at the Tate is nowhere near that level, but to be fair the Tate Modern is really more famous for its contemporary art collection.
I skipped past the surrealists, but it seemed to be the most crowded part of the gallery. Also, the Rothko exhibition was jam-packed. I decided to pass on the exhibition because it was so crowded, and although I would have been interested to see the Rothko’s it wasn’t a "must see".
There were a lot of French tourists in the Tate Modern, touring the galleries with their young children and discussing the pieces with them, which I got a kick out of seeing.
One section that was interesting was the so-called Viennese Actionists. You just know that any room in an art gallery that has a warning posted at the entrance is going to be a freak show, and the Viennese Actionists didn't disspointment. One girl beside me kept going "Ewwwww". Lets just say that these are the dudes who gave modern art a bad name in the mainstream press and the general public. I actually liked seeing this collection, mainly because I've always had a soft spot for trouble makers.
When I was done at the Tate, I decided to take a <b>Thames clipper</b> back to Embankment. It was actually a lot of fun riding a boat along the river.
That evening back in my hotel room, I watched <b>V for Vendetta</b> on TV. I must give credit where credit is due- I don't think a film where the heroine helps the hero blow up the White House would ever be broadcast on US primetime TV so kudos to Britain for that, even if it is an incredibly weird movie.
(Speaking of men who look like old lesbians, don't under any circumstances google the Wachowski Brothers, especially Larry. And if you do, and your search leads to looking at pictures of Buck Angel, well, I can't be held responsible for the consequences. It happened to me and I'm scheduling some therapy sessions as we speak)
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:05 AM
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I just have explained a bit about Noel Fielding. He's a comedian and was extremely cute at one time (he's gotten kind of dodgy looking since the black hair, though).
I guess his most famous show would be the Might Boosh which I think was really funny the first 2 seasons but the 3rd kind of fizzled out. He was adorable and yummy enough to eat in the first season. By the third season, he'd transformed into an annoying, insufferable wanker.
I guess his most famous show would be the Might Boosh which I think was really funny the first 2 seasons but the 3rd kind of fizzled out. He was adorable and yummy enough to eat in the first season. By the third season, he'd transformed into an annoying, insufferable wanker.
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:09 AM
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Was Noel wearing his skeleton shirt???!!
Enjoying the trip report Apres. As you know the whole country had wild weather while you were away. At least Toronto is mostly able to cope with the snow - here on the coast we are hooped.
I'm interested to hear about the Rome part, given the last minute troubles with your sister's visa... but I so love reading about London. I'm off there in 15 sleeps.
Enjoying the trip report Apres. As you know the whole country had wild weather while you were away. At least Toronto is mostly able to cope with the snow - here on the coast we are hooped.
I'm interested to hear about the Rome part, given the last minute troubles with your sister's visa... but I so love reading about London. I'm off there in 15 sleeps.
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:11 AM
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I'm glad you stumbled upon Borough market. Monmouth coffee is the best... gives real meaning to drip coffee.
Sorry you didn't love Tate Modern. I actually prefer that over Pompidou. I enjoyed the Rothko exhibit, but as I've said in my trip report, I didn't like the installation (too big, too impersonal). I hope you'll go back to Tate Modern next time and visit the gallery specially designed for the Rothko Seagram murals. Truly the most spectacular gallery in London, IMHO.
Sorry you didn't love Tate Modern. I actually prefer that over Pompidou. I enjoyed the Rothko exhibit, but as I've said in my trip report, I didn't like the installation (too big, too impersonal). I hope you'll go back to Tate Modern next time and visit the gallery specially designed for the Rothko Seagram murals. Truly the most spectacular gallery in London, IMHO.
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:15 AM
#17
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<b>Christmas in Leicester</b>
On Tuesday, I was supposed to meet parents at St Pancras at 11am. They were flying in from Toronto and were expected to arrive at Heathrow at about 9am. Just before nine I received a call in my hotel room. It was my dad. We're already here, he said.
Oh, you got into Heathrow early, I said.
No, he said. We're at St Pancras. We had to get an earlier flight. Everything was mixed up because there was another big snow storm on Monday.
Of course I was all concerned and sympathetic and started to ask him if everything went okay when he says: BA upgraded us to First Class.
Well.
Although my parents had bought business class tickets for the flight over as a holiday splurge (but had economy tickets for their flight back) they have no miles and have never flown BA before. They (and I) are big fat nobodies when it comes to airline passenger status, but they got upgraded because they checked in early- apparently BA needed to bump some passengers off their 9pm flight.
We jokingly speculated whether they would get upgraded on their return flight and wouldn't you know it, they did. Just before boarding they were pulled from the line and told they were upgraded from economy to business. Not quite the same as First Class they report, and certainly not the same level of service according to my mother, but nice enough. Santa really came through for some people this year.
We spent the next few days visiting with my sister over Christmas in Leicester, a city of little interest to most tourists so I won't go into too much detail about it but I will mention a few things:
<b>German Expressionism</b>
Unfortunately, the New Walk Museum was closed on the days of our visit, otherwise I would have gone back to see its collection of German Expressionist paintings. This collection was a real surprise for me when I saw it a couple of years ago- some of the paintings really knocked my socks off (particularly pieces by Otto Dix and Max Beckmann) and so began my mild obsession with German Expressionism. If you find yourself in the vicinity of Leicester, and you have an interest in expressionist painters, it may be worth it to pop over and have a look.
<b>Non-Christians celebrating Christmas</b>
Something else about Leicester is that is has one of the largest per-capita Muslim populations in the UK. I mention this because while there I was reminded of a debate you see here on the boards sometimes about non-Christians celebrating Christmas: there have been threads with British posters saying that lots of non-Christians celebrate Christmas, including Muslims, and then other posters respond with "that’s ridiculous".
Well, from what I saw with my own eyes and from conversations with my sister who worked as a substitute primary school teacher for a year, many non-Christians including Muslims most certainly do celebrate Christmas in the UK. This is because the primary school curriculum includes education about and the celebration of a myriad of religious holidays. So basically you have all kids, including Muslim kids, participating in nativity plays and making Christmas cards and decorating trees. By the same token you have all the kids celebrating Diwali or Eid or Purim or Vesak at school as well.
Then, Christmas is so dominant in the culture many second generation immigrants absorb it as a secular winter holiday. My sister has 2nd and 3rd generation Muslim and Hindi friends who put up Christmas trees and have Christmas dinner and exchange gifts. I saw plenty of Muslim kids getting their picture taken with Father Christmas and walking around admiring the nativity scenes downtown with their parents. I don't normally see that at home in Toronto, at least not to the same extent as I did in Leicester.
So next year when the same argument comes up again, us North American posters should keep in mind that things are a little different over there.
On Tuesday, I was supposed to meet parents at St Pancras at 11am. They were flying in from Toronto and were expected to arrive at Heathrow at about 9am. Just before nine I received a call in my hotel room. It was my dad. We're already here, he said.
Oh, you got into Heathrow early, I said.
No, he said. We're at St Pancras. We had to get an earlier flight. Everything was mixed up because there was another big snow storm on Monday.
Of course I was all concerned and sympathetic and started to ask him if everything went okay when he says: BA upgraded us to First Class.
Well.
Although my parents had bought business class tickets for the flight over as a holiday splurge (but had economy tickets for their flight back) they have no miles and have never flown BA before. They (and I) are big fat nobodies when it comes to airline passenger status, but they got upgraded because they checked in early- apparently BA needed to bump some passengers off their 9pm flight.
We jokingly speculated whether they would get upgraded on their return flight and wouldn't you know it, they did. Just before boarding they were pulled from the line and told they were upgraded from economy to business. Not quite the same as First Class they report, and certainly not the same level of service according to my mother, but nice enough. Santa really came through for some people this year.
We spent the next few days visiting with my sister over Christmas in Leicester, a city of little interest to most tourists so I won't go into too much detail about it but I will mention a few things:
<b>German Expressionism</b>
Unfortunately, the New Walk Museum was closed on the days of our visit, otherwise I would have gone back to see its collection of German Expressionist paintings. This collection was a real surprise for me when I saw it a couple of years ago- some of the paintings really knocked my socks off (particularly pieces by Otto Dix and Max Beckmann) and so began my mild obsession with German Expressionism. If you find yourself in the vicinity of Leicester, and you have an interest in expressionist painters, it may be worth it to pop over and have a look.
<b>Non-Christians celebrating Christmas</b>
Something else about Leicester is that is has one of the largest per-capita Muslim populations in the UK. I mention this because while there I was reminded of a debate you see here on the boards sometimes about non-Christians celebrating Christmas: there have been threads with British posters saying that lots of non-Christians celebrate Christmas, including Muslims, and then other posters respond with "that’s ridiculous".
Well, from what I saw with my own eyes and from conversations with my sister who worked as a substitute primary school teacher for a year, many non-Christians including Muslims most certainly do celebrate Christmas in the UK. This is because the primary school curriculum includes education about and the celebration of a myriad of religious holidays. So basically you have all kids, including Muslim kids, participating in nativity plays and making Christmas cards and decorating trees. By the same token you have all the kids celebrating Diwali or Eid or Purim or Vesak at school as well.
Then, Christmas is so dominant in the culture many second generation immigrants absorb it as a secular winter holiday. My sister has 2nd and 3rd generation Muslim and Hindi friends who put up Christmas trees and have Christmas dinner and exchange gifts. I saw plenty of Muslim kids getting their picture taken with Father Christmas and walking around admiring the nativity scenes downtown with their parents. I don't normally see that at home in Toronto, at least not to the same extent as I did in Leicester.
So next year when the same argument comes up again, us North American posters should keep in mind that things are a little different over there.
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:23 AM
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<b>Fast Forward Back to London</b>
Now I'll skip ahead to the last night of my trip, which I spent in London. I flew from Ciampino Airport in Rome back to Standsted Airport on Ryan Air. My original plan was to take the Standsted Express to Liverpool Street Station, and then either take the tube or get a taxi to my hotel, depending on how I was feeling.
Shortly after my arrival, I discovered the trains weren't running. A guy at the airport said it was due to an accident. Later I found out that the day before, a small private plane had crashed onto the tracks, killing the pilot and both passengers. When I heard out it, I felt guilty for being so annoyed at the inconvenience earlier.
I had to get a coach from the airport into London. I decided to go to Victoria Station and then get a taxi from there. I bought my ticket for 10 GBP. It was only after boarding and when the bus had started rolling, that the driver announced we would be making stops at Golders Green, St John's Wood, and 50 million other stations before arriving at Victoria in over 2 hours time. Two hours. And the stupid guy sitting in front of me had already reclined his seat all the way back. My knees were killing me before we even got out of the parking lot.
I got into Victoria Station tired, hungry and sore. Thankfully I had no trouble getting a cab. The driver was in a bit of a bad mood, complaining about this huge Palestinian demonstration that had messed up the traffic all day. London was crawling with cops and every few minutes paddy wagons would roar past with sirens blaring. Finally we made it to the hotel.
<b>Hotel: Crown Plaza-the City</b>
I got a room at the Crown Plaza- the City, located right across the street from Blackfriars tube station, on Hotwire for approx. $150 CAN. This was a very nice hotel indeed. My room was huge and very fresh and clean, with an enormous king sized bed, sofa and chair and stereo in addition to the TV, minibar, and wardrobe. The bathroom was large with marble counters. The only complaint I would have is that the mattress was quite soft (although I find that mattresses tend to be soft in Europe in general).
Once again I was exhausted after a long day of travel (which started with delays at Ciampino and continued right up to the traffic problems in London). I just didn't feel up to going out to sightsee.
Instead I turned on the TV (we were back to Doctor Who again- quelle surprise- and I actually watched the TV special where they announced the new Doctor- pretty earth shattering stuff) and order room service.
It goes without saying that the food at the Crown Plaza was much better than at the Holiday Inn. I ordered an open faced grilled cheese and onion rings. It was non-greasy and absolutely delicious.
That night I watched an episode of the BCC special series, <b>Scotland’s History</b> which I found really, really interesting and well done. I may have watched a bit of Celebrity Big Brother featuring LaToya Jackson and The Fabulous Lives of Real Life Cinderellas beforehand but I'll never actually admit to it.
Now I'll skip ahead to the last night of my trip, which I spent in London. I flew from Ciampino Airport in Rome back to Standsted Airport on Ryan Air. My original plan was to take the Standsted Express to Liverpool Street Station, and then either take the tube or get a taxi to my hotel, depending on how I was feeling.
Shortly after my arrival, I discovered the trains weren't running. A guy at the airport said it was due to an accident. Later I found out that the day before, a small private plane had crashed onto the tracks, killing the pilot and both passengers. When I heard out it, I felt guilty for being so annoyed at the inconvenience earlier.
I had to get a coach from the airport into London. I decided to go to Victoria Station and then get a taxi from there. I bought my ticket for 10 GBP. It was only after boarding and when the bus had started rolling, that the driver announced we would be making stops at Golders Green, St John's Wood, and 50 million other stations before arriving at Victoria in over 2 hours time. Two hours. And the stupid guy sitting in front of me had already reclined his seat all the way back. My knees were killing me before we even got out of the parking lot.
I got into Victoria Station tired, hungry and sore. Thankfully I had no trouble getting a cab. The driver was in a bit of a bad mood, complaining about this huge Palestinian demonstration that had messed up the traffic all day. London was crawling with cops and every few minutes paddy wagons would roar past with sirens blaring. Finally we made it to the hotel.
<b>Hotel: Crown Plaza-the City</b>
I got a room at the Crown Plaza- the City, located right across the street from Blackfriars tube station, on Hotwire for approx. $150 CAN. This was a very nice hotel indeed. My room was huge and very fresh and clean, with an enormous king sized bed, sofa and chair and stereo in addition to the TV, minibar, and wardrobe. The bathroom was large with marble counters. The only complaint I would have is that the mattress was quite soft (although I find that mattresses tend to be soft in Europe in general).
Once again I was exhausted after a long day of travel (which started with delays at Ciampino and continued right up to the traffic problems in London). I just didn't feel up to going out to sightsee.
Instead I turned on the TV (we were back to Doctor Who again- quelle surprise- and I actually watched the TV special where they announced the new Doctor- pretty earth shattering stuff) and order room service.
It goes without saying that the food at the Crown Plaza was much better than at the Holiday Inn. I ordered an open faced grilled cheese and onion rings. It was non-greasy and absolutely delicious.
That night I watched an episode of the BCC special series, <b>Scotland’s History</b> which I found really, really interesting and well done. I may have watched a bit of Celebrity Big Brother featuring LaToya Jackson and The Fabulous Lives of Real Life Cinderellas beforehand but I'll never actually admit to it.
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:32 AM
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>>>Did you take the tube from the airport to the hotel?<<<
I meant to mention that...I actually booked a pick-up with Just Airports. And I was so glad I did. I don't think I would have been up to taking the tube after everything. My suitcase was wickedly heavy as well (my new goal for my next trip, whenever it will be, is to pack a carry-on sized suitcase and to pack light- literally LIGHT)
I had some pounds left over from my last trip, so I was able to pay the driver without hunting for a bank machine beforehand.
I meant to mention that...I actually booked a pick-up with Just Airports. And I was so glad I did. I don't think I would have been up to taking the tube after everything. My suitcase was wickedly heavy as well (my new goal for my next trip, whenever it will be, is to pack a carry-on sized suitcase and to pack light- literally LIGHT)
I had some pounds left over from my last trip, so I was able to pay the driver without hunting for a bank machine beforehand.
Jan 6th, 2009, 09:40 AM
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>>>I never thought of staying there as I feel that's too far away, esp if I want to return to the hotel in the afternoon for a rest<<<
It's true, Camden Town isn't the most central area for a visitor. It will probably require a tube transfer in order to get on the Northern Line, but it only adds a few minutes on to the tube ride. One thing that was great was the hotel was so close to the tube stop.
And I should mention that while Camden High Street may not be so attractive, the residential area around it is certainly very neat, attractive, and affluent. It was funny seeing all the goths and punks pouring into the tube station every day- none them can afford to actually live there, that's for sure!
It's true, Camden Town isn't the most central area for a visitor. It will probably require a tube transfer in order to get on the Northern Line, but it only adds a few minutes on to the tube ride. One thing that was great was the hotel was so close to the tube stop.
And I should mention that while Camden High Street may not be so attractive, the residential area around it is certainly very neat, attractive, and affluent. It was funny seeing all the goths and punks pouring into the tube station every day- none them can afford to actually live there, that's for sure!
