The Lake District

It was another Bank Holiday and this time we had planned to get out into the Countryside for some Rambling (that's English for "Tramping")with Tom and Gini. We met up at Euston (with what looked like half of the rest of London) to catch the train to Windermere. Train was pretty packed but we eventually managed to get settled in and we were off. Several hours later and we arrived in Windermere and head off to our B&B "The Archway". We were greeted by our excellent hostess and then it was off to bed for a good sleep before a day a of walking the next day.

The bed was good but the highlight of this B&B was definitely the breakfast. We had a choice of about six different options and when they came out they were HUGE, and tasty. We would have to do plenty of walking to walk that off. After looking at a few different options in Tom and Gini's book we decided to stay local and do a loop track that starts and finishes in Windermere. We started off with a climb up Orrest Head which was a nearby hill. If the clouds hadn't been so low we would have gotten great views of the Lake District. It was still good to be out in amongst nature again though. We continued on through the local paddocks, never quite sure where we were going but with Paddy Dillon guiding us we managed to find our way without too much trouble. We continued up into the hills and had a good view over Troutbeck which we later discovered was the inspiration for Postman Pat. We continued to climb dodging rain showers along the way until we finally started to make our way around and back towards Windermere again. We stopped for packed lunch, which was all a part of the stay at the Archway. Lunch was in the same style as breakfast, HUGE. With tasty homemade sandwiches, sausage rolls and Kendal Mint Cake (solid mint flavoured sugar covered in sugar) we wondered if we were actually going to do enough dinner to walk off the food...We continued on our way back to Windermere and eventually arrived back at the Archway, wetter and tireder than when we began. If breakfast and lunch wasn't enough there was also a very tasty cake sitting there for us too eat too. They sure know how to eat well in the Lake District! And to keep with the theme we went out for what we thought was British Cuisine but actually turned out to be French. Still tasty though.

The next morning it was more walking. This time it was to Grasmere where we went for a walk around two lakes, Grasmere and Rydal Water. As we arrived there was some sort of AMP show on with tents and animals and people everywhere. But we weren't too be distracted, we plowed through and set off down the road towards the Lake. Unfortunately the rain showers from yesterday had consolidated and we were basically walking in steady rain which got heavier and heavier throughout the day. Lucky we are from NZ so don't mind walking in the rain, and lucky we had our jackets too....This was a much mellower walk than the day before with it being largely flat around the back of the lakes. Nice walking through the woods and fields though and seeing some of the HUGE houses up on the hill. We stopped at the Badger pub for a beer on our way back. Not one we would recommend as a first choice to visit but good to get out of the rain. Then we journied up the hill and along the old coffin road back to Grasmere. It was an interesting old path that had flat rocks along the way. Apparently they used to carry the coffins from Rydal, where it starts, to Grasmere where the cemetary was. By the end we were pretty soaked but we couldn't pass Grasmere by without stopping in for some famous Grasmere Gingerbread. Made since 1854 it isn't like normal gingerbread. It is kind of like a slice/biscuit with bits of ginger all through it. Different but tasty. After some munching we jumped in the car for some more exploring. We journied onwards to Keswick. Right in the middle of the Lake District. It was still pretty drizzly but we had some time to head up to Castlerigg which is a stone circle, a la Stonehenge, only smaller and this one you could walk up to the stones. There were a few droopy heads on the way back to Windermere for some well earned rest.

The last day in the Lake District we decided to give the walking a break and do some touristy things. The girls were very keen to go and see Beatrix Potters House, which is not a themed place, rather it is the house where she lived and wrote all of the Petter Rabbit and friends stories. It was quite interesting but very dark as they tried to keep everything authentic to early 1900s. After that we went for a country drive where we came across a little gem in Wray Castle. It isn't actually a castle, rather it is a house built in 1840 to look like a castle. It was very cool and we had a good time looking around the outside. Unfortunately it was closed because it is currently for sale so we couldn't look around inside. Ever wanted to live in a Castle? Now is your chance. Then it was off to the tiny town of Ings for lunch at the Watermill Inn and Brewery. There we had some tasty lunch and enjoyed ourselves drinking the all thee different dog branded brews such as Collie Wobbles, Wruff Night and Isle of Dogs. This pub was very cool and we would definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the area. We had heard that Windemere and the towns around the Lake District can be quite touristy but we hadn't experience that at all...until we went to Bowness on Windemere. It seemed that that was where ALL the tourists were. The place was thronging with people, tourist shops and activities for people to do. Nonetheless it was nice to have a walk around and see what it was like down on the Lake front before we had to journey back to London. Unfortunately our trip home wasn't without event. We thought we would see if we could get the train back an hour earlier. Unfortunately there was no early train, and the later trains were all delayed. So it was several hours spent on the platform at Oxenholme playing cards as the heavens opened and POURED more rain than we had seen all year. Unfortunately everyone else had the same plans so by the time we got on the train it was packed. The joys of holiday travel. Luckily we were so tired it didn't really matter and we still had a really good outdoors holiday.

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August - Beer, Jools and Holograms

We got up to a variety of things over August. After all that Belgian Beer we decided it would be good to see what the British had on offer too. We met up with Darryl and Bevan at Earls Court for the Great British Beer Festival. Put on by the Campaign for Real Ale. Only the Brits would have a charity about making good beer. Unfortunately we went on Saturday, which was the last day so they had run out of a lot of good beer. Nonetheless there was still plenty of different Ales and Ciders for us to sample. Some really good and some really terrible. We had also never seen so many men with huge beards and big bellies altogether at the same time. Something to aspire to I guess? All up a good experience. Probably not something we need to do again but glad we did it. Shame it was indoors when it was such a beautiful day outside, but I guess with British weather you have to play it safe.

Next weekend met up with Robin and Mary and went up to Hampstead Heath again. Not for the ponds, but instead a big outdoors concert at Kenwood House, which is a big house at the top of the heath. The concert was featuring Jools Holland and his big band orchestra. Jools Holland is a staple of UK TV having had a show called "Later.." for a number of years. It is THE show to get on to if you are a big act. Good last chance to get out the old picnic blanket and have a last evening picnic before it gets too cold. We didn't know most of the songs but still had a fun time and would highly recommend it as a good night out.

The next week was Jen's birthday so Jess and the girls took her out for a surprise dinner followed by Dirty Dancing The Musical. There were moments when we thought it all wouldn't come together with missed trains and limited time before the show but it all went well, Jen was stoked except it took her a little while to appreciate the male lead not being played by Patrick Swasay. Tired after the show we headed back to the pub for a round of lemonade and the yummy birthday cake (ala Tree). Marcus was quite content to miss out on that one.

We also caught up with Pauline for dinner one last time before she left London and heads not quite back to New Zealand, but to Melbourne instead. Pauline cooked us up some tasty Teriyaki. It made us remember what a transient place London is with people coming and going all the time so need to make sure we make the most of seeing people when we can.

The next weekend was Emma's birthday and she had us all dress up for an 80s theme. So it was a trip to Primark for us (Super cheap young people clothing) to find the most hideous highlighter clothes we could. Emma, Kat, Stacey (and a surprise visit from Mel from Ireland) had gone all out dressed as Jem and Holograms, while Tim, Ben and Reuban had invested in some overalls and power packs for some serious ghostbusting. After a few drinks at theirs it was off to town for a first night out at the clubs. A few queues, some missing IDs and explanations around how tennis shoes are 80s later and we were at the Grand in Clapham. Not too different than the Grand in Wellington in terms of clientelle (but that's just showing our age....) We danced the night away and eventually jumped on an after midnight bus to get our tired little selves home.

The next night it was a few quiet drinks round at our house for Jen's birthday. Liam whipped up a storm in the kitchen and we all ate very well. It was then some drinks and a few rounds of boxing on our Wii sport (which actually features far more heavily in our lives than this blog would have you believe) and it was tired partygoers off to bed.

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Mean Time to Beer Time

Short period of time but loads to talk about this time. Was definitely great to have Andy and Nicky visiting London so that we could hang out with them. For us it started with tasty pancake brunch a la Tom and Gini. Should start every day that way. Then we were off to do something we had been meaning to do for a while, which was catch the ferry up the river to Greenwich (as in Greenwich Mean Time.) This was our first trip on the river ferry and we had a really good time and it is definitely a good way to see the parts of London along the Thames. A few ciders later and we were having a great time when it was time to get off the boat and have a look around Greenwich. It is a very pretty part of London with a big park for lounging around in. However the highlight was definitely heading to the Prime Meridian at 0 Degrees which was also the home of the Greenwich clock (which is much smaller than you expect but still cool to see.) After a less than memorable platter at the local pub it was back on the boat and then up the Thames again. We found a pub with a massive garden near Tom and Gini's place to have a few drinks and eventually convinced them to cook us a tasty dinner too (they were very busy.)

The next day was a chance to show Andy and Nicky around the sites of central London. We were the tour guides instead of the tourists for a change. Took in all the major sites, Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, you get the idea...Tom and Gini showed us a place that does great Fish and Chips, London's oldest chippy the Rock and Sole Plaice. Much walking was done this day and we finished it up with a nice ale at an old pub on the Strand.

The next night we were out with Andy, Nicky, Tom and Gini for tasty Mexican at Wahaca. Even Jess didn't mind sharing. Then it was off to the theatre. This time not a musical. Instead we were off to see the Woman in Black. Nobody really knew anything about it so it was open minds all round. It was in a tiny little theatre instead of the big ones you usually see around London. Don't want to give too much away but if you enjoy a good scare this is definitely a must see. Really well done and had the whole theatre on the edge of their seats waiting for the next scare. We knew when Andy was scared cause he couldn't keep in the high pitched scream...

Next night was Andy and Nicky's last in London so we all went out to a little gem Tom and Gini had discovered in Paris which also has a branch in London Le Relais de Venise. After lining up (!) we got our table and were served by the waitresses in their French waitress outfits. The formula was simple, walnut salad, followed by fillet steak with chips. No menu. That is it. Very tasty and would definitely consider going back.

Thursday was a big night for us. After work we jumped on the Piccadilly line to Heathrow and we were off on Jess' first trip to the continent, Amsterdam to be specific! We flew into Amsterdam airport jumped on the train and before we knew it we were at Amsterdam Centraal Train Station and heading straight into the Red Light District where our hotel was. Andy and Nicky were there to meet us and share a beer. Luckily we were only the edge of the red light district so there were only a few dodgy characters around. We were in late so we climbed the SUPER steep staircase to our room, put in the complimentary earplugs (which were definitely needed) and we were off to sleep.

Next morning we met Andy and Nicky and head off to breakfast before a day of sightseeing. We got up to all sorts. First on the agenda was a must when you go to Amsterdam, join the big long line to enter into Ann Frank Huis. Marcus had seen it before but it was still really interesting to see it again. After that we jumped into a canal boat for a tour around the canals of Amsterdam. Definitely a good way to see the city from a different angle. London has some canals but Amsterdam is all about the canals. Then it was a surprising highlight, the Heineken museum. It was utter Heineken marketing but it was still very fun seeing the history of Heineken, how they brew it, being a beer (yes they have a beer ride) and of course tasting it. We now appreciate drinking our beer with head on it. Even Nicky the non-beer drinker said she enjoyed it. It was then time to head off and find dinner and then finish the night with a few quiet beers down by the canals, which turned into a few rowdy beers and before we knew it the shots of Jagermeister were flying. We had to keep up with all the people there for Gay Pride Weekend....It was also a good way to say goodbye to Andy and Nicky as they were off to Greece the next morning and we were off to...

Brussells on the train. The Europeans sure know how to do their trains well. Fast, comfortable, a great way to travel. We came into Brussells for a bit of a whirlwind trip. Brussells has a reputation for being boring but we wanted to go in with open minds. Luckily in the few hours we had there we weren't disappointed. The weather was stinking hot, which was a relief from London, we tried various Belgian Beers while eating Mussells in Brussells. Then it was off to the main square with its fantastic old buildings, and of course no trip to Brussells would be complete without a trip to see the Manekin Pis. To our surprise he was all dressed up in a little costume. Turned out we had arrived on Meyboom, some sort of Belgian celebration. We haven't worked out what exactly it is all about but on our way back we got caught up in the middle of a parade. Very cool. We decided we had best take part in another Belgian specialty, Waffles with cream. Mmmmmmm and all washed down with a nice kriek beer. That is cherry flavoured beer. Sounds dodgy but it was surprisingly good. The Belgians have been brewing cherry beer for centuries. It was then back on the train and off to Bruges.

Bruges is Belgium's most popular tourist destination and once get there you can see why. It is a beautiful little well preserved medieval town. Very touristy without being tacky. We decided to take it easy that night before some more touristing the following day. So after a dinner of Frittes (chips, another belgian dish) we went and had a Garre beer at De Garre, which was a cool old pub hidden down an alleyway. Very tasty and probably the best beer we had on the trip. Then there was enough time for a walk around the town and then it was back to the hostel to sleep.

We awoke to torrential rain, but luckily by the time we managed to actually get up the rain had cleared it was getting sunny again. After checking out the crazy old antiques at the market we went back to main square and climbed the bell tower. It got pretty tight at times going up while others were coming down. After regaining our hearing when the bells went off when we were right next to them we checked out the great view all over Bruges. Unfortunately this is where we learnt not to trust the camera battery when you first turn the camera on. When we left London we thought it was fine but alas it wasn't and it ran flat so no more photos for the rest of our trip. However we continued on and checked out some of the cool old houses and bridges, an impressive Madonna and Child sculpture by Michelangelo and of course, more Beer. We went to Bruges' only remaining brewery, De Halve Maan, (the Half Moon) where we took in some lunch and then took in another brewery tour. Not nearly as commercial this time, so really interesting to see where they actually brewed the beer. We picked up some souvenirs in the form of flash glasses (you must only serve Belgian beer in the correct glass) and a big bottle of the Straffe Hendrik, a hearty 8%er. After some more fresh waffles, cooked while we waited, and definitely the best we had, we were back on the train to Brussells and then onto the Eurostar back to London. Into Kings Cross and then on the tube back home. Could even be better than flying?

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Weeks 14-17ish? - Toast & Ponds

After some technical difficulties we are back up and running again. Blasted hard drive crashed. Fingers crossed we can get back some stuff that we had on there....As you can see we aren't exactly sure how long we have been here either so posts might get a bit less frequent from now on anyway.

We decided it was time we finally made the trip to the world renowned department store, Harrods. To be honest we didn't know what all the fuss what about. Sure there was some expensive things you could buy there but it didn't seem to be much flasher than loads of other department stores in London (none that we can afford to shop at of course...).

During the week we were able to celebrate Jess getting herself her second contract. Great news as it will keep the pounds coming in so that we can stay here. We celebrated with a trip to Battersea Park along with some tasty picnic food and champagne...the real deal isn't quite as expensive here...It was this week that the heatwave kicked in too so it was great weather to be out and about picnicing.

As the weekend came along we headed down to Clapham Common with Robin, Mary and Ralph who was visiting on holiday for Toast New Zealand. It was a big festival with loads of New Zealand wine and beer and entertainment. The weather was scorching! We were treated to a display of polo, which we never quite got our heads around....We also got entertained by James Someone (from Wellington I think) with the day coming to a close with everyone rocking out to Dave Dobbyn. The place was full of New Zealanders so the atmosphere was great. We saw loads of people we knew. There can't have been too many New Zealanders in London who weren't there and it was a great day to be there too.

The next week was a good opportunity to enjoy the outdoor weather although those tubes sure get scorching in the heat. The following weekend we joined Tom and Gini at another park, Hampstead Heath. This was a bit less manicured than some of the other parks, having been allowed to grow how it wants to, which made a nice change. Cider in the sun was the best way to spend our time. We then went for a swim the Hampstead ponds. They actually have ponds you can swim in which are basically duck ponds. The water wasn't too clear. Marcus didn't much enjoy it but Jess had more of a go of it all. I think we will stick to proper swimming pools, the sea and maybe rivers and lakes.

Unfortunately the weather didn't stay as hot so we stayed home over the week, but come the weekend it was looking good again so we went down to Battersea Park for Bastille day celebrations. We had high hopes for french wine, pastries and other curiosities. Unfortunately the celebration was only small, but the attendance was big. Lines to buy food and drink were really long so after spending over an hour lining up we weren't particularly excited about Bastille day anymore.

We decided to make the most of the week again and enjoyed ourselves with a picnic in Hyde Park which we still haven't even scratched the surface of and a trip to the National Gallery to get cultured. There was plenty of art to take in and our previous lessons were to take it in manageable chunks.

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Weeks 12-13 Hampton Court & West End Live

Well we are certainly getting settled in now. We started off this fortnight with our first across the board tube strike looming. 48 hours of no tubes. No impact on Jess as she could still walk to work, but it was a good opportunity for Marcus to try some different ways of getting to work. A bit of planning and a bus ride later had him wondering what all the fuss was about but as people arrived at work over an hour later than normal it was clear what a huge role the tube plays in London.

Friday we were lucky enough to have a birthday in the house. Darryl was turning the big 30 so we caught up with Darryl and Beverly, Jen and Liam, Ian and Amy, Tree and Katie for dinner at a prize winning Indian restaurant in Soho. Was great to catch up with everyone but unfortunately the food, although tasty, didn't leave us feeling like we had eaten too much, like a good Indian should. And the service was appalling. It took ages to come out and the waiters didn't stick around long enough to take your orders. We even saw the owners kick someone out when they commented that nobody had any food. Unimpressed. However we didn't let that ruin the night and we all head out to Dutch bar. Jess got to try her first Fruli (fruit beer) and the verdict is she would have it again. The bar was cool but we ended up standing in Anne Frank corner, which was right next to the DJ booth, which did make us wonder what atmosphere they were trying to create....

Sunday we were off to do some solid sightseeing again. This time we head off half an hour on the train and we were at Hampton Court, home of Henry VIII and many other royals too. Hampton Court isn't a lived in palace but it was certainly interesting. It was surprisingly not that busy so we had a bit of space to just walk around and look at things at our own pace. There were times where it seemed like we were the only people in that part ot the palace, which isn't that surprising as the place was HUGE with so much to see. Highlights were definitely the Tudor kitchen, but alas the pies weren't real. The Young Henry VIII exhibition was really good too. We definitely need to start watching a few more episodes of The Tudors. After a tasty lunch with Marcus's first mushy peas (don't need to do that again...) we spent some time walking around the gardens at Hampton Court. You can definitely see why they are such a popular attraction in their own right, but it was so hot that we certainly appreciated some time in the shade. We were looking forward to the Hedge Maze. It ws nice enough but certainly not the big sprawling hedges we would have liked. All in all an excellent day overall though.

The next day Darryl and Beverly took us out for dinner to say thanks for letting them stay at our place. They had been doing a bit of exploring and discovered it was only about 10 minutes walk to Battersea Powerstation and there was a pub across the road from there. Burgers were tasty and much to Jess' delight they also had boardgames. With a bit of rain coming down outside we weren't in any hurry to go home. So a few rounds of Pop up Pirates and Jenga and it was another night well spent.

Saturday we went into town because there was a free concert going on in Leceister Square. It was West End Live which was basically a whole lot of performers doing songs and dances from shows on at the West End to encourage you to go along to the shows that are on at the moment. The place was packed but they had set up big screens so that even if you couldn't see the stage you could still see what was going on. We finally made it into the centre where we could see what was going on up close. There was all sorts...Jersey Boys, Thriller, Avenue Q....even Barney! Unfortunately Marcus was a bit coldy so we couldn't stay all day, but it has certainly given us some ideas of shows we want to see later.

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London Weeks 10-11 - Parks & Dossing

That's right! Two weeks worth of blog this time around. Things have been slowing down a bit so we probably won't be blogging as frequently from now on.

This fortnight was park fortnight. It started out with heading off to Hammersmith to welcome Amy back from her trip home to NZ and also to welcome Daryl and Beverly to the UK. Was great just chilling out in the sun in the park next to the river Thames. Little did we know this would be the first of many more things to come.

Saturday and we journeyed off to Regents Park just north of Marcus' work. The weather was fantastic and the park was really great too. Parks over here aren't just big pieces of grass like at home. They are manicured with paths and gardens and fountains and cafes and really lovely to visit. Fish and chips in the park was just magic and then a big walk around the park to walk off our fatty tummies. Regents park is really beautiful and we will definitely go back there for more of an explore this summer.

That night we had Robin and Mary around to our flat for dinner. Was great to have a nice easygoing evening with some tasty dinner a la Jess and also to introduce Robin to cider. We think we have a new convert.

The next day we were off for another day in the park. This time Clapham Common with Tim and Emma and later joined by Pauline. The day was even hotter so we did a lot of sitting round talking. The boys tried a bit of hackey and frisbee but the heat made us retreat to the ground again pretty quickly. Later in the afternoon Tim had the great idea of heading off to the nearby pub, the Windmill, for jugs of Pimms. The conditions were perfect. Hot weather, good friends and an appetite for drink. We polished a few jugs away before finally heading home for pizza and sleep.

During the week we stayed busy too. The highlight was definitely Jess managing to secure a months worth of work in HR. Even better she was only 10 minutes walk from home so no transport hassles in the morning. Hopefully this is the start of more things to come.

We also got our first dossers. Darryl and Beverly newly arrived from New Zealand (via South America and Ian and Amy's place). Was nice to have some new people round and not be the new kids in town anymore. Good excuse to have a party, so Tree, Katie, Amy and Liam came around for some drinks and shared salad dinner. Fun times for a school night.

The next night Marcus caught up with Bevan after work. Was really great to see him having not caught up for such a long time. Funny how you don't see people till you both end up on the other side of the world. Time went by fast though. Will be really good to catch up again sometime soon.

Saturday night we were off again. This time to visit Amy and Ian's place in Hammersmith for a tasty BBQ. They are doing the traditional London experience. Living in a big house with loads of other flatmates and lots of people dossing all the time. They could have a party there every day if they wanted. As always it was good to meet some more people. Mostly Australians this time but we won't hold that against them.

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London Week 9 - Stones and Baths

This week we decided to take in another show. This time it was a well worn classic, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. You could certainly tell that Joseph was a lot more simple than Wicked. Where Wicked had lots of solo numbers and special effects, Joseph was all about the big group singing and dancing numbers. It was a bit more basic around the effects and things but we still had an enjoyable night.

On the weekend we were off again to visit another place. This time we decided not to do it ourselves, but instead jump on one of the many bus tours to Stonehenge and Bath. The bus tour certainly has its advantages. We had a tour guide who was a well of information and always keen to share it with us throughout the bus trip. We learnt about breweries, painters, architects, the army...you name it he knew it. Unfortunately he had plenty of time to tell us because we spent so much time on the bus, either travelling in the slow moving bank holiday traffic or waiting for the other patrons to get back on the bus (late.) So it took us four hours from leaving London to get to Stonehenge when it should have only been half that time. However, once we finally got there Stonehenge was very cool. We had an audiotour again that took us around the stones and explained all about them. We had heard that there weren't that many of the stones left, but we were sufficiently impressed. There were enough there that we could easily picture what it used to be like.

Then it was on the bus again and off to Bath. Unfortunately it was after 2pm before we even arrive there and with us leaving at 5:30 it was going to be a quick look around. Bath is a beautiful city. Lovely old Victorian Buildings, situated on the river Avon and lots of green parks. Part of the bus trip was a tour around the Roman Baths. It is a combination of ancient roman baths which were rediscovered and converted to Victorian Baths in the 1800s. No taking a dip though. The water was toxic. Another audio tour gave us the insights into what it was like bathing in roman or Victorian times. It was certainly very interesting and you can understand why people flocked to Bath. After that we decided to indulge ourselves with another English tradition Cream Tea (although we didn't do the super expensive one). It was in a little cafe built on a Bridge. One of only a few like it in Europe. After that it was piling back on the bus and off to London. Bath certainly looks like somewhere where we will go back and spend some more time rather than the rush we had this time round.

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