Au revoir Londres

The final day took us on an eclectic tour of some London districts which couldn't be more different in personality. The first stop: the thriving sub-culture of Camden Town where the streets are populated with punks and goths and the streets are lined with tattoo parlours, thrift stores and shops selling shisha pipes. 

My friend tasted her first meal of fish and chips at Poppies, a pleasingly retro diner which has apparently been voted the best in the UK. Be that as it may, but I think nothing beats fish & chips mingled with salty sea air on a blustery beach on the UK coastline :) 

After a brief and unremarkable stop-off at Abbey Road, the famous recording studio whose pedestrian crossing lent itself to the iconic Beatles' album cover, we made a swift return to 221b Baker Street. I don't think our attempt was quite as impressive... 

Yeah...

The Sherlock Holmes Museum was great! It's about £6.00 for a ticket and once inside, you explore 8 rooms which have been re-created from Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle's descriptions of the detective lad pad. For real Sherlock fans, they are filled with objects from the stories, cameos, knick-nacks and upstairs are uncanny wax-models of characters from the books.

My favourite part was the deer-stalker hats, the bowler hats, the pipes and the magnifying glasses that are hidden around so that you can pretend to be Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes in every room. 

 

Leave a message for Sherlock Holmes!

That concludes the London adventure, I hope you've enjoyed it. 

My next post will be back in Paris :)

À Bientôt !

x

New Year Catch-up!

This post is a collection of random snapshots from January rather than a polished narrative of what I've been up to. I've been all over the place - up to London a lot, to a couple of shows at the theatre, to Cambridge for a day and Cardiff for a week-end. Instead of the quiet time I had planned at home to gather my thoughts & prepare for Paris in February, it's been hectic, non-stop, but a lot of fun!

The amazing set of Matilda the Musical - a must-see! 

Psst, here's a little secret - if you are aged 16-25 and willing to queue early then head to the theatre at Seven Dials in London to get your £5.00 student ticket. 16 are given out at each performance and you have more of a chance at getting hold of one if you go on a day when there is both a matinee and an evening show. Check on the website for details! 

A blustery walk in Greenwich park, overshadowed by imposing skies!

   

Gloomy but beautiful trip to Cardiff bay in Wales

Warming up with smoked salmon & spinach lasagne :)

Over the next couple of days I've got a friend staying so expect some posts exploring my favourite London haunts, a tutorial on how to make macarons & possibly the photos I've taken on my film camera over the past few months, as well as a return to the city of lights, Paris!

À Bientôt !

x

Cultural Clichés

Yesterday, I finally ventured into the bar across the road with my tandem partner (language exchange partner for anyone not fluent in Erasmus-speak). We ended up talking about one of my favourite things - cultural cliches. This is such a winner as a conversation starter - so if you're panicking in a conversation with someone you've met abroad I guarantee this will get everyone giggling and break the ice. Here are some of the things I've gathered from my very scientific research with French friends...here goes!

1) "English people like to take a very long time to say what they mean"

I can fully vouch for this one! I find it impossible to start a letter without writing: "Just a little note to say blah blah", and emails without typing something along the lines of: "I was just wondering if I could ask you a question about so & so". I've heard this cliche from two different sources, so who knows...it's probably true!

2) "England invented the rain"

To which I retorted, - "No, Scotland did!" Judging by the rain pattering down on my window at this very moment, I have a hard time stomaching this cruel cliche about Great Britannia! 

3) "English people eat their dinner too early"

Not so much a cliche as something that the French find bizarre. I'm told that the frogs eat their main meal at midday, so perhaps that's why they find 6.30pm an extremely premature dining hour!

4) "England just love to be different from everyone else"

I can't deny this one, as we drive on the left-hand side of the road and use Pound Sterling instead of the Euro. Maybe our kookiness comes from the fact that we're out on a limb on a tiny little island. Who knows!

5) "English people all love, watch, and speak like the people from Downtown Abbey"

I haven't watched it, so maybe that will help to stall this idea. Onto the next cliche, tally-ho!

6) "English girls dress very scantily on nights out"

100% true. Sadly!

True or untrue, these certainly made me laugh! Let me know if you come across with any other ones :)

À Bientôt !

x