California Girls!

Just a hint....

Irvine, California

23: Glasgow, Delays, Toronto!

Last day!!!

Took the early bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow and onwards to a airport express bus to the Airport.
Decided to just F*&@ it and go to the airport as I didn't have anything to lose if there was a delay OR cancellations due to the Ash.
Arrived REALLY early as I didn't want a reoccurance to happen a la start of the trip.
Was Overweight (I really don't like air Transit) and I will be sending them a letter shortly.
Paid and was on my way to 5 hours in the airport.

That consisted of updating the blog (from WORD) and sitting at Starbucks and taking in the hustle.
Then I moved over to the correct gate and sat there eating sandwich, almonds and listening to the 6 albums I meekly have on my computer.
(SIDE NOTe: I cleared my computer of everything prior to departure as it was on my TO DO list for 2 years)

Flight was delayed some more, but finally took off.
Again I attracted the eldery world-travelling couple (this time from Ottawa) so I chatted them up and it gave me a better feeling about life and the direction I'm taking. REFRESHING to hear it from others! GO LIFE!

Arrived into Canada after 23 days of travel, countless sights and MANY new tastes that I've acquired (Haggis), great espresso based drinks, english accents, and a love for history.

TORONTO -- can you be a little bit older!?
Kidding. I love you!

Here's a final photo that I thought was the best from the trip!

INVERNESS (PRIMARK SHOT!)

NEXT ADVENUTURE: ???? keep it locked

22: Edinburgh (ASH)

Sunday, May 16^th, 2010

Early Bfast, TESCO run, andCOSTA hanging out prior to my bus ride down to Edinburgh. YAY!

Visited Edinburgh Castle (NOT WORTH THE ENTRANCE FEE!). Great to see (For Ariel sights....), but really not worth it.

Edinburgh has many hills, stairs… and lugging around the 23kg+ bags was not the best. Had dinner at a pub (Fish and chips).

21: Culloden Battlefield

Saturday, May 15th, 2010
CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD for 11am. WOW WOW WOW. Last battle 1746 between the Jacobites (with the Clans help) against the Government, fought for the last time on the English soil. Such history well worth the 10 quid entrance fee. Prior to the field is a very informative visitor centre that chornicals the history of the war.


That is the RED FLAG indicating the line for the Government troops.

Scottish clans v. Gov't (LAST ROUND)
Winner: Government!

Afterwards Pub food in Inverness (Scottish Cup and the FA cup were both on…) Damn Chelsea.
Then we all parted ways and had a nice little venture of the city sq, the Marks and Spenser and Gift picking up and just repacked luggage. Ended with some walking around the town, got a coffee and explored and just watch BBC1, BBC2 and was tried.

20: Castles, Vows, and Sun

Friday, May 14th, 2010.
Inverness Train station to the Guest house wasn’t too far, but it’s heavy when you’re lost and your don’t pack properly…. Opps!!! Got in, met up with CD and just rested. Room wasn’t ready but we walked around town to take in the fresh air of the highlands.
Destination for today: Castle Stuart and LM vow renewal, wedding event. Breakfast at Costa, walked around the river Ness and got acquinted with the Town.
The occasion was soo beautiful and the weather really cooperated with us. Treated so well at Castle Stuart, J&D, CD, V and I were there to take in the ceremonies with LM. FABULOUS! Yes, I wore a dress too.


Walked around the grounds, took million of photos and then we called it in, as it was getting super windy. Dinner was to be at Mustard Seed near the water (River ness) and back into town we went for 6:30pm. Can I just say how impressed I am with the food up in Inverness. Had this seabass stuffed with goat cheese and amazing scampi tomato sauce. Sounds weird but tasted great. Everyones dinner plate looked great, especially M with the rack of lamb. Mmmmm. Even better was dessert Banoffe Pie with CREAM!!!! Bahahhaha, ya’ll think I’m super healthy… NO WAY man, this is holidays which means such rich and fatty foods!!!!!!!!
After Dinner, CD, V and PC went back home changed and went for a walk after the amazing meal. Rested and called it an eventfully night.

this in not actually the castle but the church that we were staying close to.. I just like he lighting!

20: Sleeper car

Thursday, May 13, 2010.
Morning breakfast, Internet checking, and necessary Tesco run before heading into the tube.
First stop, Monmouth Coffee!!!! YES! I love it here! Convent Garden location, as it was close to the National Gallery. Walked through to the National Gallery. V definitely signed up to go on the PC tour of London. Afterwards we walked through leichester sq and saw a Bollywood movie shoot. Passed Chinatown and into Soho for another coffee break at Whorebux. People watching, Toronto Loving, City bashing talks ensued. Then we wanted to go to Vegan routes… but it was closed/ Next location Mildred’s for some vegan burgers!!! Yummo! Sweet potato, Beet, carrot burgers with this yummy horseradish mayo. SO GOOD. I’m going back next time.

PC tour basically consists of walking, eating and shopping.
That means, walking through Soho to go to Oxford STREET! This was what I was waiting for my entire trip!!!!! UNIQLO!!!! TOPSHOP!!!! PRIMARK!!!!! 3 hours later, we stopped off at hyde park (speakers corner), and just rested. Decision… harrord’s or resting.
Pizza Express for dinner then made our way up to the guest house. For some reason I thought we were going to Victoria Stn…. Hahahah good thing I double checked again, as we were to get to Euston. I’m glad I got to go over to Wills the next before because I was more familiar with the weird way to get over there. We were early for the sleeper train up to Inverness, but that was fine for us. Better early than miss our 11hr train ride in our SLEEPER car!!!! Wooo wooo!~
Caught up on being anti-social with internet at Pret a Manger (owned my McD…. Gha!)

Into the sleeper train and onwards to SCOTLAND!!!! The sleeper cars have very narrow hallways, super narrow that there is only 1 way traffic. Introduced ourselves to this Aussie who was going to Cambria for a 700 mile bike race. SO COOL. I would want to try and ride over England , but for another time. The sleeper cars are great for PC sized ppl, but wasn’t BIG enough for V (had to sleep fetal stylz). Ridiculous fun ensued on the train, as always and I had a great night rest as we headed into Inverness for 8am.


(BEST PART about blogspot -- it orients the photos for you!)

18/19: London's Back

Wednesday , May 12, 2010

With only 4 hours sleep, got up and showered to get ready for the flight into London city airport. The roads were clear, the flight was smooth and I arrived into the City airport that was connected by the DLR. Was able to ride the DLR and get into London in all of 10min. I will definitely fly into LCY if I have a chance in the future, I will take that option. From airport to Guesthouse was under  1 hour. Even during peak hours the tube was not that bad. Living on the other side of Camden in West Hampstead. A kitchy/yuppie location. More upscale than in Camden proper, with restaurants that catered towards that crowd.  Finally met up with LMV. They didn’t have the smoothest first day in London, but was able to explore West Hampstead.

Breakfast was in order! Then headed downtown to go on the touristy bus tour. Although I had already seen all of the London that I wanted (minus Wicked and Tower of London), it was still very fun to explore London with LMV. They were so cute! Having that double decker bus tour gives you an informative view from the tour guides that add their stories of the historical view. As windy as NL was, London was even more windy… maybe it would help to NOT sit on the top deck.

During the bus tour we got off at the TOWER of LONDON and caught the last guided tour of the day! Led by a Beefeater, who had to have served xx years in the Armed forces.

He was great! Went into the chapel, and learned about the horror and executions of the historic site. Saw the Crown jewels in person! Definitely worth the entrance fee.

Grabbed lunch at a pub, and made our way over to Trafalagar Sq.

Went back and called it a day, had dinner at NANDOS… bahahha. Talk about self-serve!

Then I got on the tube around 11pm and ventured around Regent’s Park and into Camden. Dropped off something for my 2^nd cousin and got back to the guesthouse.

17: Traffic Jam

Tuesday, May 11, 2010.

Day started off with a trip to the JUMBO supermarket, and saw the huge cheese section of the supermarket. The dutch also love their breads! The plan for today; BELGIUM.

Quick drive over to Antwrep and the Diamond museum! WOW! That is all I can say. They are huge. The city of Antwrep is huge but the buildings are old and dirty. Made our way to Brussels. Saw the Expo 58 site, and the huge Iron molecular model that was a great symbol for the expo. Visiting the expo sit reminded me of how great it would be to jetset to Shanghai for the World Expo 2010.
I was not very impressed by Brussels or the expo site…. The royal courtyard was great, but nothing was WOW. The traffic is horrible! But I was able to see the national symbol of Beligum/Brussels.
Then we were stuck in traffic for 4 hours. Last day meant, more sushi goodness! Quick sleep then to Schipol to catch the 7:20am flight into London.

16: Netherlands round-trip

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Night before was Mothers day, and had a nice call from my mother. It was nice to hear her voice. I think she worries about my constant exploration of the world. She inspires me to go on my journey, but mothers will be mothers and will always worry about their offspring.  ;P

The plan was to go to the UNESCO heritage site of Kinderdijk where they have 18 old fashion windmills. That was not too far from  Breda, just a quick hop on the highway and we were there. Got to go into the only working Windmill and saw the gears moving with an explanation of the “technology” that was used during those times.

Afterwards we got back onto the highway and onwards to Da Haag (otherwise known as “the Hague” to English speakers). Here is where I tried fresh herring with chopped onion. Even the queen has to eat it this way. It was really fresh, and didn’t feel fishy at all, but was cut with the onion taste. The beach looked nice, but it was windy. Netherlands is very windy!

Went to Marodam, the miniature village that showcases all the major buildings of Netherlands into one location. Even though it was kitchy, it was still great to see them in person. Spent a good 1.25 hours inside the park, and there were many children around. It seems like the primary schools were on holidays. 

Next stop: Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.  Amsterdam is made up a lot of canals and the “highway” that goes around the city centre is confusing to say the least. I would NOT want to rent a car and drive in AMS. The museum was VERY informative. I never really appreciated Van Gogh, but I knew about some of his paintings and could spot his work. Here were some shocking facts:

He started painting at the age of 27 and was self-taught. He learned under an artist at the art school which he admired. His working life was only 10years, during the time we just drew, painted and kept on trying to prefect his style. He would copy famous paintings to learn their techniques. He was supported by his brother Theo who died 6 months after the death of Vincent. Not only is he an inspiration to all artists that are starting out in their career, but it gives that glimmer of hope, that you can make it too! The museum is worth the entrance fee! There is also  a temporary exhibit in the other building that showed one of Van Gogh collegues.

After the museum, we took that photo outside of the I Amsterdam sign in the courtyard.

We drove and walked around Amsterdam to see the coffee shops and red light district. I wasn’t really wowed, but I can say I was there. No photos of course…

Eventually drove over to Rotterdam to eat dinner! Kapsalon!!! This is a dish that was invented in Rotterdam by a Turkish Hairstylist seeking a fast dish. It is Fries on the bottom, with Doner meat/gyro meat/ lamb, really whatever you want. Then on top of that is a layer of cheese, and then a salad. All topped off with that garlic sauce and sambal, all contained in a tin box.  YUMMY, but it’s not super rich or heavy so I can see why it’s a great snack food.

Drove around Rotterdam and saw some of the building which were in the miniature village.  Then headed back to Breda.

15: Happy Mother's Day!!!

Sunday 9, 2010

Maastricht – for Vise to do Marathon.

The necessary pre-marathon preparations of early sleep, chilling out and just making sure that I got up at 7am, to get ready in an hour to catch the first and only train that would get me to the town of Vise.

The streets had a nice mist like thin fog. The weather felt nice and not too chilly for a Sunday morning race. Having bough the tickets the day before I didn’t have to worry too much about getting that sorted out, but I did have to find the correct platform.  It was actually quite simple and the ride was smooth sailing. Arrived into town and checked in my bag and got the pre-race jitters out of the way.

For the last 5 weeks I’ve been struggling with a tight tendon/muscle in my left ankle. This injuiry has prevented me from doing the necessary mileage for proper training. I had stopped training about 2.5 weeks prior to the trip, and have not run (unless for the plane/bus/train). For those that are curious, my longest run was 33km sometime in Early April, about a week prior to this tightness.

30 minutes prior to the race and the site gets a hopping with runners, spectators and the place is a buzzing.  Chatted with a couple of locales (many probably sensed I was from out of town) and they were all surprised that I was from Canada. Some thought I was English, American or even Japanese?? Corralled up to the Start line and just tried to focus on what I wanted to accomplish! A good run to the finish would be ideal, but I knew it’d be hard for such a feat, given the lack of training.

My plan for the race was to just try and go to the 10km, 21.1km or 30km. I wanted to keep up with the 3:45 pace and up until 14km I was with them, they dropped me at the hill. So I dropped back and started to run with a fellow from Brussels. Sometimes in big races everyone is with their ipods/music devices and they are in their zone, and don’t bother getting to know others. It’s not the most ideal location to chat with someone, but it keeps the morale up. Having run with the faster group for 3:45 pace, just under 5, it was mentally tough to just drop back to the 4:00 pace. That didn’t last too long as I was fading and feeling the lack of training. I ended up giving up around 35km, more than expected, but delighted to just got past the 5km mark. A little bit of that push was my competitive side, but it was also the volunteers, other runners and the scenic  route that really inspired me to finish. Even though I stopped with 7km to go, I knew there was nothing in my tank to drive me. So I got into the medic car and we drove to the finish. Along the way I could see the others that had passed me earlier in the race and they determination, and form were inspiring to witness. Although I felt guilty for not finishing, I knew that if I pushed I wouldn’t have a good holiday. So I weighed the options of finishing with a bad time that I wouldn’t even like OR give up and not be too sore for my time in the Netherlands. I’m really glad I made the choice to stop.

If you ever get a chance to do the Maas Marathon, I would suggest you give it a try OR any other marathon in Europe. Running on cobble stones and narrow streets was different, and the scenic route was amazing. The weather was Great! 15 with sun (I got a bit of a suntan/heat exhaustion during the race.) But some water, a shower and food solved that problem.

The reason I choice this location was that JW was doing the ½ and was also going up to Scotland, so I figured what a great way to enjoy the race day. In the end I did see her after  the race heading back to Maastricht. She looked like she was hurting, but still delighted to have finished! Congrats on doing an overseas ½. Next time I will finish!

Onwards with the day meant that I would take a train from Maastricht to Breda (2.25 hr) train ride up North heading towards Rotterdam, near the border of Belgium once again.

Got picked up from the Zi, daughter of my mother’s friend, and we walked 10min from the train station towards their house.  Breda was a military town, used to stop attacks from the water towards Rotterdam/Amsterdam and the rest of Netherlands. It was used to protect the border. The town looked small, but there was a pedestrian square and many many bike lanes. I will have to explain the bike lanes in full for the next post.

Still sore from the race, I just had to get stretching and just have a nice break from the ON THE GO mentality of the last couple of days.

14: Transit day #2 (en route to Maastricht

Today is V-E day (Victory in Europe) day.  Where WWII was won in Vichy… As such the bakery was closed so we had to travel a bit further to get the crossiants and espresso for the morning. A great relaxing way to experience the last morning with TN. Great trip, got to see everything that I wasn’t able to see and had a wonderful time being a student in Europe. Just missed the first train, so we had to wait 2.5 hrs for the next available train going from Paris-Leige (Belgium), so that the transfer onto a train to Maastricht.

Many might be wondering why I’m out of the UK and in Beligum/Netherlands of all places… Well, There is a Marathon called the Maas Marathon held in Vise, Beligium. The entire course goes through two countries along the trails and is quite sceneic. It’s my goal for the year to run 2010km in 2010. Up until departure I was well on track, and still am to get the 2010km, but a nagging tendon in the left ankle has made training quite impossible to continue on the regime that I was. Maybe it was the 100 days of running ahead that your body kuputs around Easter in revolt of overtraining, maybe its just something that I strained… its tight and massaging it helps but doesn’t resolve the problem.

My goal was to do a marathon overseas in Europe on my journey, but with the late news of the tendon, itll be hard to get a finish let alone a PB. We’ll see how this goes.

 Got into Liege and caught the next train to Maaschirt, Netherlands. Upon boarding the old train I noticed that it was stopping in Vise, seeing as it might be easier to scope out the time before it closes, I got off at Vise and went into town to find the location for the race-kit pick up (package). Got a bit lost but decided to keep going, and made a right turn (as the Information  guy had stated. Finally found the information site and got the package and found the city filled with cobble stone roads and historic looking buildings.  Found the finish line, but no start?? As it was hard to just find other locations with the big PACK… it was wise for me to just head back towards the station and wait for the train. Noticed that there are two trains that run the line everyday between the four stops. Maaschrist – Leige.  Luckily I didn’t have to pay the fare again, as they just saw my open-ticket from Leige. Phew lucky.

In Belgium, they speak French… but my French is not what it used to be, so I had to definitely bulk that language section up. When I got into Maaschirst, I bumped into J&D. What a coincidence!!!! She was the one that convinced me to do this Marathon, and I’m glad it motivated me to actually sign-up. For 25Euro, it was a steal!!! Thank you Runner’s world! Never thought I’d be a believer in these magazines, but it did help to motivate me during my lull period.

Got tickets for the next day, and decided to meet up with them after they returned so we could grab dinner!!! I do enjoy eating with others, eating alone does get tiresome. Not having internet on the train made it difficult to plan, but with early searching and using my photoshop skills I was able to get a google map of the hotel – trainstation details.

I’m staying at Hotel la Cloche… where I have to check-in at the Café prior to pick up keys. The Café is on a strip that looks over to the open space (currently filled up with a carnval), with many shops I thought it might be hard to pick up keys. Got in as everyone was on the patio; because of the nice weather. The hotel is actually located 2 streets south of the café tucked in a side street. There is no reception, as the Café is basically like a off-site reception. Got room 2, which is located on the street level. Not inductive to a great nights rest but it’ll be alright.

Met up at 7pm for dinner and wandered the town, to look for a location nto eat.

13: Last day in Paris

Slow morning as nothing opens before 10am, so took it easy. Wanted to go to the Musee of the Catacombs, but with the time constraints we just decided not to do it, went back to the student restaurant and enjoyed some fish and pilaf. Packed as always, but us just so happen to get seats every time we go….

Departed and decided to go to Petit Palasis, and Musee d’art Modern. Both were great museum. After I went there met back up with TN @ Bercy Village to see the village within the city. Lined with shops and cafes, it’s just very nice looking in terms of the cobble stones and old feel it gives as you walk through the streets! As our luck indicates, it was a special VIP program on that day, which meant discounts at the locations of those stores. In particular it allowed us to have 2 scoops at the Gelato store. After walking through the stores, we made our way to get gelato and then to Gallerie Layfette. 

This is the huge shopping complex in Paris filled with designer wear and luxury brands. Not only is it an attraction it also is where those that are looking for the new designs come to shop at all of the stores. The company has actually three locations.  One for women, one for men, and another for house ware. Great designers of Europe and even household American branding as well. But the top fashion house ware in this store. Spent a good while going through each store to get a feel of the atmosphere, but it was very overwhelming the prices the clothes and the people. Not as crazy as Oxford Street, but it was still filled with a lot of tourist. Especially for LV leather goods. Many Japanese tourist lining up to get their bags. I wonder how much they are able to sell within a day, and how many of them get stolen or taken during the rush….

After that we went to a tourist area in Saint-Michel, where they have many different cuisines from Greek, to Indian, Italian and even somewhat authentic Chinese. Gyros was the way to go today, as it was fast and easy to carry around. Then we went to Notre Dame and saw some comedy show and was able to see some street performers that were actually the same from the summer. Not sure how they operate as it is very cold! The winds were making the night time walk not bearable. It was just that the winds started to pick up and every bone in your body becomes to frigid to move. That was the case tonight, even though we walked to walk along the Seine, it was a chilly front.

Ended the night with more walking and getting home for a restful evening.

12: Musée, Musée, Museum.

Morning consisted of grocery shopping at the local market shop and got fresh baguette, croissants and crepes. Learned that many French like the notion of eating Sweets in the morning and salty in the afternoon, evening. So that can explain the Nutella, Jams, and buttery goodness of their pastries always glazed with sugar. Without a doubt, that is their typical breakfast.



Staying with TN means that we get to ride the RER more often that last August where we became very familiar with Gare de L’est. Made our way to the first museum!

Musée d’Orsay. I love this museum. It’s not as crowded as the Louvre, not as huge and just a great layout. They showcase many paints along with sculptures from famous artists. The main draws would include Monet, and Rembrandt, along with others of the impressionist era. The muse was once a main train hub in the 19th, to early 20th C. As transportation via rail became more popular it outgrew the station, and moved to a much LARGER train station (Gare du Nord, or L’est). So the building became vacant for some time, until the government issued it as a muse to showcase some of Louise XIV, and Louis XV artwork. This building has a great golden clock at the entrance and the building itself is magnificent, but the line-up and security checks are long. Even so, the 30minute wait for Free entrance makes it worth wild.

After the muse, we made our way to the Government Funded Student Restaurant located at Pont-Royal, where a meal starts at 2.90 EURO. Cheap considering you have an entrée (salad), plat (main) and a dessert. Nurtous and cheap. Busy with students from all around Paris, it houses three other restaurants inside of the building. It’s similar to a main campus building, but with residences and offices located in the same location.



After lunch, we decided to go to Centre de George Pompidou. This is where the Musée national Modern Art makes its’ home and where they’ve created an atmosphere to inspire the youth to design, create and experiment with alternative aspects of the Arts. In the location consists of a glass escalator for 6 floors, library, 2 cinema screens and research site. While TN went to school, I was able to go around the gallery and take in the permanent exhibition. The theme for the gallery  women in arts and their influence of the medium. On the upper level was temporary exhibits, 5th floor (1900-1960; Modern Art), 4th floor was 1960-present; contemporary art. Many installations and amazing works on display. Some of the most memorable works included this one piece where they took chairs (made of Plexiglas) and enables the user to experience the whole realm of listening and search for other samples. All within the confines of the users comfort. Great way for the user to experience the whole of the music. Afterwards met back up with TN (at the Catacombs, but it was closed 17h…) so we decided to go around Bastille and walk around Place du Vosges. It was once a famous ground for the likes of Napoleon, and the aristocrats of France. Buildings surround the gardens, where kids play football and families come to experience the nature of their jardin. Caught a bit of some kids playing a quick match on the dirt ground. Everyday life of these children.

Went around the Place and then went to dinner at Leon de Bruxelles. A location where they serve Moules (mussels). Decided to try the white wine and fresh cream style to get the flavours of the meat. Unlimited frites, Bier and dessert to add. A great steal for 15.90 euro. Very busy at this location, but rightfully so, as the moules were cooked with perfection. Went back towards Palasis Royal and saw the grounds and went to the Louvre to get some night-time shots. Accomplished and back home.

11: Transit from Southampton to Paris

Woke up early in the morning to catch the 6am Coach into London Victoria station. Upon arrival into the city, there was the typical rush hour traffic of any major city hub, but the traffic inside of London was manageable. With everyone going towards the core, it was very easy for the coach to find the right lane to get us to our destination. Once at the Coach station, the proximity to the Tube station is still a good walk, approximately 400m. But with many people on the streets it’s was still fast paced with everyone moving in an orderly fashion. The Underground works because they allow the public to enter in many entrance/exit points. At a busy hub such as Victoria it is even more essential for orderly fashion and queuing. In the British culture it is normal for people to wait in a cue for a short period of time, but when it becomes long that is when it becomes unbearable.  On the effort to save a couple of pounds I opted to get on the tube after 9:30am. The Underground also accounts for peak-hour premium to discourage unnecessary travel during the hours of 5-9:30am. As such, I just waited the extra 15 minutes and was on my way towards St.Pancras Station.

St. Pancras was a terminal set-up for international travel. Within the last century they created the English tunnel in order for the easy commute of cars, trains, Lorries to have fast and efficient means of transport across the English Channel. The check-in was typical stamping of passports and X-rays the luggage, nothing out of the ordinary. After 2 hours we arrived into Paris (Nord) and met up with TN.

From the Train Station towards TN apartment was a quick metro ride with changing of the lines made it very smooth. Dropped of the luggage, rested for an hour and decided to embark on the Paris sightseeing tour to experience everything that was missing the last time I was here.

The theme for the day was Stairs, Ariel Views and Student lifestyle. In France, there are many attractions that tourist love, with those that are quite famous. As an EU citizen between the ages of 18-25, you are encouraged to go into these attractions and experience history. TN is currently in Paris to study for 1.5 years and has a student card. I, not being a student, am not entitled to these benefits… So what do we do? Take another student card from a fellow Asian and use it as ID. It worked! Some places asked for additional ID, but we didn’t have any on us, but they still let us enter.

First stop of the evening: Notre Dame along with 400 steps, a great view of the city and gargoyles to make the trip a worth wild experience. FREE! But it was the journey up the narrow stairwell that makes it hard to travel up. Upon the ascent, it boggles the mind to try and think about the number of people that go into the Attraction every day of the year. How many people have also stepped on these steps and seen this site. Notre Dame is always a wonder to be at and is amazing to see how it never fails to have a huge line-up.

(NOTE: this shot was inspired by KC! when she was in Paris)

The opportunity to experience the bell, the steps and the view, was a great way to start the trip. Next up Arc du Triumph. Same idea of steps, not as many but inside of the building was the museum of the Arc. A little bit of history mixed with statues and other memorials of the fallen soldiers of those wars. Got our tickets but decided to go to the top at night time to get the cityscape in lights. Even though the weather was cold, with temperatures of 9 with strong winds, it did not deter us from going and walking on Bd. Haussmann towards the infamous Gallérie Lafayette. Upon walk, TN explained that Haussmann was the famous designed who created the balconies of the apartments and MADE it such that on the 2^nd and 4^th floor is where the wealthy live. Great architecture still preserved to this day.

At night we arrived back to the Arc and experienced everything inside of the monument.

10: Winchester and supermarkets

Typical day out in the burbs of London... aka Southampton.
Cuaght the buzz on the UK elections happening on Thursday May 6th, 2010.
Its a very close race between the three front runners (Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats)

When

9: Bath and Stonehenge

Morning starts off right with a hearty Asian affair

点心 Dim sum a la home style!

(L-R; starting on the top left corner. Corn soup, pan-friend buns with Curry and chicken, or BBQ pork; Steamed Turkey dumplings 燒賣 siu mai ; (鍋貼, woh tip) Potstickers.

Great homemade by my cousin. Here is the thing about Asian food outside of London (it rarely exists in the traditional sense) No authethic shops, only the Chinese buffet with General tao chciken... o barf!


The rest of the day consistented of Driving 50miles towards Bath and experiencing the Roman Baths that have made the town of Bath, England famous.
Seeing as it was a holiday Monday (we should have expected more traffic than we were thinking. It was tough to get in, but the plan was to go to BATH, and then to go over to the Stonehenges.

The anicent roman bath is definitely the sight to see while in Bath. Admission was £10 (Student). Worth it for the experience. But not something Id do on a regular basis.
Here are some photos from my journey into the Baths.

Ariel View of the Main Bath 

Raising the floor to create a Sauna type room. Hottest at Bath.

After venturing through the Bath, we took the car and drove back towards home (and to stop by stonehenge) on the way. Due to traffic I didn't get to walk on the grounds, but you can't even get up close and personal anymore. Plus there is now an admissions fee to get in.... Bullocks!

Got as close as we could, as we just missed the cut off time to see the World Hertiage site. (second of the day)

The photo almost looks like I stole it off of the internet, but it's REAL. and I was that close (behind barriers and fences). Rumour has it that 5-10 years ago gypsies were sleeping under or in the stones and creating a nusiances, along with those that wanted to steal a piece of the stones. That is why there is a separate entrance and an admission fee to see the famous objects.

NEXT TIME.

Agenda for tmr: Winchester and shopping?

8: Portmouth

Late sunday wake-up (11am)
Had a traditional English Breakfast with all the fixings

Egg, Baked Beans, Fried Mushroom, friend tomato, hashbrown, toast, ham (no sausage)

NEXT stop: driving to Portsmouth (the Waterfront City)

As usual I fell asleep on this rainy Sunday afternoon. Driving down to the Quay and the mega outlet mall. Typical driving along the Motorway. It does take some time to adjust to the roundabouts and the "left" driving. But it's not like I was at the drivers seat. I'm at my cousins house in southampton for the next 3 days taking in the smaller cities near the coast and out of Londons area.

While at the quay/pier, the weather dipped down to 8 degrees. Having packed for somewhat warmer weather it was a drastic change to have the temperature be cold. The previous week while in London, the temperatures were 17-19 degrees and I got away with wearing Birkenstocks. I have a lovely tanlines from my sandals. I'm usually opposed to them, but it's the case where you cant really pick and choose your footwear.... in the middle of the busy streets of london.

Portmouth is another Port city with a castle that got overtaken during some war of Europe. Great historical buildings still stand, but the majority has been taken down for more new and exciting architecture.

There are many musuems in portsmouth, one of the more important ones that I went to was D-Day museum. showcasing the events of the important date in European history of WWII.

Great day trip. Came home and rested.

Here is a great video I found at LA BLOGETHEQUIE

Papier Tigre - Restless Empire - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

7: Southampton, Rain!

Early morning to a late night.

Camden Passage MArket for Antique browsing! Just had enough time to spend all of 20minutes appreciating silverware, tea cups and more.

Caught the coach going to Southampton (10minutes by tube, and 10 mins for the walk)

Coach ride-- typical falling asleep!
Entered Southampton.

6: viewpoint, a okay

Started the day with some chatter with flatmates, Ive been living in Camden for the last week. North part of London, known for it's market and it's "punk/gothic" ways of the past. Some may even think of student ghetto, but it's now been infused with more yuppies taking over the area.
Walked up to Camden Market and right past it is an area called Chalk Farm (a upand coming area... like Parkdale but less dodgy).
Mission: Regent's Park and Primerose Hill.

As I cut through the street and asked for direction, they all advised me to NOT go to the canals alone (as it was dangerous)... hmmm never thought about those "dark" corners of cities before...

AFter a 20min detour got into Regen'ts Park and walked through the greenery to Primerose Hill for one of hte best vantage points of the Downtown core. (like St.clair looking down at Yonge/Bloor, CN tower). Great view!

Then walked through Marybourne borough, then all the way to Tower of London.
The scam doesn't work, so I just turned around and walked to oxford street.

The walk along North Bank, NOT as beautiful as Southbank.

Went out for flatmates birthday!!!
End now - expanding on previous updates over the weekend (while I'm in Southampton!)

5: Friends are better for "afternoon" tea

Cloudy, Rainy, Overcast was the feel for today.

AV came into town and I took her around London (having been here 4 days previous to her arrival)
Got tickets at Avenue Q in the AM = FABULOUS!

Then we walked through hyde park, past buckingham palace to Harrod's.
Ventured into Harrods, and decided that we need to do more typical tourist affair.
Went to Westminister, and Big Ben were sighted then crossed over to the Southbank to visit the
Tunnel beneath Waterloo

Then we went to Borough Market!
AMAzING place, probably should have went FRiday or Saturday.... but we might not be here.

The smells of this market are soo true, fresh and unbeleiveable to describe.

We ended up getting a meat pie to share (1/2) or (1/4 for each)...
Then we went back to Oxford Street and did some impromtu search for afternoon tea.

We were saying high tea -- but what they really mean is afternoon tea.
We ventured into Hyatt Regency - as we figured a hotel would have this lovely occassion.

Enjoyed a good 1.5 hrs munching on sugar, sugar and caffefine.
That and shopping at Uni Quo. Japanese H&M/Amercian Apparel! Brought us towards showtime.
Cut through Chinatown/Soho and got to the theatre.

REview of just the theatre and show in the next post

4: Oxford

Walked towards Marble Arch to hop onto the Oxford Tube (  13 Roundtrip Student!)

Arrived into Oxford after a 1hr 40min bus ride, right into the quaint city of oxford, famous for it's University. With my fresh young face I was able to just sneak into more colleges without paying, as I had that determined (must revise) look on my face. I did get caught twice; once in Univeristy college of st.mary? I accidently went into hte chapel while it was closed (Dead give away), the other was trying to sneak into the library.

Here's a picture to tie you over...

Some one left their bike locked up to itself, and the kind security people on london wall brought it in for safe keeping.

Cheers

3

British Museum

Monmouth Coffee- Latte!!
Embankment
Jubilee Bridge
Southbank walk
Graffiti search
Tate Modern
South bank again
London Bridge
Monument
the city tour - old and new structures
St. Pauls
Millienium bridge
Up to the "closed Museum of Lond
Walk to Aldgate / finding brick Lane
Lost but found -  nice guy in bike store
Searching along Brick Lane for Banksy and OBEY stuff.... no luck.

Dinner with SP @ monsoon in Brick Lane (only 10pounds)
Tour through Spitfield/Shoreditch...
Walked to Aldywich? near LSE
Leischested Sq

notes: e-mail SP: investments, Kim Catrall, Oxford Tube... Mexican place in Covent Garden, Portobello Market, Cheese place in Borough market.

2: Exploring the unknown

Distance walked: 13km


Highlights/ Chronological Breakdown:
Leichester Sq (Tkts booth), Billy Elliot RUSH tickets (Victoria Palace Theatre)
Buckingham Palace (10:45am) Changing of the guards. View point from Victoria Statue

Take a break and watch the ending part of the procession on Vimeo.

House of Parliement featuring Big Ben

Walked along the South Bank (WEST side) towards Lambeth Bridge trying to still find artwork from Banksy. No dice! Enjoyed the lovely warm sun as I strolled over the bridge to get to the next destination:
Tate Britain - This museum/Art Gallery houses mostly Artists that have influenced the British art scene. I will have to come back and explore more British artists.

Since I was going to MAX out my oyster card I decided to take the Tube towards Covent Garden and just explore more of that open market. While in London I been on a Fixed bike Spotting crusade.
As my lovely friend SL says. " you know how some people will stare at beautiful ... people, shoes, bags, clothes... PC will loook at bikes."
I just have a fascination with customized Fixed bicycles. It takes a certain creative mind/passionate person to come up with the colour scheme and acquire the parts to get the bike built up. Seeing I was in another urban area I figured that Id try to become a "local" and ask around for the best bike shops in town.

In TO; Id say... Urbane, Sweet Petes, Bike Priates, MEC, and sometimes Bikes on Wheels....

In London; Toyko Fixed Gear - HIPSTER (hardcore), tucked in Soho. I spent a good 15 minutes to try and find this location. Its tucked in between red light streets and on a very narrow street.
Brick Lane bikes - More Urbane style; down to earth people in the shop, and REALLY hott mechanics working in the back (almost felt like it was a made up garage in the back!). I'd shop here if I was in London.
14 Bikes Co.  - located in Truman Brewery is the truest shop to reclaiming unused space. This is where all the hipsters/yuppies hangout! But they have really nice open concept shop with many high end products, and in house anodized connection and powder coating.

Apparently the FIXED gear scene is newish in London. It will cost between £800-1200. Which equates to 1230- 1900 CDN$. That 's DOUBLE what it took me to make my bike! obsurd pricey here inthe UK.
My cover -- I just moved here and was wondering how much a GOLD anodized quill stem would cost. 1", 26.0 . I KNOW the LINGO!
They probably thought I was a poser!

Another trend I've noticed is that the bikes share a lane with Taxis nad BUS (those huge double decked buses).... SCARY. so most rider where this nifty rucksack cover. They also wearh FULL reflective waterproof jackets and pants as well. I felt like it was a high-lighter, commerical. All these bikes whizzing through the streets.


Decided to have dinner from "Food for Thought" Mousaka!!! but in the Green PARK (and just  chill out with my notebook and catch up on the event of the day. Then walked past Buckhingham Palace to go and Watch Billy Elliot.


Ending with the "space invaders" that are all around London. It's great street art.

Billy Elliot is a MUST SEE, its Amazing. Day tickets were £19.50, front row (slightly obstructed view). The singing, dancing and performing was very powerful. I must have cried about 5 times.

Trend: theatres in London are not as huge as toronto

1: We're finally off.

Chonrological breakdown of the days event:
Left the hotel at around 11:30pm
11:45pm Arrival
11:48pm Staking out a spot in front of counter 532.
midnight-2am (waiting with 8 new friends)

2am - first to checkin!!!
3am (had to wait until I could bring my bag over to the over-sized
4am -  Customs (Breeze)
5am - Broading
5:30am - FLIGHT (unscheduled) to Gatwick
5:50pm - Arrival
6:15pm- Luggage claimed and off to Gatwick Express
7:05pm LONDON victoria stn

8pm - Met WW in Camden... my bag is truly heavy!
dinner and unpacking.

LONDON let's go!

sad news: no manchester game.
Man U 3: Spurs :1

SAD
NO ROONEY
NO REDS
Maybe May 9th.. we'll see.


in Camden, getting ready for London Marathon..
no clue about this ankle.

Cheers!

-1: Premature departure?

HAHAHA, jokes on me Iceland volcano.

WOW. 3 hours waiting to check-in (thanks ER for the drive!!!)...., only to find out that it was 2 flights merged onto 1 plane, a much smaller than anticipated plane. Jokes on me. I also liked that they told us this (AS the plane was FULL).... thanks for the communication!

After that ordeal or lining up (queing), I'm a pro-master of ques. check-in, getting a hotel vocher, getting on hotel shuttle, checking into hotel, -- I'm now at the Crown Plaza.... spending internet time and re-booking things.


Had some good $25 worth of pizza and shut-eye for 2 hours, than back to the airport for 12am (so I can brave it with the other ppl, for check-in at 2am.) FML.

I attempted to post photos, but the wireless connection here must be limiting my uploading power.

Keep it locked and positive thinking for getting on this 6am flight. I'm going to be "well-rested" on the plane.

This too Shall Past!

0: Departure!

It's the BIG day that I fly out.

Last night was a Staff gathering. (HI!!!) Fun times, familiar faces, great stories shared. Caught up and ready to roll. Received some lovely plane letters, that I will READ this time and not spoil or cherish forever at the end of my trip ;).

Morning consisted of last-minute packing and booking trains/connection.
Coffee w/ MS. and just waiting to go to the Airport.

I spoke with MS and decided that I'm going to try and create some videos while away -- but with an angle. You know, those kitchy videos that are 3-4min long exposing the world of youtube of something amazing.... I'm going to try that out. We'll see how adment I am about keeping up the process.

Checklist:
-Wicked
-Manchester United
-Stonehenge
-Flying BA?
- exploring!

More espresso, Tea, and cakes!

Flight information:
Friday, 2010-04-23
HOME to London (LGW)
Depart:   17:25  Arrive:   05:10 (LGW)

Coming back
Monday, 2010-05-17
Glasgow (GLA) to Home  
Depart:   14:20 (GLA)  Arrive:   16:35

Pre-Journey

Thoughts that descended upon me as I awoke this morning:
*I'm actually leaving*

To add insult to injuiry, my flight plans have been changed 2 times within 24 hours. Volcano... you are on my hit-list. As such I had to re-book some of my train schedules for the Saturday, it was painful. but it got done.

Great times on the phone with 4 different companies. This meant that I was on hold for a culmulative time of 2 hours. Gosh, what would we have done if they didn't invent the "elevator music" OR the Internet.

Needless to say - everything is now in order, but still gotta sort things out tomorrow morning.

Tasks accomplished:
-Packing
-Confirming travel information
-Passport and cash

** You'll notice a new template. Use the social networking icons in the Right corner to see more. I'm now on Flickr, so that's where I'll be hosting my photos. FB takes too long to upload.**