Day #4: Brick Lane and Shakespeare

Morning, y'all! Today may be divided into two parts, just because of schedule. I went to Brick Lane this morning, and am seeing Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre tonight. Because of timing I'll probably post the Globe pictures tomorrow.....sleep is important! 

So.....Brick Lane. One of my goals for the trip to London was to see the different sides of London. This was different than anything I've seen so far. Wednesday was New Bond St, with Chanel, Hermes, and any other luxury store you could think of. Today was Brick Lane - the most eclectic mix of people and shops available. So much vintage! Wednesday was salespeople in suits, today was shop owners in kilts and tutus (worn together) with multi-colored hair. So awesome. Brick Lane was so much fun to walk through and see what was available. Tons of vintage leather jackets, clothing made from pieces of other vintage clothing, fun jewelry. 

Two of the buildings with booths - definitely original and fun to see. 

Shop dog! One requirement anywhere you are is to always, always get permission before you take a photo of a person or any of their things. There was a sign next to this guy that said if he was awake he loved pets. I even got kisses! 

Bond, James Bond. I had a debate with a nearby shopkeeper.....is this Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan? Fun story: When I suggested that it could be Roger Moore, she scoffed and said "Oh no. My mother lived next to Roger's mother. Roger Moore is a blonde." Well all-righty then.  :) 

Yes! 

Down Brick Lane. Again, a totally different look and feel than central London. 

More on the jewelry.....I had been following an artist I originally saw on the Camden Market webpage, and she had moved to Brick Lane. She had the most beautiful items, I was very glad to find her. I bought a pair of earrings (with people!) and a ring. Looking forward to wearing both of them back home. Chrysa does have both Facebook and Instagram, if you're interested in seeing more of her work! 

I absolutely love these earrings. So happy she still had some available! 

Gorgeous ring. She had many different sizes available, and could size up / down on the spot if needed. 

More from Brick Lane...... 

The real life Roger (Rent)? Looked up and he was quietly serenading those that walked by. 

From my research: There's a fierce competition between these two bagel shops. The one on the right (white sign, red lettering) gets the most attention, but the the one with the yellow / red sign is supposed to be better. Not sure who wins, but they both had long lines. 

And lastly, just a cool story. Remember the street art on the buildings in Paris? I found it in real life! I asked before taking his picture, and he gave me permission as long as I didn't show his face. "It's illegal," he said, "I don't want to get arrested." Not sure there was much interest in arresting him, since the shopkeepers and passerby were all watching him do it (and it was quite a process). He also asked me to follow him on Instagram. Not sure if I'm allowed to tag him here, but you can look up my follow / followers on Insta and see him. Beautiful work. 

That's all for now! On to Shakespeare's world......

Day #3: Borough Market and St Dunstan in the East

Happy Friday! Today's story is told in pictures. The morning was a food tour of Borough Market. Six stops with different food and flavors of London, all centered around the Borough Food Market. It's a farmer's market on excessive steroids. My chef friends (and myself) would go absolutely bonkers here. The afternoon was a visit to St Dunstan in the East. The church was bombed during WWII and instead of rebuilding, they let nature take over and turned it into a park. The result is a tiny bit of beauty in the middle of the city.  I can use words, but the pictures do a much better job. :) 

Note: Apparently Blogspot decided to upload the pics in reverse order, so we'll start with St. Dunstan. Absolutely beautiful spot with lots of benches to sit quietly and reflect. 

Switching gears.....food tour! 

Sticky toffee pudding and tea from The Boot and Flogger. Absolutely yummy. 

Neal's Yard Dairy, a cheese shop. Cheese here came from individual farms, not even from regions. If you wanted cheese from Old MacDonald, they likely had it. 

Cider! Very different tasting than what we get in the states. More mineral, with a slight sour taste. I liked it better - this store had bottles (like wine bottles). I may have to find a shop that sells them to take one home. 

Part of the market, with stalls on each side. Packed! 

No British food tour would be complete without fish and chips. Not too sure about the chips (too potato-y for me), but the fish was fabulous.

The famous (at least in song) London Bridge. It's funny, because the Tower Bridge is much more ornate and fancy. Fun fact - the building that looks like it's bending (the walkie-talkie building) is home to the Sky Garden. I'm going there on Monday. 

Issak (our tour guide) joked that many tour guides in London were out of work actors. If you look at his facial expression, you'll see he was one of those actors. (He had a role in the Amy Winehouse movie, but it was cut) 

Winchester Palace, only discovered when workers began excavating the site for development. This was essentially a den of iniquity (sp?) for the local clergy. They may have been men of G-d by profession, but they didn't act like it..... 

Doughnuts! The shop manager said these had 1/2 the sugar of regular doughnuts. That makes them healthy......right? We tried the lemon meringue. 

Sausage rolls - fresh sausage wrapped in pastry. I'm probably breaking some sort of Southern code of ethics, but I would choose these over Bojangles any day. 

Our group at the last stop. Lots of fun! 

 

Day #2: 334 Steps to the Top of Big Ben

 Day #2, a little more food, a little more rest. And Big Ben! I was alternately excited and nervous for this one. Less than a year ago they opened up reservations to climb to the top of Big Ben via a tight and winding staircase - 334 steps in all. These tickets sell out quickly, and I managed to snag on of the last ones for the time I was here. My question - 334 steps works out to about 20 flights of stairs in all. Was this a goal I could accomplish, or would they need to call me an ambulance about halfway through? 

I'm pleased to say I succeeded! I got to walk behind the clock face, as well as be next to the bells when they chimed the hour (2pm). Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures - it's a security risk - but you'll hopefully take my word for it that it's an amazing experience. If you get the chance, do it! 

From the walk over. Don't know if you can see the details - but it's New Scotland Yard. This is about 5 minutes in one direction from my hotel, Old Scotland Yard is 5 minutes in the other direction. 

I put away my phone (Google maps) at some point in the walk, thinking I'd be able to see Big Ben and figure out where to go. If you enlarge the picture, you'll see what I mean. Hard to miss!  :) 

Before the climb - yup, it's a really tall tower. 

After the climb. Sweaty and slightly stinky, but happy with myself. 

From the walk home - the London Eye 

Day #2 was also Day #1 of the theatre! I got to see Hadestown. If you haven't seen it, brush up on your Greek mythology of Hades / Persephone and Orpheus / Eryudice. Be aware though, it'll also spoil the ending. I also got lucky enough to get pictures with a number of the actors at the stage door afterwards. They were all so gracious and kind! 

Again with the McDonalds. You can see McDonalds in the upper left, and the sign for Hadestown in the middle right. No, I did NOT stop there for dinner. 

I ordered tickets really early, so was able to get center tix close to the stage. Worth it! 

The ceiling. No good stories about it, just that our buildings in the US don't have stuff like this! 

With the actress who played Hermes (the narrator). This would be a fun role to play - the actress brought a great energy to it. 

Orpheus. So very cute, but dang, doesn't he look 12? He's supposed to be young and innocent so I guess that's the point.....

Persephone. I was in awe of her singing. At one point she was belting full force while doing a backbend that almost reached to her knees. How she got air into her lungs while doing that, I'll never know. 

Hades. When my mom saw this picture, she commented "Oh, you thought he was good looking!" Why yes, yes I did. :) He was also the understudy, and did a great job. 

The next day is the food tour of Borough Market and St Dunstan in the East. More to come! 

Day #1 London Calling......

 .....and, we're back! The plane got in about 12:30pm, and the jet lag hit hard about 7:30pm (or it could've been the wine, who knows). I wanted to get this up before I crashed, but please believe that after I type this, I'm crashing.  

Apologies for the snobbery, but if you can fly business class on international flights, do it. Sitting in a lie-flat seat and being able to get a good nap is the difference between losing a day to jet lag and being able to keep going. I got a good 6hrs plus breakfast, and it's the only reason I felt good about walking around today. 

Today was Leicester Square, Hermes (accidental) and Fortnum and Mason. I've heard several London blogs call the Square "the place where good taste goes to die" but I really enjoyed it. You go there realizing it's a tourist hot spot, and you're fine. There are street performers on every corner, which gave the square a carnival atmosphere. The reason I went was for the statues. They started as an exhibition a few years ago, and became so popular that they stayed long past their original expiration date. I got pics with some of my favorites. 

Paddington! Even his statue is cute and cuddly. 

An in-depth discussion with Mr. Bean. I traded with two other tourists to get this shot. 

Mary Poppins 

Wonder Woman was a bit hard to find. She's around the corner and high up. Her lasso does light up at night, though, which makes her extra cool. 

Batman keeps watch from the top of the movie theatre. 

Charlie Chaplin. The idea that the only way to get a picture of him was with McDonalds perfectly framed in the background makes me laugh..... 

And lastly, Gene Kelly singing in the rain......

While I was in Leicester Square I saw a gentleman carrying an Hermes bag, which made me realize their flagship store was only about 10minutes away. I know the chance of me getting a bag - any bag - from the store was slim to none, but I had to try. If nothing else it would be a chance to see some of their bags up close and personal instead of looking at tiny pictures only. It's really difficult to decide what you like / don't like off of tiny pictures. It was a nice surprise to discover their sales associates were as nice and kind as could be (I had hear mixed reviews online, I was a little worried). Plus, they had a small terrace where they offered free coffee and champagne. If you wanted a spot for people watching, that was it. 

A lovely spot for (free!) champagne sipping and people watching

Finally, Fortnum and Mason. This is where the jet lag hit me. It's also where I have to talk about the fabulous customer service. My mission was to find a Scotch Egg (recommended in a travel blog). Not only was the original associate able to give me a history of the Scotch Egg while we were walking over, the lady behind the counter was kind enough to package and save the last one for me, enabling me to take it back to the hotel room for dinner. I also discovered lots of pre-prepared items are 50-75% off at the end of the night. The Nutella shortbread tart made for a really great second course! 

It's not an artistic picture, but it tasted good!

.....and now I'm crashing. Tomorrow is Big Ben, Mercato Market and Hadestown. Looking forward to it! (and to some sleep!)