We love Notting Hill, but Camden Market is a close second. The clash of cultures and blaring music had vendors and shoppers alike bouncing and bobbing to the beat of a billion different tunes. Katie and I would catch ourselves dancing along too. It was great. So great that we spent two days hanging out and browsing the endless stalls of jewelry, antiques, and mountains of clothes.
We were so proud to find ideal gifts for our family and friends (we managed to find a little something for ourselves too). The first day we took cheap Chinese food home for dinner. The second day we decided to stay awhile and try more Chinese cuisine Camden had to offer. This time; however, we had some interesting guests join us in the "food court" for lunch. The pidgeons were a bit too friendly, hopping up onto the tables and begging for scraps. They were kind enough to leave tokens of appreciation... Needless to say, I quickly lost my appetite.
But thanks to the pidgeons, we had plenty of room for dessert! I had a Belgian waffle while Katie enjoyed a crepe. If you can't already tell, food and shopping is all that's left on our agenda. We've seen everything else in London. We're making the most of it.
If you don't mind the crowds and dirty pidgeons, you must go to Camden Market for loads of fun, food, and a lot of funk. It was an experience we'll certainly remember.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
We Passed By it Ten Times
Since we've been shopping all the time here, we figured we needed to add some culture to our holiday. That National Gallery we passed so many times on our way to dinner and the theater was just the place to get it too. We were astounded by the artwork we got to see there. Plus, it was FREE!!!
Before our artful afternoon, we saw a street performer do some magic just outside the gallery. He was a regular Houdini, literally. He did the same trick the magician became famous for so many years ago - escaping from a straight jacket and chains. It was pretty cool.
After tipping the street performer for successfully escaping the funny farm, we went inside to see some of the most famous pieces of art known to man. Da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks" was my favorite. I now understand why people consider him to be a genius. It was definitely different to see his work in person. But I won't bore you with art stuffiness. However, Katie and I were so happy to have the chance to admire Renoir, Van Gogh, Monet, and more famous works we'd only learned about in art history college courses.
That evening we decided to eat out since the guys were going to the gym. We went to get a healthy order of burgers and fries (all the walking here helps us burn it off anyway). It was the perfect way to end our day. Byron's really knows how to make a "proper" burger. But we can hardly wait for the cheaper version back home...
Before our artful afternoon, we saw a street performer do some magic just outside the gallery. He was a regular Houdini, literally. He did the same trick the magician became famous for so many years ago - escaping from a straight jacket and chains. It was pretty cool.
After tipping the street performer for successfully escaping the funny farm, we went inside to see some of the most famous pieces of art known to man. Da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks" was my favorite. I now understand why people consider him to be a genius. It was definitely different to see his work in person. But I won't bore you with art stuffiness. However, Katie and I were so happy to have the chance to admire Renoir, Van Gogh, Monet, and more famous works we'd only learned about in art history college courses.
That evening we decided to eat out since the guys were going to the gym. We went to get a healthy order of burgers and fries (all the walking here helps us burn it off anyway). It was the perfect way to end our day. Byron's really knows how to make a "proper" burger. But we can hardly wait for the cheaper version back home...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
We Love Notting Hill
Tuesday was considerably more successful than our trip to Spitalfield. Did we mention how much we love Notting Hill? Well, we got our fix today. We started out having lunch at Pret-A-Manger (can't get enough of that place either). Katie and I are considering calling up their corporate offices to see if they'd be interested in expanding their restaurants to Oklahoma. We'll let you know if it's a go or not...
When lunch was over, we hit the stores. I was very happy to find some future niece/nephew, gender neutral gifts. After yesterday, Katie and I were more willing to spend our money. We reminded ourselves that there are only a few days left, and this is the week we've been waiting to splurge on. However, there's only so much we can fit in our suitcases, so we're trying to be mindful of that as well. I think I reached my max weight on luggage today.
Shopping bags in hand, we headed back home to make some dinner and celebrate our successful day. And dinner was an even bigger success. We made our own version of chicken tettrazini - tagliatelle noodles with chicken and peas, in a creamy cheesy sauce. Katie and I both had seconds, it was so good! We might compile a cookbook to remember all the wonderful things we've made while on our trip.
Hoping everyone is staying safe in the snow and ice back home. Katie and I would like to end this blog by saying, "HAPPY STATE OF EMERGENCY DAY!!!!"
When lunch was over, we hit the stores. I was very happy to find some future niece/nephew, gender neutral gifts. After yesterday, Katie and I were more willing to spend our money. We reminded ourselves that there are only a few days left, and this is the week we've been waiting to splurge on. However, there's only so much we can fit in our suitcases, so we're trying to be mindful of that as well. I think I reached my max weight on luggage today.
Shopping bags in hand, we headed back home to make some dinner and celebrate our successful day. And dinner was an even bigger success. We made our own version of chicken tettrazini - tagliatelle noodles with chicken and peas, in a creamy cheesy sauce. Katie and I both had seconds, it was so good! We might compile a cookbook to remember all the wonderful things we've made while on our trip.
Hoping everyone is staying safe in the snow and ice back home. Katie and I would like to end this blog by saying, "HAPPY STATE OF EMERGENCY DAY!!!!"
Monday, January 31, 2011
Spitalfield Market
Paris was a big trip, so Katie and I felt justified for sleeping late on Monday. However, we managed to get up and go see some more places around London. Our first stop on the agenda was Spitalfield Market. It was kind of small compared to Notting Hill, but the cute shops surrounding it were fun to browse. Too bad they were too expensive to buy anything.
We've started to see a pattern at this point. Pretty much all the markets sell the same thing. We've seen the same dresses and clothes at almost every venue. The prices are the same too. When we find something that's out of the ordinary, we're sad to see it's considerably more costly. Katie's pretty good at bargaining though, so she managed to get a good deal on a few items she found.
Spitalfield was fun, but it was cold that day so we were ready to head back where it was warm. I'm getting a little homesick at this point, knowing I'm about to miss all the snow fun that's about to happen in Oklahoma. Katie's ready to move to London :-) Either way, this blog is a shout out to our friends and family. Just one more week to go. We're making the most of it, but we're also looking forward to coming home and sharing our journey with our loved ones.
We've started to see a pattern at this point. Pretty much all the markets sell the same thing. We've seen the same dresses and clothes at almost every venue. The prices are the same too. When we find something that's out of the ordinary, we're sad to see it's considerably more costly. Katie's pretty good at bargaining though, so she managed to get a good deal on a few items she found.
Spitalfield was fun, but it was cold that day so we were ready to head back where it was warm. I'm getting a little homesick at this point, knowing I'm about to miss all the snow fun that's about to happen in Oklahoma. Katie's ready to move to London :-) Either way, this blog is a shout out to our friends and family. Just one more week to go. We're making the most of it, but we're also looking forward to coming home and sharing our journey with our loved ones.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
One Night in Paris
Here's a condensed list of everything we did in Paris. There's a lot, so we thought this would be the best way to tell you about our trip.
(Friday, we mainly packed and got ready. We were both kind of out of it, so it seemed like a good opportunity to rest before our fun-filled weekend...It turned out to be even more than we expected)
Saturday:
(Friday, we mainly packed and got ready. We were both kind of out of it, so it seemed like a good opportunity to rest before our fun-filled weekend...It turned out to be even more than we expected)
Saturday:
- Sleep on train
- Find hotel/hostel
- See the ghetto of Paris (it's everywhere)
- Go see Notre Dame (breathtaking)
- Go to the Louvre Museum
- Get two free museum tickets handed to us from some girl and her winky boyfriend :) (save 20 euros)
- Boys ditch out (they don't like art)
- Find the Mona Lisa (she's still smiling)
- Eat escargot for the first time at a cafe near the Eiffel Tower (definitely a delicious delicacy)
- See the Eiffel Tower really sparkle at night
- Avoid creepy guys selling tiny towers (one euro, one euro, one euro)
- Ignore and avoid creepy guys while holding belongings very close
- Escape the con artists (by running and acting like crazy people)
- Enjoy mulled wine and crepes across the street next to a carousel
- Go back to hostel
- Fire! Fire! Fire! Alarm goes off at 3a.m. (sounded like an air raid was going on)
- Evacuate and grab Katie's camera!
- Never mind, someone was just smoking a cigarette
- Free breakfast! I love cocoa krispies and croissants
- Check out, grab our backpacks, and head to Notre Dame
- Eat at more cafes and see the Eiffel Tower one last time
- Back to train and sleep (our legs and feet are sore from walking)
- Paris was fun, but we're ready to head back to London town
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Blonde Leading the Blonde
Katie and I discovered a whole different side of London on Thursday. The nightlife! We were very excited about our dinner and theater outing to the Spaghetti House restaurant and to see the musical production of Dreamboats and Petticoats.
We started off the day having lunch with the guys at The Slug. It was very good and they even paid. Thanks again boys! You really know how to spoil us. After lunch we headed back to get ready for our fun night on the town. However, once we got going, the adventure really began...
Katie and I are not so good with directions. When it comes to maps and roads here in London, it gets a little chaotic if we don't have it written down before we leave. We left with plenty of time (or so we thought), but it was our first time dealing with the 5 o'clock traffic. If you're claustrophobic, don't take the subway. At one point we were getting ready to board, and Katie got a bit overwhelmed and stepped out of the crowd. We waited for the next train.
By the time we reached our destination, we ran by the National Gallery twice before finding the restaurant. We were only a few minutes late, but they didn't mind. We enjoyed our meal and were ready for the show. Now, we just have to find the theater...I realized I left my gloves at the restaurant, but it was on our way after getting lost so we picked them up once we started going in the right direction.
Wrong again. We ended up getting a little more exercise running by the National Gallery. Twice. But we finally found it. Thirteen minutes late, but we'd been bumped up to better seats, so I think it all worked in our favor. We enjoyed the show along with a crowd of senior citizens (the story was set in the 1950's). It was so great to see all the hipsters get up and start dancing during the encore songs. Fortunately, nobody broke anything.
It was a night to remember. Even though we got lost a few times, we realized it was the blonde leading the blonde, but we still had lots of fun!
We started off the day having lunch with the guys at The Slug. It was very good and they even paid. Thanks again boys! You really know how to spoil us. After lunch we headed back to get ready for our fun night on the town. However, once we got going, the adventure really began...
Katie and I are not so good with directions. When it comes to maps and roads here in London, it gets a little chaotic if we don't have it written down before we leave. We left with plenty of time (or so we thought), but it was our first time dealing with the 5 o'clock traffic. If you're claustrophobic, don't take the subway. At one point we were getting ready to board, and Katie got a bit overwhelmed and stepped out of the crowd. We waited for the next train.
By the time we reached our destination, we ran by the National Gallery twice before finding the restaurant. We were only a few minutes late, but they didn't mind. We enjoyed our meal and were ready for the show. Now, we just have to find the theater...I realized I left my gloves at the restaurant, but it was on our way after getting lost so we picked them up once we started going in the right direction.
Wrong again. We ended up getting a little more exercise running by the National Gallery. Twice. But we finally found it. Thirteen minutes late, but we'd been bumped up to better seats, so I think it all worked in our favor. We enjoyed the show along with a crowd of senior citizens (the story was set in the 1950's). It was so great to see all the hipsters get up and start dancing during the encore songs. Fortunately, nobody broke anything.
It was a night to remember. Even though we got lost a few times, we realized it was the blonde leading the blonde, but we still had lots of fun!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Do NOT whip your hair back and forth...
After our Notting Hill experience, we made a fantastic meal of homemade mashed potatoes and barbeque pork chops. And to top off the great day, Katie and I had a dance party or disco, right here in the living room. Our theme song for the trip has been the Willow Smith tune, "I Whip My Hair Back and Forth". It's catchy and fun and for some reason we managed to get it stuck in our heads walking around London. Well, we took the song a bit far while dancing and now Katie has a whiplash...
Katie continues to improve every day. We'll continue to keep you updated on her progress.
We took a small tour that afternoon. Not sure how much Katie remembers, but we had lots of fun learning some of the history of London. This was once a very brutal place where they put traitors' heads on the city gates...Gross. We visited St. Paul's Cathedral and marvelled at the great dome and architecture; however, a little creeped out by the famous dead bodies buried everywhere within the church. Katie's great (times eleven) uncle or cousin, the great Duke of Wellington was there.
Next, we went to the Tower of London to see the famous crown jewels. They were sparkly and beautiful...the weather was really cold and rainy that day so all we could think about was getting some hot coffee and food. We went to Starbucks after the tour and headed home so Katie could grab her neck pillow and recuperate. I repeat, do not whip your hair back and forth. Bad things can happen.
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