England – Page 6 – Noelle Across The Pond

All Around London Town

Published on July 26, 2016November 29, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

One of the best parts of moving to London thus far has been that I get visitors! I really enjoy showing friends and family around London, especially bringing them to some of my favorite places and checking out new ones as well. My mom and Mark were in town this past weekend, so I enjoyed exploring with them and Markie. Here’s a look at what we did:

Saturday

Camden Lock Market

On Saturday Mark was in town, along with my mom, so what better way to please everyone at once than to bring them to a place with tons of food. We headed over to the Camden Lock Market, which is a huge market that has dozens of food stalls, and has a great view of Regent’s Canal. My mom and Markie enjoyed pizza, and Mark and I had a pulled pork salad and watermelon juice. I also got Markie a dessert that I had eyed a few times – Dutch pancakes with powdered sugar and Nutella. Delicious! The only downside of the market is it get SO crowded, so after a while we were tired of the excess of people and headed home.

Mini-golf & Molly Bakes

Mark is a huge mini-golf fan, so Markie, Mark and I headed to a mini-golf place that is a 15 minute walk from my flat. We enjoyed a few rounds of mini-golf, and then headed to a place that had been on my bucket list for several weeks – Molly Bakes. If anyone has seen (mostly likely on Buzzfeed or Instagram), there are places that are now serving basically jumbo/monster sized milkshakes. Molly Bakes is one of these places, so we ordered a chocolate shake that came with chocolate on the rim, a ice cream sandwich on top, along with whipped cream and a marshmellow. The three of us were able to share it – it was that big! Thank goodness we walked a lot that day to burn that sugar off.

Mini-golf!

Markie with the shake

Chocolate freak shake!

Freakshakes

Sunday

Museum of London & London Wall

My mom is a British history enthusiast, so on Sunday I brought her to my favorite London museum – the Museum of London. There is currently a special exhibit going on to commemorate 350 years since the 1666 Great Fire of London so we checked it out. We also enjoyed taking in the other exhibits – before London was “London”, Roman London, Victorian London, and so on. The museum is next to London Wall, which is the original wall built by the Roman Empire 1800 years ago to fortify the city, so we took a walk by that as well.

Museum of London

London Wall

The Queen’s Walk & London Bridge City Summer Festival

After our museum visit we headed to The Queen’s Walk which is a promenade on the south bank of the Thames River. We had built up an appetite from the day and sat down at Côte Brasserie, a reasonably priced but good restaurant I had been to once before. From there we had views of HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, and across the river of the Gherkin and of 20 Fenchurch aka the “Walkie Talkie” building.

After our dinner, we decided to walk towards Tower Bridge, and stumbled upon the London Bridge City Summer Festival. There was a outdoor colorful bar serving cocktails and food, along with DJs from Mi-Soul radio who played a mix of funk, disco, and R&B music while people danced along.

Markie at Tower Bridge

All in all it was a great weekend, and I love how London has so many places to explore, as well as places that are great to go time and time again.

Till next time all!

Day Trips from London

Published on June 22, 2016November 29, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

Day Trips from London

While London has a plethora of activities to do, it is sometimes nice to get out of the city and see the other towns, countryside, and seaside that England has to offer. Below I offer some of my favorite day trips I’ve taken thus far and a few that I’m hoping to get to this summer.

Eastbourne and Beachy Head

Eastbourne is a seaside resort town with Victorian-era architecture. When I visited, my friend and I walked on a beach path by the bright blue water of the English Channel and then hiked up to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain. During the hike up to Beachy Head you also get a great view of the Eastbourne area. There’s a pub near the top of Beachy Head where we had some food and a drink before heading back.

How to get there: Eastbourne is a 1 hour 20 minute train ride from London Victoria station. Beachy Head is a four mile slightly strenuous hike from Eastbourne station, but taxis and a bus are available if you don’t want to hike.

Beachy Head cliff and lighthouse

Jing and I

Arundel and South Downs

Arundel is a quaint market town on the River Arun. Attractions in the town are a medieval castle and cathedral, cute pubs, and local shops. When I visited, we started in the South Downs National Park (a short walk from the town center) doing a countryside hike and then later explored the town before heading back.

How to get there: Arundel is a 1 hour 20 minute train ride from London Victoria station. From the train station, it’s a ten minute walk into town.

Oxford

Oxford is the home of the prestigious University of Oxford. The town is full of picturesque Gothic medieval churches and colleges and the city is quite vibrant thanks to the large student community. For my fellow Harry Potter fans, some of Hogwarts scenes in the movies were filmed in Oxford.

How to get there: Oxford is a 1 hour train ride from London Paddington. The Oxford train station is directly in the city center.

Radcliffe Camera, part of Oxford University

Hever Castle and Gardens

Hever is a country village in Kent. When I visited, we took the train into Hever station and then it was a lovely one mile country walk to Hever Castle. Hever Castle was the home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII (the king who had six wives and started the Church of England) and is well preserved with a fair share of furniture originating from the 16th century. As well, the property boasts really beautiful gardens as well as a maze.

How to get there: Hever is a 40 minute train ride from London Bridge station. From the train station, it’s a twenty minute walk to the castle.

12671723_1003839366332495_8370886425541858358_o — Mom and Markie at Hever

12376300_10205599643221515_2246620966926163266_n — Hever Castle

The below day trips are on my list of trips I’d like to take this summer.

Brighton

Brighton is an English seaside resort town – and is one of the most popular beach destinations for those living in London. There are several arcades, the Brighton Pier, and a boardwalk. The town has many Victorian era buildings that add to its charm.

How to get there: Brighton is a 1 hour train ride from London Victoria station. From the train station, it’s a fifteen minute walk to the beach.

Bath

Bath, appropriately named, has historic Roman period baths that date back to 2000 years ago. The town has some lovely Georgian architecture, and there’s also Pulteney Bridge which has shops that span both sides (only one of four of these type of bridges remaning in the world!). You can take boat rides from near the bridge during summer months.

How to get there: Bath is a 1 hour 30 minute train ride from London Paddington. The Bath train station is directly in the city center.

Which of these would you most like to go to?

Till next time all!

My Top 10 London Experiences (thus far!)

Published on June 16, 2016November 15, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

I’ve lived in London since February now and have really enjoyed exploring the new city I call home. I obviously haven’t done everything the city has to offer (that would take years!), but of the things I have done I thought I’d share my top ten favorites below.

My Top 10 London Experiences

1. An evening in Hyde Park

Like most Londoners, I don’t have a yard, or a balcony for that matter, so I really appreciate the bounty of parks that London has to offer. Hyde Park is a very popular park in the city – Kensington Palace sits on one end of it, and within you can find the Princess Diana fountain, Peter Pan statue (author J.M. Barrie died in London), and the Serpentine Gallery. In summer months, there are paddle boats that you can rent and paddle around Serpentine Lake. I first visited in January and enjoyed it, and even more so now that it’s summer.

2. Gardens in Regent’s Park

Regent’s Park is another park within the city. Regent’s Park has several gardens with well manicured shrubbery, which are really nice to walk through. There’s also Primrose Hill to the north of the park that you can climb up and get a great view of the city.

12552519_10205173352444512_2457454929985908632_n — View from Primrose Hill

3. Eating in Camden Lock Market

Camden Market and Camden Lock Market are across the street from each other and are a lot of fun to explore. Camden Market has a lot of clothes and accessories, while Camden Lock Market has more artisan items and a large international food area where you can get foods from all around the world. This market is not where you’ll find a bargain since it gets a decent tourist crowd, but it’s worth a visit. During warmer months, you can also hop on a canal waterbus from the Camden Lock area for a one or two hour boat ride (more info on the London Waterbus company here). One of the times I went, without knowing, I ended up at The Hawley. The Hawley was Amy Winehouse’s favorite pub (she was a resident of the neighborhood) and you can see messages written to her in the bathroom stalls.

4. Learning in the Museum of London (and seeing the London Wall)

London has several great free museums, but the Museum of London is my favorite thus far. While many of the other museums have artifacts and history from around the world, the Museum of London is focused on solely London and somewhat on England (hence the name). My first time here I did a tour called ‘Fire, Plague, and the Civil War’ which was a free one hour walking tour with a guide who discussed these topics. This summer the museum is having a special exhibit since its the 350 year anniversary of the 1666 Great Fire of London. Next to the Museum of London is the London Wall, which is the original wall from Roman times that surrounded the City of London.

5. Viewing London from above

I always enjoy having a nice view – and in London one of the best ones is from above. So far I’ve viewed the city from the Shard and Duck and Waffle. You can pay £25+ ($35+) for the view from the Shard, but the insider tip is to go to one of the restaurants in the Shard (make sure to enter through the restaurant entrance) for a similar view but for much less – I got an £5 beer when Mark and I went. You can also get a great view at the Duck and Waffle restaurant; my friend Miriam and I got an £8 glass of wine and enjoyed the view there as well.

View of the Gherkin, as seen from the Shard

6. Traditional British tea time

Tea time is a British tradition, but can be quite costly in London. I recommend looking at Groupon or LivingSocial for tea time deals, otherwise prices start at £25 ($36) per person. With Groupon I did tea time twice for about £12 ($17) per person, which is a much more reasonable price. I did splurge once and go to one that was £26 though. Tea time is great because you always get plenty of food – enough for a filling meal and some – and the food and tea are well presented.

Tea time at The Tea Rooms in Stoke Newington

7. Going on walking tours

One of my top interests since moving to London is to learn more about the city’s history. I’ve done two walking tours thus far – a Jack the Ripper Tour and Ghosts of the Old City tour. Both focused on different aspects of the city and what has happened in the past. There’s more tours that I’d like to do (Harry Potter walking tour!) as well so I can continue to learn. Bonus of walking tours is you definitely get your step count in for the day!

8. Drinking and eating in pubs

While the U.S. has bars, England has (mostly) pubs. Pubs are more laid back, generally historic, family-friendly watering holes that typically have English classics like fish and chips or steak and ale pie on the menu. I have three pubs in a five minute walk of my flat, one of which I’d consider my ‘local’. I also enjoy exploring pubs throughout the city of London and have a few favorites. Pubs are a good place to go for a hearty meal, relaxing with friends, and watching a game.

‘Elvis doughnut’ and wine at my local pub

9. Eating out and partying in SoHo

SoHo is the most ‘New York’ area of London with dozens of restaurants, pubs, bars, and clubs. If I want to have my choice of cuisine (Ramen! Korean BBQ! Tapas!) I tend to go to SoHo. There’s also plenty of pubs and bars for a good night out.

12513929_10100454530893591_3526512919232103206_o — Night out at Coach and Horses pub in SoHo

10. The infamous Platform 9 3/4 photo

For any Harry Potter fan, getting the photo at Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station is a must-do. There’s a professional photographer there who will take your picture (and give you a scarf and wand to pose with), but you can take your own photo for free. Be warned though – I went at 10am on a Tuesday in January and the line was over 30 minutes; I’ve heard its even worse in more popular tourist months. Try to go at off peak times if possible (early morning or late at night) to beat the rush.

I’m still waiting for my Hogwarts letter

What are your favorite London experiences? Are any of the above on your bucket list? Post in the comments below!

Till next time all!

Mini-Golf Champions at Eastington Park

Published on June 1, 2016November 29, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

As the US celebrated the three-day Memorial Day weekend, it was a long weekend for us in the UK as well (I checked what the actual holiday was and apparently it’s just ‘spring bank holiday’… ah Europeans).

Friday I headed to Cheltenham (which is quickly becoming my home away from home… away from home) to Mark’s house. His friend Tim and Victoria got married on Sunday, so we met with others who were attending the wedding on Saturday, and then went to the ceremony itself on Sunday.

I’ve been to a few weddings, but the setting for this one was probably one of my favorites. The wedding (ceremony and reception) took place at Eastington Park, which is a former manor house that has been transformed into an inn that hosts weddings. There was a nice terrace overlooking the garden which was adjacent to a farm. The ceremony itself was outdoors and we were blessed with warm, sunny weather for the (intimate compared to other weddings I’ve been to) group of eighty or so attendees. The majority of the reception was indoors, but we went back out on the terrace in the evening just in time for the married couple’s first dance, and then finally ended the night inside for some late night dancing.

Manor — View from our room at Eastington Park

I only noticed a few differences between a US and UK wedding – namely that in the US we typically have the best man and maid of honor give a speech, versus in the UK the father of the bride, groom, and best man give a speech (although in this wedding, the bride gave a quick one as well). They also didn’t have a DJ but used Spotify instead, but I think that’s becoming more of a trend as it can save thousands on the cost of the entertainment.

This wedding also had a MINI GOLF championship – as the bride and groom are enthusiasts. Mark is also a huge mini golf fan, and we had just played a few weeks ago, so we ended up WINNING the championship by only getting nineteen on a course of nine holes. We were later presented with a small trophy to take home.

Tuesday it was back to work and gloomy weather, but Marianna and her boyfriend Aaron arrived and are staying with me for the week, so I’m looking forward to having some company from home.

Till next time all!

All around London and England

Published on May 24, 2016November 29, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

Travel was the theme of this past week. After returning back to London from visiting home on Wednesday, I worked Thursday and Friday and was on the road again for the weekend.

On Thursday my friend Miriam and I got drinks at a restaurant called Duck and Waffle. It’s a fairly well known restaurant in London, and is on the 39th floor of a building near Liverpool Street. It looks out above the Gherkin, which is one of my favorite modern buildings in London. I took the picture below of the view – I think this is probably one of the best (scenery) pictures I’ve ever taken.

13244853_10205941888177425_6020003111267406952_n

This weekend was Mark’s birthday – and also what I joking referred to as my ‘Tour de England’ – as we visited a total of three cities in one weekend (four if you count London). Friday after work I took the bus to Cheltenham where he lives, where we went out to a pub to celebrate his birthday with his friends. Then, Saturday we hit the road around lunch time and drove to the outskirts of Manchester, where we partook in another birthday party for his friend John. After spending the night in Manchester, his friend drove us to Birmingham so we could both catch our respective trains back home. I would have liked to spend a little time actually exploring each city, but we just didn’t have enough hours in a day to do it all. I thought it was a rather successful weekend though!

I got back home Sunday evening and decided to make the most of the rest of the daylight. I went for a walk to Clissold Park near my house, relaxed reading a book (Protect and Defend by Richard North Patterson – so good) in another green space near my house, and treated myself to kabob dinner at a restaurant on my street. It was nice to just unwind and relax before my work week began. Below are some pictures from my walk in Clissold Park – the tombstones are from the early 1800s!

Canal in the park

Cementery in the park

Clissold Park bench

My neighborhood park

I really love learning about history, so Monday evening I did a Jack the Ripper walking tour through London Walks. It was a two hour walking tour that went through the City of London and briefly into the East End of London where I learned about the victims of Jack the Ripper, what Victorian period London was like, and who some potential suspects were. What I really liked about London Walks (http://londonwalks.com/) is that they are a bit more of a niche walking tour company (neighborhood/topic specific, rather than just general London info), so I hope to do more walking tours with them.

The rest of my week I’m planning to relax as I have a busy weekend ahead. This weekend I’m heading back to Cheltenham because Mark and I are attending the wedding of one of his friends. Then, on Tuesday Marianna and her boyfriend Aaron are coming to stay with me. I’m excited to have some familiar faces around!

Till next time!