How’s this for fun?
Posted 29 June 2005 19:22:01 by Ben
Filed under: Happenings | Living Overseas | Todo
22-May-2010: Update Upon reviewing this blog entry I discovered that the content has vanished.
Check this follow up blog entry to see if we can solve the mystery.
Email
|
Print
|
Comments (5)
The Steels have arrived
Posted 27 June 2005 16:18:08 by Ben
Filed under: Family | Happenings | Living Overseas
We woke up early yesterday morning to greet Michelle’s parents, Ray and Maree, as they arrived on our doorstep after a marathon 20+ hour flight from Brisbane.
It was so exciting to see them. After a round of hugs and love we helped them carry their luggage up the three flights of stairs to our apartment where we excitedly caught up on all the goss. Sometime here Michelle and I received gifts of chocolate and lollies. Cherry Ripes, Allens snakes and red frogs. The good stuff that you can’t obtain easily over here.
After freshening up we took the Aussies out for some sight-seeing. We headed to Kensington Palace, the palace where Princess Diana lived with her boys. It was pretty tiring actually and much to serious for anyone who just arrived after a mammoth aircraft flight, so we quickly moved onto a cafe across the road for a caffeine fix and brunch.
After lunch we made our way to the Royal Mews, which houses the Royal family’s land transport. It was great seeing all the Royal carriages, and Rolls Royces.
We then moved on back home for a little RnR and a wonderful homecooked fish n chip meal.
Everyone slept like a log and we awoke this morning to glorious sunny weather so we were excited to head out on a river cruise down to Grenwich. Michelle and I had been there before but it was great to go again with the sun out. After Grenwich we moved onto St. Paul’s cathedral. It’s massive, a similar size to Notre Dame in Paris.
We’re back home now and enjoying a nice cool drink. Michelle and I have to head back to work tomorrow which is a shame. At least the parents have another day to enjoy London before they head up to Scotland on Wednesday.
Email
|
Print
|
Comments (1)
Brick Lane
Posted 25 June 2005 09:05:07 by Michelle
Filed under: Food | Happenings | In Review | Living Overseas
Last night we met up with Ben’s school and uni friend Matt, Matt’s girlfriend Katie, and a bunch of their friends at a bar named One of 2 near Liverpool St.
After a few drinks with a great bunch of people, Ben and I wandered a few streets to a place called Brick Lane. Basically it’s a lane lined with heaps and heaps of curry houses and is famous for the touts who harass you for business as you walk along, offering all sorts of ‘special deals’. Think Melbourne’s Lygon Street times 10!
Fortunately we had been recommended one of the good ones – Le Taj (Interesting. Can’t decide if they’re French or Indian perhaps?) where we enjoyed the most delicious meal.
Apart from the 1.5hr trek home, as it’s a fair way from where we live plus tube delays, we had a fantastic night and can’t wait to get back to try some more curry.
I must also say that summer finally arrived this week with glorious sunny warm days. It’s overcast and a bit cooler again today but that’s a good thing really as the poor English can’t handle too much of this thing we know as sun!!
Email
|
Print
|
Comments (6)
Wimbledon
Posted 22 June 2005 20:51:21 by Ben
Filed under: Happenings | Living Overseas
I finished up work early today and headed down to Wimbledon with John to watch a few matches.
The only challenge of the evening was lining up to get tickets. It took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get in but once through the gates it was all worth it.
We stopped by the Wayne Arthur’s and Paul Hanley’s doubles match and were gripped to our seats (well not really as we were standing) right up until when they lost. Then we left. It was off to Henman Hill to watch the Greg Rusedski and Joachim Johansson singles match.
We had a great time and I’m thinking of heading back sometime next week, especially if an aussie hangs in until the end.
Email
|
Print
|
Comments (5)
We have some news!!! – Part Two
Posted 20 June 2005 21:13:34 by Ben
Filed under: France | Happenings | Living Overseas | Travel
Day Two
After packing so much into our first day, we dropped the pace back a bit and enjoyed an extra hour lie in. After breakfast, we jumped on the Metro and headed off to the Notre Dame.
I thought I had seen some pretty impressive churches on our travels through the USA but after seeing the Sacre Coeur I had to reconsider. It was my first European church and I was dumbfounded. I can’t understand how they architect and build these beautiful buildings. Notre Dame impressed me even more. It is absolutely huge.
After Notre Dame, we headed over to Bacteria Alley, it’s full of restaurants and side alleys, basically a tourist trap that people think is the Latin Quarter. We successfully dodged it while making our way through the real Latin Quarter. On our travels we stopped for a coffee. It was here that I could no longer dismiss the exorbitant prices you pay in Paris. Our coffees cost 5 euro each. That’s the equivalent of 8 Australian dollars, 6 US dollars or 3.32 British pounds. That purchase hurt.
After our coffee’s we stumbled upon Luxumbourg park. A beautiful park where the Parisians sunbake, read and relax on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It was an amazingly beautiful park but they have park rangers that rouse on you if you walk, sit or lie on the grass. Defeats the purpose of a public park really.
.jpg)
After the park, we checked out the Pantheon, another enormous wonderous monument before deciding to laze for another hour or two in a cafe out of the blistering heat.
Before long it was time to head back home on the Eurostar. It was here that our wonderful weekend was tainted. There was a signal fault somewhere along the line and our train was delayed by over an hour and half. This meant that not only did we have to sit in an un-airconditioned train station on the hard floor for way to long, but that we’d also miss any possible form of affordable public transport home. We arrived back in London about 1:30am (an hour an half after the last tubes or trains) and had to fight with over 300 other people for the handful of cabs available to us.
Of course Eurostar provided cab vouchers for us (which we had to fight with the other passengers for 20 minutes before getting one) but they only were for one cab company and the wait was estimated to be well over an hour.
We considered our options and started walking back to Jaimee’s place (a long, long walk) and were lucky enough to flag down an unlicenced (mini) cab. We decided to pay the 30 quid to get home.
It was a late night to sleep and a terrible morning to wake up to. We both just wanted to cry as we trekked through the rain, an hour late to work.
I have already forgotten about that pain that was a trip back to London and can only remember that great weekend that Jaimee, Michelle, Damian and I shared.
Email
|
Print
|
Comments (4)