Mousetrap and the View from the Shard

You know what sucks?

Having plans in the evening and nothing to do until then.
Looking for Musical tickets but them being damn expensive.

That's what happened on Saturday. Our Au Pair group was looking for three musicals specifically - Wicked, Mamma Mia! and Les Miserable - but there was nothing to be done for less than 40 pounds. 40!

Turns out that wasn't the worst thing to ever happen to us as we finally managed to go and see Mousetrap, the longest running theatre play in London which is based on a story by Agatha Christie. I won't tell you who the murderer is, but it was one hell of a play. Really entertaining, especially if you like the books, movies or any old detective story. I even met two of the cast at the Starbucks outside (which is a great one, with waitresses and funny little charging stations!) and talked to them for a bit.

After that my friend and I didn't actually have a lot of time, so we grabbed a bit at McDonalds and took the bus to the Shard. The impressive glass skyscraper operated with two lifts that get you to the two top viewing plattforms in no time.

And wow. The view is definitely worth it. We were lucky enough that my friend got tickets for two for her birthday, but even so you should spent the money if you can effort it. You can see everything from up there. London is a rather flat city besides a few modern buildings, but even those don't compare to the tallest building in Western Europe.

Tipp for your time slot: go shortly before sunset. That way you get to see the city while the sky turns darker and darker with beautiful colours changing the landscape until you can see all sorts of light - cars, buildings, street lamps - lightening up the dark grounds.

We stayed up there for more than an hour even though we were sure there was some kind of time limit, but on the other hand, we were the last time slot available. When we drove back down we were able to see our picture that was taken at the very beginning cropped out and badly photoshopped into a View from the Shard and lets just say... keep our eyes open when taking the pic. You will regret it later if you don't.

The day ended with our group, now reconnected to the rest who went home for a bit while we were up in the air, sitting on the couch eating pizza, drinking champagne and laughing about a guy we nicknamed 'paint brush' on "Ex on the Beach". Really, a show worth watching when you get drunk.

Musicals: Kinky Boots

(pic: thetimes.co.uk)

Kinky Boots. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Kinky Boots is a fairly new musical in London that three friends of mine and I decided to see last Saturday. With daytickets at only 25 pound it wasn't even too expensive (like some others).
Basically, the story is all about Charlie Price inheriting a bankrott shoe factory from his dad that he will probably have to close down. His plans to go to London with his fiance are destroyed as he has to try to save his fathers work. Then he meets Lola, a drag queen who complains about her shoes and how badly made they are. Charlie decides to start making 'kinky boots' for drag queens and manages to convince Lola to be the designer. They work together to overcome different obstacles like money shortage, prejudices and even a bit of love drama.

It's a wonderful show, I especially loved the singing and the costumes. The sassy and funny conversations made everyone laugh multiple times. I can really recommand it to anyone who wants to see something extraordinary.

A Day in.... Dublin

Dublin. The capital of the Republic of Ireland.

A beautiful city, even when you are ill and don't feel like doing much more than lie down and sleep for about 50 years.

Sadly, it takes a 12 hours bus drive to get there from London. It only gets worse when there are four guys right next to you who can't seem to shut the fuck up. The whole trip also includes an about 3 hours long trip on the ferry, which is nice cause you are able to sleep. And if you are bored, there is a mini cinema waiting for you.

Day 1

Anyway, after arriving at 6am on Tuesday during the half-term holidays at the coach station right around the corner of our hostel Jacob's Inn, we made our way there to check-in or at least lock away our bags. By the way, in my case that meant a rucksack and a bag. That was all I needed. Minimal package is the best.

They actually allowed us to shower in the 'public' showers (meaning they are for a whole floor and not just a single room) and have breakfast for free. The lockers, which are really big, were free, too. That was already a huge bonus since we were really tired. I only got about 2,5h of sleep on the ferry! After spending maybe three hours in the louge we decided to explore the city north of the river. To be more specific, the botanic garden. We had to walk quiet a bit, but it was totally worth it. Th garden is beautiful, even in the winter, and really warm which was one of the reasons we spent so much time there. We just didn't want to go outside again.

The garden is devided in several houses which are dedicated to different continents. Little signs explain everything you need to know. Very lovely, I wish I could see it when everything is blooming.When we came back we pretty much just walked through the shopping streets for a bit to get a sense of what we wanted to do the next few days.

The only two things we did after that was go back to the hostel to unpack our stuff in our room (10 bed room mixed) and then go for a Guinness at the famous Temple Bar. It was great, a lot of people and a very good singer. And to be honest, Guinness isn't half bad. I'm not a beer fan (even though I'm from Bavaria...) but the dark beverage didn't want to make me throw up as much as others.

The great thing about the hostel: there were two other Germans, medicine students who came here for holiday. A nice couple, sadly we didn't exchange numbers or social media names.

Day 2

Our first full day started with a nice breakfast (toast and cereals) and a trip to Trinity College. A nice place to walk around as long as it's not too cold – which it was. So we flet into the old library which includes an exhibition about the Book of Kells. It was 10€ and for the both of us the exhibition was a bit too boring, but that always depends on what you like. After that, the trip to the science museum on campus took longer than expected. The exhibits are partly interactive and play with your mind. Three installments, which were made by an artist who is afraid to lose his hands in an accident or because of illness due to age, made it clear to us just how difficult it can be to do easy everyday tasks like opening a jar when you can't properly use your hands. Another experiment shows why waterboarding as an interogation technique doesn't work since your memory suffers due to stress caused by imitating drowning. And that was in a safe environment with our previous consent!

A hugh part of the day was over already at this point, so we went to the Nation History Museum for an hour, only after walking around the university again by accident, and then back to the hostel. The last place we went to was the cinema to see Deadpool, which is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Seriously, I normally never go into a movie twice, but Deadpool would be an exception. If someone asked me, I would say yes in an instance. It's sassy and witty, fast-paced and breaks the fourth wall several times – just like in th comics. And it's th only superhero movie I can think of that has a lot of swearing in it and therefore doesn't pass a PG13 rating – sorry kids.

Day 3

Our last day. Sadly.

We were allowed to keep our bags in the locker and went out for our last tour. First we visited the Dublin Castle and booked a tour as well. That way you can see more areas and get some background knowleadge along the way. I was really ill by that time which makes it a bit of a problem to walk around in the cold as well as the rather wet underground areas, but there is nothing you can do about that. The tour guide was nice and it didn't take more than 45 minutes as far as I remember to finish.

Slowly, we made our way to the prison Kilmainham Gaol only to find out that there was a hugh queue and that the next tour wouldn't be for another two hours so we ditched that plan and went to the nearby Phoenix Park and the Wellington Monument instead. The weather was still crisp so we sat down and enjoyed the silence and the view before heading back, which seemed to take ages. On our way back we went to the main shopping street for a bit to buy postcards and because I had to return something to Penny's, which is the exactly the same as Primark but named differently. Sadly, there it happened.

I got robbed.

Not my wallet, and I have to say it is partly my fault. I went from the cashier to the cash & wrapping department to customer service only to have to change till because the first one was broken. At that point I was just exhausted, irritated and hungry so when I finally got my money back, I left my shopping back behind.

In there was my dark green Dublin sweater, presents and an already filled our and stamped postcard. I noticed an hour later and went back only to find out that the woman behind me picked it up and left with it. Great.

Because why give it to the nice lady at the customer service you are already standing at anyway, am I right? Why be a decent human being when you can steal tourist stuff from an ill teenage girl? At first I was angry and sad, but by now I'm mostly disappointed.

When our coach came two hours later, I had mostly come to terms with the fact that I'll never see my stuff again. I hope the woman that took it sees my postcard and feels guilty and ashamed. I don't care what your reason was, I just hope you will remember it every time you wear my sweater and feel bad about it.

That night, I didn't sleep at all – not even because of my stolen stuff, but because it was too early on the ferry to sleep there and I can't sleep on buses. So instead, I saw Star Wars in a miniature private cinema on the ship and listened to music on the bus. Just like Deadpool, this is a movie that's just as great as everyone says. The effects were great (and the rocking of the ship during the flight scenes was an unexpected bonus), the story is close to the original movies but with not too many parallels in much else and the characters are interesting. And don't even get me started on the fact that the three main characters are a girl, a black ex-Stormtrooper and a Hispanic pilot.

A wonderful holiday in a beautiful city. I am really happy I went there and would recommand it to anyone who has a few days off.

Hindu Temple

Did you know that the biggest Hindu Temple outside Asia is located in London?

Yeah, me neither.

So when a friend of mine asked if we wanted to go there I was actually really surprised. Good thing I didn't have anything planned. With only three busses and a bit of waiting we made our way to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

First thing you had to do was leave your bag outside the whole area and once you enter the building, you also had to get rid of your shoes. The entrance hall is very high, with beautiful wooden walls and carpets. Once you go to to through the left door you have the choice between a Hindu museum, which explains the origins and most important aspects of the religion as well as the temple itself, and the small praying hall. 

(pic from londonpass.com)

We went to the praying hall first, which is made of a very bright stone (marble as far as I remember) that is carved into small lovely details. Panels all around the room explain the importance of several deity and their relationship with one another. 

Don't forget to look up at the ceiling and the inside of the dome!

(pic from lbc.co.uk)

The museum (the only part of the temple you have to pay a small fee of 2 pound for) is a mix of explanations of how the religion was founded, which people and deity are the 'most important' or most commonly known and facts about when and how this specific temple was built. It's weird to know that it was built in just about three years. And lets not forget how advanced the people hundreds and even thousands of years ago were in maths, medicine, language and many more in comparision to Europe. Somehow it's easy to forget about all of that when you never really think or even learn about it.

So even if you are not the most religious person, you should definitely pay it a visit. It will be worth it. We can only truely understand and therefore accept other people when we open our minds to their believes and way of living and thinking. Ignorance is not acceptance after all.

Theatre

Jim Broadbent is a well known actor. To most young people he is Professor Kirke in Narnia or Horace Slughorn in Harry Potter. But he also playes in theatres!
His latest role is (was) that of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in Central London.

It's a bit late now for a recommandation since me and my friends were there on Saturday for the second last performance. We got day tickets for the first row for only 10 pound; they are not exactly the best seats, but better than nothing. And who knows how much the actual good seats would cost.

Seeing the play was actually a huge coincidence! Our original plan was to go see a musical, our favorites being Mamma Mia! or Wicked. I arrived a bit early and started walking around when I saw the theatre A Christmas Carol was playing in. I already knew the theatre, it was the same I saw Daniel Radcliffe almost three years earlier in. I met the others and we decided to at least ask for ticket prices for the muscials. We could have gotten seats for Mamma Mia! for only 18 pounds (restricted view obviously). But we went with the theatre instead since, like I said, it was the last day. So four tickets for the afternoon show it was.

After getting lunch and walking around, we came back. And wow, it was truely amazing. Really funny, a bit ridiculous at times and the costumes were amazing. Props to the staff behind the scenes for that.
One of the funniest moments was when the entire cast broke the fourth wall and started packing away the equipment and later even threw chocolate coins into the crowd. Or was it the scene where Jim Broadbent confessed his love for a lady in the audience?

Great performance by everyone. Afterwards we went outside and to the stage door at the back of the building in the hope to catch some of the performers. We actually got three autographes! But we wouldn't get Jim Broadbent's until after the evening performance.

We actually didn't plan on staying so long after he didn't come outside in the afternoon, but we staying in CL for so long that we decided to try it. We spent the time eating Italian at Leichester Square, I had pasta and the others very well done pizza for a surprisingly low price considering the location. Then we went looking for a Shisha bar and eventually found one in a side street near Leichester Square station while looking for a different one. By the way, did you know there is a Starbucks that actually has people bringing you to your seat and taking your order? Fancy!
On our way to the tub station we figured out the evening performance of Christmas Carol was over and we decided to try it again. This time he had to come outside after all.
And yes, we got his autograph as well. I told him it was great, especially the breaking of the 4th wall, and then we left for good. Nothing exciting, but still a great memory (and yet another thing to show off with, lets be honest). If there is one place to meet famous people in Europe, it is definitely London.

fancy tea house

Planning an event before the day it actually happens would be a good thing for once.
So we decided to throw our plans overboard and go do something completely different!

Last sunday we spent the entire morning discussing on whatsapp what we were going to do. Our original plan was going to an indoor swimming pool, but we didn't really feel up to it and had to figure out what else there was. In the end, we went to the Horniman museum which filled with anything animal-related the owner collected on his trips around the world. There was also a small exhibition about Africa and it's history. But not only the museum itself is very nice - though you can't spent a lot of time in there, it's too small; the garden outside and the little pavilion you can  book for private events are worth a look, too.

After that we went to a little traditional tea house called La Chandelier and got, well, tea and pastries. I got a green flowerish tea, which is one of those flowers that open in the hot water. Combine that with a chocolate tartlet with raspberry inside and you have the perfect treat.
The tea house is very cute, with mismatching interior, a lot of flowers and small details that you don't immediately  pick up on. The tarts, tartlets and studels all looked very delicious. I would definitely recommand it.

Lumiere London

Last Saturday was a really, really cold day. Warmer than right now, but cold nevertheless. So when I met up with some of my friends at the Old Spitalsfield Market in the East End, I was really happy to grap a coffee before doing anything else. Not to forget the three nice girls giving out 'free hugs' with big smiles on their faces.
Even though I've been here for just about five months now (puh...) I've only been to the East End once before. I was there a few times in 2013, but that was two and a half years ago! It's quite far from my part of the city, so I never really bothered.

Now, I'm happy I was there again. Old Spitalsfield market is not the most interesting, but the food is so much the better. One thing I can really recommand is the Beef and Vegan Combo Mix from Habesha Ethiopian & Eritrean Kitchen, which is a bit on the spicy side and is a mix of everything you could want in a meal.

When you leave the market and go past the Ten Bells pub and then turn left, you will find youself in a street with great shops and restaurants and will soon arive at a market hall. Sadly, we were too late and everything was already removed, but I got my watch there two years ago and they have a lot of delicious food stands, too. One shop you should definitely visit is Blitz, you just haave to turn right into Hanbury Street. It's a vintage shop with a coffee shop within. I almost got myself green Doc Martens, but because they were too big I went for black leather converse - for 5 pound! They were on sale, don't expect everything to be that cheap, but it's worth a try.

Lumiere London is a small events over the course of a weekend that features several light shows all over the Central city. Starting at 6:30pm you can walk around from one point to the other - fight your way through the mass more likely - and see big floating fishes at Regent Street, a light garden illuminating Leichester Square, light-stickman making a show out of robbing a store and many more. It's not as wonderful as we all were led to expect by the posters, but it's worth a shot. Definitely avoid the most famous places like Leichester Square and Picadilly Circus of you can't handle too many people, but other than that you just have to be patient.

A Day in... Edinburgh (2)

Day 3

After waking up to my third day in Scotland, I went out to have a proper Full Scottish Breakfast (which is basically an Full English Breakfast with Haggis and black pudding). I even asked the guy at the front desk which place he recommands. Sadly it turned out the one he referred me to wouldn't open for another half an hour, so I went to City Dinner instead, an American Restaurant with good prizes. And let me tell you, I'm happy I only got the small portion! I was honestly not able to eat anything for lunch, but that's perfectly normal after a breakfast like that.

Next stop was the Edinburgh Castle. I can be expensive if you are on a small budget but totally worth it. There are different museums, for example for the Crown Jewels, the Royal Guard, an old war prison, the World Wars as well as a memorial for fallen soldiers and the medieval dining hall (right before Christmas even with a small presentation of Victorian Christmas traditions).
And don't forget the canon going off at 1pm that once signaled the time to every ship owner!
I spent just about four hours here and even though you get tired and easily distracted after a bit I think it's a wonderful place to spent your day.
Tip for the grown ups: just before I left I went to the Whiskey shop where a Whiskey testing takes place and got two small bottles of really good Whiskey for my au pair parents.

After that I just walked through the city, but the weather was so annoying that I went to the Black Medicine Coffee Company (one stop on the Harry Potter trail from day 1) to get something warm to drink and then back to the hostel rather quickly to just sit down with my copy of A Game of Thrones. This was really important to me: a hostel where I would feel comfortable enough to spent some time in. No use in saving money if you feel umcomfortable after all.

Day 4

On my last day I went on a little hike. And with a little I mean that the hike was ok, it is the destiny that was a surprise.

Arthur's Seat has nothing to do with King Arthur - I checked - it is merely the highest mountain around Edinburgh. It's very easy to get there, just walk down the Royal Mile until you get to the end where the Scottish Parliament is, turn right and there it is. A lot of people were there with me considering that is was rather muddy and windy, but I guess nothing can stop a tourist who arrived with the knowleadge what the weather would be like.
So I made my way up. it's actually a wonderful place for pictures, there is just one problem. As soon as you get close to the top, the wind gets terrible. I had to pack away my camera as well as my hat because I was afraid it would be blown away. And I was not the only one. On top of Arthur's Seat - which is actually just a stone, nothing special - everybody sat down when it got too bad and tried to not fall off. That's why I don't have any good pictures from up there, sadly.
But it's the experience that counts, so whatever. I even had a little conversation with an Asian man who thought I had trouble when I was actually just sliding over to make some room for him. Really nice guy.

When I got down I still had a few hours to kill, so I went to the National Gallery, a Forbidden Planet store I found on my first day as well as a smaller shop where I got a croptop from Hell Bunny and a black wood belly button piercing After that I went back to the hostel where I watched some more TV and waited. Btw, you can keep your luggage in the luggage room even when you already gave back your key. And you can't get in there without asking at the front desk, so everything should be safe.
Another thing I saw before leaving is a Christmas special again. A light show at the Royal Mile with christmas music playing. I only stayed a few minutes as I was already on my way to th coach station with my backpacking rucksack and smaller bag and wanted to get there as soon as possible.

The drive back was about as 'wonderful' as the first one, but that's the downside of a coach drive you just have to deal with.
The thing is, if you like to be quick and comfortable, you just either take your own car or a train. The coach is good because it actually takes all night to get to Scotland and this way, you get there in the morning and it is way cheaper. So it really depends on your financial situation as well as the destination.

A Day in... Edinburgh (1)

First Christmas alone. A lot of au pairs go home for the festive holiday, but I decided to stay in the UK and visit Scotlands capital city instead. Well, not on Christmas itself, but right before that.

Taking a coach like I did has its pros and cons. It is way cheaper than a train and you can take a night bus, but it isn't as comfortable and fast. But this can also vary depending on the person. I was not able to get a good nights sleep on my way to Edinburgh, just a few little naps. Arriving at 7:45am, I took my backpack and headed to the next McDonalds to get some breakfast. And this was amazing already; standing on the street that is so different from London, on the top of a hill with a good look at the sea. However, my way was headed for the castle. My hostel Castle Rock Hostel was basically right at the base of the castles hill. It's great, everyone is very helpful, the rooms are big, there is hot water in the shower and the facilities are very comfy. 10/10!

(view from the front door)

DAY 1

Anyways, I was so tired that I hang around the breakfast/ meeting room for another hour before going on a little tour through the city. First I went into a little church since it was Sunday and the 4. Advent. The people there were really welcoming, three people asked me independently who I was and how I was doing as they didn't see me before. While having a cup of tea right after the mess I talked to some of the locals, or at least people now living in Edinburgh, who gave me the typical tourist places to go to, told me to try Haggis no matter what and so on. I already knew I wanted to go to the Harry Potter Trail in the afternoon, but until then I got to see the Christmas Market, got lunch and just wandered around a bit.

The Harry Potter Trail is a great, and free!, walking tour for every Harry Potter fan. It's only about 90 min long and takes you to the graveyard that inspired some of the characters names which is right next to the real life Hogwarts, the uni Rowling graduated from, the two cafès where Rowing wrote the books as well as the inspiration for Diagon Alley. The tour guide comes in full outfit and lends everyone a diy wand. Really great experience, which also lets you find new friends. 

I, for example, went to get a delicious hot chocolate in the Elephant House - "Birthplace of Harry Potter" with a girl from Germany I met on the tour; don't forget to check out the bathrooms for Harry Potter grafiti including letters to Rowling, quotes from both movies and books and sketches. Later we went for Haggis and let me tell you, it really is better than everyone makes it out to be. Really, it's not different from any sausage you eat, maybe a bit more spicy.

After that I went to my hostel and like I said, the rooms are really big. Everyone has his own locker (free, and don't forget a locket!), the bunks are against walls or divider and grant enough privacy for everyone and there is another space to walk around without feeling cramped. The washrooms are for everyone on the level, but they are spacy and hot, so that's ok. And seriously, nobody cares if you walk around in your PJs, everyone does it.

DAY 2

The day starts with a breakfast (1,5 pound) consisting of a bread roll, cereals and orange juice. The atmosphere is very relaxed and sleepy. Taking into account I was still rather tired and slept in, it was a great and easy way to wake up.

After breakfast I headed straight for St. Giles Cathedral, a beautiful place to start the day. I got postcards for my family and friends and went on to Calton Hill with the National Monument of Scotland. It was dizzy and windy, but once I made the first few pictures the weather cleared up. It's a great place to see Edinburgh from about while still seeing a lot of details. Up there is the old astronomy tower with the old telescope, a half finished monument in ancient greek style as well as a small little cafè. In total I spent about 1,5 hours up there taking photos, reading the info charts and enjoying the view.

Next stop is the National Portrait Gallery to come down and getting warm again. Apart from the old portraits (lets be honest, you get tired of those) there was also an exhibition about portaits of differents styles from all over the world. It is amazing to see how different the drawing and painting styles are. There were the once that looks so photorealistic you had to look twice, the once with minimalistic lines and colours, the expressionists and realists. Truely breath-taking.

And that was about it. The first part of my vacation was mostly a mix of museums and walking, really. Photos tomorrow!