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.

New Years Eve

This is going to be a really short entry because honestly, there isn't much different from what I am used to at New Years Eve. I went into Central London with an au pair friend of mine and went home when it was over.

First of all, remember to BUY TICKETS!
Very important if you want to go into Central London and have a good view of the fireworks around London Eye. This started last year apparently and is meant to regulate the number of people to prevent riots, hysteria and people camping outside to get a good spot. It's not expensive, only 10 pound, and the money goes to UNICEF, so you are even doing something good!

The City Centre is divided into different zones, each of them has a limited number of tickets. Because we didn't know that early enough we didn't get into the zones that were sold first, but we got tickets for the pink area - which means Waterloo Bridge.
It was really well organized, it didn't get long to get inside, there was a quick bag check (to sort out glas bottles and private firecracker) and then we were finished. Only three hours to wait....
Honestly, it was ok. Sure it was cold, but we moved a bit, there was music to dance to and the Nero at the end of the street was open to provide is with hot drinks and food as the food stands were way too expensive. Also, you had a lot of space, so don't worry about getting a good spot.

The countdown was projected onto a large building and the shouting started in the last ten seconds. The firework itself was amazing, different shapes and colours, some of which looked like they were exploding in slow motion. The smoke went with the wind so you had a more or less good view of the spectacle and the London Eye all the time.

After that we went to the nearest tub station (Charing Cross was closed so we went to Embarkment) which took some time obviously but nobody was too drunk or pushed. Also, we went into a direction that wasn't very crowded, others were less lucky. A nice bonus was that all public transport was free between midnight and 6am.

And that was it. Like I mentioned, nothing too interesting. I'm sure you can find a cool, edgy party somewhere and have a crazy night, but we just wanted to see the firework and get back into our beds.

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!

Harry Potter Studio Tour!

What do you associate with England? The Queen, sure. The Beatles and One Direction maybe. The origin of the punk scene and afternoon tea. Charles Dickens and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Oh, and Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter euphoria started in 1997 and is still going strong. Books, additional books, movies, wands, clothes, action figures, whatever you want can be bought somewhere. But sometimes, you have to leave your house to get to an important milestone in the life of a wizard or witch... I mean fan!

One of those places is for sure the Warner Bros studios in Leavesden near Watford. Just a train ride away from London (best via Euston) you can get on the Harry Potter studio tour bus that drops you off right in front of the doors of a rather ugly yellowish building. But be careful, you need to buy your ticket in advance online!
I've already been there in 2013 and didn't plan on going again simply because it costs 33 pounds and I didn't think there would be anything new. But another au pair invited the rest of our group as part of a group organized by her agency. In the end, we were four people going.

I'm not going into too much into details about the tour/exhibition. The Great Hall was the same except for a few Christmas trees and that the food displayed was different. They had the in Britain usual Christmas crackers for each house, plum pudding with inpressive fire effects and of course the clothes from the different houses as well as some professors in the front. As a bigger fan of the books than the movies I again was very happy about the house point hourglasses in the back counting the house points.

The rest of the tour is a mix of costumes, probs and explanations. They show you how the floating candles work, the different wigs for the characters and tricks to make hallways look way longer than they are. Every once in a while a mini TV and the wall shows short film sequences of the main actors, but mostly Daniel Radcliffe, and other important persons like the producers talking about their experience on set and behind the scenes. At one point hree interactive marauder maps show you behind pictures of different rooms and how they were re-used. They also show you examples to explain the difference between visual and special effects.

Throughout the tour you can visit the Hogwarts Main Gate from part 6, the Gryffindor common room, the Boys dormitory, Dumbledores office, the potion classroom, the dining room of Malfoy Manor, the Burrow and Hagrids hut. There are also small sections of the Ministry Hall, Umbridges office, Borgin & Burkes and the Yull Ball. Everywhere in between there are small sections for things like armor, books, signs, skulls, Lupins suitcase and Crouch Jr. box where he keeps Mad Eye alive.

The last part of this half of the tour is an interactive one. If you ever wanted to know what it's like to sit on a broomstick, this is your chance! You get a maybe 40 seconds movie playing and an employee telling you what you have to do and how to move. It's really comfortable and you even have a Hogwarts cloak on which makes really good pictures (even though they are really expensive - take your parents with you!).

This was the main tour you could say. Two years ago you went straight outside after that, but by now they added another feature: King's Cross plattform 9 3/4 with the Hogwarts Express!
And you can actually walk through it. With compartments dedicated to the different school years you feel like you are actually on your way to another year of dangerous potions and Quidditch matches. There are also three parts where you can take photos that look like you are halfway through the wall. Right next to it is a sweets shop with Harry Potter themed candy.

After a quick lunch in the cafeteria we went outside. There are only 4 things: The Night bus, the creaky wood bridge that collapses in the last movie and the houses of the Dursleys and the Potters. This time even with soup fake snow coming out of the sky!

Back inside you get a look into the mask department. There you have everything from goblins, the Fenrir, to animatronics like Lupin's werwolf, Hagrid's head and Buckbeak. And like always, the staff is more than happy to answer questions.

Through the next door you walk straight into Diagon Alley. With Gringotts on one end and multiple stores left and right until you come to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I can't even discribe it, you actually have to see it yourself. You just feel like you are actually there to buy your wand or broom or just to get a few extra books.

Sadly, this was the last actual set. After this are only two more rooms with architecture sketches and small modells of different rooms and buildings like the Burrow or the Great Hall.
Talking about which, One last thing is there. And it's gigantic. And now, even covered in snow! A complete modell of Hogwarts that was actually used for flying and establishing shots. You can see small details like the telescope on the Astronomy tower, every little window and door (some even with light), trees and stones and connections you weren't aware of until now.

It is amazing. Now matter what, if you are a Harry Potter fan you are entitled to go and see this piece of art. It took us 6 hours to go through everything (Partly due to me taking too many pictures...) and I swear to god, you feel inspired and out of the world once you come out again. Maybe even with presents and souvenirs thanks to the fan shop in the end. Go and treat yourself with a bit of magic.