Balmy Nights at the Balham Housewarming

Earlier this month, Ben, Geoff and Mike hosted a (belated) housewarming at the Balham house.


The idea of a tracksuit party (at the time of conception) seemed like a good one. Nights are always cool here and everyone is comfortable in trackkies. However, that week and on the day of the party, summer decided to kick in and with temperatures hovering around 27 degrees, tracksuits were far too hot for everyone.

While there seemed to be a lack of tracksuits around that night, the weather did make for a balmy night of fun with fruity punch, 40 Aussies and one token English guest.

Geoff's Birthday in London

Shortly after we arrived back from France, we celebrated Geoff’s birthday here in London. Mike organised the night out which begun with a night viewing of a design exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) called China Design Now. The exhibition highlighted the emerging design industry and culture in the cities of Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai.


Afterwards we popped around the corner to Thai Square for Geoff’s birthday dinner.



The following day, Geoff and I spent the day out and about in London. Actually we went back to the V&A as we hadn’t had time to see a smaller exhibition there called Mapping the Imagination, which exhibited a wide range of visual maps, from practical to expressive, and of all different interpretations.

We had lunch at the V&A food hall, a is a lovely space, but really confusing to navigate and then hopped over the Harrods to the Morelli’s Gelato Bar, a place Geoff has been eyeing since he first arrived in London, for their huge, luscious gelato sundaes! We found a seat at the bar and indulged in a chocolate and hazelnut gelato sundae all afternoon. We left Harrods feeling quite sick from all the sugary treats and vowing never to look at chocolate again (well, OK, until tomorrow!).

The Great Fire of London

Just as we were retiring for the night, behind the heavy curtains of the Balham Manor, Geoff and I noticed a brilliant flash of light. Pulling back the curtains we were shocked to see what was taking place directly across the road from us. After a call to 999 (the UK equivalent to 000 or 911) here’s some footage taking by Ben. Commentary by Geoff and Ben (which includes language unsuitable for young children).

France Highlights in Paris

We arrived in Paris on Friday afternoon. We would be staying with Herlina for the weekend so we kept ourselves busy strolling through Isle Louis behind the Notre Dame, stopping for coffee.

We thought we’d make a trip to the Centre Pompidou, the contemporary art gallery, just around the corner form Herlina’s apartment, but luggage was not allowed into the Centre so we ended up at a bar in the bohemian Marais for a drink (which Herlina would later inform us was a gay bar. No wonder if was so good- service, drinks, great-looking people all around…).


When we tired of the Marais bar, we hopped over the bar under Herlina’s apartment block, grabbing more drinks and a snack to eat (though the snack turned out to be a huge antipasto plate).


Herlina’s boyfriend, Damien, joined us for dinner (more food!) at the crepe place around the other corner.

Saturday morning was spent eating the dozen croissants and other bread-type delicacies that Herlina popped out to get before the two couples separated for the day. Herlian and Damien to do their Saturday errands and us to explore Paris like tourists.

We walked all over the city. From Herlina’s apartment to the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower.


The lines were long at the Eiffel Tower, and the sky threatened with rain, but the top level of the Tower was our destination. We waited in line for about 15 minutes, but when we saw the top level had been close temporarily, the sky had darken a bit more and a slight sprinkling of rain just begun, we made an executive decision not to go to the top that particular day and walked instead to the Arc de Triumph.


You can cross under the busy roads which circle the Arc de Triumph and go into the monument itself. There are great views over Paris from the top.


We had lots of fun identifying various place in Paris, including the Champs Elysee. We also ended up taking lots of snaps with the Eiffel Tower in the background.


We continued our walk down the Champs Elysee, stopping off for something sweet at the Parisian tea salon and pastry institution Laduree.


Continuing on, we headed towards the couture-clad Rue Saint Honore, where you can find shop after shop of the world’s most famous fashion houses. Including the first and flagship Hermes store, which was absolutely brimming with people this Saturday afternoon.


A quick stroll through the Palais Royale saw the sun getting lower and about time we headed closer to Herlina’s for dinner. As we had an hour to spare, we popped into the Centre Pompidou to check out the contemporary artwork and the amazing architectural wonder by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, whose concept for the building was to put all functional stuff eg. escalators and pipes, usually inside the building, on the outside.


This was to free up space for exhibitions and cultural activities, but also to create an architectural statement piece. Oh, and there are great views over the city too.


The Centre’s collection includes some very, very contemporary artwork, but also houses great contemporary classics such as Matisse.


The Bauhaus.


And Phillipe Starck, including my favourite Ghost chair- the perfect juxtaposition between the old world and new (a classic Louis XV style chair modernised with plastic).


For dinner, Herlina and Damien took us to their favourite restaurant with it’s own private garden and original artwork by the restaurant owner hanging on the walls.


On Sunday, Geoff was back to London by Eurostar. I stayed with Herlina and we walked back to her place from the Gare du Nord (train station), stopping at the local markets along the way to pick up some food and see the pretty gardens in the Marais.


Lunch was Herlina and Damien's favourite falafels and Yiddish sandwiches.


I was off later that Sunday afternoon, as the Design Management Institute (DMI) academic conference was to take place over the next two days. The conference was being hosted by ESSEC Business School in Cergy, a university town 1-hour outside of Paris.

France Highlights in Lyon

The following day, we set off to catch a TGV train to Lyon. Lyon was a 2-hour ride from Marseille, in the middle of France on the River Rhone.


We had not known anyone who had been to Lyon before, so were not sure what to expect, but the little city, of narrow boutique-lined streets, cobbled eating squares and the beautiful castle, sorry, church (we thought it looked straight out of Disneyland, but were promptly told it was not a castle but a church) was absolutely gorgeous.


We stayed in a tourist-y part of the Lyon, near the square, Place Bellecour, and the church, Notre-Dame de Fourvière.


We had booked a lovely little hotel called La Residence, with white French doors opening to the pedestrian shopping streets below and its own Juliet balcony.


We wondered around Lyon, marveling its gorgeous surrounds and decided to hop onto an afternoon boat cruise to try and capture some of the city on our first day.


Our boat trip glided through the waters of the Saone River, which runs parallel to the Rhone. We saw all the old French architecture along the water, avenues of bristling trees and a pretty island.


Back in town we grabbed dinner at a simple pizza restaurant to balance out the richness of food from the night before, and took a long walk around the streets of Lyon afterwards.


We found an eating area of tightly packed restaurants on cobbled streets that we promised to return to the next night.


There were also many shops and I was mentally noting all the ones to visit the following day. Lyon was a shopping mecca.


There were endless streets of shops, boutiques and eateries and because it’s a small city, it was very compact and easy to navigate.


We shopped the next morning and then walked up to the Notre-Dame de Fourvière, choosing to take on the steep hill by foot. It was not as steep a climb as in Marseille, but it was a little longer. Again, the top did not disappoint.



The Notre-Dame de Fourvière was as pretty on the outside as it was on the inside.


The interior of the church was full of mosaic artwork and some of it so intricate and detailed we couldn’t imagine how long it would have taken.


After a short and peaceful rest at the café under the trees, we made a much easier trip down through the gardens of the Notre-Dame de Fourvière.


More shopping and more eating including dinner at Les Enfant Terrible saw our last full day in the pretty Lyon.


Tomorrow it was on the TGV again for a weekend in Paris.

France Highlights in Marseille

The second largest city in France is the port city of Marseille. The active hub of the city happens around the old port called Port Vieux. We booked a hotel, Hotel du Palais, just a few blocks back from the water lined with bobbing boats.


Spring all over Europe seemed to be taking a long time to kick in, so our time in Marseille did not see many tourists, nor a whole lot of warm weather. We did, however, enjoy the sun, exploring the city by foot and the delicious food.



Being a port town, Marseille, is a marvellous place for seafood and early morning one can smell fresh seafood being sold along the water. The seafood is literally straight off the boat, most of it is still moving when it is purchased.


If you are a fresh seafood fan, a trip to Toinou, will satisfy your appetite. Great for a summer dinner, maybe not so great for when it's a bit chilly (as the restaurant doesn't cook anything except for the chips) and you aren't a die-hard raw seafood fan (like me). The seafood is taken straight off the ice (see the selling stands behind Geoff in the photo) and put straight onto your platter.


A short boat ride from Marseille, one can take a trip to Ile d'If, an isolated island which used to keep prisoners among its stone walls.


The island is famous for being the location of which the famous book by Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Christo, is based.


Back on shore, we set off on foot to explore more of Marseille. We decided to try and work off the croissants and macaroons we had been indulging in since we landed in France and walked to the highest point in Marseille to the Notre Dame de la Garde church.


The steep rise through the residential streets of Marseille were worth it for the views at the top (below you can see Port Vieux).


And the spectacular interior of the church adorned with coloured and gold motifs, and strong nautical theme throughout, something we had not ever encountered before inside a church.


Back down, in the city, we took a break for a drink at a rustic café/bookshop. Just how cafes should be.


Setting on foot again, we visited Cathedrale de la Major. A bold building, dwarfing everything around it in the old city.


On our last night in Marseille, we had one of the most special dinners at Carbone.


Classically French with it’s black, moody interior, we dined most of the night as the only table there (the French eat late, we noticed their next booking was at about 9pm) and had the undivided attention of a lovely waiter, who did not speak a word of English. Seeing was we knew only very, very basic French we had fun trying to establish conversation and also read the menus.

The food on the menu was a little more elaborate than just chicken or fish, and our French phrase book didn’t even have some of the words that appeared on the menu. After half an hour of pouring over and guessing the menu, we ordered and were pleasantly surprised to find wonderful dishes infused with Thai flavours. Our cappuccinos at the end of the meal, served with cream and a tiny raspberry nestled on top, finished off our unique dining experience at Carbone and in Marseille.