East London markets, Spitalfields
Shortly after arriving back in London from Sydney, Wendy and I caught up on all the goss at Giraffe, Spitalfields for brunch before browsing the East London markets.
Spitalfields is a great little area of London, with loads of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, markets and creative agencies. It is most well-known for its markets, with the Old Spitalfield Market (held Thursdays-Sundays) being the most famous and biggest, and being just a hop away from the Indian eateries of Brick Lane (which we'd say give a miss). The area was also the old hunting ground for Jack the Ripper.
We paid a visit to the Columbia Road flower market after brunch. It was just a 5 minute walk away on a quaint street tucked away from the bustling city roads of London. The markets are lined with some 52 stores bursting with colourful flowers and pot plants. It always amazes us the sheer variety of flowers one can purchase in the UK and for not very much. This is where all that rain is a good thing! Wendy and I picked up 3 big bunches of flowers for a mere £5.
After, we browsed the markets around Spitalfields. Our favourite was the Backyard Market on Brick Lane, which looks like nothing much from the front, but is full of budding young designers making jewellery, clothes and accessories. We bought some bespoke jewellery (thanks to the lovely designer who offered to make us personalised pieces).
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is most well-known as Henry VIII's grandiose tudor palace where he resided in the 1400's. Some highlights at the Palace include the massive charred tudor kitchen which cooked and baked for 600 people twice a day.
The formal Privay garden dotted with toparies and a vast fountain.
The Palace's maze, known as one of the most famous in the world (but don't expect it to be huge!)
And the rest of the Palace's gardens which cover 60 acres and provides a peaceful and serence place to explore, relax and wonder. As well as the formal gardens and maze, one can discover the Great Vine (the biggest vine in the world), the rose garden (with purple roses!) and many fountains.
A day out in London with Kirsten, Islay and Constance
My very good friend from home, Kirsten, who currently resides in Brighton, visited London with her two little girls for a day out in the town. We enjoyed lunch at Giraffe (again! But it is a very kid-friendly place) along South Bank which is right on the Thames.
Shortly after lunch, the girls were getting restless being indoors so we walked along the Thames and toward the Tate Modern to visit Dominique Gonzales Foerster's impressive sculptures in the Turbine Hall. The girls squealed at the 3-storey high spider sculpture and Islay engaged a lot with the other installations- climbing on, under and around them.
Christmas at Balham
After our trip to Portugal, time was really flying by and Christmas celebrations were already well underway. A group of Aussies living in London gathered at the Balham Manor for pre-lunch mulled wine and finger food. Lunch was enjoyed at the local restaurant and bar, The Exhibit.
Post-chrissy lunch celebrations continued indoors back at the Manor to exchange Secret Santa gifts but with a twist- when it was your go, you could choose someone else's gift or take the risk of opening a wrapped one (this activity became a very amusing social experiment on scheming and devious behaviour).
Emma and Ian visit London
Emma (my cousin) and Ian (Emma's boyfriend) visited London as one of their first stops before a 10-week holiday skiing in the French Alps and then touring Asia. As I write, I am pretty sure they are still on holidays.
We caught up in London for brunch at Brasserie James, which was between our place in Balham, and Clapham where they were staying with Ian's brother. We then went to the Portobello Road Markets at Notting Hill to browse the antiques and also pig out on German sausages and schnitzels. The day went by so quickly, so we met up again a few days later, for high tea at the Orangery (after a frenzied day of property viewing for me. See below).
The London property hunt
The time rolled around again to search for a new rental property. For all those heading over to live in London, the property hunt here is not the most pleasant of experiences. After 3 weeks of viewings, we finally, finally found a little place in St Pauls the day before we flew out of London for New York. We'll be moving in, this weekend and shall look forward to a fresh new place for the new year and continuing our adventures in London and Europe from here.
Best wishes for 2009 and see you soon on the blog!
