London- Back in the town

We arrived back at the bustling Waterloo Friday evening after (what felt like) a very quick train ride back on the Eurostar. We took a black taxi back to our hotel, the Club Quarters St Pauls again. The taxi's in London are one of a kind. They are no bigger than a normal car, but fit more people and luggage in the back. The idea is that there is no boot, which allows seats for up to 5 people and/or room for luggage pieces. Nice.

Pete booked us a table at a very nice restaurant within walking distance from our hotel and his apartment. We had a great feed, great service and (weak) coffee in our own private area.



On Saturday morning, the sky was threatening with rain, but we set out to the famous Portobello Markets in Notting Hill. The street stalls stretch for as far as the eye can see and they are full of antiques, clothing and food. The antiques were a sight! So much gold, silver, brass, porcelin... But the biggest thing at the Portobello Markets are the people! Hundreds stream into the markets and surround the stalls and fill the streets all day.

The sky still hadn't broken with rain so we headed to Sloane Street to check out the flagship Burberry store and also get Mum some new walking shoes. The palatial Harrods can also be entered on Sloane Street and we made a bee-line to its famous food hall. If you thought the DJ's food hall in Sydney was fantastic, the Harrods food hall is at least 3 times bigger with the highest quality and most beautifully presented food I have ever laid eyes on. We came back to our hotel with bags of Harrods produce to spend a night in for dinner.

The Portobello Markets

GJ, this one's for you. I miss my VW

Graphic Designers look closely. I popped this one in for you

Paris- Feast for the eyes and tummy

My visit to the Musee d’Orsay deserves a separate post as it really blew me away! What a feast for the eye! I don’t think I have ever seen so many famous paintings in their original and raw form in one place. And to top it off, Degas’s bronze ballerina with her chiffon tutu, brought up the d’Orsay’s rating on the favourites list several notches. It was a real treat to see her standing in that glass cabinet.


Paris was not only about the sights, but it was also about the food. I wouldn’t figure out until the end of our time in Paris but Mum and Aunty Kew’s passion was to pursue the best food, any place we landed. In Paris we really treated ourselves to the fine bread (the French consider bread-making “an art”), savoury crepes, sweet glazed strawberry tarts, chocolate macaroons, croissants, baguette sandwiches, handmade chocolates and fresh strawberries… Herlina also cooked us a very French dinner of duck in orange sauce and escargots (snails, and yes, they are your average garden snail!). I guess the 7 floors of stairs meant we could afford to eat all this stuff and not put on any weight!

I want to finally mention that while I was browsing Paris's uber hip fashion and design store, colette, Mum and Aunty Kew escaped down the road to join the line of (what looked like) a very popular boulangerie. They had no idea what was inside, so they had to wait in line to see what they could purchase. They bought some treats for themselves and the biggest chocolate macaroon I have ever seen! It even had a thick layer of chocolate mousse inside!

What's the line for?

The biggest chocolate macaroon (about the size of my hand)

Mum's favourite boulangerie for its almond bread

A strawberry tart

Paris- The city I love

I must have forgotten what a beautiful city Paris is. Pulling away from the Gare du Nord in our taxi, staring out the window, I couldn't help but be taken by the pretty buildings, long stretches of streets, sidewalk cafes and lines of trees along the avenues and the Seine river banks.

We had departed London on Monday afternoon taking the Eurostar Eurostar to Paris (tip: Take a train between London and Paris. It takes a little less than 3 hours and the best thing is that you go from the centre of London to the centre of Paris. Forget the airports which are at least 40 minutes and an expensive cab ride into the cities.)

We met Herlina after work on the tree-lined Champs Elysee. Her apartment was a short train ride away in the 4th arrondissement, right around the corner from the Pomidou Centre. Herlina's apartment was right at the top, on the 7th floor of an apartment block, with no lifts. No wonder French women don't get fat. She had given us early warning of the climb and after a few days of sore calves, we got used to popping up and down the stairs.

Herlina's been living, studying and working in Paris for the past 1.5 years. She has made quite a home for herself in her white, lofty apartment.



As the week went by, Mum, Aunty Kew and I really fell in love with living high up there, in the centre of Paris. As Herlina does every morning, we'd stick our heads out the window to enjoy the Parisian rooftops and also check the weather.



Our week in Paris was marked by a lot of sight-seeing. We visited the grand Norte Dame, the enormous Lourve, the placid Palais Royale, the breadthtaking Musee D'Orsay, the elegant Eiffel Tower, the sparkling white Sacre Coeur, the posh Galleries LaFayette and the gardens of the Hotel de Ville. To top it off, we hopped a boat crusie, the Bateaux Vedettes du Pont-Neuf down the Seine to see all the sights at once along the bank.

The Eiffel Tower

Inside the Lourve

The Sacre Coeur

Hotel de Ville (Town Hall)

London town

We touched down at the bustling Heathrow Airport on Saturday afternoon and had a chauffer service pick us up and take us to our hotel, the Club Quarters St Paul's, located next door to St Paul’s Cathedral in London’s business district. (tip: The great thing about being in the business district over the weekend is that it’s not only close to Pete’s apartment and quiet, but hotels are a lot cheaper as the business travellers return home for the weekend).



Wendy had booked a table at the Italian restaurant, Strada, located across the road from the hotel, so we sat down for dinner and a catch up. Having stepped off the plane sick, I didn’t get to sample London’s Italian fare, but from what I heard, it was decent.

Sunday morning rolled around for us at about 5am as we were a bit jet lagged, but we had a packed day of sightseeing. Mum and Aunty Kew hopped on a red double-decker bus to tour the sights of London city while Pete took me to his favourite brunch spot, Smiths, located in what looks like an empty industrial part of town on the weekends. We then visited my favourite art gallery, the Tate Modern, a mere 5 minute walk away from our hotel and Pete’s place.



We finished off a few hours of perusing the gallery with a visit to the shop which has the longest wall of art and design books I have ever seen!



We then spent the rest of the day walking around the shopping districts of London city. A couple of highlights for me: spotting the 300 year old Twinning tea shop, Interbrand’s London office, one of the many Deloitte offices (where Pete works), Zara (still loving the Spanish clothing chain), Zara Home (heaven!), Selfridges (endless concessions stores of high-end brands).

The adventure begins!

After several farewells, cards, letters, hugs and tears, I departed Sydney on Friday night, the 18th of May, with Mum and Aunty Kew. Australia’s tyranny of distance could not have been more true to its words after more than 26 hours of travel to London. I must have forgotten how long the trip was... It was seriously only made bearable by my iPod!

Two drifters off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same
Rainbow's end, waiting 'round the bend
My huckleberry friend
Moon River and me.