On Tuesday, it was sadly time to say goodbye to darling London and I was utterly surprised when the trip home was as smooth as can be. I had prepared for everything - from my flight being cancelled altogether to having to land in Munich because the weather in Innsbruck was once more slightly bitchy to everybody.
However, I arrived, checked in and was soon seated in the uncomfortable chairs of EasyJet. Without any delay, I had to bid farewell to the country of my heart, leaving me to count down the days until I can travel there again. Merry Christmas!
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On Monday night, I went to the Christmas concert of my favourite singer of all times - Kate Rusby.
Kate Rusby is a folk singer from Yorkshire and usually she sings in every city but London, but when I saw she would finally do a concert in London, I immediately bought a ticket and I can only say it was the best event I have ever been too. I cried all the time and the mesmerizing voice of this woman touches something deep within my heart. I discovered her a couple of years ago and it has been my dream since to see her in concert and especially her Christmas show is wonderful because she has a fantastic mix of traditional English folk songs, well-known Christmas songs as well as some of her own. Her concert took place at the Barbican centre and it has such a cosy and festive atmosphere, I actually didn't want to leave. She sang many of my favourites (like Sweet Bells, Hark Hark or literally every other song) as well as Let it Snow. Her husband, Damien O'Kane, who is a wonderful musician himself, did an Irish music interlude which was simply mind-blowing. Kate also talked about the history of the folk songs and, apparently, they were first sung in pubs because they were banned from the church for being "too jolly" (seriously, what is WRONG with the church). Rather than accompanying sermons, they entertained drunkards at pubs, which adds to their jolliness and uplifting melodies and makes me love them even more. Kate has released four Christmas albums so far called Sweel Bells, While Mortals Sleep, The Frost is All Over and Angels and Men. If you are in for a countryside, English Christmas, I recommend to download them (via Amazon) and be swept away by her beautiful voice and talent. There is not more to say, it rendered me speechless and I will actually now go and listen to one of her CDs. Thank you, Kate, for providing such perfectly wonderful music! After my rather catastrophic way of getting to London, I enjoyed my time thoroughly but before I tell you about my jeans dilemma (among all the others), I will give you a better review of the exhibition.
To be entirely honest with you, the exhibition was the incentive to travel to London and everything else just fell into part afterwards. As a Potterhead, the exhibition was, of course, a must and I was so relieved I could actually visit it. The exhibition is truly magical and exhibits a wide range of objects from original pieces JK Rowling wrote or drew (the best pieces of the exhibition) and real magical objects dating back sometimes thousands of years (the interesting yet not so fascinating pieces). You enter and a myriad of books hang from the ceiling and everything is held in a magical blue hue. You are immediately captured by drafts JK Rowling wrote during her seven years or planning and compiling Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The whole exhibition is mapped out to magical subjects in Harry Potter like Astronomy, Herbology, Divination, Potions, etc. Each rooms holds objects related to the various subjects and some offer interactive tasks (like brewing your own potion and having your fortune read). The atmosphere is very calm and because the visitor numbers are limited to time slots, it is not horribly overcrowded and you can take your time walking round the exhibition. For people who are Potterheads and history fanatics likewise, this exhibition is fantastic because it combines the best of these two. It was very interesting to see ancient scrolls which list how to make the Philosopher's Stone (it's really complicated) or how to transform into a tiger or lion (not so difficult, apparently, however there doesn't seem to be a back-spell, so better stick with your decision). You can also see a real broomstick used by a real witch as well as an ancient cauldron covered in a weird, undefined, sticky liquid, which, apparently, exploded. Apart from the fascinating objects exhibited, there is also an amazing shop where you can not only purchase the A History of Magic book in which you can find the objects (you are not permitted to take photos during the exhibition), but also a wide range of Harry Potter merchandise which will make every Potterhead's heart jump a beat. Obviously, I bought the book and can only highly recommend it, as it also includes the drafts Rowling wrote, which means you can read them over and over again. Alright, moving on. I had a very good first night and first went to Kingston and visited their cute Christmas market. Especially when you are German or Austrian, you will enjoy Kingston's market because it is quite similar to ours (and I think it is with full consciousness so). Part of it is a tent which means you don't freeze your butt off, but they have wonderful stands outside too, selling handcrafted pieces as well as delicious food. Speaking of food, in Kingston I also had a Christmas sandwich at Pret A Manger. You have to know I usually cannot stand Pret, but upon a trustworthy recommendation for their Christmas sandwich, I entered one and must say GET THAT SANDWICH! It's a Christmas orgy exploding in your mouth as the sandwich is filled with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and salad. It's truly delicious and probably it will inevitably lead to me revisiting my prejudices towards Pret, we'll see... After my epiphany at Pret, I went up to London the next day where I attempted to buy a new pair of jeans. You must know, I generally HATE jeans because they always slide down or are too tight around your belly (I am highly sensitive in this area) and they are so tight you feel like in a straight-jacket. Still, I cannot always wear dresses, especially in winter, so I decided I needed a new pair and because the only not entirely horrible jeans I have ever owned so far was from A&F, I went there to buy another. Weeeeell, they had a wide range of jeans to offer; however, the trend at the moment is high-waist jeans, which I HATE even more than regular jeans and will never understand how it could become trendy again. The only acceptable pair of jeans/jeggings was, obviously, not available in my size. What to do when A&F don't have what you're looking for? Right, go to Hollister, their affordable little child. Hollister do acceptable jeans as well; however, I couldn't find a SINGLE pair of jeans there which wasn't ripped in some ways. Seriously, some trends I will NEVER understand. Why would you pay more money to get a pair of jeans that is ripped? Especially in winter? How can you sell ripped jeans in winter at all? I don't get the world anymore... Still, I found a decent pair of jeans with only ONE ripped knee and thought I could live with that. Now, the usual problem with jeans took place which is one of the reasons I hate them. Which size? Of course, you can take the size which is a perfect fit at the store but then you risk it slinking down your butt after two days because it has stretched out so much. Otherwise, you can buy the smaller size which chokes your intestines at the store but leaves a minimal chance of being a perfect fit after a day or two. As you can guess, I chose the bigger size and had to pull them up every two steps the next day...I really HATE jeans! After my semi-successful jeans-buying-trip, I wandered up and down Regent Street, being in total awe at the beautiful Christmas decoration and atmosphere. I absolutely LOVE London. It is my favourite city in the world and whenever I am there, I sigh a little out of awe and happiness. London at Christmas, however, is simply unbeatable. If you have never been to London at Christmas, it should soar up the the top of your bucket list because you simply cannot die without having seen it (of course, these days there is a tiny bit of a risk you might die while being there for Christmas, but don't be deterred). When you go there, take the Piccadilly Line to Piccadilly Circus and when you get out, you will be amazed by the twinkling lights and the big ads likewise. Then wander up Regent Street and be in awe of the amazing decoration and the horrendous prices in the shop windows before reaching Oxford Street and being pushed aside by hundreds of people trying to get their shopping done. Turn right and wander down until you reach the department store Selfridges and indulge yourself in their food hall - it's truly delicious. If books are more of your cup of tea than clothes, you can visit the huge Waterstones in Piccadilly which is not only huge (spreading over four floors), but also includes a café which offers my beloved scones with clotted cream and jam. You can either eat it Devon-style where the cream goes first, followed by the jam; or Cornwall-style (how I eat it), which puts the jam first and then a dollop of cream on. For me, there is nothing more satisfactory than eating scones in a bookshop and looking out of a window overviewing hectic Christmas shoppers - it's bliss. So why not make Waterstones your last point on your shopping list and indulge in a little cream tea before you head home? There is so much to tell you, and most of it is a complete catastrophe, but let me start at the beginning.
Yesterday might have been the single worst day of this year apart from the day we thought my mother had cancer or when my dog died (2017 really WASN'T my year). Anyway, it all started with my flight being delayed by more than three hours due to bad weather conditions. Here I have to intersect that I CANNOT recommend flying from Innsbruck airport because the flights get regularly cancelled or delayed because of the high fog in the mountains. So, why was it such a catastrophe that my flight was delayed? Well, apart from me having to sit around for hours, sweating and being bored, I also had a ticket booked for the Harry Potter exhibition at the British Library - A History of Magic. My allotted time slot was from 15h30 to 16h00 to enter and if we'd left in time, I'd have plenty of it left to make it to the library, store my luggage and get a decent lunch. However, our flight couldn't land and it ended with our flight being cancelled altogether and us being transferred to the next flight, which, thankfully, only had 26 passengers booked on which meant they crammed it with the remaining passengers wanting to go to London Gatwick and Bristol. I am sure you can imagine that it was a complete disaster as none of the crew members of the second flight were prepared for the masses of people and even though they tried their hardest, the second flight was also seriously delayed due to their incapability to locate some passengers within the airport (Innsbruck airport is about the size of one Starbucks in Heathrow. It has literally ONE terminal). Now, I was sitting in the airplane for over an hour while we waited until they found and allocated the Bristol passengers and I was positively fuming. Time was ticking and tocking away, as were my chances to be admitted to the exhibition. I was already planning my next trip in February to visit it, but as you can imagine, I was crestfallen. Eventually, after more than three hours, we took off and headed to London. We landed at quarter to three and had everything gone according to plan, I would have been in London three hours already, so you can imagine the scenario unfolding. Similar to the Frankfurt Marathon, you could watch a lunatic racing through the airport, pushing people aside (yes, also children) and huffing and puffing like an old train. Sweat was running down my spine and I seriously thought I would have a massive asthma attack here and now because I could barely breathe. Despite me knowing I wouldn't make it in time, I was set to succeed in my mission to reach the BL in time and see the exhibition. As soon as I arrived in London Victoria, I raced down the overheated underground corridors before zooming through the streets around Euston Street until, panting heavily and on the verge of tears, I arrived at the BL, nearly half an hour late. When I collapsed at the desk, explaining in short sentences (I had no breath left) what my dismay was and if there could be anything done, they reacted a little too quick for my taste and immediately assured me that would be no problem whatsoever. OK, no problem whatsoever. Good to know after having marathoned through London like a lunatic. But of course I was relieved beyond anything and wonder if they admitted me because I must have looked like a complete deranged person, obviously having a minor (or major) breakdown. Sweat running down my spine and forehead, I could eventually see the exhibition and it was mind-blowing. Early drafts of the HP manuscript were on display, think-sheets and laid-out plans for the serious and I loved reading them and recognising her handwriting. Alongside were books on "real" magic which weren't nearly as intriguing but still pretty interesting and I can only recommend the exhibition highly; however, you need to be quick as it will only run until the end of February and most of the dates are already sold out. Still, the day of running and delays wasn't over yet and when I was towards the end of the exhibition, a slightly determined if not aggressive man came wandering through the rooms, informing us we only had twenty minutes before the doors would be closed. I was devastated because I hadn't explored the shop yet and everybody knows that the shop is the BEST thing about exhibitions and museums. Quickly I raced towards the exit and purchased the book to the exhibition but when I wanted to pay, I couldn't find my English debit card and, alarmed, realised I must have forgotten it when I topped up my Oyster card at the train station, which meant I had to find out the number of my bank and get a new one, etc, etc. The funniest thing about losing the card was that I didn't even care anymore. The day had worn me down so much that it was just too perfect to top it off. With a deep sigh, I paid with my Austrian card and headed to the locker rooms to get my stuff. As I was assorting everything you won't believe what fell out of my purse, just like that. Yah, yah, it was my English debit card... So much about yesterday and my unwelcoming welcome, but now I am here and tomorrow I will tell you about my day out in London and some observations I couldn't help make. Finally I am headed back to London for a long weekend and it's going to be an amazing time because I have some great things on my agenda.
At the moment I am sitting at Innsbruck airport, waiting for my flight and hoping everything will go smooth - you know of my flight anxiety, I wonder how more often I will need to fly to alleviate it. However, it is more the preparation of the flight which freaks me out, this whole checking in and getting checked because, and I don't know why, I am always convinced they might find something incriminating in my bags, but I guess it's just paranoia. Anyway, today when I arrive I will immediately travel to London and visit the British Library to see the Harry Potter A History of Magic exhibition, which will be amazing, but more on that later. Over the weekend, I will spend quality time with my former protegees and have a lovely time, finishing off the trip with a Kate Rusby Christmas concert on Monday night, which might even be the highlight of my year (I didn't have the best, but you can read a recap soon on floatingtheboat.weebly.com). So, my flight's been called and I need to go, but stay tuned for updates on this weekend. My dear friends, I am terribly excited as I will fly to London just before Christmas and it is going to be an altogether awesome trip!
First I will see the Harry Potter exhibition at the British Library and this will be utterly amazing from what I have seen in the BBC2 documentary about it. However, I will spend a lovely weekend with my darling kids I used to nanny there and we will go Christmas shopping and the whole lot - maybe we will even go to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, who knows... However, another massive highlight is going to be visiting the Kate Rusby Christmas concert in the Barbican Hall and I am so looking forward to it. For all you pitiful people who don't know Kate Rusby, she is a folk singer from Barnsley, Yorkshire and has an absolutely angelic voice. She will release her new Christmas album on the 24th November (if I am not entirely mistaken) and you should really get it, it's called Angels & Men and I am really looking forward to it all, so stay tuned around the 15th December to hear all about lovely London at Christmas! All good things must come to an end. I am back from England and although I will keep up this blog for all the amazing things I am sure I will experience in England, it just isn't sufficient for my plans anymore.
To continue with my story (and I would love you too, we had such a great time together), please visit my new blog floatingtheboat.weebly.com where I will continue to share experiences, stories and the little disasters which make out my life. I hope I will hear from you soon and try to live with the change. I hate change, too, believe me, but sometimes it is for the best! Fourth and final installment of England A-Z. Enjoy!
S St. Christopher's Inn The St. Christopher's Inn is a youth hostel in Edinburgh where I stayed when visiting Edinburgh. It is located in the city centre and facing the Balmoral Hotel (so you don't forget how close and yet far away from it you are). It is a decent hostel and for everybody wanting to save money, I can warmly recommend it. The staff is really nice, the breakfast good and the have an adjacent pub where you can sit in the evening, chatting, drinking and listening to folk music. It is also opposite the Edinburgh Dungeons, for all the fans of horror among you. https://www.st-christophers.co.uk/edinburgh-hostels?gclid=CjwKEAjws5zABRDqkoOniLqfywESJACjdoiGrWh8bsq5p1zQFOm4MQOOJvR2cYeSCyYfGi8yks6YhhoC_GHw_wcB Shard, The I think it is hardly necessary to explain what the Shard is, but for all the people who have lived on the moon in the past years: it is the tallest building in London, England, United Kingdom and the fourth tallest building in Europe. When my man visited, he insisted on going, so we went up and had a look. Honestly, I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. I didn't feel THE difference everyone was talking about and thirty pounds for walking around for twenty minutes and then leave again is really overpriced. Rather use your money for attractions like Madame Tussaud's, Sea Life, London Dungeon or the Harry Potter Studios (my personal favourite). T Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey is a monastery ruin in Tintern Abbey in Wales from the 12th century. My man and I visited it when we went to Wales and Gloucestershire. It is a majestic ruin in the middle of the valley and looks pretty creepy and imposing. From Chepstow, you can take a bus there (which runs like three times a day, honestly, not much more often, so inform yourself well), or you can wander there on a three-hour-hike, as my man and I did. When hiking, you walk over the crest of the hill and first see it from the top before wandering down to the valley and being able to take a closer look. You can also go inside, but there is an entry fee. But even if you decide not to go in, it is pretty grand from the outside, too. Definitely a must for fans of architecture, history and a creepy atmosphere. Two-Screen-Cinema Located at Leicester Square, this cinema regularly shows sing-a-long-as where you can sing along to movies like Frozen, Pitch Perfect, etc. N and I went there once to see Frozen and it was one of the most entertaining evenings of my life. It is not only singing along but a full event of cheering, booing, shouting obscenities out and gesticulating wildly. A nightmare for every introverted person, but fun with no limits. U Urban Lifestyle Living in London means living in an urban and cosmopolitan surrounding. Everything there is, you can find in London, which makes it so awesome. You can see all shows your heart could desire, eat food from every corner of the world and meet people from all around the globe. When in London, stop for a moment, take a deep breath and take in the smell of urbanity, variation, multiculturalism and then smile. Smile broadly. V Variety Also mentioned in the post above (what am I supposed to do? there isn't much with V...), variety and diversity are definitely one of the things I liked best in London. People are more open-minded, diversity is embraced and variety welcomed. You can find all sorts of events in London, from elegant to casual to absolutely freaking crazy - AND, you will always find nice people on the way. W Wales It is my goal to visit all of the countries belonging to the UK. This year I made good progress. After my trip to Scotland in autumn, I managed to travel to Wales in spring. Admittedly, it was just across the border from Gloucestershire, but Wales is Wales. I know I talked about Wales dismissively in one of my early entries, but you should know, I never mean this things. EVERYONE makes jokes about Wales being a gigantic sheep meadow and, funnily enough, the first thing we saw when we crossed the border to Wales, was a field with sheep grazing on it. But honestly, Wales is beautiful and I enjoyed hiking there with my man (yes, you read right). It is a soft green, the people are nice and the food is hearty. Not for fans interested in the big city experience, but a must for everyone else. Waterstones If you have been following my blog, you already read my entry about the bookstore Waterstones and how much I love it. Well, here I go again. I ABSOLUTELY love it! It is not only a bookstore, for me it is THE bookstore. You might feel different, but once you have sipped your tea at the top of Waterstones in one of their lovely cafés and read a book or written something on your laptop, I am sure you will agree with me. Y Yummy/Yucky First, thank you to N who brought this idea for Y to me (I was desperate at this point and had already lost X, I didn't want to lose Y, too, so thank you). Yummy/Yucky is about the British food. It has most likely the worst reputation of all countries and, in my opinion, most people are profoundly mistaken about British food - well, to some extent. First of all, British people don't sit at home and eat eel pie and chips on a buttered bread everyday. In fact, they have a the same basic edibles we have: a lot of meat spiced up with rice, potatoes and pasta. Most people I met ate similar meals than do Austrians - though, I would say their obsession with meat outperforms the Austrians slightly. They eat meat with everything. Also, the sandwich. If soup was able to be consumed in a sandwich, the British people would have soup sandwich, trust me. They love their sandwiches, but, honestly, their is nothing wrong with a little sandwich snack in the afternoon. However, there are some weird food choices the British do make and which I can neither understand nor support. I can sum this up in one word. Marmite. Whose sick joke was Marmite? It is a yeast extract, black paste which smells like vomit and tastes even worse. Also, their definition of bread is just wrong. Toast is not bread and just because you don't toast it, doesn't make it not toast, OK. Z I wanted to end with Z, as it says A-Z, but actually there is nothing to say to Z, so I want to use the letter to say thank you to you all and what a wonderful year I had. I want to thank all the people who supported me, gave me a chance and read my blog, particularly N, for always being there and generally making this year the year of my life! Also thanks to my bosses at the entertainment party service and Haymarket and to host and host's friend who took me in in the beginning and let me stay with them. And, finally, of course, thank you to the great family which took me in and trusted me with their children, who welcomed me and let me stay with them for all these wonderful months. Thanks to all of you! Without any of you, my year wouldn't have been so great and I really will bear it in mind and appreciate it. I just hope to see you all soon in London - the greatest city in the world! First of all, today I launched my new blog. As you know with the looming last part of my England A-Z, the year in Britain has sadly come to a close. Here I also want to thank my loyal readers and I hope you have enjoyed the year as much as I have by reading my blog. Tasteofbritain will continue but as I am not in Britain at the moment, there will be not much "fodder" to feed, so I am launching my new blog which you will be able to access here as well, but more to that later. I also uploaded three more videos on my Youtube Channel, so you might want to check them out, too. It is Saturday night and I am sitting on my sofa, writing these lines, disastrous FOMO constantly knocking at my mind.
I just had a drink with my sister and her lovely boyfriend and at nine we conceded that we were all really tired and wanted home. I had a tummy ache, she a headache and he was awfully tired (what a pathetic bunch of people we are). Anyway, when I wandered to the bus and saw all the people chatting, dolled up for their exciting nights, I felt I was missing out by going home but the alternatives were just not acceptable. My man is out, too, but his idea of fun is just wrong (standing in a club too loud to talk, but not dancing and tapping your feet to the sound of the electric music is just not a good idea of fun, honestly), so I headed home, made a cup of tea and curled up on the sofa. Now I am thinking. Why are people - especially my age - permanently required to party? Why are we and the world constantly told that EVERY twenty-something person wants to party and enjoys standing in a club with drumming music, wedged between to idiots who are squeezing your butt in turns? Why are you boring if you choose a Saturday night environment which allows enough space and oxygen? Even as a teenager the idea of clubbing and getting wasted didn't appeal to me and I always preferred a book and a cup of tea to a cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, I like socialising and also dancing. When there is a house party with a bunch of people I know and like, count me in. When I went to Meltdown back in London and drank with funny people or went out with the people from Haymarket, I had a lot of fun, I am not saying it is impossible to have fun going out per se, but I don't understand why it is indoctrinated into people my age that something is wrong with you if you don't like it. About twice a year, I convince myself that I have to go out more often and when I find myself squeezed between drunk people, can hardly move an inch and have to shout everything I want to communicate, I wonder whether it was really worth trading my sofa and cup of tea for this... Additionally, the idea of going out, I would say, ultimately serves the purpose to find someone to spend the Saturday nights with on the sofa, right? If you want to find a partner and don't like the idea of internet dating, there is not much choice. I, however, have already found my sofa-mate, so the purpose of going out in a slutty dress have become quite unnecessary. I remember when my man and I were freshly together we went out quite a lot with his friends and mine. Back then, we were like THE annoying couple. You know, the couple which makes everyone say "Get a room" because we were more or less having sex in front of everyone. We were so madly in love that we didn't talk to others, we just looked doe-eyed into each other's eyes and snogged until our lips were sore. At some point, I thought it would be so much more comfortable to do this horizontally on the bed or sofa instead of amidst people we knew and who had phones to take pictures of us. So, we stopped going out for a while and spent more time naked in bed, which, I think, everyone was grateful for. So, ultimately, I want to say that although I know it is ridiculous to be talked into going out if you don't enjoy it, FOMO sets in whenever I am not watchful enough to fend it off, but it is ok, I think. Probably sometimes it is even needed to get out more often. However, not today. Tonight will be dedicated to listening to Kate Rusby, sipping hot tea, writing and reading, and there is nothing wrong with that...I hope... Two days after my meltdown, so it's time to come clean again.
The negativity of this entry was pulling me (and presumably others) down and so I decided to write a cheerful note for myself and leave my negativity behind. Thanks, by the way, for the concerned people who called me afterwards, that was very helpful - and made me reread the entry again...goodness, new low point. Of course nothing is back to perfect again but as with most things in life, it is about a change of perspective. Admittedly, the interviews weren't great and some people I applied for were a little bit weird (whether this is an understatement or not shall be open for interpretation), but it will eventually all work out. After all, I have only returned four weeks ago and will do my theoretical driving exam next week and my man and family are a great support. I must say I miss England every day because of the possibilities and opportunities but, as I said, a new perspective. Cheerio! |
AuthorIn September 2015 I started a new chapter of my life by moving (temporarily or permanently, not yet decided) to England where I work and socialise now. Archives
December 2017
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