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. |
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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