Living in the centre of London has it's benefits but it is incredibly noisy all the time.... I guess living 2 min away from Trafalgar Square doesn't help :)
People screaming, cars passing by and hooting, sirens (different types!), trucks unloading, bottles crashing (the Sherlock Holmes pub is directly opposite us!), music, live bands, tour guides on speakers, protests, modified cars revving their cars hard...... the sounds are the same even at 1am or 5am in the morning. This city never sleeps!
I wish that we had double glazed windows.
We listen to music or Athol even got "sleep" music which sounds like you at the ocean or at a spa :) the latest sound that he uses is coffee shop noise - which is good for thinking.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
How big is this mug?
Or how small is this milk?
Well, to be honest.... the milk is a small milk and the mug is extra large :) The mug was a free gift from Sports Direct.
A place where being Vegan is normal :)
Yesterday we went to a Vegan cafe called Wild Food Cafe in Neal's Yard in Covent Garden.
It is difficult being a Vegan as most dishes contain meat and/or dairy. Meat-eaters are seen as normal in society and the Vegans are seen as weird or strange.
However, here at the Wild Food Cafe, being Vegan is the norm....
It is a small quaint cafe situated on the first floor overlooking Neal's Yard. Everything is made fresh and they cater specifically for Vegetarians, Vegans and health fanatics.
We wanted to try their pizza which has coconut cheeze. So we ordered that and their Olive and Shitake Burger, as well as their pear and parsnips soup. Presentation was great and the food very tasty. They also pride themselves of not heating food higher than 39 degrees in order to preserve the nutrients.
Even the waitress asked if I wanted my coffee with cow's milk or soy milk. In most other restaurants they never even have a soy option! As a meat-eating, dairy-eating person, I was the freak in this cafe :)
Athol ordered the wild apple drink which had all sorts of veggies in it.... quite exotic and brave! It had a strong celery taste.
On our walk back home, we passed the Agatha Christie memorial. It was very cool as it was a book unveiled by her son.
It is difficult being a Vegan as most dishes contain meat and/or dairy. Meat-eaters are seen as normal in society and the Vegans are seen as weird or strange.
However, here at the Wild Food Cafe, being Vegan is the norm....
It is a small quaint cafe situated on the first floor overlooking Neal's Yard. Everything is made fresh and they cater specifically for Vegetarians, Vegans and health fanatics.
We wanted to try their pizza which has coconut cheeze. So we ordered that and their Olive and Shitake Burger, as well as their pear and parsnips soup. Presentation was great and the food very tasty. They also pride themselves of not heating food higher than 39 degrees in order to preserve the nutrients.
Even the waitress asked if I wanted my coffee with cow's milk or soy milk. In most other restaurants they never even have a soy option! As a meat-eating, dairy-eating person, I was the freak in this cafe :)
Athol ordered the wild apple drink which had all sorts of veggies in it.... quite exotic and brave! It had a strong celery taste.
On our walk back home, we passed the Agatha Christie memorial. It was very cool as it was a book unveiled by her son.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Some of our London favourites
Well, we have been here in London since October, that's six months!
Here are some of our personal favourites in London:
Here are some of our personal favourites in London:
- Favourite foods: Falafels, Shwarmas, Avos, Garlic bread, Cashews and Pistachios, Milk Chocolate Digestives, Doritos, Snickers
- Favourite shops: Sainsburys (we like the self service check outs), Boots, COOP
- Favourite restaurants: Prezzo (their bruschetta is the best!), EAT (great for a quick meal - hot pot, pies with mash, soup), Burger King (their XXL bacon cheese burger is amazing - for me of course Athol has the veggie burger with fries), bruschetta at the South Bank food market, burritos at TACOs along Strand Street, Pret a Manger, The National Cafe
- Favourite things to do: Walks along the Thames River. Asking Siri (in different accents!) for the weather everyday.
- Favourite TV shows: The Office, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Mr Sunshine
- Favourite memories of London: Watching Arsenal play Everton, seeing Dennis Bergkamp at the unveiling of his statue at the Emirates stadium, STOMP
With three months left, am sure that we'll have a lot more amazing memories :)
Exploring our neighbourhood: West End, London
We live 2 minutes away from the Thames River, if you cross the pedestrian bridge you reach South Bank where there are lots of theatres and restaurants.
We enjoy taking a walk to South Bank. There's a food market which sells nice, unusual, fresh foods. We had some delicious bruschetta with red pesto (3 pounds each or 2 for 5 pounds - that's about R50 each! Yikes! Even the naan bread, they make it right in front of you. We discovered a cool Mandela statue which was erected in 1985 before Nelson was even released from jail.
Before we get to the Thames River there is a lovely park called Whitehall Gardens. There are lots of benches, a few statues and pretty flower beds.
The Arches Shopping Centre is nearby. There is a South African shop there selling all South African goodies.
Directly opposite where we stay is the Sherlock Holmes Pub. We see this when we look out our window.
We enjoy taking a walk to South Bank. There's a food market which sells nice, unusual, fresh foods. We had some delicious bruschetta with red pesto (3 pounds each or 2 for 5 pounds - that's about R50 each! Yikes! Even the naan bread, they make it right in front of you. We discovered a cool Mandela statue which was erected in 1985 before Nelson was even released from jail.
Before we get to the Thames River there is a lovely park called Whitehall Gardens. There are lots of benches, a few statues and pretty flower beds.
The Arches Shopping Centre is nearby. There is a South African shop there selling all South African goodies.
Directly opposite where we stay is the Sherlock Holmes Pub. We see this when we look out our window.
Watching protests and marches from our window
Living right in the heart of West End, London, you see all the protests and marches as Trafalgar Square is a popular gathering place and many of the embassies are in the area.
We live next to the Nigerian Embassy. There have been two noisy protests against the news anti-gay laws.
Recently there was a 'Save the Lion' protest.
On 18 March, hundreds of Galatasaray football fans marched through Northumberland Avenue chanting football songs. It was a controlled march as the police were there. They were playing Chelsea that night. Was impressed that the fans came all the way from Turkey.
We live next to the Nigerian Embassy. There have been two noisy protests against the news anti-gay laws.
Recently there was a 'Save the Lion' protest.
On 18 March, hundreds of Galatasaray football fans marched through Northumberland Avenue chanting football songs. It was a controlled march as the police were there. They were playing Chelsea that night. Was impressed that the fans came all the way from Turkey.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
End of the second semester
On Friday, the second semester at LSE which started on 12 January 2014 came to an end. Here they have three semesters. The first two is 10 weeks long and there are lectures. You must do five semester courses in total for a Masters in Political Theory. The third semester is 26 April to 5 July and there are papers due and exams. So Athol has two exams and five papers due. The thesis is due on 1 September 2014 so students have 24 May until then to work on the paper. Apparently professors are not available from 5 July to ensure fairness.
So it's great that Athol doesn't have classes any more but he does have to read, write papers/exams and work on his thesis.
I think that we must spend the most time together than any other couple :) We spend 24/7 together and in a tiny 28 sqm room! Luckily we get along so well.
So it's great that Athol doesn't have classes any more but he does have to read, write papers/exams and work on his thesis.
I think that we must spend the most time together than any other couple :) We spend 24/7 together and in a tiny 28 sqm room! Luckily we get along so well.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Spring on the horizon
Yesterday, the temperature in London reached 20C! Strangely a very warm day. People were even wearing t-shirts and the sun was shining. Spring is in sight!
The days are getting longer too. A month ago, the sun was setting at 4pm and temperatures reached 10C now the sun sets about 5:30pm and the max temperature can reach 20C.
Today sadly was a bit colder so I think that Spring is not quite here ;) but I think that we are on the up.
Weather is a big topic here in the UK - every morning we check how cold is it and if it is going to rain.
So we have 4 months leave in London! We will go back to the South African Winter so we must try enjoy the Summer before we leave. The cold wind now is actually quite refreshing, since here you walk everywhere.
The vibe in London is great. Even at night. We enjoy our walks at night. The other night we walked to South Bank which has a bit nice trendy, arty feel. There are restaurants and 3 big theatres and the food market. We walked through Jubilee Park by the London Eye and past Big Ben and back home. The location we we live is amazing, right in the centre of London. So busy and noisy but so much energy and life.
Am looking forward to Spring and Summer in London!
Athol has about 3 weeks of classes left before exams/assignments/thesis writing. He goes into LSE Monday 2pm-4pm, Wednesday 1:30pm-3pm and then Thursday 10am-4pm and is doing 3 courses this semester: Social Inequality, Business Ethics and Foundations of Political Theory. He really loves the intellectual learning and debates. His colleagues are so young, some are 22-25 years old :) even I am "old" compared to them. The second oldest person in his class is 30! Even the Professors are younger than Athol. Athol came into this course with no formal Political Theory undergrad but he has learnt so much in such a short space of time. I enjoy our discussions after class everyday. The issues about what is right and moral is complex. It is difficult to practically solve the world's problems without hurting someone. So I am learning a bit about Political Theory too. One skill that is learnt is the art of creating an argument - I am so glad that Athol is on my side, wouldn't want to be up against him ;)
The days are getting longer too. A month ago, the sun was setting at 4pm and temperatures reached 10C now the sun sets about 5:30pm and the max temperature can reach 20C.
Today sadly was a bit colder so I think that Spring is not quite here ;) but I think that we are on the up.
Weather is a big topic here in the UK - every morning we check how cold is it and if it is going to rain.
So we have 4 months leave in London! We will go back to the South African Winter so we must try enjoy the Summer before we leave. The cold wind now is actually quite refreshing, since here you walk everywhere.
The vibe in London is great. Even at night. We enjoy our walks at night. The other night we walked to South Bank which has a bit nice trendy, arty feel. There are restaurants and 3 big theatres and the food market. We walked through Jubilee Park by the London Eye and past Big Ben and back home. The location we we live is amazing, right in the centre of London. So busy and noisy but so much energy and life.
Am looking forward to Spring and Summer in London!
Athol has about 3 weeks of classes left before exams/assignments/thesis writing. He goes into LSE Monday 2pm-4pm, Wednesday 1:30pm-3pm and then Thursday 10am-4pm and is doing 3 courses this semester: Social Inequality, Business Ethics and Foundations of Political Theory. He really loves the intellectual learning and debates. His colleagues are so young, some are 22-25 years old :) even I am "old" compared to them. The second oldest person in his class is 30! Even the Professors are younger than Athol. Athol came into this course with no formal Political Theory undergrad but he has learnt so much in such a short space of time. I enjoy our discussions after class everyday. The issues about what is right and moral is complex. It is difficult to practically solve the world's problems without hurting someone. So I am learning a bit about Political Theory too. One skill that is learnt is the art of creating an argument - I am so glad that Athol is on my side, wouldn't want to be up against him ;)
Monday, March 3, 2014
Watching STOMP at the Ambassadors Theatre
STOMP has been running in London for 11 years at the Ambassadors Theatre in West Street.
We went to watch the show tonight.
What amazing talent, rhythm and energy these 8 performers have.
There are no words during the entire 100 minutes but somehow they managed to entertain us with their different beats using unusual object - they used zippo lighters, tubes, brooms, sticks, zincs, trolleys, water bottles, buckets, pipes, hubcaps, newspapers, basketballs, tins, cigarette packets, plastic bags to name a few. Amazing co-ordination and sounds! Who would have thought that you can make so many different sounds with everyday objects.
There even comedy. There is one odd, awkward new comer who always does things in a funny way - quite funny!
They even try to get the audience to clap tunes.
The theatre is small and cosy, probably around 200-300 seats - stalls and gallery.
Strangely, before the show started they played 3 South African songs, maybe a coincidence.
A great show, very entertaining!
http://www.stomplondon.com/
We went to watch the show tonight.
What amazing talent, rhythm and energy these 8 performers have.
There are no words during the entire 100 minutes but somehow they managed to entertain us with their different beats using unusual object - they used zippo lighters, tubes, brooms, sticks, zincs, trolleys, water bottles, buckets, pipes, hubcaps, newspapers, basketballs, tins, cigarette packets, plastic bags to name a few. Amazing co-ordination and sounds! Who would have thought that you can make so many different sounds with everyday objects.
There even comedy. There is one odd, awkward new comer who always does things in a funny way - quite funny!
They even try to get the audience to clap tunes.
The theatre is small and cosy, probably around 200-300 seats - stalls and gallery.
Strangely, before the show started they played 3 South African songs, maybe a coincidence.
A great show, very entertaining!
http://www.stomplondon.com/
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