Amsterdam, Day 2
Happy Birthday, Tom!
Today, we started with a leisurely brunch at Cafe Luxembourg. Very tasty and relaxing, as well as full of Euro-people watching. Then Mike and Amber went one way and Tom, Montie and I another. We didn't really have any agenda, we just wandered around and looked at things. One of the places we wanted to check out was Fat BeatsWe didn't buy anything because we didn't want to deal with packing vinyl, but Montie and I mentioned that we both could have weeded our own collection to sell at Fat Beats for waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than we could get for it in the US and A.
Tom discovered while he was there Black Petewhich he claims has given him a new lease on Christmas. I managed to find a treasure trove of Black Pete wrapping paper, so if you are getting a Christmas present from me, look forward to meeting Black Pete. I've enjoyed learning about Black Pete's history, and the controversy around it.
So, then, shop and walk around we did. We mostly just window shopped, then ate some sweets (and of course a macchiato). We found another record store, where Tom bought Lily Allen and I bought Jimmy Sommerville. Perfect! Then, while I browsed Dutch children's books, Tom and Montie bought us wine and meat and cheese (pictured above) which we then took back to the apartment, listened to music and relaxed and enjoyed.
Tom chose an Argentinian steakhouse for his birthday dinner. Damn, I've eaten a lot of meat on this vacation! After that, Montie, Amber and I took a walk to the red-light district while Mike and Tom went gambling. (Tom won! 300 euros!) There was a LOT to look at, which surprised me that we were actually gone for an hour. The ultimate plan was to go to the American sports bar at (2 a.m.!) for the WVU-Pitt game. I was skeptical about this from the get-go, but once we decided to go back to the house before going to the game, I knew I was done for!As it turned out, the ladies went to bed while the dudes went back for the game. I think WVU won that one!
Amsterdam, Day 1
No pictures today.
Around noontime we needed to head to the airport. This morning, I think we were all getting a little snippy. I think the thought of getting on a plane was weighing on us a bit, as well as being a smidge tired. We just grabbed a sandwich at the train stop, but it was a great sandwich. Can't remember the name of the sandwich shop, but I could eat that cold train station sandwich every day.
Easy Jet was a great way to get around. Oh, and, due to the England-Netherlands friendly, our plane was full of soccer hooligans! I probably could have organized myself better to actually get to that match, but, oh well.
Our apartment in Amsterdam was amazing. We got it through City Mundo which I would recommend for anyone.The house was 3 floors tall- kitchen on the bottom, living room with GIANT windows overlooking the canal and small bedroom and toilet on 2nd, bedroom and bath on 3rd, attic bedroom and toilet on 4th. You could have fit 12 people in there comfortably.
We learned our lesson in London and had a cab driver take us to our house. Since Montie had been several times before, we let him be our leader. After an initial freak out that had us trying to go to every coffee shop as well as trying to catch the soccer match, things calmed down. We ended up going to a tapas restaurant and ordering one of everything on the menu. All was delicious, and most agree that this was their favorite meal of the trip. Lots of wine, lots of little food and just good times. After this, we went out drinking, but the bar was kind of disgusting. It felt like Papa Joe's during my college years at OSU. Kinda dirty and full of drunk frat boys. This must be what people say when they tell us Amsterdam was filthy. Finally, we just headed home.
England Day 4
Today, Mike and Amber were going to see Spamalot, so Tom, Montie and I set out on our own. We had decided to go to the Tate Modern. I wasn't sure if anyone would be up for a museum, but all were - Montie had been before. It was great. The Carsten Holler slides were unbelievable. I think my favorite exhibit was the little boxes.Online can NOT do this justice! It was really clever and is what has most stuck with me too. AND I got my Tate pencils back! (I had one once that was taken away by a gatekeeper at Coachella. I was so sad, I loved that pencil! Now I have 3!!)
It actually started raining while we were in the museum, the first rain we'd seen during our whole trip. It was slight though, and we cabbed it back to Soho where we could do some shopping. We ate a good burger with cheddar and drank a pint and got directions to the Borderline
where we were going later to see Dale Watson. Told it was right around the corner from Foyle's bookshop, we found it, then I went back to Foyle's. Or at least the ground floor of it. What a great bookstore! I could have spent an entire afternoon in there.
I also went to the Topshop, a place I'd heard about not only from a teen novel I read, but from the news - both Michael Jackson and Lindsay Lohan closed it down while we were there. Wow, did I heart the Topshop. It was like a bigger, better H & M. Since Tom and Montie were with me, however, I didn't really get to shop too much - but I did get some cool socks and some Christmas presents. Thank God shoes were so expensive in London, or I'd have been in big trouble.
We tried to go to Gordon's again, but it was waaaaaaaaaay too crowded, so our next stop was Leicester Square, where the Casino Royale premiere was ready to begin. Unfortunately, Daniel Craig came first, and I wasn't quite situated, but I did get a glance. We got to see all the movie's stars come in, including Eva Green, Caterina Murino (what an ass on her!) (Unfortunately, pantylines too.) Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Caine, ex-Bond girl Michelle Yeoh (beautiful and the prettiest dress too.) and hilariously, Chris Cornell. Yeah, I saw him at Stache's! Rumors abounded that the queen was coming, but we didn't spot her - as it turned out there was another red carpet on the other side of the square for stars who were attending but not in the movie, that featured Paris Hilton, Elton John, and Sting, among others.
We then met up with Mike and Amber. Amber was craving a steak so we went to the closest restaurant, the Aberdeen Steak House, which I sense was the British equivalent of Ponderosa. Exactly.
Now, off to the Borderline to see Dale Watson. Little did I suspect that it would be sold out! Amber mananaged to sweet talk our way in however, to the very crowded basement bar. It was good fun for all, however, and just so amazing to see the huge crowd of folks, of which I was probably on the young end to average by age! You couldn't get that many old folk out on a weeknight in this country if Johnny Cash rose from the dead. Hearts to England.
After leaving, we really wanted to keep drinking a few. Montie had been dying to go to Camden, so we caught a cab up there, but unfortunately, Tuesday night was pretty quiet there, and our drinking options were few and far between. The bar we decided to hit was actually really cool - The Lock Tavern. I wish I had discovered this place earlier - they have amazing djs on the weekends, including Simian Mobile Disco on the previous Sunday, and Fila Brazilia and Zero 7 (!!!) the day we left. What a hidden jewel!
At this bars close, we headed back to SE1.
England Day 3
Monday started with a trip to Tom's motherland, Stamford Bridge, home of the Chelsea Blues. There was always a hope that tickets would be available for the West Ham match but that didn't happen. Later, we realized we should have bought the Arsenal tickets that were available and sold them for a profit, but we didn't think about it at the time.
After spending beaucoup hours and pounds at the Chelsea Megastore, we walked out (HAHA! As if!) trying to find Kings Road. After wandering for the usual forever, we grabbed a bite to eat and then finally found where we were going. After a little window shopping, we went our separate ways - Mike and Amber to go see Borat, Tom, Montie and I to the Rough Trade store. We went to the branch in Soho on a little street called Neal's Yard - the whole street was cool. Tom and I dropped $$$$$ but got some cool stuff we couldn't get in the states. (My favorites, a Hacienda comp and "Warm Leatherette.")Shopping was cool up there (I window shopped at Paul Smith and Ted Baker, two of my favorite designers). Then I needed something sweet so we got coffee and dessert. (I developed a slight macchiato addiction there, but I've shaken it pretty well.) Our next stop was one that had been recommended to us by a coworker, Gordon's Wine Bar. Just check out the website to get the idea, but this was Tom's favorite place. Then we headed home and decided to try and find some Indian food. Close to our house was Tower Tandoori. Tom ordered his food as "hot as you can make it" so the owner's son told him he would make him a special sauce, but he had to eat it all. Suddenly, a giant bowl of sauce appeared, and it was bubbling. In it's own juices. Made from African Chilis, this sauce was hot. I was convinced Tom was going to have a heart attack. Luckily, he gave in at about the 10% point. We loved this place; both staff and food were delightful. Tandoori trout - delicious!!!
We went back to the apartment, then Tom and Montie went to the Rose, where they met Mike and Amber, while I stayed in to get my fill of British TV, particularly I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
England Day 2
After getting in at 5:oo I was afraid I'd sleep the day away, but I was actually up shortly after the sun, and starving. I decided to walk to the Marks and Spencer, and upon heading out the door, there was Montie! So we got him in and situated, and I headed to the store. Which was a little too whole Foods and not entirely serviceable, but I did get some pastries, chips, water, soda, juice and delicious little things that were like Mini-Ho-Ho's with orange flavored cream. And the newspapers of course. We all got ready and decided Picadilly Circus would be a good starting point today. We had a great cab driver who pointed out about a million things on the way, including Trafalgar Square and we decided to walk back that way. The only thing on the agenda was that I wanted to watch Arsenal-Liverpool. We found the ESPN-Zone style sports bar, and then walked around. The weird armless statue above was there, as were, of course, the lions.
We decided to head to a pub to kill time, but en route, I saw the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery, where the Pet Shop Boys photographs were. Since it was free to get in, I ran down to check them out. It was a small exhibit, so I'm glad I hadn't gone out of my way to do this, but since it fell in my lap, I'm glad I went! then to the pub, Called Chandos. They served only Samuel Smith, but lots of varieties. Good! Cheap! We hit it a few more times during our trip, it was a good meeting place. It was here that I discovered the most delightful of British snacks, the toasty. Essentially a grilled cheese sandwich, it is indeed the best of all pub snacks. British food is the best!
Liverpool-Arsenal was nothing to speak of, Liverpool got totally outplayed. We hung around for a bit to watch American football, but finally, Mike and Amber headed back and Tom, Montie and I decided to wander about. We found the American sports bar that Montie knew about, Bodeans, where I had the jacket potato pictured above - a baked potato with sour cream, bacon, cheese, and beans. YUM! British food is the best!!!
After this, we headed home, where I got to watch the Pete Doherty doc on BBC.Even Tom was somewhat moved and interested, probably helped somewhat by his appearance with Shane McGowan. British TV....also the best.
And so to bed.
England Day 1
2 weeks ago today we landed in London. Due to some computer problems in our apartment, my original plan to blog each day was foiled, but let's see if I can catch up now.
After landing at 7 a.m., we dumped our luggage until noon, when we could check in to our apartment. Our apartment was by the London Bridge, so we decided to walk across it. Once there, it was a short jaunt to the Tower of London, so we decided to go inside, a tourist thing that I normally wouldn't do, but with time to kill, it seemed like a fine thing to do. It was actually great fun!
The pictures above are from the Tower of London. The Ravens are cool - the rumour is as long as they stay alive on the tower grounds, the monarchy will stand.
Inside the Tower are the dungeons, complete with tons of medieval weapons (a mace! a lance! Swords aplently!) as well as models of the brave horses. And the crown jewels. Which looked extremely fake. But sure enough, a few days later, there was the Queen opening Parliament wearing the jewels.
After the Tower of London, we checked into our apartment and took a serious nap. We missed Chelsea (and Drogba's hat trick) but the nap was sorely needed. Upon waking, we decided to head into the city proper. My plan that night was to go to Fabric so we decided to take the train nearby and get food, then I'd head to Fabric and the others would go elsewhere. The closest train stop, however, was Downtown/Financial district and it was totally dead. We weren't that far from Soho/Covent Garden area, but we couldn't get our bearings. The biggest lesson of London - let cabdrivers take you everywhere. You can't figure it out. I never quit trying,and I never figured it out. So after wandering around in desolation for a good hour, we caught a cab, went to Covent Garden and had a delicious meal at Livebait.
I had the halibut with tagine and it was delicious. And a blackberry caiprinha which was doubly delicious.
Then we went our separate ways - it was about 11:30 and I had to get to Fabric by midnight so as not to get stuck in a queue. Mike, Amber and Tom went to our neighborhood pub, The Rose. Fabric really was great. I was there mostly to see Ellen Allien and the bPitch control group - they were in one room, the middle sized one. I was a little traumatized upon getting there and realizing she wasn't on until 3. I wasn't sure if I could make it. But the room was so awesome - you really couldn't get bored. If one room got boring, just move to another one. I liked everything in bPitch control room, and also liked Rex the Dog in the smaller upstairs room. The main room was a bit too traditional techno for me and I didn't spend much time there. (The crowd was very different in the 3 rooms too - big room mostly cheesy Euros and Arabs, small room mostly Germans and Thais (I don't think I heard English in this room all night) and the small room, punters. After Ellen Allien, I went upstairs for BBC dj Rob da Bank, who played the same stuff I'd hear at Taxlo. Does dancing to Song 2 every get old? After that, it was 4:30 and I thought I should head home.
The cab driver couldn't find my street. This was the only time it happened on the whole trip. So I said, just drop me at the London Bridge tube stop, and I'll find my way from there. Generally, to get to the tube, we had to walk through a tunnel. (Remember, at this point, I'd been in London less than 24 hours.) So I walked through the tunnel, only to see I was right by the water, which meant I'd gone the wrong way. (He'd let me out at the main tube entrance, where we'd always used the rear.) So, back through the tunnel I went, and to my apartment where, at 5 a.m I went to bed.(No one tell my Mom about me wandering through underground tunnels atSouth London at 5 a.m.)
