Saturday: Sun Day

London has not been itself lately …

… because London has been sunny!

This week has been a stretch of blue skies and sunshine. On Friday, I celebrated my last day of employment with my co-workers by eating lunch in a nearby park. We’d picked up our food from a sizzling street market (Chinese, Jamaican, Indian, mmm). We topped off our lunch hour with a jaunt to a nearby pub (bedecked with vintage posters and antique vespas) for some Sol and lemon.

Friday was indeed my last day as a working woman in London. After nearly eight months in this buzzing metropolitan, the final grains of sand in my journey are falling through the hourglass. Next Tuesday, I will leave London for good — and yet, I can’t claim I feel good about it. It was with my hesitation and trepidation that I planned my summer a few months back. Now, those plans lay before me, nearly ready to be enacted. After departing this dear city, I’ll head to Germany, Switzerland, and Spain, for five (hopefully) glorious weeks of backpacking. I will then fly home to Montreal, where I’ll spend a second set of five weeks — this time in the company of old friends and family. And from Montreal, New York City it will be.

As excited as I am for the adventures before me (and unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to explore them), I am also sad to leave London behind. I’ve been happy here — really, truly happy. I feel like I’ve really grown into myself. It will be hard to leave the life I’ve created — and the friends I’ve made — behind.

I’ve therefore decided to use this last week and two days in London to see what I’ve yet to and re-see what I love.

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Yesterday, I met a lovely friend for a bite at Local Hero in Fulham.

The delightful coffee shop has a garden out back, where we sat and enjoyed our buys.

Sandwich with goat’s cheese and roasted veg + iced latte

We then hopped on the bus to South Kensington, where we visited the wonderful Victoria & Albert Museum.

The V&A is an art and design museum set in a space as gorgeous as its works.

Someone’s a messy eater …

Although the permanent collection is free (like at all major museums in London!), we decided to pay to see a temporary exhibition, British Design: 1948-2012. The exhibition looks at the evolution of British design from the ’48 London Olympics to today’s. The show demonstrated changes in diverse facets of design: from clothing, home décor, and advertising to planes, trains, and automobiles. I was fascinated by the varied movements that have swept through London in the past 64 years.

One of my favourite parts of the museum was the cafe. Now, I appreciate that that sentence doesn’t make me sound like the world’s most intellectual individual. But just take a look at the cafe:

Ignore the questionable fashion to the far left.

Now tell me that isn’t spectacular!

I sat in the midst of that splendid hall with a pot of Earl Grey and a delicious apple, celery, and cheddar scone.

I closed the day and welcomed in the new one with drinks at the Mall Tavern in Notting Hill. I don’t really recommend Notting Hill on a Saturday night — the area’s too posh and too quiet. Nearly everything was shut by midnight. The night, however, was still a success. The Mall Tavern is pretty, and the company is always what counts.

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I’m off now to enjoy the sunshine! Gotta use up the time I have left (sniff, sniff). Happy Sunday sun day to you all!

Old, Meet New

Vienna maintains a graceful balance between old and new.

This classical city is splattered with contemporary touches: sometimes serious, sometimes cheeky, some sponsored, some spontaneous.

I appreciate a city that simultaneously houses what once was and now is controversial. I give you Vienna, home to both Baroque masterpieces and dust-bunny sculptures:

Cheers for Chelsea

Chelsea fans go wild at the parade celebrating the team’s historic win.

A Little (Mean) Time in Greenwich

I whiled away my day in a lovely nook of London. I had never been to Greenwich, and am so glad I squeezed in a visit before I leave the city for good (in only 2.5 weeks!).

The one word that can encompass my day is peaceful. I wandered the maritime borough blissfully, wading through the mild spring air. I was part explorer, part sloth — spending as much time in Greenwich’s noted museums as I did lounging in the park.

Here are some snapshots from my restful day.

The Cutty Sark

Old Royal Naval College

I was awed when I entered the open door of the Old Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall. Expecting nothing out of the ordinary, I was floored by the exquisite decor.

Sadly, this was the best photo I snapped

The chapel, located directly across from the painted hall, was equally stunning.

I fell in love with the delicate ceiling — so intricate, yet simple. I found it much more moving than some of the monstrously over-the-top churches I’ve stumbled across recently.

The National Maritime Museum

The Hand of God endorsing that most gentle and compassionate of endeavours: colonisation.

The Royal Observatory

The prime meridian runs across the ground

Greenwich Mean Time

The Weller Astronomy Galleries & Planetarium

To infinity — and beyond!

I amused myself for some time in the Weller Astronomy Galleries, learning about the creation of our universe. I also caught a show at the planetarium, called The Sky Tonight. As an astronomer narrated live to the audience, we reclined comfortably under a cinematic ceiling. Although we were given real glimpses of Mars and of Saturn’s moon Titan, I was most content when the screen above our heads was speckled with stars. I was reminded of the Malawian sky, where the Milky Way smokes visibly each night. When the astronomer showed us a distant view of the Milky Way, shivers skipped down my spine — suddenly, I could see it as nothing other than a giant shining eye.

Greenwich Park

I topped off my day with a long meander through the blossoming Greenwich Park. I eventually planted myself in the Rose Garden to read a book and enjoy the soft air.

Greenwich felt worlds — or perhaps waves — away from busy London. I hope I’ll get to revisit one day.

Vienna: A Synopsis

Three weeks ago, I returned to London after a six-day stay in Vienna. The Austrian capital is magical.

Paris, you finally have some competition.

European cities can sometimes feel frozen in the past — their buildings like recycled snail shells whose first inhabitants are long gone. They are magnificent and ornate, but were built for people of another time.

Vienna manages to preserve the historical and encourage the current. It is a city alive with art, where contemporary abstract structures stand next to antique buildings. I not only visited two palaces rich in Baroque detail, but three museums that challenged my ideas about artistic conventions.

*Missing: my ticket from the Leopold Museum

The best part about my trip was the company. My friend flew all the way from Montreal to join me in Vienna, and we passed our days there in a blur of coffee, art, and laughter.

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Our home for the week was the Wombats Naschmarkt. We decided to be big spenders and share a private room … and compared to what I’ve seen in other hostels, this was luxurious!

The best part about the hostel was the slice of the city in which it sat. The Wombat is across the street from a spectacular set of Art Nouveau buildings designed by Otto Wagner.

Between the Wagner buildings and the Wombat lies the Naschmarkt, a fantastic food market where we sometimes breakfasted and snacked.

Our area was just one section in a city full of wonder. Here’s a peek at some of what we saw:

St. Stephansdom Cathedral

Second only to the beauty of the architecture, was, of course, the beauty of the German language.

Wishing you all a gute fahrt!

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Way, way more to come on Vienna! Until then, why not give us a like on Facebook?

Not in Kansas Any More

Sorry I’ve been incommunicado recently. I feel like I’m being swallowed up by my current to-do list.

Here is a quick peek at what I’ve been up to lately:

1. Cardiff

2. A visit from my Montreal bestie

Taking her to my favourite spots, like Regent's Park

3.Vienna

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And here some of my projects/plans:

1. Work

2. Planning (the Big Move)

Source: Liberty Helicopters

3. Planning (the Big Trip)

Source: Wikipedia

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All-in-all, life has been pretty wonderful lately (the ghastly London weather aside). Most recent loveliness –> I popped into a vintage fair Saturday with some friends.

The fair was held at the pretty Shoreditch Town Hall. For a £2 entry fee I was able to explore 55 stalls packed with quirky vintage goods.

After browsing, my friends and I plopped ourselves down in the fair’s “vintage tea room” for some steamy Earl Grey.

Sadly, I wasn’t feeling well, so I wasn’t able to worship at the cupcake throne (as I normally do).

My one purchase was a dress I was drawn to each time I circled the fair’s stalls. I’m still not convinced that this dress isn’t completely ridiculous: 1) it’s denim, 2) it has bows on it, 3) denim bows. It nonetheless appealed to the 5 year old in me, so I snatched it up (it didn’t hurt that a sweet woman in the changing room told me I was adorable in it. Best friends for life).

I wore it that night to a party and was told that I looked like Dorothy. When I relayed this comment to a friend later, she replied that “Dorothy was a crazy hottie.” Haha, YES. Mission accomplished.

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More details to follow that will elaborate upon this inadequate summary!

Stonehenge