Filed under: globetrekker
After getting stranded in London yesterday because Ryanair are a bunch of fascist, money-grubbing pigs, I’m sitting at Heathrow Airport – GBP155 later – waiting for my flight to Stockholm, via Copenhagen. And let me tell you something – despite the fact that I come from a land where free, ubiquitous WiFi may as well be some mythical creature from the magical land of Internettis, it really pisses me off that there’s no free WiFi connection in the departure lounge – especially seeing as I’ve only got about $5 free on my credit card at the moment, and I need to get on to the net to put some more money on there so I can buy a 60 minute connection – but I can’t. Because I can’t get on. So I have nothing. So I’m writing this post in TextEdit which is somehow quite fun to use because I never use it, and also I know it’s not just going to seize up on me and disappear like WordPress is often wan to do.
Anyway. It’s been a while. Let me tell you about my week.
I think the last time I posted it was early Friday evening, last week, and I was getting ready to go to Clare’s brother Pat’s house before going to Fabric. Well – go to Fabric I did. It’s….. well, insanely intense is the only way to really describe it, I think. Firstly, you’re underground. Being underground means you can’t get phone reception. Being underground with no phone reception in a nightclub in London isn’t brilliant, especially when you go line up to get some water and end up waiting half an hour for service because the guy next to you orders six triple scotch on the rocks’ individually, and when you return to your friends, they’re nowhere to be seen because (did I mention?), Fabric is the darkest club in the entire world. You seriously cannot see a thing inside, save for when the occasional coloured light or laser shines over the crowd.
It is very, very full on.
Needless to say, Saturday was a complete write off. I’d go so far as to say that Saturday last week was potentially the least productive day of my entire life ever. After catching a bus back to my hotel at 8am by myself (scary when you haven’t slept), I spent my day watching Top Gear and a documentary on BBC online, using the open wireless connection that I stole from someone in the area. Fools. Saturday was useless. I had plans – Clare and I were going to go to Borough markets and buy lots of yummy food and eat it on the grass near the Tate Modern. The only thing I ate in the end was half a chicken sandwich from Burger King, and about three chips (they tasted like poo).
Sunday, I can’t actually remember what I did with my day, but I caught a bus to Oxford for the conference (i.e. the reason I am in Europe to begin with) in the afternoon. Due to a late arrival time, Sunday night was spent catching up on some much needed sleep, but little else.
Monday to Wednesday was the conference. It was fun; I’ll be making an effort to go to more (although I just remembered that I forgot to send off an abstract that was due this time last week, for a conference to be held at Curtin… so I guess I won’t be attending that). It was also a bit intimidating; I’m the first to admit that I haven’t exactly been that diligent with reading over the past year, and perhaps, just maybe, I’m a bit behind where I should be. I’d go as far as to admit that this is certain. My mission for the rest of the year is to really catch up on all the stuff that I should have read since beginning my PhD, as well as all the new stuff I should read. Oh, and do some writing. I need to write. I have a brilliant idea for a paper/article/chapter, and I’m excited to start writing that when I get home, so that’s a start. A lot of the delegates at the conference were people who’ve either finished their PhD, or been teaching for a while on the back of a Master’s etc, so it’s not that surprising that I felt a little out of my depth at times. It will be okay. I learned a lot either way, and I guess that was the point.
Which brings me to Thursday. I was supposed to fly out of Stansted to Stockholm on Ripoff Merchant Airlines (aka Ryanair) on Thursday morning, so I spent AU$40 on a bus ticket from Oxford to Stansted and AU$80 on a hotel at Stansted as my flight was due to leave at 06:05am on Thursday morning. I spent $25 on getting from the airport on the Wednesday night (where my bus dropped me off) and back the next morning. What I didn’t do, however, was spend the AU$80 they were demanding off me to print off my ticket at the airport. Why didn’t I print my own ticket? I had no internet access. I had no printer. I read online that a re-issue of an online ticket would cost me nothing, so I assumed this meant I could go up to the desk at the airport and have them print me a ticket.
I was wrong. And I haven’t even mentioned the AU$120 of excess baggage, yet, that they wanted me to pay. So it was going to cost me AU$200 ON TOP OF the AU$120 I’d already paid for my ticket (which, by the way, included AU$20 to sit at my own computer and check in, and the AU$40 it would cost me to take my bag on the plane – that’s before excess baggage, because Ryanair are shit and only let you take 15kg on the flight). So I told the snooty princess at the counter to keep her f***ing ticket, and stormed off like the angry shithead passenger that I am.
I was totally not overreacting. I really wanted to shout “I will never fly Ryanair again!”, but unfortunately that’s not true as I still need to get home somehow (although if I can get a cheap ticket from Umea to London that’s not with a budget airline, I will be taking it!). So after some tears and some expensive phone calls to Australia, I would up with a ticket to Stockholm for this afternoon instead of yesterday, and an extra day to spend in London. I messed up though, because Carla arrived in Stockholm yesterday… but it actually worked out perfectly because I hadn’t booked her a room for last night, so she was able to take my room instead.
Oh, the dramas!
Yesterday, on my extra day in London, Clare and I caught the tourist bus around the city and saw some of the sights. By far the best part of the trip, though, was the hour and a half long journey up the Thames to Greenwich on the ferry… although the sunburn I acquired during said trip is not so crash hot (and it hurts). I’m the only person in the world who can manage to get sunburned on a cloudy day in London. Even worse is the fact that I had a tube of suncream in my bag…. but come on! I spent the entire day complaining about how cold I was. Getting sunburned was just unfair, in light of the actual temperature outside. I’m going to write a letter of complaint to the weather department. And then last night, we went with Pat to Brick Lane for a bloody good curry and some fantastic Spanish red wine at Aladin curry house. Sterling curry! Lime pickle became my new mission in life (I like challenging myself to eat foods that are actually quite gross, but which I feel like I should at least have an appreciation for), and saag (spinach) has become my curry base of choice, though it lacks the heat that I prefer in my Indian food.
I had a surprisingly comfortable sleep on the floor at Pat’s place last night, and after some major train delays and a snooty South African woman who insisted on speaking to me like I’m retarded, I finally made it to the airport and am awaiting the boarding of my plane. I think my flights are both quite short – I’d really like to get on to the Net and find out just how short, but my aforementioned gripe with the lack of free WiFi is getting in the way of that – so I’ll be in Stockholm before I know it. I’m sitting in row 6 too! So close to the front! Hoping for a window seat on such a short flight; I’m normally an aisle person, but I could really do with a couple of short rests.
By the time I actually post this, I will either be in Copenhagen, Stockholm, or Umea. Maybe I’ll get around to posting all the other blog drafts that are sitting on my desktop right now. Until next time…
Hai! Like my make up for tonight?!
She jests. It’s only been five days, but I am missing my own shower at home, and my facewash which, curse, I left at home. Boo. I am exhausted – tired eyes and blotchy skin confirm this! But, it’s Friday night, and I’m in London, so I’m going out (of course). Fabric, here I come!
I haven’t done a hell of a lot for the past couple of days. I spent yesterday lazing in Hyde Park with one of my favourite people in the world, and as we picnicked and illegally drank wine from a juice carton, we got to hear Blur soundchecking for their gig last night! Tres cool. And when we came back to my room after that, we happened to notice that Hilltop Hoods were playing in London… so along we went! The gig was AMAZING – packed out with Aussies, it just had one the most amazing vibes of any gig I’ve ever been to. So, so, so good.
Now, I am sitting and waiting for Clare to ‘pick me up’ (i.e. collect me on the bus), because I have no idea how to get to her place from here. Or rather, I know what bus to go on, but after that… it’s a mystery. I’m so looking forward to tonight, and I can’t believe how quickly my time in London is coming to a close… but I’m so excited to head to Sweden next week!
I just wanted to let you all know that I saw a guy wearing beige stirrup leggings over pointy silver brogues today. I’m sure he was wearing a top, too, but I was too distracted by the abomination that was the bottom half of his body. What the hell? I only wish I’d managed to get a photo.
Filed under: globetrekker
I was woken up at 4.30am this morning by the guy in the room next to mine snoring. This isn’t a dorm; we’re not sharing a room or anything. This is a hotel where I have MY OWN ROOM with a wall between my room and his. Three and a half hours later, he is still snoring. What the hell?? This guy is SO LOUD. Who the hell snores that loudly and doesn’t wake themselves up????
Filed under: miscellanea
I continued my Great London Macaron Search of 2009 this afternoon in Soho. Hopping aboard the tube to Picadilly Circus, I soon found myself wandering the hot, busy streets of Soho for these little babies:
Unfortunately, I’m not 100% sure of all the flavours; I had a crazy idea that a flavour guide might be included in the box, and I didn’t think to take a photo of the signs in order to identify the flavours. This box of twelve assorted macarons cost me a mere GPB 12.50 Yauatcha (better known – or perhaps not – as one-Michelin-Star Chinese restaurant) – and yes, whilst AU$25 is a lot to pay for twelve little biscuits, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than Laduree at Harrods, and I can tell it’s going to be SO worth it. So far I have tried two varieties: the darker green, which I want to think is pandan flavoured (because I’m sure the other green on is lime), and the red, which is, I believe, supposed to be lychee (because the light pink is rose, I think).
The filling of the (possibly pandan) green macaron was impossibly delicate and creamy. The biscuit shell, on the other hand, cracked open easily to expose a chewy texture within.
I have a feeling that the red macaron is not actually lychee, as I first suspected. It tastes nothing like lychee, but instead, the cream filling is slightly tangy – almost lime flavoured – and just as creamy as the previous macaron. I’m so impressed – it’s delicious.
So, I have ten more macarons to get through. I wonder if I can do it?? Hehe. I’m sure I will manage. The trouble will be not eating them all tonight!
Filed under: globetrekker
How do you feel about feet? Not many people like feet; even fewer actually enjoy them. Here are my feet:
I am thoroughly regretting not packing casual sneakers that can be worn, with socks, to walk around the streets. I like to walk when I’m on holidays; I’m not so keen on public transport, especially when that public transport is underground, meaning it’s near impossible to get a sense of where you are or what’s around the place. I packed four pairs of shoes: boots (too hot to wear them!); purple rubbery shoes which are my fail-safe at home, but are too tight here thanks to swollen feet; slip-on Puma flats that destroyed my heels the other day; and thongs. So thongs it is. My feet are filthy and I feel like an absolute grub… no one wears thongs in London, for a good reason.
This morning I headed out with the plan to buy some macarons from Laduree at Harrods. I walked the distance – about a 2.5k trip from my hotel to Knightsbridge, so nothing huge – but as I neared the famously expensive department store, I realised that the equivalent of au$7 for a little almond cookie the size of a 50c coin might be a bit extravagent. By this stage, I was hungry, grumpy, and sore-footed… so I headed back towards my hotel for a spot of breakfast and a lie down, because I’m boring like that.
The macaron mission is not completely over; there are a couple more places I am going to try before I decide that macarons are simply out of my reach. In the mean time, I’m off to wash my feet.
Filed under: globetrekker
I’ve been up since 5am today, and I’ve had a total of six hours solid sleep since Sunday morning (it’s now Tuesday night), and it’s 8.15pm here, but I’m not tired at all.
I can’t still be on Perth time, because it’s 3.15am in Perth. I’m certainly not on normal time, because I’m usually exhausted by 8pm at home – especially when I’ve been up for 19 hours. I don’t think I’m on London time because I’m not really sure what that is… but it’s so light outside that my body clock is getting confused.
Does this make me timeless? What is going on?
If I stay up for three and a half more hours, I can talk to Rhys before work. That’s a nice thought 
In other news, it reached 31 degrees here in London today, and is forecast the same – or higher – for the rest of the week. For the record, that constitutes a heatwave. So different to at home… even when it’s over 40 for days in a row, I don’t think we officially declare heatwave status! I got sunburnt today, so I popped into the chemist before to buy some suncream, and it was 7.99 for a tiny tube of suncream. Luckily, they had a 2 for 1 promotion… so I got two tiny bottles of suncream for AU$15 instead of one. Yay. Tomorrow I shall apply! I’m definitely kicking myself for not buying some suncream at home; I figured I wasn’t going anywhere warm and sunny enough to need it! Haha!
I just got back from Wholefoods Market. There is actually nothing else I need to do in my lifetime (hi Honey!).
Let me start by saying that if Wholefoods ever comes to Perth, I am leaving, because there is no way I could restrain myself from shopping there, and it would send me totally broke. There’s no danger of that though… Australia’s only chain of organic supermarkets, Macro Wholefoods, was recently taken over by the Woolworths group, and they have plans to turn them into posh gourmet (non-organic-specialising) supermarkets. I don’t think Wholefoods Market will be rushing over to Australia, let alone Perth, any time soon – thank god.
This is fifth time I’ve been to London. I traveled here in 2000 as a young tacker (well, 16 years old), and again in 2007 a total of three times over 3.5 months. Therefore, I’ve done most of the touristy junk; I’ve seen the sights and taken the sightseeing bus and battered my way through throngs of people at Oxford Street and Camden Markets. Accordingly, my “to do” list for this visit to London was short… rather short. Like I really didn’t make one, and as a result I found myself sitting in a cafe at 11am this morning (after an epic walk… but that’s another story), wondering what the hell I was going to do with my time for the next five days. The only two things I’d “planned” (sort of) to do in London involved food: I wanted to try macaroons, and I wanted to go to Wholefoods. You see, I don’t really shop for things; I eat. Today, I ate. Today, I went to Wholefoods. Oh.My.Gosh.
I visited the Kensington High Street store, and I didn’t dare to explore the entire store in one go. My self control is weak. Wholefoods is nothing short of amazing; fresh, perfect produce (perhaps a little too perfect!) lines the aisles. Multiple varieties of brownies are stacked high, with tongs to self-serve your guilty pleasures into waiting paper bags. The queue for the cakes and pastries section is fifteen deep, and the shelves are lined with exotic and unusual produce. Fridges gleam with an immense variety of prepared foods: salads, noodles, pastas, slices, sushi (oh, the sushi!).
And then there’s the hot and cold bars. Can you say temptation?
More varieties of salad, vegetable, pasta, curry, and casserole line three long self-service bainmaries, topped with little wooden boxes to fill with whatever variety you like. It’s not cheap – I paid 8.49 (pounds, that is! So $17+ Aussie dollars!) for mine – but the variety is wonderful. I definitely splurged; needless to say, tomorrow is going to be a day dedicated to eating in London on the cheap! I spent a total of 19.23 on, well, very little… but it’s not something I will do every day. Maybe in a couple of days… but that’s it. Wholefoods is dangerous. Here is my haul:
Chocolate chip Clif Bar, Apple Pie Larabar, Coconut Water, Spicy Salmon & Avocado Brown Rice Sushi, and a Salad Box
Close up the salad box, featuring spicy noodles, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin, seaweed salad, chicken salad, couscous, grilled tofu, seasoned courgette, and spiced brocolli
Sushi close up
The verdict? The sushi was phenomenal – and so it ought to have been at 5.99! Coconut water tastes like poo – I don’t get it (I’ve seen it featured on many food blogs, but it does nothing for me at all!). The salad tray was 50/50 – I will make better choices if I get this again. I ate all but the seaweed salad – something I normally love, but again, this did nothing for me, the little pasta salad that you can’t really make out in the bottom left corner (it was gluggy), and the couscous (a bit dry). The chilli noodles and chicken salads were brilliant though. I haven’t tried the bars yet; they’re for tomorrow.
Whilst I’m questioning the gigantic price tag attached to my purchase today, I can definitely see the appeal. I will most certainly be returning for more sushi before the week is out, and I’d really like to try the brownies and some of the other juices that are for sale. Wholefoods: awesome. Tomorrow: macarons from Harrods. Oh yeh.
Filed under: people are stupid
You could not PAY ME to go on a plane where I was expected to stand. They argue that there will be some sort of belted “bar stool” configuration… right. Smacks of safety, doesn’t it? Flying is scary enough as it is without being expected to stand. A plane is not like a bus. Well, it is sort of – a bus in the sky – but one shouldn’t have to stand! What gets me is this “standing to save money” thing. So many budget airlines offer fairs for so damn cheap as it is, and you get a seat. How cheap, exactly, will these fares have to be, to make standing sound like a good deal??
Filed under: globetrekker
Wow…
So I’ve never had to spongebath myself before in order to get clean. It was a better option than using the showers here though… I think I’d rather be sick. This is officially the scungiest, most diseased hotel I’ve ever had the displeasure of staying in. You have no idea how insufficient it is to spongebath after a 5.5k run/walk in the London heat (trust me, it is warm today!), either.
Oh, and the cheap bastards downstairs? I owed 20.25 (pounds) on my accommodation. They didn’t have change, so I could only pay the 20 pounds last night (and the guy on reception was SO pissed off at me). I’ve been downstairs twice today and each time they have demanded their 25 fucking p. What a joke!!!! I will pay when I check out you freaking shitheads.
Good thing I’m changing hotels now.
