The one where I'm in England: 2008

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Bakewell Tart

I went to the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, UK and they are famous for the Bakewell Tart...sooo, obviously I had to have one...Did ya ever have a Bakewell tart?...Well I have and it's num num...

It's kinda hard to explain so I added a photo....It's really sweet and tastes of almonds and has jam in the middle...or as in the picture below, the jam is nearer to the bottom...

My mom used to make something similar but made with semolina too..I looked up some recipes and some use flour and ground almonds only and some use both flour, almonds and semolina..

You can purchase variations of this tart in the supermarkets here in the UK..but I liked going to Bakewell and eating one there! Coffee and a tart anyone? lol..

Holmefirth in Yorkshire, England is a village known to many people here in England for its 'Last of the Summer Wine' fame...the town where BBC has been filming this long runnning comedy series since 1973!

The series is about senior citizens who reminisce about the good old days and get into situation comedy stuff..I don't really watch the show but I have seen it on PBS back home in L.A. a few times...I'm not an expert on what its about, but I do remember how pretty the countryside looked...

Well, it happened that I went to this town of Holmefirth..lol..below is a picture of me in front of the cafe, Sid's Cafe..lol..you have to watch the show now..hehe

Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House is an historical home in Derbyshire, England...this is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire..now, I'm not sure why the Duke of Devonshire would have a home in Derbyshire..I think it was a gift or something around 400 years ago..

Anyways, it's a beautiful stately home that allows visitors to enter and view many of the elegant and historical rooms...the artwork is one of Europes finest private collection..Throughout the house, there are magnificent displays of paintings, furniture, silver, tapestries and porcelain...

The gardens are huge and offer trails and walks, people can even picnic there too! There is a waterfall and a maze in the garden which I didn't go see cuz it started raining..lol..and there's a farm house too, and also a farm shop where you can buy products and meat that are grown on the estate..there's lots to see and the website recommends about five hours to see it all!! lol...I didn't stay that long tho...

It was still raining when I took this picture of the house...kinda reminds me of the house in the movie 'Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan', but it's not..lol..another fyi for ya..that was at Blenheim House in Oxfordshire...however the Chatworth House has been in the movies quite a bit, like the 2005 'Pride and Prejudice' with Kiera Knightly.

Well Dressing

When I was at the cottage in Derbyshire, England, I learnt of the pagan pratice of well dressing. It is unknown where well dressing originated, but one theory is that well dressing was to give thanks to the purity of the well water that was drawn during the Black Plague. In the 1300's there was a Black Plague or Black Death that began in Central Asia and estimated 75 million people died world wide of which around 20 to 30 million in Europe died...

But most likely it was a pagan practice of fertility...the pagans offered up sacrifices to the water gods..but today, it is strongly linked to the Christian Church and some wells are even dedicated to saints..

To dress a well you have to constuct a wooden frame near the well and cover the frame with a mixture of clay, water and salt..then a design is put over it..the design is usually made with natural materials like flower petals, beans, seeds, and is pressed into the clay...

Each village taking part in this custom has its own jealously guarded version and designs worked out months beforehand are not revealed until the last possible moment. Usually there is a festival and a blessing of the well..

Litton

Litton is a really small village in Derbyshire...we stayed there in a cottage owned by Gary M's parents called the Red Lion Cottage right on the village green..It was built in the 17th century...The village has a pub (next door) which serves great food, a school, village hall, church, and a shop..The shop is run by volunteer villagers..

Now if you want to see real English countryside, this is it...everywhere there are mostly stock farms with cows or sheep, and the countryside is divided up by stone walls that have been erected with no mortar..

Whats really nice about it is that you can actually walk around the farms and thru the fields..there's lot and lots of trails to take long long traditionally English walks....Below are some pictures I took..one of Litton in the background and one of the countryside..

Chislehurst Caves

I went to the Chislehurst caves in south east London...now, I thought I was gonna see natural caves, but they are actually man-made..It was originally dug for mining chalk and flint...
The caves are owned by the same Gardner family for generations..after mining was over they grew mushrooms in the caves because it was profitable back then when they had mushroom tax on imports..lol..

The caves are most famous for being the largest air raid shelter outside of London during the second world war..and during the war time, up to 15,000 people sheltered there every night!!! Imagine that! It's 22 miles of tunnels...You could even get your mail sent there too!! Hehe..

In the 1960's the caves were used as a music venue...David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and even Jimi Hendrix performed there..Below, I took a picture of the stage..it's quite small..but the sound must of been awesome flowing thru the tunnels..

In October of 1974 Led Zepplin had a media party there to launch their new Swan Song label...Now, more recently some of the tunnels are used for a live action role playing game called 'Labyrinthe'...

When you go to the caves you enter thru a gift shop where you purchase your ticket..the tours are every hour and last about 45 minutes...you are given a parafin lamp to hold in order to see..lol..and at one point in the tour the guide wants to show us what really true darkness is..the total absense of light..so he leaves his flashlight with us and takes the lamps away...then he comes back and turns off the flashlight...omg..it was the first time i ever truely experienced total darkness..that was the most interesting part really...too bad Jimi's not playing there anymore..

Dambusters

We went to see this dam in Derbyshire at the Upper Derwent Valley...it's a really nice place..besides the dam there are lots of trails and even in this cold weather there were alot of hikers and cyclists..lol..and there were people picnicing!! really! lol..only the English!

During World War II the allies wanted to destroy German dams which in turn flooded the factories in the valley below.....what they were trying to do was have the planes fly low and release a bomb that would not just sink where it landed...they wanted the bomb to bounce on the water to the dam wall then sink and a depth charge would detonate the bomb at the base of the dam for maxium destruction..so Derwent Water Dam is where they practiced...

There is a 1954 British war film called Dam Busters which I read is pretty much historically acurate except the fine details of the bombs and bombers cuz it was still classified info at the time..In the movie scene where the German Ruhr Dam was busted, that was filmed at the Derwent Dam..

Peter Jackson who did Lord of the Rings and King Kong is producing a remake of Dam Busters next year..Peter Jackson wanted to do the film before but Mel Gibson own the rights to it up until 2004..lol..fyi's..so look out for it!

And, oh, I just had to say this, ....it was a fine dam day..groan

Vintage Car Rally

There's this vintage car run that the Brits do every November...The vintage cars meet up in Hyde Park in London and drive down to Brighton which is down at the beach..about 60 miles..
They started doing this run in 1896 to commemorate the passing of a law called the 'Locomotive Highway Act'...this act abolished the law (called Red Flag Act) that a car driver had to have a person walk 20 paces in front of the car with a red flag to warn people of a car coming...funny, huh? and these cars were like only one cylinder..max 3 horse power..the speed limit in some place was 4 miles an hour..you were lucky if your car went 10 mph! Boy, have cars advanced!
We drove to a town called Redhill a few miles south of London to watch the vintage cars pass by...we stood on the pavement at the top of the first hill the cars comes across and alot of the cars needed pushing..the drivers and passengers were dressed in period clothes; and goggles..lol
Above are some pics I took..

There is a place called Uttoxeter

Last week Gary Marshall and I went to visit his uncle Alan...who lives in Uttoxeter (which is about 4 hours drive from London) with his wife Dinty, and 2 of his children Christabel and Nicholas.....Gary's other cousins, Richard, Adrian, and Sarah all live close by and came over to visit..

We had a great time..It was nice to be able to meet them and we had a great time...Dinty was a great hostess and their house is absolutely lovely..The house used to be a rectory which was the vicars home, it's three stories high with about 15 rooms in which each one is beautifully decorated.....If I was to have a house it would be hers..awesome!

Uttoxeter is a small town, and we walked to the high street to look around...at the town square there is a Millenium monument and Dinty was mayor of Uttoxeter in 2000 and below is a picture of Mayor Cynthia Noyes (Dinty) message on the monument...."Times change but the need to listen remains the same".

Aston Martin

Y'all know I love cars and that I've been driving a classic Corvette for the past 15 yrs..so I just had to mention that I went to a car museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, on the way to the cottage...
There was only one English car that I really liked, both the old and new and that is the Aston Martin...hehe...think Bond, hehe, James Bond...dang its awesome!...and oh, by the way, the English don't own it anymore..
In a nutshell, just for trivia purposes; Prodrive chairman David Richards, Ford Company, 2 Kuwaiti Investment companies and car collector John Sinders have ownership in Aston Martin....Ford used to own it but now only has a $70 million stake..anyways....enuff of that!..who cares??....go check it out on http://www.astonmartin.com/ .........coolness

Stocks

Stocks is a devise used to publicly punish and humiliate a person accused of a crime. This form of torture was used from medival times up until 1872...The Puritans of colonial America also used stocks...

The accused is placed in a sitting position and their bare feet and hands are locked in place between two wooden boards...(see picture above..I could hardly comfortably get my hands and feet thru)

Stocks were positioned in the most public place available, cuz public humiliation was a critical aspect of such punishment. A person condemned to the stocks was subjected to a variety of abuses, ranging from having garbage thrown at them to tickling or burning of the feet by passerbys or have rocks thrown at them...

You had to stay there in the rain or snow or heat...you were given bread and water or food left by friends...

When I went to the Red Lion Cottage in Litton there was stocks outside on the green..its not used today but in one village I went to, called Eyam, they had a list posted telling the tourists to respect their village by keeping it clean and not to disturb the residents and then at the bottom of the list it says they still use the stocks!! Haha...Don't worry, they don't really....thats just Brit humor..so give 'em a smile!

Claridge’s

Num num..food again, huh? Hehehe...well this time I went to Claridge's for their Couture Afternoon Tea...In London, Claridge's Hotel is fancy shmancy..When we arrived by cab, a door man with tails and a top hat opened the cab door for me..

The interior is pretty swanky...a mix of 1930's style art decor and modern...Gordon Ramsay has a restaurant there too...lol..surprised? So was I when I heard he had a place there, cuz boy does he have a dirty mouth..Y'all know who he is; he's got that TV show back in L.A. called Hell's Kitchen in which every other word that comes out of his mouth is bleeped...They don't bleep here after 9 pm...

We were waitng to be seated and on one table there were 6 men sitting in suits having afternoon Tea..lol..it looked funny but one of the guys was a dead ringer for Richard Gere..and the guy kept looking at us..was funny..either it was him and wanted attention or a look-a-like who was enjoying our reaction to a fake Richard Gere..whatever...

Anyways....the Afternoon Tea was very nice..we were served sandwiches with the crusts cut off and when we finished the tray of sandwiches the waiter asked if we wanted more..it was all you can eat so we decided to indulge and have more..hehe...then after the sandwiches we were served scones with Marco Polo Jelly which was like a light mixed berry flavor, and Devonshire clotted cream...OMG that was the star of the show right there..you know, really, anyone can make sandwiches, but those scones and cream, wow, yummy..

Then we were served cakes..by that time I was too full..The tea was nice too..I had ordered the Darjeeling First Flush Tea..

Before we left I went to the Ladies room (would you believe that the Brits say toilet? hahaha...honest!) ok ok..I'll finish soon...Ladies room was nice..attendant fills sink for you and you get a real towel..yada yada..y'all seen it before..

Before heading back home we took a walk around Bond street which is kinda equivalent to our Rodeo Drive..It wasn't raining but it was foggy and misty..it set the mood really and I remembered that I'm in London!

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral (has a Bishop) and is one of Londons most visited sites...Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married there...I think the best view of it is from the Millenium Bridge..

St. Paul's Cathedral is actually the 5th one....the first being built in the year 604 AD..seems like it was doomed..lol..it burnt down even tho it was made of stone and was robbed, defaced, over and over again, and later, radical Protestant preachers rid of interior decorations, that it has no artifacts left...

Well...remember the great fire of London in 1666?... that same old fire that keeps cropping up?? There was a few Great Fires too...but this one's the 1666 one...Yep..Old St. Paul's was gutted in that fire, and Christopher Wren, the renown English architect re-built it..lets hope this one will stay intact..the Germans tried to bomb it during the Blitz (the bombing of London by the Germans in World War II) and a bomb actually hit it but it was a time delayed bomb and it was defused...

It's really a big church with 3 small chapels and the main chapel is under the dome part..the dome is 365 feet high.... The Whispering Gallery runs around the interior of the dome and if you put your head to the wall you can hear someones whisper on the other side..

Christopher Wren is buried there and on the wall above his tomb in the crypt is written, "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice" (Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you).

Millenium Dome

It's not called the Millenium Dome anymore...it's called The O2 now..the Dome was built to house exhibitions for the third millenium.....well..looks like not enuff people went to see it so it now houses shops, restaurants, bars, cinema, and an arena for concerts and other stuff..

It's in Greenwich and it looks like a big huge tent or marquee..it has 12 yellow support towers representing one for each month of the year or each hour of clock face; think Greenwich Mean Time...FYI...It's the largest domed structure in the world..

If you happen to watch the English soap 'Eastenders', on PBS, which is about 5 years behind in L.A., well...the opening credits show an aerial view of London and you can see the Dome..It's pretty big...you can't miss it..

When I went it wasn't very busy...I saw a movie then walked around outside..It was a cloudy and overcast day..and there's not much to do outside except walk along the Thames river but it's very industrial..All in all it was OK...kinda like a Big Top Mall...

The picture on the left is Gary M outside the Dome and an aerial photo..

Hanged, Drawn and Quartered

I was reading about Guy Fawkes (who was executed for treason) because November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day here in the UK...I came across the phrase, "hanged, drawn and quartered," and didn't understand what it meant so I looked it up...

Dang!!....and you thought the Brits were civilized!!! Hehehe... Geez Louise, man....And these Brits lead us to believe they conquered the world to civilize the savages....lol..but right here in London they hung and drawn and quarted traitors..lol..that'll teach 'em..

Warning: If you think Halloween is scary; don't read this...

Well, to be hanged drawn and quartered was once the penalty for treason. For males only.... Female traitors were burnt at the stake..and this was done in public..lots of spectators.

HANGED: The condemned man would be hanged by what they called the short drop method of hanging, so that the neck would not break. Then he was dragged alive to the quartering table, and if he was unconscious they would splash some water to wake him up...then he was laid down on the table..

DRAWN: Next the executioner would castrate the victim, slit them open and haul out internal organs before setting fire to them. You would have to hope for the victim's sake that they died early on in this process, because after that things got really unpleasant....grossed out yet?

QUARTERED: Taking a butcher's knife, the executioner would begin to carve up the body, separating limbs from the torso, and of course the head from the shoulders. These body parts would then be taken to high profile areas - like London Bridge - and displayed on long poles to warn travellers of the terrible fate that awaited traitors. Usually the head was sent to the Tower of London...

This punishment was practiced until 1814, when they changed the law to where the convict would be hanged until he died and the mutilation would be performed after death. Drawing and quartering was abolished in 1870.

So...after reading all this, I thought Guy Fawkes was hanged, drawn and quartered....but noooo...he managed to avoid the worst of it by jumping from the scaffold where he was supposed to be hanged, breaking his neck before he could be drawn and quartered...too bad for the lookie loos, but lucky for him to die first..Kinda can't blame him can ya?

Cleopatra’s Needle

There are three Cleopatra's Needles in the world. One in Central Park, NYC and one at the Place de la Concorde in Paris and one in London on the Victoria embankment...

The Cleopatra's Needles are are ancient Egyptian obelisks. An Obelisks is a tall, four sided tapering monument which ends in a pyramid top and is made from a single piece of stone!
The London Cleopatra's Needle is an original Egyptian obelisk made in Egypt for the Pharaoh Thotmes III in 1460 BC and was brought to London from Alexandria, the royal city of Cleopatra as a gift.

Two large bronze Sphinxes are on each side of the Cleopatra's Needle. These are Victorian versions of the traditional Egyptian original.

I was walking on the Queen's Walk on the South side of the Thames and took a picture of the obelisk. You can see from the picture that there are some repairs being done to the lower part. I walked over the Golden Jubilee bridge to cross the other side to take a closer look.

As I approached I could see the lower part of obelisk was getting some kinda repairs...The faux Sphinxes were on either side of the obelisk and one seemed to be damaged with holes and the block it was sitting on was damaged too...A plaque there says that on September 4, 1917 during World War I German bombs landed near the needle so they left the shrapnel there to commemorate the event..

Starters at a Moroccan Restaurant

Starters at a Moroccan Restaurant

Here in the UK when you go out for an evening meal everyone takes their time..not like us in L.A. where we just about get our main meal with the appetizer then get the bill..here they take their time, your'e supposed to drink, warm up, have something little to eat, drink more, chat, etc..you get my drift..so your'e in there for a couple of hours..which is really nice when you go out with friends..

On menus here instead of the word appetizer they use starter...so:

One day in Bristol with Gary M and my brother Ian and his wife Claire we went into a Moroccan Restaurant and had ordered starters and a main meal..It was a very nice restaurant with authentic Moroccan decor and loud Moroccan music..very lively..

Cuz I was impatient to get my appetizer and cuz I was SO hungry I motioned the waiter over to my table and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Can I have my appetizer soon, please.

Waiter: Huh? what is it?

Me: I would like to have my appetizer.

Waiter: what?

****keep in mind the music was so loud we were almost shouting****

Me: I'm hungry, I want my appetizer now!

Waiter: Potatoes? You didn't order potatoes!

I forgot the waiters name but he was really very nice and the food was good..I forgot the name of the place but it looks like the only Moroccan Restaurant in Bristol and it was very very busy...The chef had come out to yell at a customer who was yelling at the waiter..all in all it was a fun night..

There is this legendary stone at 111 Cannon St. in London that is in a curbside cage set in a building..It's really hard to find..I walked past it once and almost gave up...but I found it!
There are so many legendary stories attached to this stone..one of them is that it was part of an altar built by Brutus the Trojan and there's a proverb that says, "So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish."
It is also said the the ancient stone is in the place that the Romans measured all distances in Great Britain..Charing Cross is now the place from which all distances are measured..
Whether all this is true or not, I sure like a legend or two..it's kinda fanciful and romantic...I recommend you to go find this stone..lol..and then go further down the street to the London Stone Pub with its gothic decor and have a pint or two..

Riviera Restaurant, London

The other day I took a walk along the South Bank. This area is on the south side of the Thames river in London at Gabriel's Wharf. The morning was was cloudy with a light drizzle..it wasn't really raining but was kinda misty..and so a bit damp and chilly..
There were lots of joggers out that morning, and lots of tourists wandering about...Around lunch time all the office workers were out having lunch so it got a little more crowded..Imagine having an office right on the bank there?.. that would be awesome!
The weather improved a bit but I had walked up an appitite and decided to eat at an Italian Restaurant called Riviera facing the river..now, let me tell you the food was so delish!! For a starter (they say starter here and not appetizer, lol) I had Italian bread with mixed olives...Too bad that the Brits don't heat their bread as I'm used to in L.A....It would be a great tip to them if they would learn to do this.. well, anyways, I then had a plate of mussels with tomato and garlic poured over it, yummy, and a rocket (we call it arugula) salad with canelli beans..very nice meal..I recommend the place..the service was very good too..
I would love to go back there on a sunny day and on a clear night..

The Riviera
56 Upper Ground, London SE1 9pp
tel: 020 7401 7314

When I hear the word cockney, Mary Poppins always comes to mind..Do you remember the chimney sweep Dick Van Dyke, who was Mary Poppins friend? Well, he spoke cockney in the movie. Now the Brits say that American actor, Dick Van Dykes cockney accent goes down in history as the worst immitation of a cockney accent...well, it's good enuff for me..I know that they don't pronounce their h's..like, "here's home", would be, 'eres 'ome..They also have lots and lots of slang words..I read that they do double negatives just like my fellow angelenos like, "I didn't see nothing"...lol...also the cockneys say 'me' in stead of 'my'...as in, " 'ats me book you 'ave 'ere"...lol..which I've noticed most Londoners say here...okay enuff of that!

But which Londoner becomes a cockney and which doesn't?...ahhh..let me enlighten you..There is a church called St. Mary-le-Bow. This church was rebuilt after the 1666 Great Fire of London by the great English architect of his time Christopher Wren, who also rebuilt the St. Pauls Catheral and 50 plus other stuff..just a fyi tidbit.cuz ever since I've been sightseeing, this Great Fire of 1666 which started on Pudding Lane keeps popping up..

....now this church of St. Mary-le-Bow is in the London district of Cheapside, the east end side.. And if you were born within hearing shot of the church bells then you were a true cockney...I went to visit the church but I didn't hear the bow bells toll..really I didn't...lol..Nor did I speak cockney..I dont want to go down in history as 'aving the 2nd worst cockney accent..
I tried to look up where the word cockney comes from but there are too many stories...it seems no one really knows..but i liked this one the best:

A citizen of London, being in the country, and hearing a horse neigh, exclaimed, Lord! how that horse laughs! A by-stander telling him that noise was called Neighing, the next morning, when the cock crowed, the citizen to shew he had not forgot what was told him, cried out, Do you hear how the Cock Neighs?
St. Mary-le-Bow Church

London Walks

London Walks

As you know I have been here in London since June and have been sightseeing and blogging my experiences and hopefully bringing a little insight into this vast European city...
A lot of the places I go to see are recommended by various people who live here..and..I also have in my posession a box of flash cards that have 50 walks in London....Each flash card in the deck outlines a self guided walking adventure, with a detailed map on one side and insider info on the other..from the known to the lesser known stuff, it tells of local's favorite places to eat, drink, shop, and play along with tidbits of the history of London...
I've done many of these walks and wrote of them in my blog and there's many more to come..I've taken many pictures too and put them on my myspce photo albums but I haven't figured out how to post the pics here on the blog..does anyone know? Do I have to get it from photobucket?
Stay tuned for more adventures...

Trainspotters

OMG..Did you know that there are real live trainspotters?? What's a trainspotter you ask? Good question, cuz when I heard it I had to ask too..I didn't want to assume that it was self explanatory just by the word, cuz, really now, could it really mean a person who spots trains??
Well, you were right! It sure is a person who spots trains..now you probably think that this is a Brit thing, but no it aint..yes, apparently its a worldwide thing and peeps do it in the US too..go figure..
What a trainspotter does is go to a busy train station in London, Clapham Junction Station I hear is the best and busiest place for this, and write down the ID number of every train that passes thru the station. The goal is to see and document every train that has been made...they write down the train number in a note pad..
Ever since I heard that there are real live trainspotters I have been obsessed with them. I want to find one. I want to talk to one. I want to take a picture of one. I want to interview one. I have tried to look for them but I haven't seen one...who knows, I might find one yet.
To most Brits here that I've spoken to seem to think that trainspotters are a joke and are just losers.. But I'm fascinated by them..I find it amazing that someone can spend all day on a train station platform and write down the ID numbers of every train that passes by... It does seem a little boring...I'm sure there's lots of distractions in a busy train station like Clapham Junction...They could be 'people watching' too..or maybe not.
So, what do ya think??? Should I abandon my quest in search of a trainspotter? Would ya want to read about it if I did find one?

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain

I went to the Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain the other day. It's in Hyde Park which is a big park in central London. Its a horizontal oval stone fountain that is slightly sloped on the ground and the water flows down both sides...
One side of the stream descends fairly smoothly to the downhill end of the oval with gentle ripples. On the other side the water flows over rougher surfaces. The two sides represent the two sides of Diana's life, the smooth happy times and rough sad times.
The fountains goal was for people to go for quiet meditation. The sign says to feel free to sit on the sides and paddle your feet and hands.
The day that I went, the water was not flowing and the bottom part of the fountain had red water in it. I thought it was kinda gross...it looked like bloody water...I found out later tho, that it was anti-arms trade protestors who put the red dye there.
Since the late Princess was known to campaign against land mines and mutilating devices, the activist said the dramatic move was timed to highlight the Arms Fair that was taking place nearby.
I was a little disappointed in the fountain. I had a pre-conceived idea that it would be bigger and more elaborate, something of a grander scale to celebrate her life. I just feel that it should of had something more. Like what? I don't know for sure really... I know it was built to reflect her life but Lady Diana meant different things to alot people and a fountain isn't multifaceted enough to represent each one of those things.

ahhh..nostalgia for Los Angeles

Things we take for granted in Los Angeles

Sunshine
The Pacific Ocean, yay! the beach
The mountains
Sunset at the beach
Driving ur car to work
Short commutes (yes, really u guys, u gotta see it here)
Trader Joe's
Dairy Queen's strawberry cheesecake blizzard
Pedestrians right of way (honest! u gotta watch urself here in London)
abundance of fresh fruit and vegs
Channel 5 morning news or any morning news
free parking at the supermarket
Costco
Happy faces
great customer service (yep, really! ya wouldn't have thought huh?, trust me)
Carl's Jr. six dollar burger
real Mayonaise
Dodger games
Tacos
IHOP 24 hours (num num) hungry yet?
valet parking
drive thru mostly everything
those lovely baggers in the supermarket who bag ur groceries and then ask if u need help to the car..luv u'all
affordable dining
ethnic food stores
Costco hotdogs (tho one gal at costco told me that home depot dogs r better)
ok..dodger dogs too
KROQ FM 106.7 and all the multitude of choices out there
and really...thank heavens for 7eleven!

Friday, March 7, 2008

London Congestion Charge and CCTV

Congestion Charge and CCTV

Did you know you have to pay to drive into central London? Yep, you sure do, and if you don't you get fined something like 200 dollars ..and a word of advice to my fellow angelenos: no, you can't get away with it.
You see, in London, everything is recorded..yes, CCTV..and no, this isn't an oppressive fascist government..honest to goodness practically every street in London is recorded and if you drive into central London without paying the £8 (which is $16 under the current exchange rate of 2 bucks to 1 pound, yeah, it sucks for us) you get fined. There is no toll booth or barriers entering into London, you just pay either online, phone, mail, text from mobile or at select stores and gas stations and CCTV records all the registration numbers on every single car, van and truck in central London..yes delivery companies have to pay too, tho at a lower group cost.
The congestion charge was devised to discourage the use of private cars, reduce congestion, and provide investment in public transport.
Do you think this would work for downtown Los Angeles? Or how about Glendale Galleria during Christmas season? Would businesses pass on the higher costs to us in regards to delivery costs and stuff? Would you pay more than $9.99 for a medium pizza delivered?

Edgeware Road

Edgeware Road

Edgeware road is just off Oxford street and is now well known for its middle eastern residents. For about 2 to 3 blocks there are Lebanese, Egyptian and Persian restaurants, stores, hooka bars, banks and offices. The famous Lebanese restaurant Maroush has several of them on the same street! Most of the restaurants have outside sitting with people eating and smoking the hookas. I had a really nice sharwarma sandwhich at one place then I walked to the Maroush Deli and bought some "atayef" which to those of you who live in Glendale or Orange county might be familiar with is its a pancake like sweet folded in half with either cream or walnuts in the center and fried and with syrup on top. You can buy it at Sarkis Pastry in Glendale. It's really delish and is only served during Ramadan (don't know why cuz it's not a fancy thing) and Ramadan started last thursday. All in all it was a nice day and fantastic weather and after lunch went to Hyde park and sat on a bench in front of the lake called "The Surpentine". Smashing!

Cream Teas

Cream Teas

Of all the times I have been coming to the UK I have never had a cream tea until recently. It is the most decadent thing I have had. A cream tea is tea served with plain scones and Devonshire or Cornish clotted cream and jam. Cut the warm scone in half and the trick is to put the jam on first so you can put plenty of cream on top. Clotted cream is so delish! I highly recommend anyone who comes to the UK to have a cream tea. Warning: it is addictive.

Borough Market

Borough Market, London

The first time I heard of Borough Market was when I saw it on the food channel in Los Angeles..FoodTv chef Paula Deen went there. She ate a chip butty at a stall there. A chip butty is basically a french fry sandwhich on white bread with English brown sauce (not ketchup u guys) So when I went to Borough Market I went to Maria's Cafe stall and ate one...yummy..It was so traditionally English.
However the market offers so many types of food from many countries and you can sample them too..at the olive stall I sampled some really delish olives and I chatted with this guy who was from Rancho Cucamonga, California who told me to try the mozzarella at the cheese stalls..he bought a bunch to take back home, so I did and the Mozzarella was really good, but noticed that the cheese was not pasteurized..(thats the heating process to kill bacteria) but the cheese was excellent.
And they have real prosciutto, that Italian ham, the real prosciutto crudo (dry cured raw ham) we can't get the real thing in the US, but basturma is ok too..lol. At the Market it was around $80 a pound. Ostrich burgers grilling on the grill smelled really good..fruit stall men were yelling out their wares, the place was busy with tourists and natives alike.
I spent the whole morning there and left with a bag of hand made clotted cream fudge which was heavenly..mmmm...yum..hungry anyone?

English 101

English Vocab 101
1. sod: Lucky sod...or..sod them, i don't care..or sod off go away...sod's law, like our Murphy's Law
2. muck: potter or fool about. muck about. stopping mucking around.
3. row /rau/sounds like cow..1. a loud noise or commotion. 2. a fierce quarrel.
4. knacker. slang. exhaust, wear out. I'm knackered.
5. cheers.: colloq Brit. a. expressing good wishing before drinking or Brit. before parting. b. expressing gratitude.
6. rubbish.: bullshit
7. brilliant. : ok, the Brits say brilliant to everything.....u say something, they say 'brilliant'
8. loo. /lu:/ n. john, can, cat box, get it?
9. bollocks: baloney; bull sh*t
10. prat: idiot

London Bridge vs Tower Bridge

London Bridge vs Tower Bridge

Yes, there is a London Bridge and a Tower Bridge. AND London Bridge is not Tower Bridge! So why do I get them mixed up?!??!?? Apparently the Brits laugh at us Americans for this, so I'm not alone my fellow citizens. I'm gonna try and bring this all to light.
London bridge was bought by an American in 1971 and is now in Lake Havasu in Arizona. Rumor has it that the buyer thought he was getting the Tower bridge with the towers on it and drawbridge, but he denied this rumor. But the Brits still like a laugh over this. So humor them and smile.
So after the sale of London Bridge the Brits had to put another one up in its place and the London Bridge now in London is a modern looking one.
I guess when you go to the Tower Bridge its look is so iconically London that we assume its London Bridge. So, next time you're in London and see a bridge with the towers, don't say out loud, " There's London Bridge!" cuz now you know!

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

Before setting off on this England adventure, Joan, a friend of mine in Los Angeles gave me a huge book of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes..she inscribed inside the book to enjoy the adventure..well ever since I've been here it's like an adventure..and the book is really good too!
Now Joan is a big big fan of Sherlocks..She told me to go see the Sherlock Holmes Pub in London. I did go there and took a picture. Its on Northumberland road just off Trafalgar Square, and its so quaint..I think I posted some pics on my myspace.
The writer of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, wrote that Sherlock Holmes lived and worked at 221b Baker Street...
so off to Baker Street I went....
I took the train in to Charing Cross Station then took the underground Bakerloo line to Baker St...the subway at Baker Street has sillouette tiles of Sherlock Holmes all over the place..how cute..yep..I took pictures :)
The original 221b Baker street had been demolished and now in its place is this big building with scaffolding all around it..disappointed, yes, but a few doors up is a museum and store with the faux address of 221b Baker Street...so in I went and saw Inspector Lestrade, donned my sherlock hat and pipe and took a picture with him..hehehe..and before leaving I got a little something for Inspector Joan in Los Angeles..
And what a surprise for me was to find out that Gary Marshall's dad has an original brick from 221b Baker Street..It turns out that he knew one of the guys redeveloping the site and got a single brick with the 221b stamp on it for authenticity..it's sitting on their fireplace...
Joan wants it..ummm...do you think this will be the Adventure of the Missing Brick? hehehe..you'll have to stay tuned for more episodes..
Julie Watson, PI

UK customs

UK customs at Heathrow airport London
Ok..so I get detained at the airport this summer in London. It was on my 3rd entry here..you know I've been staying here for the summer but I've gone back to L.A. twice, so on my third time back to London I get detained for 3 hours..and the silly reason was cuz I came on a one way ticket..I got a one way cuz I don't know when I'm going back to L.A....hehe funny..customs didn't think so tho..they asked me all these questions..the customs lady, Bridgette, was really nice about the whole thing..they eventually called my mom and dad and spoke with them and then released me..yay! and the reason was apparantly I'm eligible for a Bristish passport cuz my mom is English..how funky is that? lol...so the other day I looked online to check out the passport thing and its true only for peeps born after 1961...haha..awwww...I love y'all who thought I was born b4 that!! Lots of kisses..xxxxxxx

Dart game in an English Pub!

Dart game in an English Pub!

I played a dart game for the 1st time in my life and it was so awesome!! yay Julie!!..it was a league game in the Bricklayers pub that Gary Marshall goes to and he is on the darts team and they play every Monday..Yesterday they were short one person and they all convinced me to play despite the fact I never played b4..lol..so I relented after alot of coaxing and I played! I did hit the board!! I did pretty good..I averaged 34, whatever that means, lol..the scorings funky so I wont go into it cuz I'm just learning it..When I get back to Los Angeles I'm gonna join a league..I looked it up and the British sounding pubs have teams..lol..anyone want to join me?
I must admit I did kinda secretly snub the English Pub mentality, I think cuz I was influenced by other peeps opinions,( there's a lesson for me to make my own judgements) but the times I have gone to the Pub it has been great..everyone is so nice and all..I'm begining to like it..oh, and it's smoke free now, as of July 1st, 07..There's even quiz nights..I've been to a few and they're so fun! and really hard cuz I dont know most of the answers..But my team actually won last week..yay! and the cool thing is that this time the winnings went to charity..awesome!