by Amber on December 11, 2011 in Travel
Why is a raven like a writing desk? More photos from my weekend away in picturesque Bath, Somerset. It’s so pretty there, I couldn’t stop taking photos.
Farmhouse breakfast at Monkton Farleigh. I was so sleepy I poured coffee into a juice goblet…
Below is a photo of the Bertinet Kitchen, high on the hill above Bath. This is the home of aforementioned best pain au chocolat EVER. It’s not just a bakery – it’s also a kitchenware shop and they host some classes that sound amazing. For instance: a four day course on baking, pastry and patisserie, and recently Anna Hansen, of Modern Pantry fame, taught there.
We asked our taxi driver He dropped us off by the canal, a few miles out-of-town. From there we walked back into the centre. I loved the sign written names of the canal boats. Crispy Duck!
And to finish… a touristy shot of the girls and I outside Bath Abbey, grimacing at the cold and the encroaching rain! If Bath is this nice in the middle of winter, it must be glorious in summer.
by Amber on November 23, 2011 in Travel
by Amber on November 21, 2011 in Travel
Belgium has a great mix of cultures – half Flemish, half French. Brussels in particular captures this spirit – it’s in the Flemish side of the country, but the majority of inhabitants are native French-speakers. It’s a lovely place to explore. You’ll probably notice a common themes running through these photographs; Brussels is famous for waffles, chocolate, frites, comics (it’s the home of Tintin), and the Manneken Pis.
Tintin and Snowy! Spotted from the train rolling into Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid station.
An example of the two languages living side by side. Also, Brussels has really nice trash cans.
(Is that an odd thing to notice?)
The Grote Markt (or Grand Place) was a square of breathtaking buildings. Gold, ornate, and utterly gorgeous.
Brussels has lots of cool street art/comics painted around town. There’s also a museum dedicated to comics!
The finest Belgian chocolate – in owl form.
A true polyglot, Brussels melds old and new architecture.
Putting the Pis in “piss-take” – there are tributes to Brussels’s favourite son, the Manneken Pis, everywhere.
Then after a night out and some excellent French food, it was back to London. I think we’ll be back to visit very soon – Belgium is only 1 hour 50 minutes away from London by Eurostar. It’s amazing to someone who has spent their entire life living on an island!
by Amber on November 19, 2011 in Travel
This week Thom and I zapped off on the Eurostar to Belgium for our first city break since moving to England. Being greedy ambitious adventurers, we figured we had enough time to see the sights of both Antwerp and Brussels. After getting up way too early in the morning for my liking, we caught a breezy train to Antwerp – one of Belgium’s Flemish cities.
The beautiful cathedral in the heart of the old quarter. We stayed in a quaint little hotel right behind it.
It seems like you can get waffles everywhere in Belgium – even from train station vending machines.
We stopped for coffee & lunch to escape the chill. Despite my mittens, I wasn’t prepared for how cold it was!
There are dual language editions of this daily newspaper, in two different colours (green for French).
Antwerp’s retro-winkels, AKA vintage stores were great. Best find: a set of antique chocolate moulds for €20.
We spent most of out time just wandering the streets, ducking into interesting shops, and taking photos. One evening we went spent a few hours in a tiny bar, making friends with some locals, and then later, the Frites man. It amused him no end to explain all the different chip and mayo options to two enthusiastic tourists…
Next stop: Brussels!
by Amber on November 2, 2011 in Travel
On Saturday Liss, Thom & I headed to Stoke Newington to check out the weekly car-boot sale at the Princess May. It was my first time in Dalston and I loved it! We picked up some breakfast at the street market – hot naan bread wrapped in newspaper, priced at 2 for a pound, then coffee at a Turkish cafe. Then it was off to the school yard to do some serious fossicking.
We came home with some good booty – a 35mm camera of Russian origin for £10 , a Patricia Highsmith book for £1, that bold red bird-printed dress for £5, and a set of mint-condition fondue forks for £5. The forks were a most fortuitous find because next week I’m holding a little fondue get-together to celebrate my birthday.
Perfect!
by Amber on August 30, 2011 in Design
Wishing, waiting, saving? These Trip Fund glasses made by the ever-clever Olivia Coote/Lily’s Make Believe are just the ticket.
One thing I have observed since moving to England is that there is SO MANY COINS. 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 pence, 1 pound, 2 pound. Every time I buy something I’m given a small treasury in change. I find it especially strange coming from New Zealand, where we make most of our purchases on plastic. Here I have a purse full of shrapnel. I think a Trip Fund jar is definitely in order!
by Amber on August 27, 2011 in Travel
Repeat after me:
It’s football, not soccer.
It’s football, not soccer.
It’s football, not soccer.
It’s football, not soccer.
It’s football, not soccer.
The game was football, Chelsea versus West Brom at Stamford Bridge. Security and hopes were high. A first I didn’t really know what was going on, but thanks to the man behind me, who had the crackled voice of a market seller, I kept up with the plays. And the players, as he graciously named every one – “COME ON DROGZ!”
The final score was 2-1 to Chelsea. Everyone in blue went home happy, and I must remember to always call it football.
Food, food and more glorious food at a market in Bastille, Paris. It was very early in the morning (thanks jet-lag) and we got there just as all the vendors were setting up. There was nothing to do but buy a nutella crêpe and perch on a bench waiting for them to open. It was the first time I tried nutella. Or ‘noooo-tella’ as the girl making it said. (As she I couldn’t help but think of Amélie, imagining records being made with a crêpe rake.)
Eventually the market jolted to life, and we bought as much cheese, bread and fruit as we could carry. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the intoxicating scent of fresh yellow pears, stacked high to the stall roof.
Bastille Market - Sundays
Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, Bastille, Paris.
by Amber on August 11, 2011 in Food
Le Refuge des Fondues offers little choice, but a lot of fun. I have wanted to visit this quirky Parisian fondue joint ever since I heard about its choice of wine glass; the humble baby bottle.
We walked in and asked for a table – no problem – we were shown a seat immediately. Then the fun started… I was told to clamber over the table and wedge myself in between the other patrons. Ladies! If you’re in Paris good manners prevail, which means you’ll be seated on the banquette, so wear pants.
Post-acrobatics, the waiter asked for our order. There’s only two choices to make here – red or white wine, cheese or meat fondue? Vin blanc! Fromage! And away we went:
The other diners are merry, the graffiti is coarse, the service is efficiently French, and the food is filling. For 18 euro you’ll receive a baby’s bottle of wine, a fondue to share, a sweet apéritif, and a platter of bar snacks to nibble from.
Do go if you’re in Paris, it is a hilarious dining experience. Be warned though: it’s hotter than the sun in there. Don’t underestimate the power of 30 fondue pots filled with burbling cheese and oil – you may have to seek refuge in more than one baby bottle of wine!
Le Refuge des Fondues
A. 17 rue des Trois-Freres, 75018, Paris, France
T. 0142552265
by Amber on August 11, 2011 in Travel
Bonjour! After a car ride, 3 flights, one RER and a metro trip later, I arrived in Paris. All in all it was 28 hours of travel – and that’s doing it fast (just a brief touchdown in Kuala Lumpur).
Photos from: one of the Seine bridges, Port des Champs Elysées, Ladurée and life around the 10e. I think I’m almost fluent in breakfast French! Full reports on this aventure intéressante soon…
by Amber on July 22, 2011 in Travel
A little virtual tour of the world, courtesy of Google maps. While some of the mystery is gone from travel, the wonder is still there. Downtown, Omaha, Canal Saint-Martin, Buckinghamshire, Southbank. Look at the shadow of the London Eye – amazing!
(Hmm, I am starting to reconsider the 500px width of this blog…)
Paris Syndrome or Syndrome de Paris is a temporary psychological condition suffered by some visitors to Paris. When great expectations meet the gritty reality of Paris life (e.g. dog poo) severe culture shock can set in.
Most victims are Japanese women their 30s, who after being fed a lifetime of highly romanticized images (Amelie, À bout de souffle, Love in the Afternoon – and other top films to see Paris on the silver screen) cannot not handle the gritty reality of Paris life. As Paris Syndrome affects about 12 Japanese tourists a year, the Japanese embassy has a 24-hour hotline in place and can offer help in case of hospitalization. Discovered by Professor Hiroaki Ota, a Japanese psychiatrist working in France, it is similar to Stendahl syndrome.
As the the BBC said in its discussion of Paris Syndrome, “[m]any of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Paris [but the] reality can come as a shock. An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent French, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures. But for the Japanese – used to a more polite and helpful society in which voices are rarely raised in anger – the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much.”
If you’ve been to Nippon, the Japanese’s romantic vision of Paris will come as no surprise – Tokyo is awash with French brands and pâtisseries - you’ll even spot an Eiffel-inspired lattice tower on the skyline. Viz, my buddy Richard & I near the Tokyo Tower in 2007:
Can you say baby-faced? Anyway, I’m sure I will be in full control of my psyche and expectations when I land at Orly, Paris in just 26 days… but it’s best to be prepared!
by Amber on June 21, 2011 in Travel
Hello friends! I’m very excited to say that in August I’ll be moving 18331 kilometres (or 11390 miles) away to London, England with my fancy new visa.
The next little while will be busy – I have to finish up at work, have my tonsils removed, pack up my life (into a 30 kilogram baggage allowance no less), and have one last fling with Auckland. Oh, I’m stopping in Paris for a week first to to “recover” from jet lag with cheese and wine, before zipping to my final destination on the Eurostar.
Gosh oh gosh I will miss my loved ones, but I’m really looking forward to this new adventure.
