Finding My Ryhthm

I'm past the halfway mark of my time in London, and I'm really starting to find my groove here. Some observations and realizations:

--You really don't need a gym here as the stairs and escalators go on for miles within each tube station. Since I wear my trainers (English term for sneakers of course) most days, I walk or run the escalators and my bum really feels it the next day. Scone-eating problem solved.

--I cannot find a rubbish bin anywhere! I look in every tube station for a trash can and am in total shock each time - they do not exist!! Just baffles me.

--English people aren't so inclusive. They are all set with their social circles and really aren't looking to make new friends. This is confirmed constantly by each person I meet who isn't English. Luckily for me, London is a huge melting pot and most people I meet are European or Australian.

--If you thought your city was filled with chains, come to London. Each corner has a Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Cafe Nero or Pret A Manger. That was the beauty of East London (Brick Lane and Shoreditch area) -- the originality still exists and no chain restaurants were allowed. Until now. Subway just opened and the local residents are just deflated. Speaking of East London, I went on a street art walking tour this week led by a Scottish bloke. East Londoners take pride in the originality of their hood and street art is a major reflection of their creativity. If you're a who's who in graffiti world, you come to East London to create. This stick figure artwork was done by a former homeless guy named Stik. He only paints stick figures and now each original print sells for over $2,000.

 

My fave:

We also passed Boxpark, a pop-up mall constructed of stripped and refitted street containers - check it out:   http://www.boxpark.co.uk/about/

And this company got creative when it was time to expand by using old Jubilee tube cars as additional office space:

On the opposite side of the spectrum, I had to visit some royalty. Horses that is. The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace is home to the royal collection of historic coaches and carriages (90 in total) and is also a working stable.  The horses train for four years at Windsor, and those which can maintain composure throughout mock distractions (camera flashes, screaming crowds, heavy car traffic and standing still for hours) get "promoted" to the Mews. The Queen names all the horses herself and visits the Mews several times per year to inspect them and feed them apples. Ha! Only the gray horses pull the Queen's carriage. Oh, and the horses get a six-week holiday each year, just like the English workforce! They get to play in the fields at Hampton Court. Loved that fact.

Each of the state coaches' details were so intricate. They're all painted the royal claret color and have 23 coats of varnish. The Queen Alexandria coach (built 1851) carries the crown jewels and is the only coach allowed to ride in front of the Queen's coach at any time. The Queen rides in the Irish state coach if her jewels are in transit. Below is the Australian state coach, which is the newest addition. As most of the coaches were built in the 1700/1800s, this one (built 1988) is very popular since there's a generator under the footman's seat and the coach includes A/C and heating. It also weighs two tons and is built like a car.  Can you imagine the royalty fighting over which coach to take? It's like my sister and I fighting for who sits in the middle seat in the car. But not really... William and Kate rode in the coach immediately following their wedding ceremony.

This is one of the five state cars housed at the Mews. They're simply known as Bentley One and Two, and Rolls Royce One, Two and Three. This car below is Prince Charles's favorite and has traveled throughout all of Europe (150k miles on it).

Lastly, this is the Gold state coach, built for King George III in the 1760s. It weighs four tons and needs eight horses to pull it as they also act as the break. It's the most uncomfortable coach as it's very wobbly - I'm sure they all take a Dramamine prior to leaving. The Queen rode in this coach for her Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002. By the way, when they take this coach out of this huge display room, they take the entire wall apart. Only way to extract it!

I then made a quick visit to Buckingham Palace:

My favorite culinary experience, by far, is Borough Market: http://boroughmarket.org.uk/ 

Besides the overwhelming number of food stalls, the outer perimeter is full of cafes, patisseries and wine bars. They're famous for the huge vats of seafood paella. I sampled it after I had already committed to a sweet potato curry dish, so I'll get this for lunch next week.

This is the view as you enter the market (Southwark Cathedral):

Monmouth coffee, next to the market, consistently has a queue around the corner, as they're known for the best locally grown coffee in town.

Yesterday, I walked along the south bank of the Thames (one of my fave walks) and made a quick visit to the Tate Modern. Hate to admit it but I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork. The building is impressive and the top floor cafe's views of the river and St. Paul's Cathedral are some of the best in the city, but I guess I'm more of a classical art gal. Walking over the Waterloo bridge I had to snap this pic:

Can't get enough of Big Ben. That's the Eye and Westminster Abbey as well.

Before I sign off, I have to mention my two new little friends, Greta and Matilda. They're the girls living in the flat I'm renting. I've grown to adore them and their British accents. We have dance parties. They beg me to blast Lady Gaga and their moves far surpass my dance moves at that age. They crack me up constantly and I've really enjoyed my time with them - adds some innocence to my day ;)