Love actually

The day that all the flower and the chocolate selling shops have been waiting for has arrived. In London the atmosphere bespokes an erotic Saturday night. The Pubs have prepared their Valentine's menus, various sweets have been baked in a special festive edition and the stores have decorated their windows with the eternal symbol of love, the heart. At this point I would like to express my childhood confusion about the real shape of this organ. Until not very long ago, I was under the impression that I have a cute little <3 in the middle of my chest. Suddenly, I saw a picture of the bloody, not at all cute, organ and I was very reluctant to believe that this was actually what was ticking inside me and even worse it is not even in the middle of my chest but on the other side of where the tic-toc sounds. 

At Notting Hill a lingerie shop had a pretty inspired window, making use of the new movie of the best-selling book, "50 Shades of Grey". It would honestly fit much better at a different kind of shop, a kinkier one, given the fact that in the movie the underwear plays a minor role compared to the Christian Grey's collection of erotic gadgets. I was just throwing an idea.. 

I have come to the conclusion that Valentine's day is not particularly devoted to the people in love. The business acumen of the club owners has reserved the single people the right to not hide in their single apartment and cry over their singleness until the day is over. The Anti-Valentine's parties are filling specifically that gap. Whatever you do this Valentine's day make sure you do it with love ;-)

Read More »

As British as you can get

The British are known for their devotion to certain things they love. Walking on the streets of London I made a list about some of those tremendously British things. 

1. The red telephone box, regardless the spread of the cell phones, is still decorating the UK streets. I could not actually picture London without the cute red boxes, which nowadays serve mostly photographic purposes.   

2. The identical houses with the red bricks, that are stuck to each other remind me vividly the magic residence of Harry Potter's godfather at the Number 12 Grimmauld Place. This house was invisible to the neighbourhood residents and had the magical ability to appear only to the selected wizard ones, pushing its way between the numbers 11 and 13. The muggle owners of the following houses put their own personal details. For instance, they give different colours to the doors, or they place discreet flower pots on the threshold. 

3. I wonder which is the amount of tea, that is anually consumed in the UK. I dare to guess pretty big. The traditional English tea is served with milk and a cube of sugar. Some tea shops offer afternoon tea,  which is pretty impressive next to the tiered cake stand. That three floor stand carries sandwiches, scones and cakes. While in Britain we payed a visit to the cute Camellia Tea house and tasted an amazing caramel salted cake and a red velvet. The cookies and cupcakes are also a British favourite habit, which makes a perfect match with the tea.

Red velvet cake

Ben's Cookies

Hummingbird Cupcakes

4. The Pub is another British love. Every Thursday the schedule includes drinks at the pub right after work. There are many kinds of Pubs. First comes the traditional one, that is usually located in a neighbourhood, and despite the bad microwaved food has became a venue. The decoration is rather minimal and darts are hanging on the walls. It is more than likely that a pool is on display and pool tournaments are taking place between friends and neighbours. The aroma of the place brings inevitably coherence to Beer. This kind of Pub mainly has male frequenters. On the other hand, there is another species of Pub a lot more posh and refined. It offers a larger range of traditional english  delicacies and I would describe it more like a Bar- Restaurant, except its architecture and the fact that it has a funny name as all Pubs do. The Queen's Head, the Idle Cook, Bucket of Blood, the Swan, the Mad Dog, Dirty Dick's and the list goes on and on. A useful tip is that most of the times there is no service at the tables, but you should order at the bar.

5. Fish and Chips has worthily earned a place on my list. It seems that when it comes to that chapter me and my sister were incredibly lucky, or the opposite (it depends on the point of view). She happened to live right above the most renowned Fish and Chip's of London: Mike's fish bar. In Mike's portion the chips are forming a pile and are wrapped on a greaseproof paper. Even for me it is almost impossible to manage one portion on my own. The cod is covered by a thin crust of breadcrumbs and it tastes literally nothing like the captain Iglo's fish sticks.

It is honestly hard to put a full stop, as the list could be much more extended than this. The double decker buses, the english breakfast, the driving at the left (aka wrong) side of the road, the strange habit of giving brands different names ( Opel-Vauxhall, Axe-Lynx), the bizarre beach houses, the stand up comedians, would all worth to mention. But then again I would spoil entirely the mystery of England. 

Read More »

Mind the gap

In the UK the security issues are first priority. Especially in the underground, that is used everyday by thousands of people, the precaution measures are particularly enhanced in a unique british way. "Mind the gap" is the perfect slogan. Not too big, not too short. It even sounds melodic. Nowadays it's been stolen by most of the undergrounds of the world, that failed to find something as catchy as the ultimate "mind the gap".

In Paddington station, there is a mysterious magic line that leads your steps to Hammersmith and City line. The contribution of the yellow and pink line should not be underestimated. When off the Bakerloo line, following the signs, you find yourself in a massive train station. Right at the point when you feel that you are complitely lost and you turn your head to the ground hopelessly, the yellow and pink line appears as a lifesaver on the floor and brings your smile back. The line does not let you alone for a minute. It keeps lightening your way even on the stairs. I wondered whether they were influenced by Harry Potter's Marauder's map for that descreet but powerfull line.

With no second thought, the human size stickers, that depict the mark of bodies on the ground, are influenced by the old police tecnique in case of a murder. What is special about them, is the message which accompanies them. Always in a british humor atmosphere, they urge the passengers to not forget their manners.

London underground is seeking new modern ways to stay in fashion, although the oldest tube in the world. To be honest there is nothing more fashionable than the classic London underground . Or maybe there is an at least one competent opponent: the Paris Metropolitain. 

Read More »

The red bricks

After I said farewell to the number one suspect in the UK, I caught a couch to Baker street. The identical british houses with the red bricks seem kind of melancholic on a cold Wednesday night. I couldn't help but wondering ,who inhabits them. Are they happy, ambitious, in love, British, migrant, young, old? What is their daily routine. Do they maybe have a horse to take care of every evening? Do they read a book or watch teli?

An hour and twenty minutes later, the driver announces our arrival at the Baker Street. I take my luggages and wonder how I will meet my always late sister without a charged phone. "Pret a manger" gives me the answer. I rush inside and order a cup of tea. The melancholy gave its place to excitement. This city is not only red bricks. It is bustling with people. I looked quickly around me. The musterious people, i was so curious about acouple of minutes before, were sitting next to me.  Talking on the phone, reading a book, socialize after work.

My running-late sister met me at the coffeeshop and we decided to take our chances to the tiny and popular Burger shop: the Patty and Bun. We walked through Baker Str to Marylebone and saw some more houses with red bricks.  This time I knew that in the past a very bright British personality lived on the number 221B of that street. One hotel was named after him : Sherlock Holmes. 

The shop was packed, as expected. A tall skinny guy showed us the way to the outdoors waiting bench. Fortunately my new coat looks and feels like a mattress and did not let the freezing cold to reach me. The waiting lasted for approximately twenty minutes. The burger did reward us. It tasted like real meat, something  a little rare in London. 

Read More »