A Lille birthday celebration

Any excuse is a good excuse for a mini-break weekend. Over the past weekend, I headed to Lille in the North of France with some London buddies to celebrate another year of life.

We arrived with ease on the Eurostar, most commonly known for its quick route between London and Paris. Our weekend was very strenuous… well, for our stomachs anyway. In summary, our activities included:

• A little window shopping in the boutique stores lining the old cobbled streets
• Admiring the artwork at the Palais Des Beaux-Arts
• Enjoying the French banter and barter at the Wazemmes market
• Relaxing in street-side cafes drinking coffee
• And eating plenty of baguettes, cheese and pastries

On the Saturday evening, based on a recommendation from a work colleague, we had dinner at a little traditional French restaurant in the outskirts of town – the Le Chat Dans L’Horloge. Our meal included some regional dishes (of which we are still trying to work out what we ate!), finished off with some more commonly known desserts including crème brulee and profiteroles.

Another perfect destination for a mini-break weekend from London!

English Countryside

This weekend I had the pleasure of helping Waty (my ex-housemate) and her now husband Dominic, in celebrating their marriage. Located in the countryside a few hours north of London, it was a beautiful day. The reception at Horwood House was classically English, remnant of the many Jane Austen movies I have watched over the years. With the glorious sun that shone brightly all weekend, came the fresh crisp English air that even sent chills through the locals.

I took advantage of the opportunity for a weekend mini-break in the countryside and hired a car. On Saturday night I stayed at a local pub near the reception. It was approximately minus five degrees overnight. My car, and the drink bottle I left in it, was suitably frozen by Sunday morning. It was minus two degrees when I drove off in the morning after eating a hearty full English breakfast.

It was my first drive in six months, so it was good to be back on the open road. With a helpful road map by my side, I weaved on the minor roads through the little villages, heading east. I stopped at Bishops Stortford for a quick hot chocolate with Sarah before taking the highway to the coast.

Back within the London M25 orbital, it was a little more problematic with reading the road map. By chance I ended up taking the Woolwich Ferry (on the east side of London) across the Thames. It was timed perfectly with the colourful sunset. My journey continued as I headed south west to drop the car off and go home. It was great to drive in the country, but I’m glad I don’t have to tackle the London traffic every day. Another superb weekend!

Happy little vegemite

I spent the majority of my Australia Day doing what Aussie’s do best – chilling out! I was very thankful that Australia Day fell on the weekend.

Later in the day I joined some Aussie friends in introducing a few local Brit’s to an authentic Aussie BBQ. Other Aussie delicacies on offer included vegemite sandwiches, iced vovos, Allens snakes, Fosters beer & of course… Tim Tams! Most of the Brits had no idea why we celebrate Australia Day…

they were intrigued when we explained that it was a celebration of them invading the land down under.

Scottish Culture

Over the weekend, I flew back up north to spend time with Em & Nick before they travel back to Oz. Our weekend of tourist activity included exploring Edinburgh Castle, navigating our way to and crossing the grand Forth Road Bridge and tasting the local cuisine...

Highlights of a Scot's grub include:

• Haggis - a traditional dish typically cooked like a sausage, but served without the intestine wrapping. The ingredients may include lung, heart & liver, with plenty of spices and oats thrown in for good measure. It certainly is not a meal that I could eat everyday, especially with the starchy companions, but I could warrant it on a special occasion.


• Irn Bru – a bright orange soft drink, similar to creaming soda but with a citris twist.
  
• And… Scotland is home to the deep fried mars bar (otherwise known as the “heart-attack on a plate”). I had a bite & not surprisingly, it was quite tasty!

[Photos: View of the New town from Edinburgh Castle; Edinburgh Castle with Ben, Em & Nick; Em with her deep fried mars bar; and the Scot's meal of Haggis & tatties.

Edinburgh Hogmanay 2008

I kicked off 2008 in Scotland as part of the Hogmanay festivities. Basically, the Hogmanay is a huge street party where partygoers dance, drink & watch the midnight fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle. I travelled to Scotland with ‘Topdeck’ and spent my new year celebrations with friends Sarah & Fee. Amongst the more contemporary music options, we listened & danced to some traditional folk music on top of the covered ice rink and later enjoyed the brilliance of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers - a great rock band led by 3 rocking pipers!!

While most revellers spent a drizzly new year’s day catching up on a few winks, I headed on a three hour walk along the Firth of Forth foreshore, including a walk out to Cramond Island. As a tidal island, Cramond can only be accessed by the causeway during low tide.