Travel For Two

Aladdin Pantomime at the Hackney Empire

Posted on January 2nd, 2010 by g.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

This evening we wrapped up our Christmas festivities in London with another British tradition — the Aladdin Pantomime at the Hackney Empire. It was an interesting experience and best enjoyed with a pint of beer .

Pantomime (not mime) is a genre of musical-comedy performance that some describe as British national treasure. It doesn’t follow the the ‘real’ story line and is full of silly comedy. For those in North Carolina, it is somewhat like David Ira Wood’s A Christmas Carol, but to the extreme. Wikipedia describes Pantomime as having a number of conventions — including the following which held in this performance.

• The leading male juvenile character is played by a young woman in tight-fitting male garments that make her female charms evident.
• An older woman, often the hero’s mother, is played by a man in drag.
• Risqué double entendre, often wringing innuendo out of perfectly innocent phrases. This is, in theory, over the heads of the (many) children in the audience.
• Audience participation, including calls of “Look behind you!” The audience is always encouraged to boo the villain and “awwwww” the poor victims.
• A song combining a well-known tune with re-written lyrics. The audience is encouraged to sing the song; often one half of the audience is challenged to sing ‘their’ chorus louder than the other half.
• An animal, played by an actor in ‘animal skin’ or animal costume. It is often a pantomime horse or (or camel), played by two actors in a single costume, one as the head and front legs, the other as the body and back legs.
• The members of the cast throw out sweets to the children in the audience.
• Characters squirt members of the audience with water guns.
• A slapstick comedy routine is be performed within the show.
• The Chorus, who can be considered ‘Extras’ on-stage, who usually appear in all scenes and who perform a variety of songs and dances throughout the show. They are a very important role in Pantomimes.

The Hackney Empire is a beautiful old theatre — if in the middle of nowhere. It actually would have been a straight shot on the newly branded London Overground, but unfortunately it was closed for engineering works this weekend. The interior is beautifully decorated like many of the theatres in the West End. Interestingly, the bar is actually in the theatre — which was convenient at the interval for this performance . Sadly, the theatre is closing this month due to financial difficulties. Though there is a chance they will reopen.

So, while not the highlight of London’s theatreland, it was a great experience. And we can cross it off the list of 100 things to do before leaving London.

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Running in London, let the hard work begin…

Posted on January 2nd, 2010 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

Hmmm…my impending training for the Bath Half Marathon (March 7th) brings to mind a famous psychology study. In the study, college students are asked to sign up to participate in a psych study (as they often are on college campuses, right…). And in addition to the usual monetary reward, they could choose a ‘bonus item’. On the form upon completing an exercise (which was meant to detract from the actual purpose of the study), they were asked if they would like an apple or a candy bar as their ‘bonus’. And they were then told to come back the next day to pick it up. Upon arriving to pick up their ‘bonus’ on day 2, they were given the option to change their choice. In most cases, folks would on day 1 say that they wanted the apple. And then, upon turning up on day 2 and being given the chance to change their choice, would switch over to the candy bar.

The moral of the story being that humans are idealistic in looking ahead and crafting their ideal selves, but when the rubber meets the road we’re generally lazy sods who go for instant gratification. (or something similar)

Such is the case with this half marathon! It was all well and good when I signed up last September. But now, with only 10 weeks to go, I am not looking forward to the torture of training. Having signed up for the ‘apple’ six months ago, at 2.5 months out (and in the dead of the winter) I’m suddenly craving candy. Luckily, G’s on the sidelines and won’t let that happen…. 

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The Christmas Season…London Style

Posted on December 20th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

Last Thursday morning, G and I weren’t entirely sure of what to do with our new-found time. Our families are out of town. Our friends are spending the holidays with their families. And we had decided to spend this year at home…avoiding the stress that can sometimes come along with holiday travels.

Given the drama with British Airways, Eurostar and the weather, we in some ways congratulated ourselves on our choice. But, given our friends’ frequent comments about ‘boring London’ at Christmastime, we were understandably uncertain of our choice.

Now, sitting at my desk on the 29th of December, I can honestly say that we’ve had a good time! So, if ever you find yourself in London over the Christmas holidays, it’s easy to have a great time. Here’s what we got up to:

Pre-Christmas Work Up:On the weekend before Christmas, we ventured to the ‘White Christmas Carol Concert’ at Royal Albert Hall. It was an absolute highlight. many who know us well are aware that G’s got the voice. I, however, sheepishly hide from singing in public. Thankfully, this carol concert was perfect—it wasn’t really a sing along. Instead, there were bits that you sang with the choir, but the on-stage talent did most of the work. Brilliant! And, somehow, G managed to snag a box to ourselves. So, we were able to enjoy our wine from interval in our seats and I didn’t have to hide my voice for fear of offending the neighbors. PERFECT!

Since we were in the area, we also ventured over to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. I believe this is the second year for the event. And while last year was a bit disappointing (the best bit was the chocolate covered fruit stand!), the folks in charge brought in all the rides and stalls from Oktoberfest for this year. We had a great time walking about eating cheese pretzels and appreciating a bit of the Bavarian spirit right here in London. Though, I have to admit that my favourite bit of it was the conversion of the usual rides to be in keeping with the ‘winter wonderland’. For instance, the little horsey ride for 2 year olds was converted to a ‘reindeer ride’ with the addition of antlers on the horses’ heads. I suppose a 2 year old wouldn’t know the difference? But it was funny to us as adults.

Christmas Eve: Our first stop was Borough market to buy the goods for our Christmas dinner. We set out in search of filet mignon, fresh artisan mushrooms, sweet potatoes, haricot verts (young, thin green beans), fresh ginger, yummy fresh cheeses, fresh bread. Borough is lovely year round and we love all the artisan foods we find there. We loved walking about because the small scale vendors are so passionate about their wares. In the end, we found our cheeses and treated ourselves to some nice Spanish chorizo, but moved on to Waitrose for the bulk of the goods we needed.

At home, we snacked and lounged and finally got ready for the evening’s church service. When we moved to London three years ago, a small church off Trafalgar Square was closed for renovations…called St Martin’s in the Fields. As we’ve been to St Pauls and Westminster Abbey for services before (and they’re infamous for the crowds they draw for Christmas Eve), we decided to head back to St Martin’s to appreciate the church in all its glory…free from scaffolds and draped with beautiful, fresh greenery and bows for the holidays. it’s an interesting church…it’s historic, of course. But it’s a bit of a mish mash of styles. There’s a Gaudi-esque semi-lighted window as a backdrop for the alter, but much of the church looks like those in Williamsburg with the huge brass light fixtures (the electric candle style ones that many American homes have reproductions of in the dining room) and a dark wood enclosure for the upper level. The church was lovely and the service was informal and perfect. Free of most of the formal pomp and circumstance that many of the famous churches have around the holidays. And, it was nice to go to a church service in English for a change. Two years ago, the service in Goa was in Hindi. And three years ago, we spent Christmas in a Salzburg church where German was spoken.

Then, off to the flat in advance of the freeze on transport.

On Christmas Day, there’s no active transport in London. Some black cabs are running, but they charge heavy rates for their holiday journeys. So, as such, we decided to stay home in Belsize for the day. And we had a great time! We made blueberry muffins for breakfast, opened gifts, went for a walk around Regent’s Park, played games, spoke with our families and made a wonderful (though non-traditional) Christmas Dinner. It was a restful day and well enjoyed! We didn’t miss the transport, or the shops. No worries–London can be a lot of fun. It’s like G’s dad says–so long as you’re in good company, you’ll have fun wherever you find yourself. Thankfully, G’s good company

In the days that followed Christmas, we’ve being equally subdued. Though, we have had a lot of fun. First, we went to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert (a show here in London based on the movie of the same name). It’s a great show. Really entertaining. It’s a bit outlandish, be prepared. A highlight of the show was a bit where the on-stage talent are twirling in cupcake costumes with birthday candles on their heads and see-through umbrellas extended from their hands. Anyone remember our cupcake parade in London a year or more ago? It made me chuckle to think of our embarassment when we learned that the newspaper column that directed our path lead us to a gay bar in Soho to ask if they had cupcakes for sale. oops!

We’ve also been to the Natural History Museum. We love their annual Wildlife Photography Exhibit which shows amateur photos of wildlife around the world. There are some really impressive shots and it’s always really inspiring for us as we love photography. And animals! Our favourite shot in this year’s exhibit showed a beautiful, healthy grey wolf jumping a garden fence in limited light–that would be an incredible challenge to capture. And this year, we paired the exhibit with ice skating around the outdoor rink there. Major credit to G who managed to keep me upright the ENTIRE hour that we were on the ice. Impressive! Especially given the number of small knee-height and waist-height children who innately cling to the nearest adult legs to stabilize themselves when wobbly. Danger for me, as an adult who’s equally wobbly! And it was the absolute best ice skating excursion I’ve had to date–there are white lights twinkling in the trees by the rink, the lighted facade of the museum in the backdrop and the white wonderland of ice all about you as you skate. The great thing about the rink on the day was that it wasn’t nearly as busy as at other times, but was busy enough for people to rough up the ice so that it’s not quite so slippery.

And yesterday, we stayed at home for most of the day but had discount movie vouchers for our local Belsize theatre and decided to trade them in to see Avatar. Anyone who hasn’t seen it MUST! It was such an incredible movie. It’s an incredible undertaking and well worth the time and money to see it. Wow!

Now, we’re in the midst of chores and organising. This will be our first extended holiday time at home. It’s been really nice for a change. G and I have never had more than 4 days at home with one another to just get things done–we always travel when we’re off from work. Now I more completely understand why coworkers and friends have ’stay-cations’ at home

Now…what shall we do tomorrow then?

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Maldives: Swimming With The Fishes

Posted on December 16th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Asia, Travel.

“It is a hell of a lot better than going to London Bridge on a Monday morning.” Indeed, this Monday morning was not typical. For one, I can’t recall any time I’ve been awakened by K screaming at six in the morning.

“Dolphins!”

Half dressed in our pajamas, we clung to the edge of the sun deck on our over-water bungalow watching a half dozen pointed fins bob and dance through the water. They followed the edge of the reef, where the water turns from paradise aqua to a majestic blue. It is the same path we snorkeled daily. Ah, if only we were swimming there right now…

But wait. Why can’t we? Quickly trying to think of the cons, all we got were pros. Beautiful morning light. No sunburn. No other snorklers to dodge. Breakfast wasn’t for a couple hours. No waiting for food to digest after breakfast.

Perhaps K found one, “But isn’t it feeding time? What if we run into a shark and it eats us?”

“That’s silly,” I replied. “And that’s better than being eaten by an eel.” K doesn’t like eels–they’re creepy.

With nothing standing in our way, we jumped in our suits, pulled on our masks and fins and descended the stairs from our bungalow down into the cool morning water. As quick as we were, the dolphins were quicker and had passed out of sight. We wouldn’t be swimming with Flipper and his friends this morning. Perhaps tomorrow we should sleep in our swimsuits?

That first snorkel was charmed. We could have been visiting an aquarium with the laundry list of wildlfie we saw during our stay–sea turtle, a ray, varied trigger and banner fish, pipe fish, varied parrot fish, anemones, clown fish, lion fish, barracuda, puffer fish, box fish, tuna, eels (ick!), surgeon fish, manta rays, unicorn fish, almost every fish imaginable for the region. And it was seen just outside our bungalow.  Though, luckily, no shark, yet. Though, in the end, we saw three.

Stepping back in time, the highlight of our magical first day was arriving by sea plane. At this point, we have traveled enough that truly unique and novel experiences are getting harder to find. We often draw parallels to previous trips or a combination of other experiences. The sea plane, however, was definitely new.

Out of an endless expanse of sea, we recognized our island through the small porthole of a window. The barefoot piloting duo pointed the nose down at the water. There was no runway or buoys. Only water. I could see it through the front window rapidly getting closer. “Don’t planes usually point the nose up when landing?” I thought to myself. If I hadn’t known better I’d be reaching for the life jacket under my seat.

Our sunsets were so vivid that they rippled like ribbons of brighly coloured sorbet through the sky. And just when we thought we had reached the nirvana of heaven on earth, two shooting stars appeared over our bungalow’s sundeck at night. They literally landed in the sea so close that we could hear the sound of their last moments being snuffed…bringing our most wonderful holiday to a close. Magical.

To see more photos from the Maldives, click here.

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Veteran’s Day in Covent Garden

Posted on November 11th, 2009 by g.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

At 11:00 this morning the crowds in Covent Garden stood still. Everyone, including the buskers (street performers) in the middle of their show, took pause to honor our heros. At the head of the square in front of the church, a lone bugler lead the salute.

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Pesto, anyone?

Posted on October 18th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Europe, Travel.

We’re back from Vernazza with G’s Parents. We had a great time eating our weight in pesto (yum!), anchovies, and drinking cheap (yet ever-solid) Italian wine… And to work it all off, we fit in a few hikes, too.

It was the perfect low-key destination for catching up with A&V and also having a bit of autumnal sunshine before the winter sets in for good. Thank you A&V–we had a great weekend! May the pesto pride live on…do share the wealth if you figure out the recipe

Some friends may remember our first trip to the Cinque Terre back in 2004. We loved it so much the first go-round that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to go back when A&V were going to be in the ‘rough vicinity’. And it didn’t disappoint. For those of you who have also been and would like an update, here’s a quick compare/contrast…

What’s the same? 2004-2009

• The same two Sicilian brothers have a quaint pastry shoppe at the top of the hill.
• One of the brothers still flatters every female below the age of 40
• The path from Vernazza to Monterosso is still unpaved
• The pesto
• It’s still a stunning, charming town

What’s Changed? 2004-2009

• Just about everyone in town has an American accent…tourism is booming, even in the off-season
• The prices are MUCH higher (no doubt in thanks to the Euro’s recent strength…)
• The shopkeepers have their own personal copies of the Rick Steves guidebook and quote from it…
• More upscale tourist shoppes in town (rather than just the ‘local’ grocers when we were last there)
• There are now wooden guardrails along much of the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso
• The locals aren’t quite so friendly…still very approachable, but they’re more ‘businesslike’ now

Vernazza’s still on our ‘favourites’ list and we had an incredible time, but it was a bit of a disappointment to see the impact tourism has had on the region since our last visit in 2004.

For more photos from our most recent trip to Vernazza, click here.

And for a few from 2004, click here.

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Our Anniversary…number 8!

Posted on September 27th, 2009 by k.
Categories: Living Abroad - Life in London.

We’ve made it to 8 years of marriage…already! And with only a few more wrinkles to show for the experience of it   And rather than traveling for our anniversary this year, we’re breaking from tradition and delaying the prize until November when we will travel to Maldives for a week of snorkeling and fruity drinks.

But, G and I ran another 5k yesterday in Belsize Park in honour of our anniversary week. Fun! With this one done though, I think I’m ready to up my game. Running a 5k is easy beazy. But who knew it would be so diffcult to find a (worthwhile and beautiful) 10k in London? I will find one…somewhere…with spots available…that doesn’t start before 10am

In other news, we’re attempting to rekindle our Spanish language skills from high school in the year ahead. By this time next year, we hope to have the ability to hold a 20 minute conversation with a native Spanish speaker without reverting to English. We’re now researching Spanish immersion courses in London and Spain…stay tuned.

And finally, we need a pet. We can’t have a puppy. And we think fish tanks are risky. So, maybe a goldfish?

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