The Velvet Bow

Europe: A Recap

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:23:34 +0800

This was the view from our hotel room in Kuala Kumpur, about five minutes from the airport. I was horribly sick and so these palm trees were all I saw before I passed out in bed and stayed there until our next flight. Below you’ll find a link to each post from the trip in case there were any you missed. I’m working on a new design that will allow me to categorise my travel posts a whole lot better in case you find yourself jetting away and need some tips on what to see. Should be all organised in time for our next trip (which I’m already planning!).

Paris: Photo Diary

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:36:29 +0800

These were the fleeting last moments captured in Paris before returning home to Australia. Any amount of time in Paris is magic, so even though we didn’t go to the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the flea market on the outskirts of town, the vintage stores in the Marais and many more things as we had planned, I still enjoyed what the city had to share with us. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful month away and I am just so glad I got to share it with my best friend! Tomorrow I’ll be doing a recap of all the posts from the trip in case you missed any, and then it’s onwards and upwards onto other things.

Notre Dame cathedral
Tarte Tatin and iced tea at Laduree
Marc’s statue impersonation at Jardin des Tuileries
The cafe Les Deaux Magots where famous writers used to hang
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
A book seller alongside the Seine
Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde
Église Saint-Sulpice
Kooky door in the St-Germain area
Random statue in the Tuileries
Decor in Laduree
A boat chugging along the Seine
Uniform apartment blocks in the 1st Arrondissement
Lover’s locks on the Pont des Arts
The Louvre
So many pigeons in one tree!
The famous street

Paris: Jardin du Luxembourg

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:54:00 +0800

Barely an hour after arriving at our apartment in Paris’ Latin Quarter Marc and I both started to feel unwell, which quickly developed into a nasty flu that left us bedridden for the next day and a half. Though we were far from better on the third day, it was our last chance to see Paris before our flight home so we gathered come croissants from our corner boulangerie and walked the short distance to the Jardin du Luxembourg. I couldn’t believe we didn’t visit this wonderful place the last time we were in Paris. Even in winter it was stunning - pots upon pots of colourful flowers, people lounging by fountains on green chairs and stylish couples wandering around hand in hand. And right around the corner I found a darling little shop that sold the most perfect ballet flats. I can see why people fall so in love with the left bank now!

I have just one post left with a series of random photos I managed to snap when we finally emerged from our cave in the 6th arrondissement, and then Europe is all finished (albeit two months late!).

Southwest France: Périgueux

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +0800

When we arrived back at Marc’s parents’ house after our whirlwind trip to Spain we were pretty exhausted, but I was determined to fit in a bit of sightseeing before we left for Paris. The next day we jumped in the car and set off for Périgueux, the prefecture of the Dordogne department which in turn lies in the Aquitane region (I still don’t fully understand how France’s states work!).

Périgueux is rich in history, with Roman ruins, crumbling stone structures and medieval relics at every turn. Mostly though it was just a very pretty town and I really enjoyed walking from square to alley to building and taking in the scenery. A few things we stumbled upon were a couple of local cats hanging out in a courtyard, the haunting melody of an organ being played in an empty cathedral, some quirky graffitti and more chocolatiers than you could poke a stick at!

And thus was the end to our two weeks in Southwest France and beyond. The following morning before the sun was even up we hopped on a train from Angouleme to Paris for the last couple of days on our holiday.

Cathedral of Saint Front
Roadside garden
A medieval watchtower
Cat on a wall
The back lanes of Périgueux
Cute green car
Hotel de Ville
Hand door knocker
Boulangerie
Ice cream shop
Still can’t work out what this odd old structure is!
Iron gate
Saint Front
Shells outside a seafood bistro
Hanging lights in one of the squares

White Elephant Secondhand and Vintage Sale

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:05:00 +0800

Regan: dress $14, ankle boots $15, sunglasses $10, bag $10

Lucy: blouse $10, skirt $8

Regan: bolero $12, skirt $7, boots $15, top $2, bag $10, belt $6

Lucy: dress $14, bag $10, sunglasses $12

Regan: blouse $7, skirt $6, bag $12, Docs $30

Lucy: blouse $7, skirt $10

Regan: dress $15, clutch $5

Lucy: dress $20, bag $16

Regan: dress $15, jumper $8, bag $8, Docs $30

Lucy: blouse $4, skirt $10, bag $8, sunglasses $20

Regan: dress $15, cardigan $12

Lucy: top $7, skirt $10, belt $6

———————————————

Here it is Perth folks, the second White Elephant Secondhand and Vintage Sale! The last one we had back in August 2010 sold out within the hour, so this time we have a bigger space, more stock and more fun things planned!

We have collected hundreds upon hundreds of vintage and great quality second hand clothes and accessories at BARGAIN prices- think op-shop prices before they got expensive. Each item is hand picked and many have barely been worn, and it is breaking our hearts to let these amazing pieces go. BUT EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!

Prices range between $2 and $30 with most items under $10!!! Check out the above photos for a snapshot of whats on offer. Dresses, skirts, blouses, jackets and coats, shorts, scarves, accessories, sunglasses, shoes, bags and jewellery will be on offer for next to nothing. Like last time, there will be special pieces including Doc Martens, Alannah Hill items and one of a kind vintage frocks.

Saturday 4 February
12pm - 2pm (but we recommend queuing early to get the best stuff)
Subiaco Community Centre, 203 Bagot Road Subiaco
Gold coin entry
Cash only

First five in line will receive a $10 voucher to spend on the day. RSVP to the Facebook event for giveaways and info in the lead up to sale day. Less than two weeks to go!

Southwest France: Biarritz

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:04:00 +0800

Biarritz lies at the very bottom-left corner of France, less than 30km from the Spanish border. It’s a luxe seaside town favoured by the rich and powerful of Europe who flock by the droves in the summer months for a bit of sand, sea and sun. Unfortunately for us we were just days away from winter when we visited, and despite the sun shining brightly it was rather cold! Still, I really enjoyed exploring the seaside areas of this old city - bridges carved from rock leading into the sea, lookouts aplenty, crumbling stone boat pens, hydrangea-lined pathways, little chateaus perched atop rocky outcrops, ice-cream huts, exposed reefs and giant discarded anchors. I was even enchanted by the nautical design metal rubbish bins, I’ve never seen such pretty ones in my life!

Everything about this place screams upper class. As we got in so early in the morning we got to witness a team of professionals actually rake all the sand on the beach and hose down the already-clean promenade. Hedges were trimmed to perfection and paintwork was bright and fresh on everything. Rich old ladies were taking little dogs for morning walks and passersby were always elegantly dressed. And this was in the off season - I can barely imagine what the place is like in the summer months! We didn’t get time to visit the famous Hotel du Palais or the museum of the sea, but I thoroughly enjoyed what Biarritz had to show us and I look forward to going back one day if I ever have lots of money to splash around!

Zaragoza, San Sebastian and Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:04:00 +0800

After leaving Barcelona we took a road that ran practically parallel to the Pyrenees that border France and Spain. Our next port of call was Zaragoza, the capital of the province of Aragorn and one of Spain’s largest cities. Despite being home to one of the largest churches in the world, there wasn’t much else to see here besides a portion of the Roman wall and cool fountain. We spent the night in Zaragoza after the long drive through Northern Spain, and left early the following morning just as soon as we’d taken a quick walk around the main square.

Cue another long drive, this time up to the west coast of Spain through lots of tunnels and mountain passes. We emerged in the idyllic town of San Sebastian, a short hop away from the French border. San Sebastian could have jumped right off the front of a postcard with its pretty promenade hugging a calm beach, old Spanish buildings and giant statue of Jesus atop a hill. We only stopped long enough for some paella and a few photos before jumping back on the road and onto Bayonne for the night. Now we were officially back in France - the final leg in our journey!

The following morning was spent in Biarritz which I’ll dedicate the next entry to. For now though I’ll skip over it to the last stop before home, the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Another beachside fishing town, Saint-Jean-de-Luz sure had a lot of character. White buildings were framed with shutters, roofs and beams in bright colours like cobalt blue and brick red. Little squares opened up at the ends of lanes with bistros and gnarled, leafless trees. And artisan chocolate shops were everywhere! Alas, once the shops re-opened after closing for a few hours over lunch it was time for us to get back on the road so we quickly grabbed some millefeuille and marzipan for a rather messy car trip back to Festalemps.

Zaragoza: a pop of colour on a grey day
Zaragoza: Marc and me by the Roman wall
Zaragoza: Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, one of the largest churches in the world
San Sebastian: postcard perfect
San Sebastian: a carousel
San Sebastian: Playa de la Concha
San Sebastian: huge statue of Jesus on Monte Urgull
San Sebastian: benches on the promenade
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: blue shutters
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Harbour
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: on of many squares with gnarled trees
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: chocolate babushkas!
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: pretty door
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Maison Louis XIV
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: red shutters this time

Face Facts Design Competition

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:01:00 +0800

I know a lot of you out there are budding designers and even more of you can’t resist a great competition, so make sure you get your designs up by 29th February. Not only is it a great platform for you to get your work out but the Face Facts campaign also promotes positive messages to our youth. Entries will be based on public votes and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the winners. Good luck!

To find out more, visit the Face Facts website.

The Road to Spain: Barcelona Day Three

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:02:00 +0800

We had to be out of Barcelona by midday on our last day, so we had planned an ambitious morning ticking off the last few sites we were desperate to do before leaving. First stop was Parc Güell just in time for opening. Alas many other people must have had the same idea as there was already a decent crowd! Parc Güell is another of Gaudi’s creations - a sprawling modernista garden on the edge of Barcelona full of mosaic creatures, undulating structures and the very house Gaudi spent his final years in. We only checked out the very start of the park before we had to move on, loitering for a photo at the famous rainbow lizard and marvelling over crooked furniture at the Gaudi museum.

Then it was back to the heart of Barcelona for the thickest Spanish hot chocolate with churros (long donuts) followed by a peek inside La Catedral. The reason I wanted to see this church was solely due to the live geese who have lived in the cloister since medieval times. It was a pretty wacky site to see these birds in the middle of such a place! The final place on our bucket list was the Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona’s big and bustling fresh produce market. The stalls were bursting with mushrooms the size of my head, pungent seafood, confectionary in all manner of shapes, the brightest fruit and vegetables, cured legs of ham, and bundles of dried chillies. I must say though my favourite thing on offer was the curious pre-made fresh juices - I had raspberry and coconut while Marc tried blackberry and banana. These markets are full of Spanish flair and are definitely one of the top things to see if you ever visit. I probably would have bought a million things I couldn’t eat just for the great presentation if it wasn’t already time again to jump back into the car on to our next destination!

The Road to Spain: Barcelona Day Two

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:12:00 +0800

On our second day in Barclona we planned a whirlwind trip from one end of the city to the other, mostly by foot. From our hotel we passed through the Parc de la Ciutadella to the port before taking a stoll by the beach. Then we caught a cable car across the water up to Montjuïc, a hill with sweeping views over the city. Montjuïc was the site of the 1992 Olympics and we were able to visit the well kept stadium as well as peeking into the area that held the diving events. While the latter seemed to be falling into a derelict state after years of unuse, its location on the edge of the hill would have provided a real spectacle in its heyday. Nearby we stumbled upon a 10-strong group of stray cats dotted in trees and lazing in grass and I just about had a fit of excitement. It looked like someone had been feeding them as I saw a little food bowl hidden under a stone bench so I imagine they were all rather happy!

After rushing past the other points of note in the area we headed back into the centre for an amazing Spanish vegetarian buffet lunch. Then there was a walk down the colourful La Rambla - a long street full of buskers, streetside paella cafes, tiny cacti stalls, gelato and all sorts of crazy characters - before moving on to the gothic quarter. We saw Roman ruins, super old churches, typical Catalonian buildings and medieval Royal quarters. I don’t think I have ever done so much in a day but at the end I felt very efficient to have done about a week’s worth of sight-seeing in about ten hours!

Yachts in the port
Arc de Triomf
On the promenade of Barcelonata beach
Cable car across the port to Montjuïc
The magic fountain
Barcelona sky line
Olympic Park
Homenatge a La Barceloneta Sculpture
Some appealing graffiti at the port
View from Montjuïc
Where they held the Olympic diving, now becoming derelict
Looking out over Avinguda Maria Cristina
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
At the beach again
Giant cat sculpture on Rambla del Raval
Cacti on La Rambla

The Road to Spain: Barcelona Day One

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:29:00 +0800

We spent a whirlwind three days in Barcelona as part of our French-Spanish road trip, committed to see as much as of the city as we could pack in. Day one began with a bus trip around the main sights which afforded good views but didn’t give many opportunity for photos. Still, I quickly fell in love with Barcelona from what I saw. It’s the architecture that really makes the city, largely the work of the revered Antoni Gaudi. His “modernista” style of architecture is absolutely enchanting, and made all the more better by the fact that most of his buildings are over 100 years old. These wacky structures look weird enough today, but just imagine how they would have seemed when they were built!

Even if you’ve never been to Barcelona you may still have heard of the Sagrada Familia - the great unfinished church that has been 120 years in the making and still won’t be finished for a few more decades. We visited the church in the afternoon, and once again I don’t think my photos do justice to its beauty. On one side you have the original facade built a century ago and then on the flip side is a facade only recently completed. This fusion of old and new made the church such a marvel. I’d recommend googling the place to see more of it.

Afterward we walked back to our hotel through intricately-tiled streets, past great modernista apartment buildings. And this leads me to probably my favorite sight of the whole trip - Casa Batlló. This 100 year-old apartment block glitters and shimmers in rainbow colours, with its scaled roof and skull-like balconies giving of a reptilian quality. Again, I think you should google this place to see it in detail!

I could waffle on about Gaudi and the architecture of Barcelona forever, but I’ll leave it there for now - until my next Barcelona post that is!

La Sagrada Familia - nativity facade
Incredible ceiling inside the church
Marc in front of the old school for the worker’s children
Cranes around the massive church
Branch-like ceiling
In front of the nativity facade (dating back to the late 1800’s)
A modernista tiled balcony
“Block of Discord” featuring Casa Batlló
Mosaic bench
The dragon-like roof of Casa Batlló
Casa Milà
Pavement tiles by Gaudi

A Map Of Sorts

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0800

Now that we’re a few days into the new year I’ve begun to get a feel for what it’s going to be all about. There are a few things that will inevitably happen, for example finishing university for good, and then there are the things that I have decided will come true. Rather than making resolutions per se, my list for 2012 is more like a map of goals to guide me through the next year. If the wind sweeps me on a different course and I don’t end up doing any of these things then I am ok with that, but I always like to have some ideas in sight that I can work towards. And you probably know by now that I love a good list!

I’ll be checking in momentarily to give you updates on how I am trucking along with some of these things, while others may not be fully realised until the year is out. In any case, I am so excited to see what the coming months bring and can’t wait to start on some projects.

Hold another big secondhand sale (update: we have a venue booked for 4th Feb!)
Do at least two work experience placements
Learn to play the ukelele
Buy fresh flowers every week
Never miss a swing dancing class again
Finish university
Plan our move to Sydney for Jan next year
Completely revamp this blog
Save for another international holiday at the end of the year (we’re thinking Greece, Turkey and the islands)
Learn to let go
Buy more investment items of clothing and cull my wardrobe
Learn more about my camera and post-processing
Focus on leading a healthy lifestyle
Write more, read more

And ultimately, 2012 is going to be all about being happy, fresh and inspired.

Also, do you like my shiny new diary? I picked it up when I was in Paris, instantly drawn to the gold embossing and all-French writing. It has the perfect layout for fitting lots into days and lots of cute little drawings.

The Year That Was

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:42:00 +0800

2011 was a jam-packed year and I got to the end of it wondering where it had gone! Initially I had felt that the year completely passed me by and I didn’t have too much to show for it. Then I decided to make a list of all the things that had happened and all that I had achieved, and I was pretty gobsmacked with the result. It turns out I was rather productive after all! Here are some things from that list that I think best sum up what 2011 was, accompanied by a random selection of photos from the year.

I completed my second year of university with my best marks to date
I had two feature articles and a large number of photos published
In turn I was lucky enough to be on radio and in our daily paper
I participated in two successful vintage markets as a seller
Marc and I travelled through Europe and enjoyed a little jaunt in Rottnest too
In March I worked for a month-long secondment in public relations
I attended Perth Fashion Festival as well as lots of fashion launches and events
We moved into our own flat and went crazy decorating it
In May I spoke at a Fashion in PR night about blogging
With the help of some other lovely ladies I organised two blogger meet ups and was introduced some pretty amazing people in the process
I challenged myself to a shopping ban for a month and stuck to it

This year is only going to be better!

2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:48:00 +0800

I’m not going to lie, the best part of 2012 so far was seeing these photos pop up in my instagram feed of Zooey Deshcanel, Alexa Chung and Tennessee Thomas ringing in NYE together. These ladies are my three favourite style icons and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw them all together!

I’ve got some posts coming to wrap up 2011 (a little late, I know!) and of course my resolutions, hopes and dreams for the coming year. Then it will be back to Europe posting before a little change of direction for The Velvet Bow.

I hope you all celebrated the new year in style with those you love and are ready to make 2012 the best year ever. Thanks for all your support, comments and encouragement - I can’t tell you how much it means that you keep visiting my little space here in the world wide web. Cheers to love, laughter and great times to come.

The Road to Spain: Andorra

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:01:00 +0800

Andorra. Where do I begin. It was one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life. Perhaps I should clarify first: it wasn’t so much the town I loved as much as the awe-inspiring drive through the Pyrenees to actually get there. Once we had left Toulouse the towns started to get fewer and fewer, and the roads more windier as we ascended into the mountains. I practically exclaimed in joy when I saw my first snow-capped peak, but then they grew more and more plentiful until we were surrounded by them. I don’t think my photos do any justice to the magic of that drive up to the snow fields, but I hope they at least give you a taste of the kind of scenery that was all around us.

Andorra is very blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. One of the smallest countries in the world, it’s nestled snugly in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. The country boasts some of the best skiing in the world and it’s evident even in the off season (we arrived a few weeks before ski season) with the many Swiss-style chalets, chairlifts running up hills and advertisements for thermal spas to indulge in after a day on the slopes. The capital, Andorra la Vella, wasn’t as great as I imagine it would be in the ski season. The “old town” was pretty small and not that old really, and the rest of the streets were geared towards duty free shopping that wasn’t all that cheap. But the mountains that loomed over us from every angle were a sight to behold, and I can’t wait to one day go back in the peak of winter to properly do Andorra.

And then faster than we knew it, we were out of Andorra, out of the Pyrenees and in Spain. All of a sudden we could no longer understand the street signs and the few buildings around had a very different feel. The mountains with their white caps could still be seen at a distance, but everything was so green and blue. Only 144kms to Barcelona!

The Road to Spain: Toulouse

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:34:34 +0800

And now the real adventure begins! Our Spanish/French road trip was to take six days and would see us journey from near Bordeaux to Barcelona, stopping in at plenty of big and small towns along the way. We had been talking about it for some time - winding through the Pyrenées and zig-zagging across northern Spain - and now it was finally here.

First port of call was Toulouse, one of the largest cities in France and the gateway to the Pyrenées region. As well as being a university city, Toulouse is renowned for its aerospace industry and being the home of Airbus. We spent the day wandering the city, stopping in at churches, hugging the river’s edge, taking photos of all the cool doors (what’s with Toulouse and its amazing doors?!), pausing for tarte tatin and taking in beautiful gardens. The architecture here has a disticly different flavour to the other Parisian cities I had been to, using a lot more red brick and wood. I was also surprised to find that Toulouse has a number of vegetarian restaurants (not that common in French cities) but they all ended up being closed for some reason. Instead we chose a streetside cafe overlooking a square with an antique carousel for pasta and wonderful French bread. Anyone who has been to France can attest to the deliciousness of the bread here, it’s on another level!

Jardin des Plantes
Capitole
Vespa scooter
Red apartments
Zodiac plaques at the Place du Capitole
St-Sernin Basilica (largest Romanesque church in Europe)
Statue at Jardin des Plantes
A violinish serenading cafe-goers
Jardin des Plantes
A Toulouse street
Blue shutters
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of one of my favourite books Le Petit Prince
Skinny apartments

Southwest France: Bordeaux

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:33:00 +0800

We visited Bordeaux a couple of times in our last trip to France but never really spent enough time to really take in the city. I was eager to go back to explore all the sights I had only seen from a distance, so after Saint-Émilion we had lunch in one of Bordeaux’s many squares and then set off on a self-guided walking tour. Well as it turns out, the map we were following didn’t actually take us to any places of real interest - it kept leading us to square after square while diverting around all the churches and historical buildings. It made no sense! In the end we scrapped the map and just followed wherever our feet took us, which allowed us to see a lot more.

Just like Paris, Bordeaux really has its own style of architecture and I found myself stopping to snap photos of ornate apartment blocks practically every minute. The old part of the city is framed with a number of medieval gates and grand 18th century buildings along the promenade hark back to Bordeaux’s maritime past. Unfortunately we didn’t sample any local wine while in the area but I hear it’s among the world’s very best. We did however pick up a bag of macaroons crafted out of fine chocolate that were delicious, as well as yet another fake deer head to add to our wall. A long, lazy walk along the river ended the day as we prepared to rest up before the road trip to Spain the following day.

Bourse Maritime
Esplanade des Quinconces
Fancy fountain
Plants hanging off a balcony
Neon bike
Le Grand Théâtre
French bulldog
Porte Cailhau
Docking
Ville de Bordeaux
Tour Pey-Berland
Marc being a statue
Hotel de Ville
Monument to the Girondists

Southwest France: Saint-Émilion

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:23:00 +0800

Another day, another trip to another quirky French town! On the way to Bordeaux we stopped in at the world heritage listed Saint-Émilion, a former Roman farming area turned medieval stronghold. Saint-Émilion is home to another famous monolithic church dug out of a limestone cliff, as well as many stone forts, walls and towers. The surrounding vineyards seem to glow with their yellowing leaves, and creeping plants run riot over crumbling ruins.

Once again it felt as if we had stepped into the pages of a history book as the town has held on to so much of its heritage. An old public open air laundry still stands in between a cluster of houses and you can just imagine an armoured guard patrolling the tall fort near the edge of Saint-Émilion. It’s sad that this place is rapidly decreasing in size - it’s now home to only 2000 residents and we barely passed anyone on our walk around town. Hopefully it continues to conquer the future as well as it has the past.

Southwest France: Aubuterre

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:45:00 +0800

Upon arriving at Bordeaux airport after a short flight from London, we jumped in a car for the hour-long trip to Marc’s parents’ house in a little village called Festalemps. Festalemps lies in the department of Dordogne, an area full of medieval villages, vineyards and sunflower crops. It was our first time visiting Marc’s parents new-ish place - a centuries-old ivy-covered stone house surrounded by a garden dotted with olive, fig, plum, peach, apple and walnut trees - and it was idyllic.

The best thing about this area is driving from tiny town to tiny village, all so well preserved that if you closed your eyes you could imagine for a moment that you were in a different era entirely. Each town has its boulangerie (that generally sells out before noon), a very old stone church, a few shops with pastel shutters, and then the place is over before you know it. It reminds me of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast where Belle is in her home town going about her errands!

On our second day we journeyed to Aubeterre-sur-Dronne which was an important site in the middle ages. Pilgrams have been visiting the subterranean monolithic church of Saint Jean for over 900 years, and crumbling battlements high on the hill above hold many secrets. We walked slowly through the quiet streets, peeking into gated gardens and admiring the view over red-roofed houses. It’s wonderful to be able to visit places off the beaten track like this when there are no other tourists around, the whole experience feels so much more authentic.

London: Photo Diary

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:09:31 +0800

Quite a picture heavy post as you have seen, but believe me they are but a few out of the hundreds I took! London was a number of weeks ago now so I thought I would choose some of my favourite moments to give you a brief snapshot of our time there. What really hits me when I look at these in hindsight is how much I adore the place, oh what I wouldn’t do to get the chance to live there permanently. Out of all the cities I have been to London is the one that truly speaks to me. The royal family, musicals at the West End, Londoners’ quirky style, all the fabulous markets, the history that hits you at every turn, red double decker buses, Quality Street, afternoon tea, houses that all look the same, department stores, haloumi and falafel wraps, English accents, Pret a Manger and yes, even the weather all entrance me so. I just want to go back, and back, and back.

But we must move on, so I’ll leave London behind for now. Next, we will journey to France where the road trip through the Pyrenees begins!

Big Ben
The area we were living in
Trafalgar Square
London calling
Lions at Trafalgar Square
Blooms at Liberty
St Paul’s Cathedral (where Diana and Charles were married)
Nelson’s Column
Fleet Street, home of the British press
London Eye
Liberty department store
Westminster Abbey
Remembrance Day crosses outside Westminster
The Royal Observatory at Greenwich
Ice skating rink outside the Natural History Museum
Horse guard on duty
Admiralty Arch
Red phone box
Houses of Parliament