With the summer solstice passing by during the week - scarcely noticed as the grey clouds made it difficult to tell if we had reached maximum daylight hours; it felt again slightly depressing that summer would be ending soon and we will once again stare out of our windows as twilight greets us at 3:30pm in the afternoon.
Yes, we have started whinging more about the weather, meaning that we were becoming more acclimatized as a London local.
It was sad to say that the sun decided to bypass London for most of Summer 2012 - even though this was the big Olympic year. But despite this, we found new ways to occupy our time around London during the weekends that we weren't travelling around Europe.
Royal Ascot
We went with a group of friends to attend London's version of the Melbourne Cup - Royal Ascot, held in Berkshire near the Queen's residence of Windsor Castle. Our friend May organised the tickets for the Silver Ring - which meant we were not constrained by the new dress code standards.
For the occasion (although it does provide us with a reason to do more country picnic trips in the future) we bought a backpack picnic set from Robert Dyas that replicated our Ikea version that we left in storage in Melbourne. The night before the race we visited the local Co-op and Middle Eastern store (a bus strike preventing us to head to the 24 hr Tesco) to stock up on supplies - including berries, dip, cured meats, cheese and tuna salad. So armed with a picnic blanket, and umbrella (didn't take the poncho as Olie stated that there was absolutely no chance of it raining) we were well stocked up for a day at the races.
It was sad to say that the sun decided to bypass London for most of Summer 2012 - even though this was the big Olympic year. But despite this, we found new ways to occupy our time around London during the weekends that we weren't travelling around Europe.
Royal Ascot
We went with a group of friends to attend London's version of the Melbourne Cup - Royal Ascot, held in Berkshire near the Queen's residence of Windsor Castle. Our friend May organised the tickets for the Silver Ring - which meant we were not constrained by the new dress code standards.
For the occasion (although it does provide us with a reason to do more country picnic trips in the future) we bought a backpack picnic set from Robert Dyas that replicated our Ikea version that we left in storage in Melbourne. The night before the race we visited the local Co-op and Middle Eastern store (a bus strike preventing us to head to the 24 hr Tesco) to stock up on supplies - including berries, dip, cured meats, cheese and tuna salad. So armed with a picnic blanket, and umbrella (didn't take the poncho as Olie stated that there was absolutely no chance of it raining) we were well stocked up for a day at the races.
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| A day out at Ascot |
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| Making back the £'s |
Black Caviar
Race 3 was of particular interest as the Australian horse Black Caviar was racing for a record 22 wins in a row. This event therefore drew in thousands of Aussies to the racecourse - with the majority dressed to impress; however the current fashion for platform heels probably wasn't that practical as the grassy lawns soon turned to mud after the downpour before Race 1 but timed to perfection as the Queen just finished her open top carriage parade.
The Windmill Pub
The crowd died down pretty quickly after Race 3 and we left shortly after, taking a train to Waterloo and finding a pub - The Windmill near Southwark tube that served excellent Thai food and had great seats for watching the Spain v France Euro 2012 match. Sadly the match didn't have much excitement and we ended the night early.
London Eating
Discovering places to eat around London has also been an enjoyable part of our non-travel weekend activities. Besides eating out at Borough market (paella, Roast's pork rolls, bratwurst) and Cafe East (that we visited with Cory, our friend from the Marrakech trip), we have discovered a little lane-way of street stalls on Maltby St in Southwark.
Friends had recommended that we try the vanilla donuts from St John's bakery and we also did a round of taste testing from the stands selling smoked salmon, Spanish jamon and big wheels of tasty cheeses - perfect for a Saturday morning picnic - even if it meant drinking red wine at 10am.
Friends had recommended that we try the vanilla donuts from St John's bakery and we also did a round of taste testing from the stands selling smoked salmon, Spanish jamon and big wheels of tasty cheeses - perfect for a Saturday morning picnic - even if it meant drinking red wine at 10am.
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| Wine, donuts and tapas in the morning |
Other food adventures in London took us to Stratford where we finally ate at the Wahaca chain (what took us so long?), ice-cream at Harrods Ice Cream Parlour and picking our way through the pre-packed food section of the local supermarkets where although convenience is great, all that excessive plastic packaging can't be good for the environment.
Museum of London
We also took time during our London weekends to fit in another museum trip - Museum of London where we learnt about the geography and natural history of the Thames area, including the random fact that Old Kent Road used to be an ancient seabed - a feature that hasn't contributed to increasing local property values.
This summer will also be filled with Olympic fever. We saw the Olympic rings mounted onto Tower Bridge and our first batch of event tickets arrived - thanks again to the courtesy of our kind neighbour who signed the parcel and brought it over later that evening.
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| Expensive ice-cream at Harrods |
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| Olie the Mexican |
Museum of London
We also took time during our London weekends to fit in another museum trip - Museum of London where we learnt about the geography and natural history of the Thames area, including the random fact that Old Kent Road used to be an ancient seabed - a feature that hasn't contributed to increasing local property values.
The Museum of London had some interesting facts about Great Fire of London (and establishment of fire insurance companies that later evolved into present day Aviva), Black Plague and London Wall. And the next day, we added to our London cultural experience by spending 8 hours straight at the Hoop and Grapes pub watching the French Open final, Canadian Grand Prix and Euro 2012 football games.
Guns and Roses Concert
Guns and Roses Concert
The highlight so far of our music cultural experience in London was the Guns and Roses concert at the O2 arena. Whilst it was a really late start - 10:45pm, they did play almost continuously for 33 songs including favourites - November Rain, Paradise City, Don't Cry and Welcome to the Jungle.
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| Mei with busker |
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| The Guns and Roses concert |
The summer concert season for us will also include Madonna at Hyde Park, BBC Proms with Wagner and Debussy, BBC Proms in the Park (with Kylie Minogue), Broadway music show at the Royal Albert Hall and Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson concert.
This summer will also be filled with Olympic fever. We saw the Olympic rings mounted onto Tower Bridge and our first batch of event tickets arrived - thanks again to the courtesy of our kind neighbour who signed the parcel and brought it over later that evening.
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