Harrod's and lunch in Chinatown

I finally made it to Harrod's to all those who were wondering.  I went with my roommate Emily one Thursday a few weeks ago because neither of us had class.  We thought about walking through Hyde Park to get there but the rain changed our plans.  When we got to Harrod's we got a map and tried to determine where to start.  We went to the Egyptian staircase and saw the Princess Diana memorial.  Next we took pictures with a 6 foot tall stuffed bear and looked in the souvenir shop.

Two different employees came up to us on two separate occasions asking if we needed help.  We came up with the theory that whenever a customer is holding a map, they are trained to assist them.  Other than that, no one came up to us asking what we were looking for or if we needed help.  Maybe I did need help finding the perfect 500GBP pair of shoes.

After wandering aimlessly, we found the cafeteria.  We of course supported the bakery and got two pastries each.  I ate my strawberries and cream cookie right away.  The hazelnut and chocolate pastry was dessert that night.  We thought about eating lunch at Harrod's but realized how close we were to Chinatown.  We decided to try out a Chinese buffet for lunch.  We both needed to fill our fried food fix.  On the way back to the flat we stopped at a large souvenir shop in Piccadilly Circus.  I may or may not have gotten some gifts for loved ones...

Portobello Market

Last Saturday I went to Portobello market with my roommates Emily, Ashley, and Paige.  One of Emily's friends from home is studying abroad through the London School of Economics so she came along as well.  We went around 11:30AM and stayed until about 3PM.  The market stretches about two miles and has so much to offer.  The market stalls are on both sides of the street and you can also go into the stores along the way.  We went into Cath Kidston, which is like the Vera Bradley of the UK.

As always, we tried some great food.  Paige and Ashley had Weiner Schnitzel, Emily had a falafel wrap, and I had a smoothie then a cheese and spinach crepe.  

There were lots of jewelry stands, some antique some newer.  I was on the lookout for a neat, cheap, antique ring but didn't find one that fit well.

There were row upon row of vegetable and fruit stands.  I didn't end up getting any fresh produce because I didn't want the crowds to knock into my bag and bruise anything I was carrying. 

Dover Castle and Dungeness

Two weeks ago (yes I'm that behind) I went with school to Dover Castle.  It was about 2 and a half hours from central London.  I slept most of the bus ride, as usual.  Dover Castle was built by Henry II in the 12th century.  It is situated on top of the white cliffs of Dover.  On the way back to London, we were able to drive below the cliffs to get a better look.
The castle was used as a major military stronghold until the 1950s.  There is a Roman lighthouse towards the higher part of the area as well as a church and chapel.  We toured through the Great Tower first.  Stone steps led different ways into other grey stone rooms and finally up to the rooftop which allowed for great pictures.  I can provide pictures but for more in-depth knowledge on the castle you're better off googling it.  Sorry!  Castles were never my thing...

In case you were wondering, there is a desert in the southern part of England.  Guess what's there?  Nothing!  We drove 40 minutes out of the way to see a seaside desert village that contained one diner, a bar, a lighthouse, a nuclear power plant, and a mini train which people use to commute to work somehow. 

Hundertwasser

On our last morning in Vienna, we decided to venture out of the city and to the Hundertwasser Village.  Hundertwasser was an Austrian painter and architect from Vienna.  He is known for creating buildings with bright colors, organic forms, and rejecting straight lines whenever possible, (which is often).  Josh actually warned me to be careful walking because the floor would be uneven.  Not a great place for the clumsy.  I had seen images of his work in a book Josh brought back for Connor a few summers ago so I was really excited to see it up close.  It took us awhile to get there since I read the map wrong but eventually we made it.  We didn't have as much time as we would have liked but luckily we got to see a bit before our flight back to Heathrow.

Museum Quarter

Day 2: On Saturday September 25th, we went to the Museum Quarter in Vienna.  We took the trolley to Karlsplatz then the underground to MQ.  We walked into the main courtyard area but didn't realize there wouldn't be much going on at 10:30AM when it was cold out.  After this we went down Mariahilfer Strasse, a street of great shopping. Our favorite store was one that had hip home supplies like couches, pictures, and decorations.  We stopped for lunch at a cafe and then kept browsing the shops.

After walking up and down Mariahilfer Strasse, we decided to go back to Naschmarkt to get some goods for dinner.  SInce it was Saturday we got to see what the Naschmarkt flea market was like.  We bought an assortment of ravioli, blue cheese and bread, cauliflower, yellow pepper, falafel and dessert.  It was a random assortment of food but made a lovely cheap dinner.

Gruss Gott!

I realize I'm a little out of order with my blogs but I had a crazy 4 days between Vienna and Paris.  Give me a break (hint hint JOSH!) Haha anyways, here is a blog on my time in Vienna. 

On Thursday September 23rd, Jake and I flew to Vienna for the weekend.  Davnah was kind enough to lend us her flat along with maps galore and a list of places to see.  Josh also filled me in on the lingo and gave me more information about the places we'd be visiting.  We had some difficulties with the language barrier but began to feel more comfortable as the weekend went on.  On Friday we did a lot of unintentional aimless walking but ultimately saw so much of the city that way.  Our first stop was Belvedere Palace which was only a few blocks from the flat.  As soon as my lease is up in Syracuse senior year, I'm moving in here.  Plenty of room for family visits!

Since I'm still 19, the ticket to enter the palace and see the exhibit was free.  Inside, we saw a lot of Austrian artists including Gustav Klimpt who I had never heard of before.  He is most famous for his painting The Kiss which I bought a coffee mug of.  As you can imagine, the interior was just as beautiful as the exterior. 

This is a view of the garden and in the background the city of Vienna.  We sat on the steps for a few minutes before continuing on just so we could enjoy the view.  Our next plan was to head into the city and check out some of the sights.  Of course we tried to use the map but when you don't speak German, all the street names look alike.  Anyways, we ran across this WWII memorial which was also quite lovely. 

 After wandering for a bit we decided to grab a quick lunch and people watch.  I had a cheese filled bratwurst and roll.  Very delicious and filling.  It was just what I needed to help me keep trekking.  

Here is the Vienna State Opera house or Wiener Staatsoper.  It was just another interesting site we came across unintentionally. 

The church below is Stephansdom.  I particularly liked the roof which shown closer consists of a multicolored tile pattern.  It is in Stephansplatz which literally means Stephans Place.  This was a very popular area and attracted lots of tourists.  With this came souvenir shops, and street entertainers.  On this particular day we got to see 5 younger men break dancing which was a fun addition to the stop.  

  

Our next stop was Karlskirche, a Roman Catholic Church.  We only toured the exterior since we had to pay to get in.  After googling Karlskirche I saw pictures of the interior so I guess we missed out on seeing that... maybe next time.  Several architectural features of the church have been borrowed from Roman baroque churches (the domes) and Greek temples (the main portico entrance).  The palm trees and body of water were also an interesting touch. 

 

Our last stop of the day was Naschmarkt.  It's a large outdoor market that spans about a mile and even longer on Saturdays for a flea market.  A lot of the stands seemed to be similar and sold products such as dried fruit, olives (which Grandpa would have loved), meat, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts.  We had dinner at a Chinese place in the market because we were a little nervous about going to a German place.  Sorry to disappoint.  

Let the detox begin

I literally ate my way through Paris.  Every pastry you can think of, I ate.  I had a crepe at least once a day, a dessert every night and usually a sweet treat for breakfast.  Needless to say I feel a little fat.  Want to see what I ate?  I took pictures of basically everything so I could remember and drool for years to come.  Warning - it might make you jealous if not hungry too.

Pain au chocolat and spinach quiche

Prosciutto and cheese salad with warmed goat cheese on toast

Nutella crepe

Chicken and cheese panini

Chicken with creamy risotto and my first sample of red wine

A French delicacy with vanilla custard, pastry crust, and white chocolate

An almond tart and spinach quiche

Nutella and banana crepe