I had a full Sunday in Paris, and I had made a plan of what I wanted to see.
Month: March 2009
Paris – Towards the Arc de Triomphe
(Just because the colours of this photo go so well with the colours of the design)
Second report about Paris (the non tv-2 one) is on its way, as are the rest of the photos.
New Boy, Trafalgar Studios – London and Paris preparations
The story is a bit wobbly here and there but what great performances of especially Nicholas Hoult (from About a Boy with Hugh Grant/Skins) and Gregg Lowe. It’s refreshing to see great young actors like these, the future of British stage and theatre is looking good.
The play is both funny and serious (without ever becoming too serious) and makes for an enjoyable night out.
I can only highly recommend you to catch it, but it seems so popular that the complete run has already sold out. It’s performed in a very small (but intimate) theatre, and deserves to be extended, and maybe even moved to a bigger theatre.
I just checked my hotel booking for Paris and saw that I have booked a Superior Single room. I wonder what Superior means in this case.
And I prepared a quick Paris map. The camera icons are places I might go to snap some photos. And if you are wondering what the snow flakes are: Ice cream shops, don’t underestimate the importance of those.
And I know there is a lot of talk going on about Google Streetview, but thanks to the genius of it, I just checked out the front of my hotel···, so I know what it looks like (and what to look for) when I arrive. I also checked how to get there from Gare Du Nord, which turns out to be easy peasy as it is right opposite the station. And there is an Italian restuarant right beside it, handy!
I think that is all the preparation I need. Now I just need to pack and catch the train Saturday morning.
Two kisses …
You know how it goes with film premieres and me. I never really want to go but I always end up going. And they always start out bad and then they tend to end, well, better. Sometimes they end great, and sometimes they end like “wow”.
Did I just say “wow”. Oh yes, wow doesn’t even get close. And I know I am too old for this shit, but bugger that. Today will be a memorable day. This was the premiere of The Boat That Rocked.
And be warned, there are images of that man inside.
A slide on the street
Imagine the following scenario.
You walk to work. A woman on slightly high heels walks in front of you. She slips on the curb and ends on her bum on the street.
Two things to think about here:
If this would happen to you (as in you ended on your bum on a busy morning traffic London street), would you like it if people stopped and asked you if you were OK? Or would you rather have everybody to shut up, pretend to yourself that nobody saw you make the fall and get on with it?
If you were the person seeing it happening (as in me this morning) would you ask the person if she was alright even though you probably know that she would rather have you to bugger off without saying anything?
I asked if she was OK. And she said “Hi Hi HI – I am fine, I am fine”. And quickly walked off.
Cameras, cancelled moves and the coast
Just a small practical anouncement: I am not moving to Notting Hill. I removed the previous post, I am not getting into any details, it is just not going to happen. Not now anyway, I will keep my eyes open for other chances.
I bought a new pocket camera, a Panasonic T4. It replaces my Canon Ixus, a camera I have never been happy about. The Panasonic is small enough to fit in your pocket, has 10x zoom and I have been giving it a test drive the last couple of days.
Both in London, and today on a trip to the Eastbourne coast. It did remarkably well. The built in image stabilization really works well and I haven’t been able to get shaky pictures yet. That’s something new after the Canon. Click on the images for the full size!
Daily morning tube station on my way to work
And the new art work in front of the Channel 4 building. I like the colourful umbrellas. They had to repair it after a windy day, some of the umbrellas didn’t survive.
Low tide near Beachy Head with two tiny people walking around on the sand. Looks a bit like the fjords in Norway from here.
Still one of my favourite lighthouses in the UK
because of it’s great location
in front of the white cliffs (Spot more tiny people on the top of the cliffs)
and in the water.
London: Afternoon tea in The Berkeley
The Berkeley (Knightsbridge – London) does not look grand from the outside, but you know it is expensive when you spot the fully hotel-uniformed men (beautiful long coat, bowler hat, gloves) standing outside the door.
And I was waiting for one of them to tap me on the shoulder saying “where do you think you are going – you wear sneakers and jeans – how dare you step into our hotel!”. But they did not, in stead they smiled and were friendly and said “Good afternoon madam” and pushed the push door for me. See, that I like.
Here are some notes:
When you step into the lobby you sink until your neck in the carpet. OK, not exactly but it felt that way, it is very soft and beautiful and you just hope you don’t happen to have a piece of sticky chewing gum underneath your shoe when you walk there.
We had afternoon tea (high tea) and the people pouring us the tea wore white gloves. Also – whenever you had managed to drink your cup, they were already standing behind you asking if you wanted more. I drank a lot of cups.
The first time the girl serving me tea asked me if I wanted “English Breakfast”. Which I thought was an odd question, I was there at 3.30pm, and on my watch that is way passed breakfast time, I was here for the cakes, not for bacon and eggs and beans on toast! So I looked puzzled at her. And she suddenly realised what I was thinking and so did I and we both had to laugh about it. English Breakfast Tea she meant!
And then there were the things we could eat:
- A mouth-watering selection of miniature savoury skewers, taster spoons and elegant canapés.
- A collection of cakes and fancies in in the colours of the fashion season and in the style of the world’s finest designers.
I have no idea what fancies are, but I did fancy the cakes we got, they tasted like heaven.
I always thought that it wouldn’t be me, hanging around in a posh hotel like this. But I could get used to handsome man in nice uniforms and a bowler hat holding the door open for me. And I had never had a high tea before, but I can surely recommend it. If you want to experience a tea like this yourself, it’s £35,=.
This was an event organised by London Girl Geek Dinners. I normally hate networking events like these, but I have visited two of their events now and I must say that the girls attending these meetings are the exact right group for me. The meetings are about gadgets, web and geekery stuff in stead of makeup, high heels and the latest fashion news which suits me quite well.
This particular event was sponsored by Eurostar, who made a short presentation about a web application they had developed. Eurostar had invited Brussel and Paris geek girls to London, and the tea was a good opportunity to mingle with them. There were some very nice people at this event and I will certainly attend more of these meetings. (and no they are not always in places like these!)
Two days in Paris
How to be impulsive and try something new in six easy steps:
- Read on facebook (and yes I want to be your friend too – I am known as Ingrid M van Vliet, the M standing for mad) that TV-2 (danish band extraordinaire) is playing a concert in Paris.
- Admit that taking the Eurostar train from London to Paris has long been on your todo list and that this might be a perfect reason to book it, like, now.
- Book a ticket for the TV-2 concert in ELYSEE-MONTMARTRE, Paris.
- Book your Eurostar ticket and realise that it is only 2 hours and 20 minutes from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord by train! Make sure to reserve a window seat.
- Visit tripadvisor.com, search for “cheap hotel Gare du Nord, Paris”, read reviews from other travellers, pick a hotel and book it. Realise after you booked it that the hotel is located on Rue de saint Quentin which put a smile on your face.
- Start looking forward to the trip and promise yourself to do things like this more often.
Voici, c’est simple!
Spring – a photo haiku (a phoku)
When sat in Love Lane
I wondered if spring’d come to
London’s frozen heart
My new address
OK not really, but this must be the coolest address in London. (It’s in the City of London)
I found a new flatmate for the place I currently live, she will move in by the end of March. I put my search for another place on lower priority. After having seen a couple of rooms in different places I realise that I live in a pretty nice room. I’ll keep an eye open for a great place but there is no rush.
3 minutes of The Boat That Rocked
Things to make your Friday 3 minute clip from the upcoming The Boat That Rocked.
Interview Meryl Streep
The interview with Meryl Streep I attended a couple of weeks ago is now online at the BAFTA website. Go see it, she is great – and funny..
The hunt for the perfect flat(mate) II
No it wasn’t going to be that easy. I had forgotten how you should not believe too much of what people tell you about the rooms they have available. As they are all “great” “spacious” “modern” etc.
The room in Fulham was all that in the ad, in real it was smaller than a shoebox, and about half the size of my current room. Now I don’t need a lot of space but I need: a single bed, a desk and chair so I can write behind my desk, and a small table/drawer for my small tv. The Fulham room had a single bed and no space for any of the other things. I got an instant claustrophobic attack and realised that my current room is quite funky.
(Why do I want to move you wonder? Well because the landlord is a bit of an ass, he just wants the rent but does not give us a contract nor does he pay for repairs to his house. Not a big issue until now – but the boiler is acting weird lately and I refuse to sponsor him with a new boiler.)
But I also met a potential new flatmate for my current flat, and she was actually a really nice person. She seemed to like the room, and I think we would get along fine. So if she says yes and moves in, maybe I should put my flat hunting on hold for a while and see what happens.
If that does not works out I always have the following offer:
HELLO
I HAVE A ROOM IN NORTH LONDON
I AM NON SMOKER AND MALE
IF YOU WISH WE CAN SHARE THIS ROOM
YOU WILL BE GUARENTEED ABOUT SAFETY
YOUR RENT WILL BE 35 POUND FOR A WEEK
35 pound per week to share a room(! not a flat mind you!!) with a man. So cheap. Tempting.
Dogs, sea, blue sky and a lighthouse
A perfect weekend is:
This is Smeaton’s tower, a lighthouse located on the Plymouth Hoe. The lighthouse is no longer in use as a lighthouse, and this is not it’s original location – it has been moved here from Eddystone Rocks in 1877.
It is open for the public and you can climb the 97 steps to a perfect view over Plymouth and the sea.