London (13 February to 15 February 2014)

London-Amsterdam-Paris in 10 days

Went to Europe once again for a short getaway :)

Considering i've been to Europe for 2 long holidays previously (i.e. grad trip for the eastern europe continent and leonard's grad trip for eastern europe again), you would think i probably had enough of the place already.

Well, strangely, having spent a total of a month there before, i've never been to the "highlights" of europe, i've never seen the Eiffel Tower, never been to the western/central part of Europe before.

Alas, in the year of 2014, i finally had my chance to visit Paris. The country of romance, dreams and art. As much as i was disappointed to being going to Europe yet again (cause of the bf's surgical exam), i was excited to finally see the real Eiffiel Tower in all it's grandeur. 

and boy...was it beautiful :) 

no wonder guys love proposing to their gfs there. 

albeit a tad cliched, but i'm sure it still sends butterflies down their tummies....hmm, okay, maybe not tummies, that would be strange...hearts would be more apt?

Day 1

Anyway!

First up, i stopped by London for a very short duration of 2 days, flew off on the third day. But it was definitely well worth it! Got to catch up with my incredibly smart lil' bro and his gorgeous and super sweet gf, CC.

CC recommended a Greek restaurant - Elysee Restaurant along Percy Street. It was pretty good. All of them had the lamb shank, except for me. Not a big fan of lamb steaks.

Day 2 

We stayed in a nice cosy hotel called The Cleveland at Cleveland Square which had a triple sharing room. Even though our room was in the basement, it wasn't stuffy and it came with a mini kitchenette. The hotel was situated in a posh district with luxury cars spotted at every corner you turned. 

The hotel was a 10min walk from Piccadilly Station/Queensway Station/Lancaster Station. Very convenient.

posing at kensington gardens. Hyde Park is too over rated. lol.

Come visit Kensington Gardens, it had a beautiful fountain. I'm sure it'd be even more gorgeous in Spring.

we decided to head down to borough market in the morning for a nice breakfast. we initially planned to do the free Sandeman tour in London but decided to skip it since all of us have been to London before.

so off to breakfast we went!

i've always loved borough market for the assortment of breads/pastries/fruits and what not. If you want a true blue feel of what it's like in London, do come down to the market, it's just a feast for your eyes and stomach. And just such a colorful and bustling market.

scotch eggs - hanjuku eggs surrounded by meat patty and sweet potato fries (who can resist sweet potato fries??! They're my fave aside from Truffle Fries!)

various sorts of tea.

since it was valentine's day, the bf got me flowers, freshly picked from the market. why is it that even the flowers more gorgeous here in London???! it's so unfair.

please tell me where in Singapore can i find flowers this beautiful. I really love long stemmed roses.

eeeewww. hare hanging from a store. with blood stains.

yucks.

spanish paella with a tad too much salt according to our "traveling chef"- Colin. hurhur.

a parting shot. borough market. you will be missed.

till we meet again.

dramatic drumroll. sob sob.

ooo. love locks in celebration of Valentine's day. 

The bf suggested we get them but I refused cause i thought they were a waste of money. Colin was really kind to buy for us the locks as a gift.

and so, ta-dah, lock away.

haha. he wanted to buy ear muffs and so we went scouting around for a nice one. There isn't much options for guys in terms of ear muffs....maybe it's not a guy's thing?? lol. While on the hunt for suitable ear muffs, i forced him to put on those cute ear muffs for a shot. 

hot chocolate is such comfort in winter.

DROWNED MAN

we went for an incredible play that night called Drowned Man by Punchdrunk.

It was so incredibly mind-blowing. i had to give it a headline on its own.

Easily the best play i have seen in my 27 years of living. it gives you a whole new perspective of how theatre should be like.

and no, i am not even exaggerating.

If you are ever in London in the next couple of months, please do go check it out.

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-drowned-man-a-hollywood-fable

Set within the fictional "Temple Pictures", The Drowned Man is Punchdrunk's largest theatre installation yet, covering 200,000 sq ft., catering for up to 600 audience members per show with a cast of nearly 40. The production falls within several genres of theatre, including so-called site-specific theatre, promenade theatre, interactive theatre or immersive theatre. The audience members, who are free to roam around the sets at will, wear white masks to distinguish themselves from the cast, and the narrative is communicated through a series of overlapping scenes blending the mediums of interpretive dance, contemporary dance and traditional acting.

Temple Pictures is the name of the fictional Hollywood film studio which forms the setting and backdrop of the production. It is physically located at 31 London Street, London, next to Paddington Station, occupying 4 floors of the building that was previously the Royal Mail sorting office.  It is described within the fiction as the British outpost of major Hollywood studio Republic Pictures around the time period of the 1960s. The various sets and locations within the building represent internal and external locations both within Temple Pictures and also the outskirts of the town near which it is situated. The various locations include a desert, a saloon, a trailer park, a chapel, as well as several dressed sound stages and a Lynchian black and white chequerboard dance floor. As in previous Punchdrunk shows, the audience is free to roam around and explore the sets in their own way, and the intricate detailing of the props and locations assists the audience in picking up the threads of the narrative.

I would rate the play 10 out of 5 stars. Yes. it is that incredible.

I would even contemplate flying to London just to watch it.

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my vday flowers! I know it looks pathetic, but it was really pretty, i hand picked them. didn't wana choose too much because we were leaving the next day, couldn't keep them.

Day 3 

 on the way to Gatwick Airport via the Gatwick Express It was my first time at that airport. we were catching the morning flight (British Airways) to Amsterdam ^.^

having our sumptuous breakfast at Jamie Oliver's cafe.

(to be cont'd in Amsterdam...)