Reset search
20152015
SatelliteEdit route

2015

January - December 2015
A 365-day adventure by Rachel Read more
+9
  • 130footprints
  • 17countries
  • 365days
  • 0photos
  • 0videos
  • 35.4kkilometers
  • 22.9kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Traveler2015
    Day 67

    Women of the World festival

    March 8, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    This week the Women of the World festival took over Festival Hall on the Southbank. Listed as "a festival of talks, workshops and performances celebrating women and girls – WOW is now five years old and has become a global phenomenon."

    Tonight, being International Women's Day and all I attended an event called 'Mirth Control' with the girls from work.

    Mirth Control "is an electrifying night of comedy and music inspired by great women and hosted by Sandi Toksvig. Join us for an evening of fun in which Sandi presents an all-female cabinet for her dream political party. This year's line-up includes a special appearance by actor Hugh Grant, award-winning comedian Sarah Millican, opera-singing sensation Angel Blue, West End star Sharon D. Clarke, classical music conductors Sian Edwards and Alice Farnham, and MOBOaward-nominated singer/songwriter Ayanna Witter-Johnson. Also featuring music from Southbank Centre's vocal initiative Voicelab, all-female pop choir Lips and the WOW Orchestra. Directed by Paulette Randall.

    Tonight was all about the upcoming election and the fact that something like 9.1 million women didn’t vote in the last federal vote in England. 9.1million! That's an awful lot of options and ideas going unheard in the shaping of this country. And in a country where it isn’t mandatory for people to vote, her message was very important.

    All guests this evening were chosen to shine a different light on this message. The amazing all female orchestra as just amazing, a variety of stella guests including the only male guest of the evening was Hugh Grant who was there for a bit of poetry reading, there were comedians, a game of true or false and the presentation of Sandy’s political party.

    The poem Hugh Grant read out was really special. Sometime ago a woman wrote to Sandy saying that she had seen her show and was inspired to go and do what she had always wanted to do and loved and that was write poetry. She included many of her new poems in the letter. The poems were fantastic and Sandy asked her to write one for tonight’s show. The woman didn’t want to read it, or something like that, so old mate Hugh did!

    Sandy’s political party was fantastic and it really inspired, at least me, about going out there and demanding more from the politicians and the people that run our countries. Unfortunately, I can’t remember their names but they varied from a mother who fought against the system to gain equal justice for her son the UK, to entertainers and heads of charities.

    Our special guests of the evening were very special indeed. My favourite two were meeting Slyvia Pankhurst’s granddaughter and Anita Lasker-Wallfisch.

    I’m not sure if you know who Anita Lasker-Wallfisch is, but this is how they introduced us to her….

    “Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was the youngest member of the all female orchestra in Auschwitz. If it weren’t for her musical talents, she would’ve been deemed to young and gassed very early on. Apparently cello players were difficult to replace and thus gave her entrance into the 40-piece orchestra.

    Before she entered the camp, her sister and her worked in a paper factory where they began forging papers to enable French forced labourers to cross back into France. She was quoted as saying: I could never accept that I should be killed for what I happened to be born as, and decided to give the Germans a better reason for killing me."

    After the War Anita to moved to Great Britain with her sister and cofounded and joined the English Chamber Orchestra, where she spent her time performing and travelling around….

    All the while this happened the youngest member of the orchestra walked to the front of the audience holding a single red rose, while another member played one of Anita’s songs. Then they announced that Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was with us this evening and while the young musician handed her the rose the whole auditorium gave her a standing ovation – it was just beautiful!

    I also learnt this evening that women in Britain first got to vote back in the 1880s. This was of course by accident. In 1867 a woman named Lily Maxwell was a shop owner and as such met the property qualifications to vote. Her name was added to the election register and she voted in a by-election. Her vote was thrown out after this fact was discovered, but it gave great rise to the suffrage campaigners.

    Its stories like this and I find myself asking why were / are women treated to so poorly. If Lily Maxwell could own and run a shop then why couldn’t she vote! Today it may not be about voting, but there are so many other situations where women are disadvantaged, it’s such crap!

    I certainly left this evening feeling much more empowered and inspired for my sex – go women!

    Links:

    http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/mirth-…    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 69

    Eating at a Cabbie stop

    March 10, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    A few weeks ago I came across a article telling me about some unique things to do in London that you won't find on TripAdvisor. One of those experiences was eating at a Cabbie Hut...

    9. Get An Inflation Busting Bacon Sarnie At One of The Few Remaining Cabman's Shelters

    If you are wandering around central London, you may spot one of these unusual shuttered green sheds from time to time on the main road or inside a park. These are cabman’s shelters, which were designed to offer a pit-stop to carriage and taxi drivers in the late 19th century and were provided for by a charitable fund.

    There are 13 remaining cabman’s shelters today, including one outside Temple tube station and another in Russell Square. You can still pick up a cup of tea from these places for about 50p and a range of delicious hot sandwiches including bacon or sausage, which the London Review of Breakfasts once described as having an "excellent sausage to sauce ratio." Order at will, but remember… it’s always polite to let any taxi drivers around you order first!


    Well it’s been on my list for a while, but I just hadn’t gotten around to sourcing one out. But today I managed such a feat. Well walking back to the tube station from the hospital (I had an x-ray on my lung because it was still sore from last summer) I walked past a sign that said open.

    For some reason I turned around to see what it was referring to and realised, to my great delight, that this was indeed a Cabman’s Shelter! Assuming they only took cash, I found myself at the nearest ATM before heading back to get a sausage sarnie.

    It was great! The casual blokes in the hut cooking up a feast, the knew the cabbie’s names as they each came up to the window and didn’t flinch at serving someone who was clearly not driving a cab.

    I walked away with a bottle of water and a sarnie for under 3!! And felt good that I was helping out a service that appears to be disappearing into the history books.    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 74

    My first run!

    March 15, 2015 in England ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    Today I ran my first official organised run!

    It wasn't a race or anything, more a promotional event between TimeOut London and Sony. Sony were promoting their Xperia Z3 camera phone. Today was one of three organised runs that was balloted. Although I didn't win, a friend did and she gave me her spot as she was unable to run it.

    Titled the City Lights Run, we kicked off at 5pm at Trinity buoy Wharf. Our run followed the Thames Path to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel (and the stairs up and down!), past the Cutty Sark, through Greenwich Park and up to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The run up to the Observatory was basically a vertical a path, with steps at the end! All I could think of was the stairs on castle hill.

    We finished just on sun down. Leaving enough light to see the city of London sparkle.

    As we ran we had bus drivers and car drivers beeping their horns and cheering us on. There was 72 of us participating, so I'm sure we made an impressive sight.

    At the end of our race we had a reception in the observatory. We received a goody bag, there was drinks and nibbles and a guy playing the guitar and the harmonica. We got to walk around the exhibits as well.

    As my evening drew to a close, I stepped out of the observatory to see the meridian line light up across the world and the city of London shining brightly. I think Greenwich is one of my favourite parts of London.

    Today we ran 6kms over a 1 hour-ish period. We had to stop along the way to take group shots at all the key icons along our path. When I find the photos I'll post them below.

    City Lights Run
    http://www.timeout.com/london/sony/city-lights-…    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 80

    A Day Trip to Peckham

    March 21, 2015 in England ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Even though Peckham Rye is still in zone 2 it felt like I'd made a day trip to another country.

    Chloe and I were catching up and decided to explore a different area of London today. A part from doing a quick Google search on the things to see in Peckham, we set off to explore a new area of London, seeking adventure and stories.

    We had lunch at No.97 a cool little cafe beside the local art gallery. We sat in what felt like someone's dining room. The cafe had floor to ceiling windows, wooden floors and an outside garden growing all around it. It was noisy and peaceful at the same time.

    After lunch we took a walkabout town. We stopped in at the library and took in the views of London from the 5th floor; we passed the local markets with fresh meats and vegetables and a pie shop that looked like it was established as one of the early pie shops from back in the day – décor still in tact.

    There were lots of cafes and shops all around the high street, each with an intriguing story. We followed an arty sign and found ourselves at the bottom of a disused multi storey car park. The top level is apparently used as a roof top cinema in the summer, while the basement, we discovered was being used as a cafe / bar / arts hub / dj area.

    We walked further along and through the massive Peckham Rye Pak and Common. There were lots of little parks inside the giant park with everything from a Japanese garden, to football pitch to a 'bush tucker' area.

    As it neared time for England to kick off in the 6 Nations final, we found ourselves a local pub in order to cheer in. It was awesome!

    With an Irish win under our belts (I didn’t parade that too loudly until I got home and contacted my Irish rellies), we headed towards the train to begin our journey home. We stopped in for one last meal at the venue called the Crust Conductor. It’s one of London’s big red buses that roams around town feeding people wood fired pizzas from its pizza oven in the back.

    It was stationed near the train outside a brewery. Pizzas on the bus, beer from the brewery and a fire on the outside for the smokers. It was a great experience and very yummy pizza.

    All in all a great day out, exploring a new part of London town.

    Things to do in Peckham Rye
    http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/16/9-reasons-peckham…

    Crust Conductor
    http://www.crustconductor.com/    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 88

    It's Kevin Spacey Sunday

    March 29, 2015 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    The day is finally here, the day I go and see Kevin Spacey's one man performance at the old Vic. I'm excited for many reasons
    1. I love the old Vic
    2. They do great plays here, I saw the crucible last year
    3. They have a great deal for under 25s - Ł12.50 on stage tickets!!
    4. Kevin spacey
    5. It's his last performance before he hands over artistic directorship of the old Vic in autumn
    6. This show was sold out last year & raved about
    7. It's sold out now & I have a ticket

    So I'm very much looking forward to it. To start my day of Kevin off I went to have roast lunch.

    I saw a post on Skint London last night advertising a roast menu that would be Ł9.95 today to celebrate the new Sunday serve.

    The Jones Family Project is the name and the menu looked amazing! And I won't say no to a discount.

    I had the roast beef with all the trimmings, a glass of red wine and orange & gin semifreddo.
    The roast was just beautiful. 4 slices of meat, a giant sweet Yorkshire pudding, a variety of vegetables and a delicious gravy. I was full to say the least.

    I then took a wander down Columbia road flower market before catching the big red bus into Waterloo. Sometimes catching one of these buses is like doing a tour of London's top spots.

    Nikki and I were sat front row seats, on the floor, less then 1/2 a meter from the stage. We were so close to Kev it was insane! We made eye contact :)

    The play was funny, .... And ..., it took a little while for the audience to with out that he was speaking with them and engaged at certain times with certain members. It was just brilliant!

    Old Vic = old reliable for great theatre


    The Play
    http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2014/clar…

    The Food
    https://jonesfamilyaffair.co.uk/    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 93

    An evening with Letters Live

    April 3, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today is Good Friday, the first day of the Easter weekend and the first day of my birthday weekend celebrations. After waking up with a sore shoulder I decide I need a massage and promptly book myself in as I've many a thing to do today, and having a sore should is not one of them.

    After my massage at Siam Sanctuary (which was amazing) I head into Trafalgar Square for the afternoon. Today there is a performance of the Jesus story-taking place. I caught the last 30 mins of the event - just as Jesus was dying on the cross. It was sprinkling rain, not enough to have thought to bring an umbrella, but enough to make you wet when you stand outside in it for half an hour.

    With 2.5 hours to kill and walking in the rain an unappealing option, I headed into the National Gallery, which is located beside Trafalgar Square. After seeing some art, I went up to their dining rooms, which overlook Trafalgar Square. It was a beautiful spot to spend the early evening eating and watching.

    When it was time to leave the rain had cooled off and I walked the new freshly wet streets of London to Holborn, which is probably my favourite time of London.

    Tonight I am off to the Freemans Church to see an event called Letters Live.

    Letters Live is an annual event, which began in 2013. It's a series of 5 evenings, where a different set of actors each night, read a different set of letters each night.

    Inspired by Letters of note, by Shaun Usher and To the Letter by Simon Garfield, These letters are drawn from the two books of inspiration and are curated into a wonderful evening of performances, poetry and music.

    As stated on their website, "We don’t just programme a series of reading, we curate performances taking into consideration the content of the letter, its style, the person who reads it and where, ensuring each even tis unique and intimate".

    And that’s exactly what we got. From the musical numbers chosen to start and end each session, to the specific actors chosen for each reading, to their way they may have used their voice or expressions to transport us to the time and place the letter was written. It was just fantastic. And the Freemasons’ Hall, where it was held, was a specular and so beautiful.

    It has probably been my favourite show so far, and one that I wish would be held in Australia. With each night being very unique to the next, it's also the only show I wish I'd bought a ticket to every night. It would've been amazing!

    It has certainly inspired me to continue / take up letter writing. Look out back home. Letters are coming your way xx

    Tonight’s line up comprised of:

    singer Tom Odell
    Geoffrey Palmer
    Benedict Cumberbatch
    Gemma Chan
    Colin Salmon
    Samantha Bond
    Louise Brealey
    Sanjeev Bhaskar
    Joanne Froggatt
    Tom Sturridge
    Olivia Colman
    author Andrew O’Hagan
    cellist Natalie Clein

    Full List of readings from Friday 3rd April

     "The Letter" by Wayne Carson Thompson, sang by The Box Tops, performed by Tom Odell
    Evelyn Waugh’s 1942 letter to his wife Laura, o how not to blow up a tree stump, read by Geoffrey Palmer
    Robert Crumb’s letter to Mats Gustafsson “Torturing the saxophone”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    Rachel Carson’s letter to Dorothy Freeman “Dear One”, read by Gemma Chan
    Bill Safire’s pre-prepared speech sent to H.R. Haldemann in July 1969 “In the event of Moon Disaster”, to be read by President Nixon if Apoolo 11 did not land safely on the Moon, read by Colin Salmon
    Tina Fey’s response to internet commentators “Dear Internet”, read by Samantha Bond
    Michael Powell’s letter to Martin Scorsese, after he read the script for Goodfellas, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    Beatrix Potter’s letter to Noel Moore “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, read by Louise Brealey
    V.S. Naipaul’s letter to copy editor Sonny Mehta “Every writer has his own voice”, read by Sanjeev Bhaskar
    Zelda Fitzgerald’s letter to her husband F.Scott Fitzgerald “Come quick to me”, read by Joanne Froggatt
    Mark Twain’s letter to J.H. Todd “An idiot of the 33rd degree”, read by Tom Sturridge
    “Chinese Form Letter” from 856 AD “I was ready to sink into the earth with shame”, read by Olivia Colman
    Kurt Vonnegut’s letter to Charles McCarthy “I am very real”, read by Andrew O’Hagan
    “Dialogue” by Gyorgy Ligeti, performed by cellist Natalie Clein
    Chris Barker & Bessie Moore’s “My Dear Bessie”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey
    “Love Letter” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, performed by Tom Odell
    More of Chris Barker & Bessie Moore’s “My Dear Bessie”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey
    Hugh Dowding’s letter to Winston Churchill, 1940, “Final, complete & irremediable defeat”, read by Geoffrey Palmer
    Carl Jung’s letter to James Joyce “A string of veritable psychological peaches”, read by Andrew O’Hagan
    Three Elvis fans’s letter to U.S. President Eisenhower “Don’t touch his hair”, read by Olivia Colman
    Alan Turing’s letter to Mrs Morcon “You could not have had a greater loss”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    John Steinbeck’s letter to his son Tom “Nothing good gets away”, read by Colin Salmon
    Clementine Churchill’s letter to husband Winston Churchill “You are not so kind as you used to be”, read by Samantha Bond
    Henry James’s letter to Grace Norton “Sorrow passes and we remain”, read by Tom Sturridge
    Private Eye’s letter to Goodman, Dorrick & Co “Arkell v. Pressdram”, read by Geoffrey Palmer
    W.C. Lathrop’s letter to Thomas Edison “Thanks Mr. Edison”, read by Joanne Froggatt
    Spike Milligan’s letter to Stephen Gard “Oh Christ, the cook is dead?”, read by Sanjeev Bhaskar
    Charlotte Bronte’s letter to her sister Emily’s publisher W.S. Williams “Like a tree in full bearing”, read by Louise Brealey
    Lion Feuchtwanger’s letter to the occupant of his home in 1935 “To The Occupant”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter” by Fats Weller, performed by Tom Odell

    What I saw
    Freemason's Hall - 60 Great Queen St., Covent Garden, London, England, United Kingdom
    Trafalgar Square - Centre of the City, London, England, United Kingdom    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 95

    Birthday 25!

    April 5, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Today I have officially been on the planet for 25 years. I am a quarter of a century old haha.

    This time last year I was enjoying a weekend in Geneva, watching the Davis Cup, bleeding my wallet dry with the Swiss currency and basking in the beautiful sunny weather. For the second time in 2 years I was either on a job interview or heading into a job interview just after my birthday. My roles changed the direction of my life and have given me life long friends and experiences.

    This year, however, is a different story. I'm reaching the end of a 9 month contract. I'm giving up my flat, my job and going travelling for 4 months. A friend, whom I moved to London at the same time, moved back to Australia on my birthday. I'm throwing everything into the wind just to see what happens. It's thrilling!

    This year my birthday has landed on Easter Sunday and Easter weekend. So I decided to have a birthday weekend. I celebrated with my work colleagues on Thursday, who gave me the gift of two tickets to the Taste of London event! I had a massage on Friday, watched the end of the Jesus story in the rain in Trafalgar Square, I enjoyed dinner in the National Gallery Dining Rooms and attended a wonderful event called Letters Live.

    On Saturday I got lost in Hampstead Heath and lounged around the house. On Sunday, my housemates and I went to the local pub for a roast lunch. And guess what!? The sun made an appeareance! We basked in it's glory before going home to bake mum's chocolate cake. Louise and I sang happy birthday and blew out the candles. Monday saw the sun out in it's full glory and I on a bike ride along the London canals, from Hackney to Little Venice. Finishing with a gin and burger and a game of scrabble in a pub. A wonderful weekend of eating, drinking, and relaxing.

    I like this tradition of making a big change on or around my birthday. It means that once a year adventure must occur. I'm excited! I'm excited to travel, to eat, to learn, to enjoy the time I have to do this. The next four months will open up whole new possibilites and I can't wait.

    London I'll be back in the Autumn to finish out what has been, so far, an unbelieveable 16 months.

    Stay tuned :)    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 96

    Boris Bike Riding through London's Canal

    April 6, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today I got to enjoy roaming around London on Boris Bike's once more! This is probably almost my favourite activity in London, after driving the big red bus of course.

    Jane, Saskia and I met at Limehouse in Hackney and embarked on a 3 hour bike ride through the London canals finishing in Little Venice. We cycled through Hackney, through Victoria Park, where we stopped for a coffee, up through Islington, past Kings Cross, through Camden Markets, past a pub that Guy Ritchie once owned and Amy Winehouse once partied at, through Regent's Park and past the London Zoo before parking our bikes up out Little Venice. We wandered through the area stopping in at different pubs, before settling at a rather cool one in Maida Vale.

    We enjoyed a delicious post bike burger and gin and tonic before settling into a game of Scrabble. Gran would’ve been proud.

    The sun was out today, I got to wear my sunglasses and got a little bit sun burnt. Not sure that’s happened since before I left home.

    We found ourselves in a very cool little spot beside Camden. It was on a bridge, with a small café at the end and a guy sitting in the shade play acoustic guitar and singing country music. We sat and enjoyed juice and sweet treats before peddling on further.

    I thoroughly enjoy these rides. You see a different part of London every time and Jane and Saskia always provide great stories of things that had happened past, or what this area used to be like.

    A wonderful way to end a wonderful birthday weekend. 25 isn’t look too bad at all!    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 101

    Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race

    April 11, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today I enjoyed a classic British sporting event! The Annual Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race. It was the 161st men's race and ___ women’s. For the first time ever the men and women's races would happen on the same day, and on the same course. This was big deal here and very historic.

    The Boat Race is an annual contest between two rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities. The Race takes place close to Easter each year on the River Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake. The first race took place in 1829 in Henley on Thames following a challenge between old school friends. Since the second race in 1836 the contest has taken place in London.

    They expected 300,000 people to be lining the banks and a couple of million to be watching it live on the TV. I stood on Putney Bridge to watch the races begin, although part of me thinks the finish would've been more exciting.

    People were swarming everywhere. You're allowed to drink in public here, and so did the public enjoy such freedom. There were support crews wandering around handing out clappers in each of the team's colours and along the banks where large entertainment areas with big screens and food vans set up to accommodate the crowds. It had a festival atmosphere in a way.

    I stood on Putney Bridge and had a great conversation with two Londoners who had never been to the race! It was fairly cool, with the wind whipping up as the day went on, but the sun was bright and warm.

    After the race I walked up the length of the course to Hammersmith, about halfway maybe. All along were beer gardens buzzing with post race goers, people sitting along the Thames eating and drinking. It was just lovely. I couldn't help but notice that there were bin liners everywhere and most people had made the effort to put their rubbish in the bins or near it if it was full. That does not happen at home!

    A bit a of sun, sport, competition and history. A lovely way to spend a Saturday.

    More on the boat race
    http://theboatraces.org/    Read more

  • Traveler2015
    Day 104

    The winemakers club - Hungarian wines

    April 14, 2015 in England ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Tonight I'm at my first ever wine tasting at an independent wine merchant in Faringdon. I've been here once before, with a friend from work. It's a beautiful wine bar that has made a home in a tunnel or something, I'm still working it out. Candles are littered around the place, with old wooden furniture creating little spaces. There is a fire going, but it's not enough to keep the cool, that swirls around away. And the place is made of bricks. There is a giant bookcase at the back with all the wines they sell and a grudge to the left with bottles to try.

    Twice a month they hold a wine tasting and this evening the feature is Hungarian wines. There are 6 to try plus cheese and charcuterie on the side.

    It starts off as a bit of a shambles, we started 25 mins late because half of the people, all from one party hadn't arrived. By this point we started without them.

    We first up enjoyed a lovely sparkling white, this was followed by a ..... Which we enjoyed with some strong meats. Apparently it's a good wine to have with the salty Hungarian food.

    It was at this point that the other half of the party appeared, they had been in the area next door enjoying the Ł80 bottles at the wine owners preview event haha. Oh my did we get distracted, it was rather hilarious!

    Once we all settled down we continued our evening of tastings which included another white, two reds and a dessert wine, which we enjoyed with some cheese.

    The evening was more of a social adventure as opposed to a lecture. We were given a short intro in the wine, the region and maker. A number of these bottles were limited production.

    Apparently before the Cold War, Hungarian wines were a dominate force. But when the soviet army moves in they ripped up all of the wine land and planted crops to feed the army.

    As such a lot of the Hungarian type of wi e is still trying to make a come back in the market. So if you ever see a X or X I urge you to buy it over the point noir, you'll he in for a treat.

    Attending an event solo can be a dicey move sometimes. At first j was quite alone but thr group of people who came together were loud and excited and happy to include me. The wine and the face that I sat in the middle of them may have helped. They asked if I was going to dinner with them at the end of the night and I kind of wished I was.

    All in all it was good fun, but maybe next time they should make it clear where each event is.

    The Winemakers Club    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English