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Europe 2019
  • Danielle and Co travels
Sep – Oct 2019

Europe 2019

Ian and Danielle are heading off for 6 glorious weeks - leaving Angus in charge (questionable) of Coco, the house and himself! Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 4, 2019
    Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Premium Economy seatsExploring Covet GardenLove the old post box

    London Calling

    September 4, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Departure day has finally arrived - Yeah! We still have a few more hours till we head to the airport.. we are pretty much packed, so a leisurely morning ahead. Making sure Angus has everything he needs for the next six weeks is our final checklist. The route we are taking to Europe is on the QANTAS Dreamliner which has a stop in Perth and then non-stop to London. We will arrive in London on Thursday morning (5.15), and fortunately our AirBnb host has advised we can get early access to the apartment, which is fabulous. We had planned to just store our luggage and schlep around London till check-in at 3pm, but now we can go straight to the apartment, freshen up, unpack and then hit the town.

    The flight was pretty uneventful but I didn’t get much sleep. I watched 2 seasons of Fleabag, which was great, as well as a Scottish mini series called Victim. I also rewatched Rocketman and the final Harry Potter film.

    We arrived in London at 4.50am, and breezed through passport control as Australians can now use the e gates. Caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, where we hung around till it was time to head over to our apartment in Covet Gardens. Unfortunately, our host got stuck on public transport, and was 30 minutes late meeting us. We are in a wonderful part of London and the apartment is lovely. After showers and a bit of getting organised, we grabbed some lunch and then walked to the Tower of London - which is quite a walk! Wandered around the Tower for a couple of hours, then headed back to our apartment making use of the underground and Oyster cards (thanks Sue and Ross).    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Our London Digs

    September 5, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We have settled into our London apartment “Tutti Fruitti”which is ideally situated. It is quite compact - but spacious enough for the two of us. Our host Lou met us at the apartment early which allowed us to unpack and shower before we headed out for the day. We spent the day out and about and clocked up over 23,000 steps.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    The Tower
    The Raven - protectors of the crown and towerView of Tower Bridge from the Tower groundsGuarding the Crown JewelsBeefeaters who also protect the Tower

    Tower of London

    September 5, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    As Ian had not been to the Tower of London before, and it must be over 30 years since I last visited, we decided we would check it out. We walked from our apartment, which was a fair old walk, but allowed us to absorb all our surroundings and enjoy blue sky and sunshine. Entry to the Tower is not cheap, 30.30 GBP per adult, and they call it a “donation”.

    We went to the Tower’s Mint, Traitor’s Gate, and The Bloody Tower - where sir Walter Raleigh had a study, and was also the site where King Edward the 5th and Richard of Shrewsbury (12 and 9 years of age) were imprisoned by their uncle ( Richard Duke of Gloucester), and there are rumours they were murdered as they were never seen again. We also saw the Queen’s residence, the Crown Jewels - the ones that were created after Olly Cromwell destroyed the originals in 1649. We also walked up on the Battlements and saw a display on the royal beasts. We also had a great view of Tower Bridge.

    There are 150 staff and their families who live within the Tower of London site - comprised of Welsh Guards, Beefeaters and Yeoman Warders. There are six Ravens that live at the site and, along with the Yeoman Warders, are considered the historic guardians of the Tower.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    A Morning at the Museum

    September 6, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    This morning we decided to spend a couple of hours at the British Museum and check out some of the exhibitions we didn’t get to last time. It was about a 10 minute walk from our apartment, which was very convenient. We arrived just before opening, and so purchased a map and waited to head to the upper floors.

    We mainly spent the morning wandering around the Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, Middle East and Medieval Europe Exhibitions. We saw many artefacts associated with death, burial and the afterlife of the Egyptians. The Ancient Greece and Rome area was full of carvings and statues and jewellery. In the Middle East section there were artefacts from the Islamic world including beautifully hand scripted copies of the Koran, amazing tiles and mosaics, and other crafted metal ware and glass ware.

    The final area we wandered through was the Europe exhibitions with artefacts from Medieval Europe through to Europe in the 1800 to 1900’s.

    It was a very enjoyable way to spend our morning.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Divine Indian Lunch

    September 6, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Ian had seen this restaurant featured on the Netflix series The Chef’s Table and suggested we try to get in whilst we are in London. The interesting thing about this restaurant is that the owner (Asma Khan from Calcutta) only employs women because being a chef in India it is not a career considered appropriate for women and she felt she wanted to give women that opportunity. The restaurant is located in Knightly court on the top floor and runs off of Carnaby Street, Soho. The cuisine is predominantly Indian Rajput and Bengali. We had Puchkas, Lamb Kanab, Beetroot Chop, Chicken Mughlai, Lemon Pulao, Paratha and Kachumbar salad. We had a French rosé with the meal. She particularly supports second daughters who in Indian culture can be a disappointment when the family were hoping for a boy.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    PicassoGuerilla GirlsRoy Lichtenstein

    Tate Modern

    September 6, 2019 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Following our delicious lunch we made our way across town to the Tate Modern, which is based in the former Bankside Power Station, an imposing red-brick building. It is a huge and unusual space - very industrial feel to the place. The Tate holds the National collection of British art from 1900 to the present day, and international modern and contemporary art.

    There was some interesting art on display as well as some really weird stuff. There were a number of art installations that I didn’t enjoy. We spent a couple hours wandering around the various display spaces.

    I have included photos of some of the art that I connected with or that elicited an emotional response.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Pre-theatre drinks and snacks

    September 6, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We have a range of restaurants, wine bars and cafés at our doorstep in Covent Gardens. This evening we went to the 10 Cases wine bar, located at the base of our building, for a glass of wine, and some tapas to accompany the wine. We started with Padron Peppers, Polenta chips, Iberico ham croquettes, and a charcuterie board. It was a fairly light meal but delicious and definitely enough following our lunch at the Darjeeling Express.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Simply the Best

    September 6, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This evening we attended our first West End musical. Tina - the Tina Turner Musical which was on at the Aldwych Theatre, located at the corner of the Aldwych Street and Drury Lane. The cast, including the young Anna Mae Bullock, were terrific and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe was sensational as Tina. The production was fast paced, and all the songs from the early days through to her more recent ones were included. We even got a mini concert of 3 songs at the end where we were encouraged to singalong and get up and dance - didn’t need to be asked twice - the whole audience jumped in. Nkeki had such a powerful voice - she was fantastic. A really enjoyable show.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Entrant in BP Portrait Award
    Entrant in BP Portrait AwardEntrant in BP Portrait AwardEntrant in BP portrait awardWilliam ShakespeareElizabeth 1Sir EltonLouis MontbattenAmy WinehouseEd Sheeran

    Facetime

    September 7, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This morning we were scheduled to do a ”Secret London” walking tour of markets and graffiti, but it was cancelled at the last minute - not happy Jan! So, as we had a totally free day, we decided to head off to the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery, located not far away on one end of Trafalgar Square, which was very crowded.

    The National Portrait Gallery was fabulous - they had a display of the entrants to the BP Portrait Awards - some were amazing. We then wandered around the remainder of the Gallery seeing a range of portraits from 14th or 15th century onwards, up to modern times. Many portraits of the royals - they really weren’t a very attractive lot back in the day. We saw portraits of famous explorers, writers, poets, scientists and leaders, which were interesting. There were also much more recent ones of rock stars, actors and political activists. Definitely worth a visit.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Bathers by Paul Cezanne
    Music in the Tuilleries Gardens by Edouard ManetEntrance to the National GalleryPortrait of Hermine Gallia by Gustav KlimtWater Lillies, Setting Sun by Claude MonetStill Life with Apples and Pomegranate by Gustave CourbetAt the Theatre by Pierre-Auguste RenoirBallet Dancers by DegasSunfloewrs by Vincent van GoghMotherhood by Pablo Picasso

    National Gallery

    September 7, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After the National Portrait Gallery we headed to the National Gallery, located just around the corner, to check out some of their collections - it is a huge building which contains many artworks. We decided to head for the impressionist and post-impressionist area, our favourite periods and styles. There was a wonderful collection of works from artists such as Cezanne, Renoir, Pissarro, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Manet, Gaugin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and also quite a few from the BritsTurners and Constable. We even came across an Arthur Streeton and a Gustav Klimt.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Bitter Wheat

    September 7, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We were fortunate to get tickets this afternoon to see David Mamet’s new play “Bitter Wheat” staring John Malkovich, as they were advertising tickets for that day when we walked past the theatre. Mamet is also directing the show. It was playing at the recently restored Garrick Theatre, just off Trafalgar Square. John Malkovich stars as Barney Fein (a character based on Harvey Weinstein). It is a powerful play, made more so by John Malkovich’s stage presence. Although a difficult subject to deal with, I believe Mamet has created a thought provoking production that doesn’t try to sensationalise the #metoo movement.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Lovely local pub - there is one literally on every corner
    Covent Garden MarketStage DoorTrafagar SquareTrafalgar SquarePicadilly CircusCharlie Chaplin

    Wandering Around London

    September 7, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    I have included some snaps of our day as we wandered around London today. In addition to the Galleries and Theatre, we passed a few interesting sites. We walked through Covent Garden and Jubilee markets, we visited Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. For dinner we just grabbed a nice bottle of Tempranillo, and bought fish and chips from a place up the road, and had a quiet night in.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    St.Paul's Cathedral
    Looking across the Millenium Bridge to the Tate ModernIan on the South end of the BridgeRay Martin being interviewedThe Golden HindeThe Anchor PubBorough MarketGreat CoffeeIan in the Gentlemen Baristas Coffee Store

    Meandering around London

    September 8, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    This morning we headed out fairly early to make the most of what was to be a mostly sunny day. We headed to the underground to make our way back down to the Thames, and got off at Mansion House Station. We were too early for our tour of the Globe Theatre, so we made our way up to St. Paul’s Cathedral - which is quite impressive in terms of size and sound of the bells chiming.
    We then headed across the Thames via the Millennium Bridge, and went for a walk up to the Borough Market at Southwark, but unfortunately it wasn’t open on Sunday. On the way we saw Ray Martin being interviewed, further along we passed the Clink, an old prison which is now a museum. It operated from the 12th century until 1780. Next to the Clink prison are the ruins of the Winchester Palace - the ruins are all that remain of the palace of the powerful Bishops of Winchester, one of the largest and most important buildings in Medieval London. We also passed a replica of the Golden Hinde, the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe between 1577 - 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake. We pottered around the area and explored the narrow streets and alleyways, and came across a lovely little coffee shop called The Gentlemen Baristas (really just slightly bigger than a hole in the wall) where we had the best coffee I have had so far this trip, It was delicious.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    The Globe
    Main GatesLauren our very engaging guide (aspires to be an actress)The stageSeating areaAttic - used for special affectsCeiling og the stage has a trap door

    The Globe Tour

    September 8, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We had booked this tour from home, and it was lots of fun. Lauren, our guide, had only just progressed from a probationary tour guide last Friday, and we were one of her first groups. This particular theatre is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed. This theatre was constructed in 1997 and is made predominantly of oak. The original theatre was built in 1599, and was destroyed by fire (caused by a cannon being fired from its attic during a play). It was rebuilt in 1614 and demolished in 1644.

    Shakespeare’s Globe was founded by actor and director Sam Wanamaker, and built about 250 metres from the original site. The theatre is built and maintained by donations, and running tours and shows. The British Government does not provide financial support of any kind. The building is constructed entirely of English oak, even using wooden pegs instead of nails to hold it all together. The roof is thatched - the only structure in London permitted to have such a roof since the Great Fire of London in 1666. One difference from the original is that the pit (standing area, closest to the stage) is concrete instead of earthen-ground covered with strewn rush. The current capacity of the Globe is about 1500, which is about half the size of a typical audience in Shakespeare’s time. Productions run at the Globe from Shakespeare’s Birthday 26 April until October each year. If it rains and you have a ticket in the pit (standing area) you get wet! During the rest of the year they move into an adjacent playhouse.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Beautiful View
    Interior of the SwanRoast PorkRoast BeefEaton MessPear and Chocolate tart

    Lunch at the Swan

    September 8, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    This restaurant, which is part of the Globe Theatre complex, had been recommended to me by a colleague (thanks Carrie). She particularly raved about the view across the Thames, and it was lovely, as it was a nice sunny day. Being a Sunday, we had a choice of roast (beef, pork or chicken) with all the trimmings. We had some starters of pickled vegetables, marinated olives and pork crackling. I chose the pork and Ian had the beef, and it was very good. For dessert we shared a Chocolate Pear tart and Eaton Mess.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Camden Town

    September 8, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After lunch we decided to head out to Camden Town. It is a very colourful place, and as it was a lovely sunny day and a Sunday, there were lots of people who had the same idea! It’s apparently a very popular tourist destination. We wandered up the main road to the canals, the Camden Lock and the Camden markets. The place was full of buskers and food stalls - apparently it is also the place to go to if you want a tattoo, piercings and designer vintage clothes. We saw some interesting individuals, and saw some boats move up the lock, and we also discovered lots of street art around the town. I bought a piece of art from a Brazilian Street artist called Pico. A very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Mary Quant's logo

    Victoria and Albert Museuem

    September 9, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Made our way to South Kensington to visit this magnificent museum. There is so much to see in this museum - something for everyone. There is an exhibition on Mary Quant and how she revolutionised fashion by appealing to young women, introducing “street style” and worked towards mass production of fashion to create a new look that was accessible to the masses.

    Mary challenged conventions - she popularised tights, the mini skirt and trousers. The exhibition explores the evolution of her style from 1955 to 1975. She had a great approach to marketing her products and created a global lifestyle brand.

    We also saw a number of lovely sculptures by Rodin and visited the Middle Eastern art, Medieval and Renaissance exhibits and Buddhism and Japanese art. We briefly ventured out into the lovely John Madejski Garden but light rain forced us to retreat indoors. This museum was recommended to us by many and now I know why as it has a wonderful eclectic collection.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Danielle's mealIan's mainIan's saladsMore cakes in the deli

    Lunching at Ottolenghi's

    September 9, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    We made our way to Spittlefields to have lunch at one of the many Ottolenghi restaurants in London, and were not disappointed. We started with a selection of breads with olive oil - delicious.

    Ian chose the lamb dish with the basmati rice, wild rice, fennel, pickled apricot and crispy shallots, and the green beans, grilled courgette, cherry tomatoes and basil dressing salad. I chose the sweet potato, roasted shallots and goats cheese tart, which I combined with two salads - aubergine, tahini, spicy chickpeas, pomegranate molasses and mint, and the other char-grilled broccoli, chilli and garlic. We were very full at the conclusion of the meal, so couldn’t squeeze in desert. Luckily, we were able to arrange to take away some cakes from the deli to have for afternoon tea later in the day.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Wandering around Spitalfields

    September 9, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    After lunch, we decided to wander around Spitalfields, which is a lovely part of London. We walked through the art market and the old market - lots of lovely stores and wonderful buildings. A very different area to Camden Town - restrained and refined, as opposed to crowded, grungy and noisey.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Our ticketsThe SetCeiling of the Palace Theatre

    Hamilton

    September 9, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Saw the West End production of the American musical Hamilton tonight, and we were not disappointed - the show was as good, if not better, than the first time we saw it New York. We had fabulous seats in the stalls - seven rows from the front, and centre stage. Jamael Westman was wonderful as Alexander Hamilton. I also loved Jason Pennycooke, who played Lafayette and Jefferson, and Jon Robyn as King George was fantastic - his comedic timing was spot on.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Entrance to WB Studios
    Romanian LonghornThe Great HallStaircaseWeasley's Car

    Harry Potter Studio Tour

    September 10, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We are off to the HP studios today, as we had booked bus tickets to get to the Warner Bros Studio in Leavesden, about an hours drive from central London. This is the studio where all the Harry Potter films were made over a 10-year period, and which still contains many of the sets, props and costumes. We were on a self-guided tour around the studio, which was great, because you get to move through the two studios at your own pace. My favourite displays were Gringotts, the Great Hall and Diagon Alley. Seeing how they turned Robbie Coltrane into the giant Hagrid was also interesting.

    I also enjoyed learning about the behind the scenes work that went in to each movie - the talented artists and craftsmen that built all the sets, costumes, props and accessories, and who created the special effects, did a phenomenal job. The work that went into building the sets, the engineering and mechatronics used to build the beasts, and the work that went into creating the goblin masks was amazing.

    They built a model of 1/25 scale model of Hogwarts that is huge - it took about 7 months for the model to be built. This was used in a lot of the external shots in the movies.

    On the way back to London we passed by the Abbey Road Music Studio and the pedestrian crossing made famous by the lads. There were so many tourists there trying to get “that shot” risking life and limb which must annoy the drivers (like our bus driver) using the road to get somewhere.    Read more

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