Only the Wind

 By: Andy Ferrari    10:38  Bayswater, fish 'n chips, homes, Hyde Park, Kensington, kfc, london, museum, pimms, pret a manger, sherlock   No comments

So we go back to London (lovely, lovely London. Yes, even if everyone was complaining about how cold it was. It wasn't that cold)

See? Not that cold

And you know, I was sorting out the pics and there's no way I can do this in only one post, so there'll be two. And also, I don't have half of the pics with me.

My mom was constantly very impressed with the supermarkets...and I was was constantly overflowing happiness for no apparent reason (I wonder why...)

I don't have as many food places to write about in London as in Paris, since we took a flat instead of a hotel, so we often dinned at home.

We stayed with Hyde Park Suites, who offers flats at the lovely Inverness Terrace, in Bayswater, one block away form the Kensington Gardens.

And this is Inverness Terrace...

...and me, trying to warn my father that he's going to be run over by a car.

It is very easy to go wherever you want from there, the tube station is one block away, at Queensway, and you can actually take the traditional double-decker (the regular ones, not for tourism) at Bayswater Road straight to Oxford street.

I don't really recall where this was taken, it's just to illustrate what is 
a double-decker, just in case anyone's not familiar with it

 The area is well served with supermarkets, it has a Sainsbury's and a Tesco right next to the Bayswater tube station, and a Marks&Spencer in the Whiteleys shopping center.
It also has the Bayswater Arms pub, where we had the famous Fish 'n Chips and a jar of Pimm's. I miss Pimm's...

Other than that we ate a lot at Pret a Manger, they have very well made fresh food, and a nice variety of sandwiches and soups. 

  

And this is their napkin ♥

 We also went o KFC at Earl's Court, where my father took this very flattering pic of me and my cousin

 And had coffee at Costa Coffee. Nice coffee in big cups with delicious muffins. There's one on the second floor of the Waterstones bookstore at Trafalgar Square.

And we went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. The Sherlock Holmes Museum. And it's at 221b Baker Street. Embrace the awesomeness.

And I'm looking so odd in this pics but I don't even care

Next time I'm in London I'll go back and take more pics (every time I'm London I'll go back and take more pics...)

Ok, that's enough for today, so it doesn't get tiresome. See you in the next post

xx Andy

Read More

Down on Baker Street

 By: Andy Ferrari    09:44  221b, baker, benedict, cumberbatch, holmes, john keats, london, ode to a nightingale, shakespeare and co, sherlock, street   No comments

Yeeeeees, we're going to London!! Oh, lovely London, how I've missed thee.
(We are going to Paris as well, but you know...London is London)

As usual I'm getting a bit nervous, so I though I'd write something, anything to get a bit distracted.
I've always liked London quite a lot, even though I haven't spent more than 5 days there counting both times I went (and during which I didn't visit the bookstores...oh, the bookstores...I'm obviously also going to visit Shakespeare & Co in Paris, but I'll talk about that later).
Of course everything got worse now, as I was reawakened to Sherlock Holmes through the amazing BBC's series Sherlock. And Mr. Cumberbatch's readings. Seriously, have you listened to any of his readings? What a marvelous voice (I'll shut up about that one day, I'm sure.....). Anyway, I'll add Ode to a Nightingale at the end, be sure to listen, even if just a bit :)

Oh, and of course, if any of you have advice on must-see spots in London (besides the usual tourism plan of course) I'd be much pleased to hear them. I'll sure be passing by 221b Baker Street, and some bookstores (God, I hope I don't bore my parents to death), but every city has those lovely peculiarities only known by a handful of people, and I'd be so very glad to get to know some.

Hopefully I'll have lots of pics, since I won't have to keep trying to fit me in the frame with only as much as an arm distance (lonely traveler is sad). I also lost most of the pics I took in 2008 when my hard drive went bananas...oh well at least I could keep one of my favourites.

(if you can find out where this is I'll bring you a cookie :D)

Well, for now I must go dears, I'll post as much as can during the actual trip!

And here is Ode to a Nightingale. There's a link to the transcription under the video. Enjoy :)

http://www.bartleby.com/101/624.html

Read More