Hei hei Trondheim

Last week Chris and I visited Trondheim, Norway, which felt like a leap forward into wintertime! We stepped off the plane and the cold hit us. Of course these aren’t winter temperatures for Norway, but for us it was a 15-degree drop to zero!

We were lucky enough to stay in the very hype area of Bakklandet so that our first view of Norway was very quaint: a cobbled street with multi-coloured wooden houses, home to boutiques, restaurants and cafés. 

View from the Old Bridge (Gamle Bybro)

On the first day, we braved the icy roads and ventured into the city centre of Trondheim. One of the main attractions is the magnificent cathedral – we were told the biggest cathedral north of Notre-Dame in Paris (although my Google search does not seem to confirm this). The only way to get into the cathedral for free was to attend the organ meditation, which was surprisingly fun and definitely relaxing. A clergyman spoke very briefly before the organist played several beautiful pieces. We were actually sitting right behind him, watching him master his instrument with hands and feet!

Near the cathedral was the farmers' market (I think it's there on Saturdays). Many of the stalls had free samples, which was a great insight into Norwegian food! We had doughnuts, salmon, cheese and even moose pie!

Trondheim isn't huge and in the centre everything is walking distance. We ventured up to the harbour on the Trondheim Fjord, where we sought refuge from the cold in a café overlooking the bay. The autumnal colours were just fantastic – there are quite a lot of deciduous trees hiding amongst the pines! Combined with the deep blue of the Fjord, it gives you a great backdrop for your holiday snaps.

The next day, we walked around the forest that stretches across the mountains around Trondheim. Needless to say, autumn may not be the best time to go hiking, as it was pretty wet and our feet were soaked about 15 minutes into the hike – but this could not stop us, and after getting (slightly) lost we made it to one of the cabins where hot drinks and pastries are served.

We stopped for a hot chocolate with a wonderful view 

Trondheim is definitely a great place to visit if you like a quaint town, comfy bars and cafes and being out in nature for hiking in summer and skiing in winter! As you can imagine, Norway is pretty pricey, so I would make sure to get an accommodation, where you can also cook your own food, like airbnb or couchsurfing – or camping if the weather is right!

Exhibition: People in London

Free Exhibition
8th September - 17th October 2014

Richard Slater's book

Last week, I went to a photographic exhibition entitled ‘People in London’ by Richard Slater at the Royal Geographical Society. It showcases photos without pretence about – well – people in London. The photos are straightforward and realistic without any effects, lens flare or the occasional macro. It is just life, fully pixelated life. It’s #nofilter if you speak Instagram.

The name of the exhibition couldn’t be more accurate – because it is like the exhibition, a simple sober description without judgment or categorisation. These aren’t Londoners or People from London. This sober realism is what makes the exhibition so powerful.

Similarly a short note, speaking about the people and places depicted, accompanies each photograph. The style of these descriptions startled me at first. They were bare, purely descriptive, no sense of poetry or use of sophisticated language. Like Slater's pictures they just tell things as they are. It took me a while until I understood that this was how they should be. The pictures and their descriptions don’t pretend, they are real and simple as life. There is no intent to embellish them. I ended up reading every single note, as I grew fascinated and was curious what each and everyone of them had to said.

Richard Slater spent five years recording his view of London, along five categories with a bonus uncategorised ‘London Surprises’ which was my favourite. Also - listen out for the London sounds!

You can definitely feel Slater’s love for the city as he draws a contemporary portrait of the people that make the ever-changing smoggy place that London is.

Disobedient Objects at the V&A - free exhibition

The Victoria and Albert Museum currently hosts a free exhibition called ‘Disobedient Objects’. The exhibition showcases objects that have been used in protests and for social movements; you may ask - what does that have to do with design? A lot, in fact. All the collected objects tell a story of how an object was created, or recycled in many cases, to serve a purpose in a social movement between the 1970s and now. It demonstrates the innovation and creativity of people, how rudimentary elements can be taken to create something so meaningful. The obvious things I thought of before visiting were banners and posters, which are often proof of creativity and wit, but there are so many more things in the exhibition that tell fascinating stories.

What caused one of the biggest disconnects for me, were the textiles created by Chilean women to protest against the dictatorship, sometimes hiding messages in the back of the work. The authorities dismissed it as folk art, oblivious to the daring message. Later in the 90s these techniques were taken up by protests in Ireland against the Iraq war. Indeed, the great connectedness of our time helps social movements to learn from each other. Instructions manuals on how to protest, what to do in case of an arrest and also how to create objects like homemade tear-gas mask were another example of it. A manual that appeared in Egypt 2011, was found translated in the 2013 Ukraine protests.

Signs and symbols are also part of the exhibition, explaining the story of the SILENCE=DEATH banner used in early AIDS protests, as well as re-use of symbols across protests. On one side of the exhibition room, you can see giant inflatable cobblestones hanging from the ceiling, which were used in protests in Berlin, reusing this symbol of protest, which for me very much evokes the French Revolution. Make sure to watch the short film on the big screen to see a policeman struggle to deflate the giant cobblestone.

These are just a few examples that stood out for me and I hope will give you a taste of what the exhibition is about, to go and discover it for yourself!

I would recommend going at a time when it isn’t that busy – the V&A is open until 10pm on Fridays, which for me was the best time!

Let me know how you find it!

My London Diaries

I have recently moved to London - and I feel that I could not give London any justice by writing one or two blogposts. Therefore I decided to write a different category of posts called 'London Diaries', in order to share some of the things, places and happenings I discover in the capital!

I have another motivation to start this series of posts: I was having a really tough time adapting to London - I moved here for the 'dream job' and work is definitely an incredible opportunity, yet my partner, who I lived with, is now two hours away on the train; while I also have a hard time to accept the overcrowdedness, the pollution, the time it takes to get anywhere and of course the exorbitant prices.

I think by recording my good experiences in London it will give you some information about what there is to do in London, but it will also help me like - maybe even fall in love with - this city!

So, London, this one's for you, because I think you deserve a second chance!

Morocco - A few thoughts

When I sat down to write about my recent trip to Morocco. I had no words. I had too much yet too little to write. The trip had been full of experiences, sights and people, that I didn’t know where to start. Yet, I felt that I would simply repeat all the stories that have already been told about Morocco: the hustle and bustle of Marrakech, the hassling in the street, the beautiful things sold in the souqs made by local artisans, the difficulties experienced by tourists when trying to cross the road, the more relaxed atmosphere at the coast. There, this is Morocco. Or not.

Essaouira - the beach

So here are just two little thoughts  I wanted to share with you:

Seeing the country

If you are planning to go to Morocco, plan in some time for travelling around. The country is incredibly diverse and we encountered very different atmospheres. Travelling can be relatively cheap. There are more comfortable buses that drive you pretty much everywhere and there are local buses. At the bus station in Marrakech we got done. Never pay more than a euro for luggage, probably 5 dirham is the most common amount.

Marrakech was incredibly hectic, and that’s its charm. You walk through the souqs were the narrow roads all seem to look the same. You get approached in English, French, German, Spanish – depending on where a vendor guesses you are from! 

Essaouira

Then we went to Essaouira, which for us seemed to be a place for the wealthier tourists. Very nice food, a more relaxed atmosphere with a huge beach with kitesurfers amazing you with their tricks. We also felt that souvenirs (scarves, dishes, jewellery etc) were cheaper as fewer vendors were open for haggling.

Finally we also stayed just outside Taghazout, just 200m from a great surfing spot. It didn’t really feel like Morocco during the day when the beach was invaded by long-haired surfers speaking German or English. In the evening, however, couples from the village came to watch the sunset, many of the women wearing niqabs or hijabs. Quite the contrast from the bikinis we had seen during the day!

So definitely travel around and discover different parts of this wonderful country!

Ourika

Moroccan Food

One thing that definitely attracts visitors to Morocco is food. Without a doubt you will be served delicious couscous and tagine within the first few days – who am I kidding the first few hours! 

There are a few things I would definitely recommend. For drinks there is verbena with milk, which I found strangely delicious, as well as all sorts of milk-based and orange based drinks, even some sort of almond milk, which seemed to be some mixture of chopped almonds and milk (and possibly something else?). Lastly try the tea sold at night on Jamaa el Fna in Marrakech. Each stall has there own specific mixture of tea including cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. The tea is really strong and burns like strong liquor. You should definitely try it!

Food-wise, we found great dishes such as saffa and pastille, which involve a lot of cinnamon and taste more like desserts. Desserts with chicken that is. They were particularly good in Essaouira. We were less smitten with the sardine balls – which was a bit like Bolognese but sardine instead of beef. But hey, it’s all part of the discovery! 

Also, to come back to Marrakech, there are loads of stalls that pop up in the early evening on Jamaa El Fna. Loads of men will definitely try to convince you to eat at a specific stall – they are all numbered and there are tables around each stall. We ate twice at the stalls at Jemaa El Fna. The first time round we went to a more touristy stall that sold tagine and couscous. We had quite a nice meal for 100 dirhams. However, on a subsequent night, we decided to join the locals. Some stalls were really busy, but the signs were mostly in Arabic and nobody was employed to get you to eat there. Clearly the reputation of the stall spoke for itself. We had some delicious fish and calamari, which tasted a lot more genuine, especially as we were surrounded by locals, families, couples, friends, some men sitting on their own. I would definitely recommend it!

Jamaa El Fna

As for final thoughts, Morocco is definitely a country that should appear on your 'to visit' list. It's great for a budget holiday, but you can also find some luxurious spas and hotels if that's what you are after. There is plenty to see and we actually met a lot of people who had come to Morocco for the second or third time, just to see more of the place! So, book your flights and go visit Morocco! 

5 reasons you still underestimate Norwich

1. You still believe in the ‘Normal for Norfolk’ story

Every person from Norwich who has ventured out of the county will have been faced with the oh-so-hilarious jokes about webbed fingers, 6-fingered or 6-toed individuals and any kind of generic inbreeding/ incest joke that any person devoid of humour can come up with. I have tried to find any kind of evidence of where this may have come from, but Google (and even Google Scholar) offered me nothing. All seems to go back to doctors describing patients as N.F.N. (Normal for Norfolk), if they appeared intellectually-challenged. If anybody has any kind of better historical source on that, please leave a comment! I want to know!

And - please - stop these jokes. We have all stopped laughing politely two decades ago.

2. You think that independent food places are a thing of the past

Is going to an independent coffee shop for you synonym to cramming yourself amongst all the hipsters typing away some dreadful new book/play/song on their MacbookAir?

Well, here it just means going to a coffee shop. If you want a chain retailer, you can get them of course – but there is also plenty of different choice! Just a couple of examples:

The Bicycle Shop, The Birdcage, No 33 Cafe

3. You think that Norwich is a village

I know Norwich still likes to remind us of its reputation of once having been England’s second biggest city (ok, that was before the Industrial Revolution), but it’s big enough to have all you need. In fact, being the only reasonably sized city in East Anglia, you get lots of artists gigging in Norwich, which wouldn’t come to equally-sized Walsall. For everything artsy, literature, visual arts, music, come to Norwich!

4. You’ve been to Great Yarmouth once and made up your mind about Norfolk

Ok, arcades may have been cool when you were a kid but there is much more to Norfolk than that. While Great Yarmouth has its tackiness, it also has some cool stuff going for it – e.g. International Festival of Street Arts and Circus. Plus, the rest of the Norfolk coast is very different and diverse – you can visit the seals at Blakeney Point, walk along the majestic cliffs of Hunstanton or the long beaches of Holkham.

All I can say is, come back for a second impression!

5. We don’t actually want you to come here

This is a pure conspiracy theory: I think that people living here like the place so much, they don’t actually want to share it with anyone. Imagine hordes of tourists walking down the Lanes – what a horrifying thought (surely Londonders you know what it’s like!). We are happy in our little place, not having to queue for tickets, not having to book every restaurant table in advance and actually getting a seat in a bar!

So, maybe don’t bother coming- it’s too nice!

Cromer after the flood

Cromer is a lovely little seaside town on the North Norfolk coast. It’s just a 40-minute train journey from Norwich and very popular amongst newly arrived exchange students as well as anybody in Norfolk owning a dog – it seems.

I could tell you about the seaside nostalgia you get as you walk down the the small cobbled streets of Cromer. Indeed it seems that the town has been mostly spared by arcades and amusements. Cromer takes its charm from the impressive seafront, its distinctive pier with a lifeboat station at its far end, quaint beach huts and the rough cliffs on either side.

However, at the moment there is something else to see in Cromer. December 2013 was a disastrous time for the Norfolk coast, as a storm surge attacked seafronts, destroyed cliffs and the houses that found themselves too near the water.

Here is a BBC report from right after the floods.

Six weeks after storm surge, the consequences are still visible. Here are some of the pictures that give you an idea of the destructive force of the sea, that has in some way been more clement to this coast than it has been to the South of England in the past week!

The worst part is that this isn't the end - Can we talk about Climate Change now?

On Naples

Before I came to Naples, I didn't really have any expectations. I mean, I had an idea of what to find in Rome, Milan, Florence, but Naples, what’s in Naples? Well, lots of things!

Firstly I was suprised to find how big it is! In fact between 3 and 3.7 million people live in the urban area.! You can walk around in the centre, but be prepared to walk quite a bit! On that note, I will say outright that visiting Naples and its region definitely is great exercise. After the first day my legs were in real pain. Appropriate shoes are essential! (I'll remember that next time!)

Pompei is only a 40 minute train journey away. Be prepared for a crowded train, because it stops in many places, going up to Sorrento. Pompei huge! Make sure you get a map from the audioguides (just take the map if you don't want to take a guide). Under 25s will pay a discounted price! (young people's discount is more common than student discount). Pompei is great - you can spend 2 hours as much as you can spend 6 hours! There's plenty to see. I thought you'd 'only' see ruins. But you see old mozaics, leftovers of fountains, paintings and even the plaster cast of the people of Pompeii who were surprised by the volcano eruption. It made the terrible disaster a lot more real!

After Pompeii, I spend the rest of the afternoon in Sorrento, the terminal of the suburban train called Circumvesuviana.It's about 35 minutes from Pompeii (so, around 80 minutes from Naples). It's a beautiful little town, with impressive cliffs and lots of stairs (although there is a lift to come up from the port). You will also find a beach a little further. 

For evening entertainment, you definitely should try the pizza, which is considerably better and considerably cheaper than anywhere else ( in the UK and many other places in the world! - I have no formal evidence to back this up - but I'm just going to go with it!). Da Michele  is where we went. It's very good. I'd just like to prepare you for a few things: there will be a queue. We were given a number (just like at the post office) and were waiting to be called - it helps to know your number in Italian! Also, there were only three choices of pizza: margherita (simple or double mozzarella) and marinara. This made the service very quick! There are other places you can try such as Di Matteo and Sorbillo!

On my second day, we wanted to go to the top of the Vesuvius. However, we changed our plan due to the weather. The way we were planning to go up was train to Pompei, then bus to the top - around 700m I was told. Then you pay entrance to the national park and you can walk up to the crater. On the day we wanted to go it was raining cats and dogs and apparently the national park was closed because it was too windy. On the note of rain, yes it rains! And when it does, it lasts a long time. Make sure to take an umbrella if it's said to rain on the day. You will need it! 

Instead we spent the day in Naples. One of the interesting things we visited was the Church of S. Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco). It was very impressive. The church was built on 2 levels, with the lower level representing the purgatory. At the bottom, you found many skulls and bones, decorated with pictures, crosses, prayers, flowers and jewellery! Very eerie! Read more about the cult here!

Chiesa Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco

Just next to the Church is the entrance to Napoli Sotterranea . You get to discover what started as a Greek mine for tuffo stone, to then become a Roman aqueduct, then after a cholera epidemic was not in use anymore then became a dump for about 100 years. Then in the Second World War it was turned into a refuge from bombings. It was too costly and complicated to get rid of the rubbish so it was simply covered with sand and soil. We therefore stood on 5 meters of rubbish!  Some of the caves were big, but others were smaller than us, as we had to duck and walk sideways. The Two meter tall Dutch man in our group had a blast! We even got to see a reservoir, which was used with amphoras being put down through wells (either private for rich households or public on squares). The wells were closed up when the aqueduct was changed into a refuge, apart from one, which was in a church. They expected nobody would bomb a church (How wrong they were!). At the end of the visit we entered what formerly was a typical Neapolitan house. However under the bed was a trap door that led to what used to be the family’s wine cellar, but now was the passage behind the stage of a huge amphitheatre that could hold around 6000 people! It cannot be fully uncovered as the city has been built on top of it. Uncovering the amphitheatre could in fact risk modern houses to collapse.

We also had the chance to visit the beautiful island of Capri, also known as the very expensive island of Capri! After an hour ferry ride, we got to the ‘marina grande’, the main harbor, from where we took a cable car (funiculario) up the hill. From there we walked along the little streets, leaving Dolce and Gabana behind us and getting slightly lost! We made it to the Faraglioni, in English ‘stacks’ that sit in the water of the coast of Capri. The coast walk took us down and then up what felt like 10.000 steps, and then down and then up again! We walked in silence, both exhausted and at the same time mesmerized by the beauty we were witnessing! As it got dark, we embarked on the our ferry journey back. Our last surprise of the day was a huge moon emerging behind the mountains.

Faraglioni

The moon

My last few hours in Naples could only we described as exhilarating! My Napolitan friend Miguel (or Michelangelo) took me for a ride on his motorbike across the city. With pedestrians, scooters and other bikes coming from all sorts of directions, amidst lots of cars in the, at times, narrow streets! It was definitely a lasting last experience!

There’s so much more I want to see of Naples! I can’t wait to go back!

I have miles to go before I sleep.

Red Bike Ride - Our 100km fundraising challenge !

Every year hundreds of people across the UK support the work of the Red Cross over one week, Red Cross Week. This week celebrates this incredible organisation by raising money in a thousand different ways from dying your hair red to wear your onesie to work day!

What did we decide to do? Cycle 100 km across Norfolk and into Suffolk in support of the British Red Cross but - here comes the twist- on our old rusty bikes! (see our teaser)

As we set off yesterday morning the problems started: Chris' bike chain was jammed between the gears. An hour later with our hands covered in black oil we managed to pull it out and we were off with a bit of delay!

We set off through Norwich city centre towards Whitlingham Country Park while the sun was intermittently accompanying us. We even ran into Amber, a friend from Uni, at the Water's Edge pub. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to stop but it seemed to be an amazing spot and only a short bike ride from Norwich (about 6miles)! Then we cycled along small roads towards Claxton, where we stopped for a quick picnic. Off we were again towards Loddon, where we turned towards Haddiscoe and Alderby. It was a beautiful ride. We suddenly had to come to a halt, when a when a herd of cattle was slowly crossing the road. Unfortunately the cows were so curious they decided to stop and look at us – which did not accelerate the process! Cow-whisperer Chris helped the farmer get the cattle towards the stables and we were off to Beccles. It was all going well until the heavy rain started!

We waited under a tree for it to stop and looked for a short cut. As we followed a small country lane that my phone assured me actually was a road to Beccles- we reached a closed gate to a path that lead to a grand, old estate. We had no choice but go around. As we wandered into the field we were full of hope that it would be easy to do. However, the third field was covered in clay. Soon our bike wheels were completely stuck and the clay was also sticking to our boots… We headed towards a road we could hear and descended a small hill in the mud before arriving on a busy street. Our trousers and shoes were covered in mud and clay, so were our bikes! We were just outside Gillingham and from there it was only a short ride to Beccles, where we stayed overnight! The miles tracker app said 50.8 km as we checked into the lovely B&B. 

On day 2, we were off early and under a timid sun as we complained about sore muscles! Through the Suffolk then Norfolk countryside, it was a lovely ride across yellow rapeseed fields with very few cars! 

We lunched next to old church ruins in Kirby Bedon before setting off again. As my tracker showed just above 90km as we reached King Street in Norwich  we decided to cycle home via Eaton and Cringleford. Unfortunately my tracker app decided to crash at the most inopportune moment – so we don’t know how many km we exactly cycled but we sure did more than 100km!!!! We were exhausted and definitely in pain - but we were on such a high as we realised that we had done it - even more importantly, that our bikes had made it as well!

We want to thank everybody who has sponsored us! It has been an amazing experience -full of laughter, lovely people on the way and most importantly lots of exercise! On top of that we are thrilled to contribute to the great work of the British Red Cross! And I mean... WE DID IT!

If you haven’t sponsored us yet – and want to –  you have two months to do it! The link is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/redbikeride !

Northern Ireland

My second visit to Ireland took me to the North. Over Easter Chris took the time to show me around Fermanagh and beyond. After a walk around the farm, we decided to visit Enniskillen, which surprised us with quite an impressive museum inside the castle. A very insightful collection of military equipment and interesting stories from the Napoleonic era! Overall, Enniskillen was quite a nice city, where you always run into people you know, although we missed Colin Farrell who was shooting a film in a nearby estate!

On the second day we went to county Donegal. As the street signs changed from miles to kilometres, we reached the Republic of Ireland. In Donegal, the town, we found the most impressive tourist office I have ever seen, with the vastest collection of ‘Visit Ireland’ flyers: we were literally overwhelmed with a multitude of green clovers and ‘failte’s. After the friendliest women told us about all the beauties of Donegal – and believe me there are loads! – we were quite confused as to what to do. With a map in hand, we went off to the town centre to stop at a small market, where they sold local products and an old guy was singing Irish music. As we got into a conversation with a local, we decided to stick to our original destination: Sliabh Liag (pronounce something like Sleave League). We took a few detours on the way and it was difficult not to stop every 10 minutes to look at the amazing panoramas (see picture below)! After a break at a beach, we finally got to Sliabh Liag.

 Sliabh Liag are claimed to be the highest marine cliffs in Europe - although Google seems to deny this fact. In any case, they are pretty high! We decided to park at the bottom to make the most of the walk – a very very windy walk! The views were amazing and we even discovered a lake on the cliffs, which just looked amazing! It’s definitely worth a detour – preferably on a sunny day!

Sliabh Liag

the lake on the cliffs with the ocean in the background

We had the chance to visit Florence Court, a National Trust estate right next to Enniskillen. The entry price was quite expensive, as it was £4.50 to get into the gardens and another £4.50 to visit the house – a National Trust membership would have been quite handy! Thus we only walked around the gardens, which was actually much more fun than I expected, as we fought our way through the woods climbing over trees that served as bridges over little streams – although my suggestion to act out the Dirty Dancing scene was unfortunately rejected!

Fermanagh was full of little places for lovely walks, the most impressive place was probably Lough Navar where we had the most impressive view onto Lough Erne at sunset (see picture below!) All in all I was really impressed by Fermanagh! After having concentrated on the South and the West of the island last time I came here, I am glad I rectified this lack! It is definitely worth a visit and I myself can’t wait to come back here!

From Norwich to the Lake District

Our first trip of 2013 took us to the Lake District. A crazy idea you might think, as January is the rainiest month, with a temperature generally below 5°C. However, our short roadtrip happened under a lucky star. 

We didn't want to drive all the way straight to the lakes, so we first visited Hunstanton, on the North Norfolk coast. Its cliffs were as impressive as they had been described to me although the walk along the beach was very cold and windy. As it got dark, we made our way up to Horsforth, just outside Leeds, where we stayed with Chris’ lovely friends.

 The next stop was Harrogate, a hidden gem from the North (hidden to me at least!). Its posh little streets were filled with small boutiques and finely dressed ladies. While we didn’t have time for the Turkish baths, we stayed for an afternoon tea at the famous tearoom called Betty’s. The decor was very quaint, even the waitresses were dressed like in the early 1900s!  Two more hours on the road until we reached Kendal hostel, where we were welcomed by a lovely hostel owner and her two black Labradors. Kendal is just outside the Lake District, although it’s just as cute as the towns and villages in the national park.

On day three, we were on our way to Grasmere. However, as we were driving along Lake Windermere, something astonishing happened: the sun came out! Thus, we stopped as soon as we could and enjoyed our brunch with a breathtaking view (see below!).

As we got to Grasmere, we visited William Wordsworth’s grave and one of his most famous poems was quoted at the entrance to the garden dedicated to him.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils"

After a bit of wandering around, we found what we came for: the coffin route. It leads from Grasmere to Rydal and is not very steep but relatively hilly. It bears that rather morbid name because Rydal didn’t have a church, so the Dead were brought to Grasmere to be buried. Walking along the path was easy, but we imagined that it would not be the same on a stormy night carrying a heavy coffin up and down the path. As we walked back from Rydal, night suddenly fell and as we reached Grasmere it was pitch-black. The downside of January holidays in this part of the world are the short days, especially when you’re walking in the countryside. We passed by Ambleside, where we saw the famous house on the bridge and the beautiful unpretentious Christmas decorations.

On our last day, we headed towards Bowness-upon-Windermere, where after a rather exciting stop at the Peter Rabbit Shop, we caught a ferry to cross the lake. Unlike the cruises on Lake Windermere, the ferry is very cheap (£1 return per person) as it is run by the council. Once on the other side, we walked through lots of mud, up and down the hilly landscape enjoying beautiful panoramas. Our objective was to reach Hill Top, a house where Beatrix Potter had lived at some point. The house was closed as it was winter, but the villages on our way were absolutely picturesque. As we took a break on a bench overlooking the valley towards Hawkshead, an old man walked by. He asked us whether we knew Beatrix Potter’s stories. However, for both of us they are a vague childhood memory. He continued to tell us, that Miss Potter sat at that exact same spot and drew the signpost that was at our side. Both the bench and the signpost had been replaced since, but it was a great feeling.

In the dusky light, we walked back to Bowness, prepared for our last ride. Seven hours from Lake Windermere to Norwich!

Although, we were extremely lucky with the weather, with really mild temperatures, I would really recommend to venture a visit to the Lake District in winter. It was really quiet, mostly locals were around, so that we had the national park to ourselves! If you wanted to visit the National Trust houses and the Beatrix Potter attraction, winter isn’t the best time to go, as most were closing over January/ winter. However, if you want some quiet time in nature and a great deal of fresh air, the Lake District in January is the place to be!

Venturing South

Over two consecutive weekends I visited my friend Jude who is working in Lewes over the summer. I had never been to East Sussex before and I was very impressed by the sights I encountered.

First of all Lewes. It's a beautiful town with picturesque houses and graceful gardens. You can find the ruins of an old monastery with an extremely well developed toilet system so that no monk had to queue for the latrines (Yes, that's the detail I picked up on...). There are many independent cafés with organic and original food. The one we went to didn't even serve coke. A respectable town should always have a castle, which Lewes does have. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to visit it, but the view over the valley was also worth the steep walk up the hill.

We did a quick trip to Brighton, which is only 15 minutes from Lewes if you take the train. We arrived there a few hours after the world-famous gay pride parade ended. The atmosphere had gone from festive to rather drunk and merry, which was interesting... We walked up the Pier, tried a few arcade games, watched the scary-looking rides from the safe ground to finally sit down on the free deck chairs on the Pier. Before I had to embark on my long journey back to Essex, we also took the chance to wander Brighton's artsy streets. It is definitely a place I want to go back to so that I can explore more of it!

Brighton

The next Saturday was part of the heritage open days, which take place every year in September and that way we had the opportunity to visit Bodiam Castle for free. Built in the 14th century this edifice is 'what a castle should look like'(Jude) and that is the exact same observation I made. If I had to draw a castle I would draw something very similar. The castle is located in a beautiful valley and anachronistically a steam train suddenly choochooed past us, as we were having both lunch and a hysterical fight against the local wasp community.

Bodiam Castle

Our next brief stopover was Rye, which is an adorable little town, with cute tea houses, gorgeous shops and small cobbled passages. After visiting the local craft fair, we had to get a move on as the sun was setting.

The Grand Finale of the day was the view onto the Seven Sisters. These legendary cliffs are a beautiful background for pictures and we definitely took advantage of that with a mildly embarrassing photo shoot. However, I have to say that we were extremely lucky with the weather and a dim sunsetting light illuminated the landscape. Jude knew of a great shortcut towards the view, through a remote residential area of Seaford, which shortened the usually 25 minute walk from the town to about 5 until we saw the Seven Sisters. The view is worth a detour (and was definitely worth me being really late for my train and nearly missing it!).

Seven Sisters

For anyone who wants to see a beautiful part of England I would definitely recommend East Sussex, as you can just drive around and see gorgeous scenery, cute cottages and impressive country houses before you even get to the many sights that are just waiting to be visited by you!

Essex Tales

In the past two weeks I've been exploring one of the most talked about counties in the UK. Beyond the general stereotype of the 'Essex girl' with which I had been confronted with when I first came to the UK, I decided to also watch the infamous TOWIE (The Only Way is Essex) as part of my 'research into the local culture'. In all fairness I got quite bored with it and it didn't teach me much... So rather I felt it to be my duty to write about my experience here, in case you also relied on these stereotypes.

Romford Market Place

 It's market day in Romford, there is a soft and constant drizzle and a man is sheltered under a roof, playing a gloomy melody on his trumpet, occasionally water splashes from the tarpaulin that covers the market stands. Romford being a historic Markettown, shopping is obviously the local sport. I surrendered and am quite thrilled to explore the various malls, which are definitely confusing for the foreign visitor. As I get out of the shopping centre, I hold on tight to my shopping bags, keeping my head down as it seems the rain just got heavier. I can't help but notice the footwear of the locals. Half of people, though mostly women, are wearing flipflops or Birkenstock. Some less crazy ones are wearing sandals... and here I am, wondering why anyone would look out of the window, see the grey sky and think that flipflops would be a good idea. But really, what I should admire is the people's immune systems. If my Mum saw me wear open shoes in such weather, she would run after me with a frying pan threatening me into changing into sensible trainers or boots, because I would otherwise catch pneumonia... and I'm rather inclined to believe her.

But I am being slightly unfair here, because I have actually really enjoyed my stay in Romford. I was lucky enough to find a home in Collier Row, a bit outside the city centre and rather near the countryside. The weather has been really nice ( it even went beyond 30°C -God bless swimming pools), much nicer than the climate I know from Birmingham. And also, green spaces are only a short walk away, the number of parks is just incredible. With my bike I explored the surroundings and quickly found myself in the middle of fields, literally surrounded only by fields. Here is a picture that in my opinion represents Essex well: two horses in the middle of field and in the distance you can see the London skyline. 

It's the countryside, half an hour away from the big smoke. And although I like London and its seemingly uncountable opportunities for entertainment, food; drink, culture and intellectual exchange, I realised when I was coming back from a day out there last week, that I really appreciated the peace and quiet in Essex. - Maybe I'm just getting old?

Havering-atte-Bower