Wimbledon & Tate Modern

Im so slack with posting at the moment. Im staying away from the computer at home still. Mum is only here for a few more days and Im trying to spend time with her rather than sit at my computer like normal. Plus I still haven't recovered from the whole trip thing. If you have sent me an email, forgive me for the slow reply. Im hoping to start getting around to all that soon.

Saturday, I was woken at 5am by my Mum to drag me to Wimbledon. I was not impressed as I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a sleep in, in my own bed that is. Since Phil wasn't there I had no snoring or demands for coffee to get me up either!! None the less, I dragged my sorry arse out of bed (I wasn't going to listen to my Mum tell me about the time I was too lazy to go to Wimbledon with her for the next 30 years or so.) We got there about 7am and thanks to BBC Weather I was horrifically underdressed. We were in the grounds by 11am which was apparently good going. We saw some tennis, bought overpriced clothing to keep us warm, ate strawberries & cream, drank pimms and generally had a pretty tops day with exception of the lack of sun. On the way back I managed to see a guy selling giant tennis balls for only £5 (they were selling em for £15 in the grounds) and picked one up. Its the most comical thing ever!

Things you should know if you plan to get grounds tickets..
1. bring a rug and warm clothing.
2. bring something to eat and something to read during the line wait.
3. expect to pay hideous amounts for food.
4. plan the games you want to see and arrive early for them to get a seat in the stands.
5. if there is a british match on centre court, arrive early to get a good spot on the hill/mound.

If you are planning on going next year, go here for information on the Wimbledon ticket ballot.

Sunday, Mum & I headed to the Tate Modern to see the Frida Khalo exhibition. Great exhibition and some really interesting pieces in there. I saw the movie Frida Khalo with Salma Hayek a year or so ago and it really helped to place her work in context. Definitely worth checking out if you have a chance before the exhibition (and its also a great film!)

Ive finished sorting all my photos on Flickr but haven't named them yet. Will try to get these done soon!! Theatre for the next few days so may or may not post :S

Tags: Mum, Wimbledon, Tate Modern, Frida Khalo, Flickr

Well, Tuesday night we went to see the Vegemite Tales at Riverside Studios. Phil was overwhelmed about being in such a small studio with so many Australians but he managed to get through it (and enjoy himself.) I'd definitely give the performance a huge thumbs up, its not something that requires a lot of thought but its really hilarious in places. I thought it may be a bit long (as it was 2 hours including the interval) but it was suprising how quickly the time went. I was keen to see Ben Steel (he plays Dan) as I remembered him from Home & Away (Jude Lawson, Noah's brother). Certainly made the show more aesthetically pleasing! However, the real star of the show was "Eddie" played by Tom Sangster. He reminded me of my older brother Clinton but in a good way. The Aussie-ness is exaggerated but all in all £16 well spent.

Im still going through the photos from my trip, which I will post soon! Tomorrow, I'll be up early and trying to get a ticket into Wimbledon with my Mum. I'll also be visiting the Tate Modern on Sunday to see the Frida Khalo show. Its supposedly been quite busy so pre-booking is advised. Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Tags: Vegemite Tales, Riverside Studios, Tom Sangster, Wimbledon, Tate Modern

Im back!

Well I got back Sunday but things have been so hectic at work and home that I have barely had a chance to post, reply to emails or anything. I had a great time (thanks for asking) and will go more into detail as I sort things out over the next few days.. Mum is off to Devon this morning until Saturday and Phil is off to Belgium tomorrow night so have a couple nights on my own (which Im really looking forward to)...

I'll post a review to the Vegemite Tales later!

Sunset at Lapad Beach

Sunset at Lapad Beach
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

This was the beach near the Villa we stayed in... Such a beautiful sunset.

Streets in Old Town, Zagreb

Streets in Old Town, Zagreb
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

I've just started naming all my photos from my travel books, still have Mum's photos to upload aswell.

Waterlillies at Bled, Slovenia

Waterlillies
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

If you look closely you can see the fish swimming in the water. These photos don't do it justice. Its absolutely beautiful.

Zmajski Most (Dragon Bridge)

Zmajski Most (Dragon Bridge)
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

The first concrete and iron bridge to cross the Ljubljanica, located at the Northern end of Plecnik's colonnades.

Stephansdom Church, Vienna.

Stephansdom Church, Vienna.
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

Beautiful church, tiled roof. They are working on the church currently which you can see from some of the other photos. The horses & buggies stretch right around the Church for the tourists (although we didn't get one.)

New Bridge - Bratislava

New Bridge
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

How Soviet Bloc is that? It looks amazing with the bridge and the rows and rows of apartment buildings.

Mum and the Guard from Prague Castle

Mum and the Guard from Prague Castle
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

This made me LOL. I have some seriously funny photos of my Mum from our trip abroad. I only just named all these photos properly (all of 6 months later) but I thought I would post this so people can check back and see my Prague pics.

In Ireland

I cant write for long as I only have 14 minutes remaining on my stupid hostel internet. Damn 2 euros for 40 minutes.. what a rip.

So tonight is my last night in Dublin, tomorrow morning it is off to Prague via London Gatwick. So what have I been up to? Well I have managed to see 9 out of 10 of the Dublin Highlights in my Top 10 book. We've been to the Guiness Storehouse (and I drank my pint in the highest bar in Dublin), to the Art Galleries here, to the Phoenix Park, to St Patricks Cathedral, to the Christchurch Cathedral. We have done one of those hop-on hop-off bus tours. We found the best fish & chip shop ever... Its also the oldest fish & chip shop in Dublin (on 2 Werburgh St if you are interested.) It was actually so good we went there twice. It was takeaway so we went to the Christchurch Cathedral across the road and ate our food there sitting in the grass - quality! The one thing I noticed about Dublin is how bloody expensive it is! Its worse than London. I couldn't believe it. Hence we havent done much drinking but Im saving that for the cheaper places in Eastern Europe.

Today, we took a almost 5 hour bus trip down to Cork, then another 30 minute bus ride to Blarney Castle. Home of the Blarney Stone. Apparently kissing it gives you eloquent speech. I personally didn't think I needed it but Mum insisted I go :D Anyways Cork is pretty quiet but the Castle was beautiful. Kissing the stone is a bit dubious but I survived and even have the dodgy tourist photo to prove it...

Anyways my time here is almost up but I will try to post in Prague.

Mum & I, outside the Guiness Factory

Mum & I, outside the Guiness Factory
Originally uploaded by yahnyinlondon.

hmm.. when you think of Ireland - you think of Guiness. Very cool museum.

Its going to be oh-so-quiet

Its my last day before I go on a two week European adventure. Im excited but Im going to miss Phil very much.... awww!

Here is my slightly delayed review of the Design Museum exhibition - European Design. One of the first pieces in the exhibition was a Formula One car which honestly didn't seem innovative or ground-breaking, only something a car junkie would be interested in. There was pottery designs from the 16th century that were being reworked by an old Dutch ceramic company using new techniques (which I loved). There was product design - both for food and for electronic goods. There was lightbulbs that could be submerged in water which was really thought provoking, I mean how many possibilities are there for a technology like that? There was fashion which isn't as innovative because it always reinvents itself. There was a huge collection of books. The Belgian companies work I mentioned in my last post was great, the idea of a whole new process for creating a product with such freedom and control was probably one of the highlights of the exhibition. Its not a huge exhibition but always worth seeing.

After the exhibition, we went to a French restaurant along Shad Thames. Le Pont De La Tour. It was nice, service was average, we had the set menu which wasn't too bad - soup for entry was beautiful (Carrot & Coriander) although I had to ask for bread with it. Its not too bad a restaurant but pricey, it came to about £70 despite having the set menu & a cheap bottle of wine. They added a service charge on top too which I think is horrible... I would rather restaurants give the diner a chance to reward their service as they feel. As a rule, I never tip restaurants on top of that.

I went to Spitalfields Markets today with Mum & Phil for lunch, they had pie and I had a chicken burrito... I was sitting there, minding my own business and a pigeon shat on my arm & on my lunch. Not happy Jan.

European Design @ The Design Museum

Being a member of the Design Museum, I get invites to their events (Membership is very much worth the money and if you are under 26, very cheap). Tonight is the opening of the European Design show...

THE EUROPEAN DESIGN SHOW
From McLaren Mercedes' world-beating Formula One racing cars and the latest rapid prototyping technology, to Lanvin's fashion, beautifully designed books and magazines, ingenious websites and a newly discovered shade of black, the Design Museum is presenting its biennial survey of the most exciting innovations in design in The European Design Show. After enjoying a whistlestop tour of design today, from fashion to furniture, you can tell us what you think by voting for your favourite - and least favourite - exhibits.

One of the pieces in the exhibition...



Solid, one of the first objects to be manufactured by rapid prototyping technology
Design: Patrick Jouin, France
Production: Materialise, Belgium

I will post a review of the exhibition tomorrow. Phil and I are also going out to dinner for the first time in ages. Since we are both trying to save the cash - splashing out on restaurant meals isn't something we do very often. Its usually just as good to eat at home, light the candles and cook something fancy but tonight, we are going to have a nice meal together. Im going to have a look at some restaurants in Shad Thames.