The Mentalists

Last Saturday we went to see The Mentalists with Stephen Merchant and Steffan Rhodri. We are big fans of both the actors in the show. Stephen Merchant co-wrote The Office and Steffan Rhodri was in Gavin and Stacey and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. 

The play didn't get great reviews and it was announced yesterday that the play is closing early. I thought Steffan Rhodri was a more polished actor than Stephen Merchant, which is to be expected. Overall I thought it was enjoyable and the ending surprised me. 

This is the same theatre where I saw American Buffalo and it is as beautiful as ever. During intermission the theatres put down a safety screen for fire prevention. Most of them are plain but this one is the coolest I've seen so far. 

Our friends, Kate and Scott, also went to see the play so we got together for dinner beforehand. We tried a Knickerbocker Glory sundae, made with layers of ice cream and berries. It was good but I wouldn't call it Britain's best dessert. 

It seems that Warren misses out on most of the fun things I do in London so it was nice to socialise and spend a night out on the town with him. 

Great British Sunday Roast

On Sundays throughout the UK, expect to see pubs and restaurants packed with diners eating Sunday Roast. This tradition has been documented since the 1600s and is even the inspiration for the nickname "Beefeaters" for the Yeoman of the Guard (you can see Beefeaters at the Tower of London). 

Sunday Roast typically consists of a cut of meat (lamb, beef, or pork), roasted potatoes with a crisp outside, roasted vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding. Yorkshire pudding is made from eggs, flour, and milk and is often served with gravy with this type of meal. It is not sweet as I assumed it would be by the name. 

We went out for Sunday Roast most recently with my friend Heather. Warren and Heather tried the pork with apple (shown above) and I tried the lamb (my usual dish) at The Pig and Butcher in Islington. Both dishes were incredible!

The desserts were also delicious. We tried a variety of desserts since there were three of us for dinner. We tried the grilled peaches with ice cream...amazing. Warren and Heather's favourite by far. 

My favourite was the creme brûlée rice pudding with raspberry sorbet. I'm a huge fan of rice pudding and a huge fan of creme brûlée. I see no downside to this dessert. 

We also tried the Eton Mess, a traditional pudding in England. It includes layers of strawberries, cream, and meringue. It is similar to a trifle and can be served with various summer fruits with strawberry being the most typical. It was also delicious. 

I love the tradition of Sunday Roast in England. It is a fun and delicious way to spend a Sunday with friends. The Pig and Butcher is my favourite so far and I am looking for any excuse to go back. 

Affordable London Souvenirs

We've had a lot of visitors lately which has me thinking about the best souvenirs from London. There are loads of shops like Cool Britannia that sell every souvenir imaginable, but I like to bring back something a little more unique.

Cool Britannia merchandise and mascot

I always like bringing local candy for friends and family but I want something that I can keep long term for myself. These are my favourite souvenirs from London that cost less than £10.

Tins--Loads of stores sell really beautiful biscuit or tea tins. I like these because the cookies inside are usually delicious and I keep the tins to store pens or little odds and ends. 

Mugs--Tea has such a presence in England so it is easy to find great mugs and teacups with cute London prints. I have one with a floral pattern so it isn't over the top London but it still feels very English to me. 

Pop Up Cards--These laser cut greeting cards of London landmarks are really popular here. I don't have one of these but I think it would be a great keepsake to keep on a desk as a reminder of London.

This next one is my favourite London souvenir. It is a postcard version of a Stephen Wiltshire drawing. He is an artist with autism and he draws detailed city scenes, often from memory. The one pictured below is Piccadilly Circus and is one of the few available in colour (most of his work is only black ink).  

Reusable bags--I love getting reusable bags from places I visit. It is nice to be reminded of a fun holiday when I'm out grocery shopping or running errands. 

Mary with her favourite Fortnum and Mason bag

Tea Towels--I see these for sale at a lot of shops and museum stores. Similar to the reusable bags, I like little reminders of past holidays when I'm doing day-to-day tasks, like kitchen work. 

Hopefully this list will help future visitors find beloved souvenirs while keeping within trip budgets. 

Museums

Yesterday my friend Kate and I toured Dennis Severs' House, a museum set up to look like the background of a 19th century painting. Visitors tour the house in silence and it is set up to look like the family members just left the room that you are entering. There are chairs knocked over, dinner plates half eaten, and the candles are still lit. I'm glad we visited but I'm not sure how often I will be recommending this unique museum. 

I went inside the Natural History Museum for the first time when my friends Danielle and Ron were here. I've walked past the outside of this beautiful building many times and was excited to confirm that the inside is just as amazing.

Inside the Hintze Hall stands Dippy, the cast of the Diplodocus skeleton found in Wyoming in 1898. King Edward VII saw a sketch of it while visiting the man who purchased the bones, Andrew Carnegie, who then made a cast of it for the British Museum (now the Natural History Museum). 

Dippy's head originally pointed downwards with the tail resting on the ground, but in the 1960s the neck was raised to a horizontal position and the tail was repositioned to reflect new research on the dinosaur. 

I loved these little carved monkeys that were along some of the columns in Hintze Hall.  

I really liked how many birds were shown in the case in the photo below. They were very colourful and I thought it was an interesting way to display them. 

I went to the Wellcome Museum when my mom was here to see the Forensics exhibit. This museum focuses mostly on human and animal health and is free to the public, like a lot of museums in London. 

No photography was allowed inside the exhibit (and I actually followed the guideline this time). The rooms were set up taking you through different aspects of the investigation: the crime scene, morgue, laboratory, the search, and ended with the courtroom. I initially went because my mom and Warren were interested in it but I ended up really enjoying myself and I felt like I learned a lot (especially about autopsies and the morgue). 

Fun with Visitors

We've had a steady stream of visitors since mid-May. I've had a great time showing people around London and here are some photos of the fun things we've done. 

My mom is a huge Harry Potter fan so I had to take her to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station.

We also went to St Pancras, which was used in the Harry Potter films as Kings Cross, rather than the actual station. 

My friend Lisa is a huge Doctor Who fan. We made my mom come find the Tardis replica with us to take some photos. There were no time travel adventures in store for us because sadly, it was locked. 

I also made sure to take the ubiquitous Abbey Road photo with my mom when she was in town. The key is to go early Sunday mornings before the traffic and tourists get there. 

I went to afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace with my friends Danielle and Ron. The food was beautiful and delicious. My favourite was the cream cheese mini bagel with salmon in the shape of a rose on top. 

After our tea, we walked to the Prince Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. I always love seeing this massive gold shrine to Queen Victoria's beloved husband.

When my friends Kim and Jeremy were visiting we happened upon the Ant Man premier in Leicester Square. We couldn't get very close but we were still able to see Paul Rudd, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Michael Douglas. It isn't great quality but this was the best photo I got of Paul Rudd. It makes me seem real creepy since I was basically behind a tree. 

I love having visitors and am always sad to see them go. But I especially love all the fun things I get to do when I have company in town. 

Queen's English as a Second Language Part 8

Loo--toilet, as in "I need to use the loo before we leave." And on the topic of what to call the room with the toilet...in Europe they don't call it a bathroom (a lot of times the bath and the toilet are in separate rooms) or a restroom (since it isn't a place to take a rest). In England it is typically called a loo, toilet, or ladies/gents. I don't hear the term WC used very often in England even though it quite common throughout the rest of Europe. 

Carrier bag--plastic shopping bag typically given to customers in grocery stores, as in "Would you like a carrier bag?" Also, please note the spelling of kerb (curb in the US) in the photo below. 

Oi--Cockney slang for "hey", as in "Oi, mate! How you doing?"

Drink-drive--drunk driving, as in "punishments are more severe in the UK if you drink-drive." In the US you would say, "He got pulled over for drunk driving last night."

Tyres--tires

Brekkie--breakfast, as in "Wanna meet up for brekkie?" I think this one may actually be an Australian term but I hear it a lot. 

Moggy--slang for cat, as in "What a beautiful white moggy!"

Sorted--organised or worked out, as in "We'll get this issue sorted" or "No worries, I'll sort it out." I can't stress enough how common this term is here. It is used for any issue or even people. If someone is behaving poorly they may need sorting. 

Rapeseed oil--canola oil

Maths--math, as in "I was never any good at maths in school." 

Cockney Rhyming Slang originated around 1840 in East London and is formed of words that rhyme with the intended word. Some say that it began as a way to communicate in code so non-locals and police couldn't understand what was being said. I found two examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang written out at a restaurant in Covent Garden.

Apples and Pairs/Pears--Stairs, as in "Let's go up the apples and pears to Uncle Ned." (Uncle Ned = bed)

Jockey's Whips--chips, as in "Get me a plate of Jockey's Whips, will ya?"

Tube Strike

Last Wednesday the tube closed at 6pm and didn't reopen until Friday morning. Tube staff went on strike over pay and the introduction of all-night trains. I had some friends from Omaha visiting so we braved the craziness and attempted to explore the city without the tube. Here are Kim and Jeremy outside a closed tube station. 

The tube shuts down at midnight (earlier if you want to go southbound on the Bakerloo line...which I often do). A few lines (not mine, of course) will start 24 hour service this fall. One way we avoided the madness was by taking the commuter boat along the Thames. It was a fun way to see the city and it wasn't nearly as crowded as the busses.

Things weren't bad getting into the city in the morning, but it was terrible getting out of central London at night. The photo below is of our very crowded bus on our way home Thursday evening. Busses were so full most didn't stop for new passengers so some people would push through the exit doors. It was nearly impossible to get a taxi and Uber tripled their fares. 

It took three times as long to get home, and we were some of the lucky ones. Bike rentals doubled with more than 30,000 hired by 2pm the day of the strike. Restaurants that typically have three month waiting lists were taking walk-ins since so many people cancelled their reservations. 

It was definitely worse than I was expecting. We did laugh at how polite they were about it by announcing the strike in advance rather than just walking out without notice. Also, I got an email thanking me for my patience. Not sure it made up for the stress of trying to get home but I guess it was nice. 

If there is another strike while we are here I'll be much more prepared. I will stay at my flat for most of the day and then walk to Soho to dine at a restaurant I'd have never been able to get in on a typical day. 

Reasons to go to Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities ever (it helps to have family who live there, of course). We went in April to see the amazing Keukenhof Tulip Gardens and I recently booked tickets to go again in August. During our visit in April, we came up with a list of why Amsterdam is such a great tourist destination. Here are our top ten reasons to visit Amsterdam. 

1. The streets in Amsterdam are well kept. You don't have to always look down at the street to be sure you don't trip because the sidewalk is uneven or so you don't step in vomit or urine (I'm talking about you, London). 

2. When in Amsterdam I rarely see beggars or homeless people. The Netherlands is one of the few countries that exceed the UN's goal of GDP percentage allocated to development aid. 

3. Amsterdam is a pretty flat city which makes it great for walking or bike riding. Plus, the bikes in Amsterdam allow for a more casual and social ride than the road bikes in the US. 

4. The Museum Card is a great way to see Dutch museums without ruining your budget. The card costs around 60 Euros and provides free entry to 32 museums in Amsterdam including the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and a discount at Rembrandt's House. The card is valid for one year so we were able to use it for multiple trips and saw 12 museums. 

Not pictured: Museum Van Loon, Geelvinck Hinlopen House, and Church in the Attic Museum

5. As an American, I have a great appreciation for fried foods. The Dutch make some amazing french fries, croquettes, oliebollen (similar to a doughnut), and just about anything from FEBO (a fast food vending machine restaurant). 

6. Everyone speaks English, and I mean everyone. Bus drivers, store clerks, random pedestrians, and market stall workers will all speak English.

7. The trams and buses in Amsterdam are easy to use and very efficient, which allows you to see so much more of the city than on foot. 

8. Toilets are clean and easy to find in restaurants, department stores, and urinals on the street for men. Toilets are hard to come by (free or paid) in most European cities, which is something I took for granted living in the US. In Amsterdam, you typically pay to use the toilet (around 30 cents) but they are usually clean and the store does not care if you buy something.

9. Sometimes when you travel you just want something familiar to eat but still feel like you are experiencing a new culture. Amsterdam is perfect for this. They have amazing things to try that are different but somewhat similar to American foods such as pancakes, cookies, stroopwafel, and apple tart. 

10. There are loads of public places to sit throughout the city, so when you've walked a lot that day you can just sit and watch people go by. It is a delightful way to enjoy the city. 

These are just a few of the things about Amsterdam that stick out to me compared to other cities we've visited. It is hard to not fall in love with this amazing city after just one visit.