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Northbridge, Perth: 14 November 2010

Paul
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Northbridge, Perth: 14 November 2010

Today I quickly popped into Northbridge, which is many things as far as Perth goes. It is a restaurant and cafe area, a nightclub area, and in more recent times, an area where independent artists, designers etc. are encouraged to set up shop.

This update is just a small one, going from a bubble tea shop on James Street then up onto William Street, the Northbridge section of which is Perth’s unofficial Chinatown. I will do a more detailed walk through Northbridge at a later date.

Hi Tea is a bubble tea shop which has a great selection of flavours. I am somewhat obsessed with bubble tea, however in London there are only a few places that do it and it is literally double the price that it is in Perth, with a very limited selection, hence I never really get it in London. The best bubble tea I’ve found in the UK that is on par value wise with what I can get in Perth is in Manchester.

Outre Gallery, one of the funky new galleries that has opened up as part of the East Perth Redevelopment Authorities renovation of all the heritage buildings along this part of William Street. Within a few months, all of the empty buildings will have opened, and there will be a mix of food, clothing and art.

Good Fortune Roast Duck House has by far the best roast duck in Perth, and I was eager to get dinner from here as I haven’t been able to find anything that comes quite as close to this in London.

London: Shopping Tour Of Soho & Covent Garden

Paul
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London: Shopping Tour Of Soho & Covent Garden

London offers visitors some of the best shopping in the world.  There truly is some thing for everyone.  Of the many districts that offer a retail experience to visitor’s Soho and Covent Garden are two of the best – shops, cafes, restaurants, night-life, theatre – it’s all here.

Let me take you on a shopping tour of Soho & Covent Garden, and discover some of the most famous places, as well as some of the places that I think are the best in this part of town.

Soho used to be quite a seedy area, with a very alternative vibe but since, at least the early 1990s, it has been in a constant state of gentrification.  Given Soho’s location between Oxford Street and Regent Street, change was always inevitable. The changes that I noticed even in the time I was living in London were many.  There is still a small red light district and a section with some gay bars but overall things are rather tame these days.

In any case, there is a lot of great stuff to be found in Soho and the whole area has a great vibe. There are a lot of independent shops, and an ever increasing number of great food places to eat at. There are also quite a few good small bars around, although the night-life is a bit tourist focused for my liking, so I don’t really spend much time here at night.

The first stop on this shopping tour of Soho & Covent Garden starts at Golden Square.

When London’s bike hire scheme started these bike stations popped up all over central London quite literally overnight. They are everywhere and are great. Register, get a key, pay, take a bike, drop it off at the nearest station when you are done. Many cities already have a bike hire scheme in place, and it’s a positive step for London. There are always lots of people making use of them.

BAPE (Bathing Ape)

BAPE is a Japanese brand that was founded in 1993.  It’s known for having very unique designs and high quality materials. Although I’ve never actually purchased anything from the store, as visit is worth it if only to check out the great designs and artwork on the clothing.

The Nordic Bakery

The fit-out here at Nordic Bakery is exactly like you would find in Scandinavia. Lots of natural materials and clean, simple lines. Home to, in my opinion, the best cinnamon buns in London, and on par with anything I have had in Scandinavia. Do make sure you come here with an empty stomach though, as the cinnamon buns are very filling!

Whole Foods Market

A small selection of organic foods, but absolutely nothing compared to the global organic supermarket chain’s 2 storey mega-store in Kensington.

Update Mar 2013: Since writing this post, a large, fully stocked Whole Foods Market has opened in Soho, just off Regent Street near Piccadilly Circus.

Vintage Magazine Shop

This place sells, as the sign would suggest, vintage magazines. It’s always interesting to see what was on magazine covers back in the day.

Flat White

Flat White opened up when good coffee and London did not go hand in hand. Started by a Kiwi and and Aussie who wanted, as you can get in Australia, a Flat White. It has a reputation as one of the best coffee places in London and feels just like the ones they have back home.

Flat Whites have become so popular in London that coffee chains Starbucks and Costa Coffee started offering them in 2010.

Sister Ray

Sister Ray is a Soho institution that has been going strong for over 25 years in the same location on Berwick Street. It has an extensive and varied selection of music on offer, and lots of vinyl.

Berwick Street, as close as I could get to the cover of Oasis’ 1995 album ”(What’s The Story) Morning Glory ?” Continuing from above, Berwick Street used to be known for its numerous record stores but, as Soho has changed, high rents have forced most of the independents out, and the street is becoming more trendy, with cafes and bars and higher end ”independents” slowly popping up.

Phonica Records

Just off Berwick Street is Phonica records. One of my favourite record stores in London, Phonica stocks an amazing selection of vinyl and CDs, and lots of rare things that they are constantly sourcing from around the globe. The focus is on all kinds of electronic music, as well as some funk, soul and hip-hop. They also have small gigs downstairs sometimes.

Hummingbird Bakery

The Hummingbird Bakery has a reputation as the best place in London to get cupcakes, importing the craze from NYC a few years back. Tourists flock to this place, and its reputation is well deserved.

The original store is on Portabello Road in Notting Hill, with a second location just up from South Kensington tube station. The third store, this one, on Wardour Street in Soho, opened in 2009 and as is the largest of the three. I couldn’t choose between the signature red velvet or the classic taste of chocolate, so I got both, although I also wish I had tried the new lavender one.

Sounds of The Universe

Another one of my favourite record stores, Sounds of the Universe specialises in funk and soul, and has a lot of old reissues that you won’t find anywhere else in London.

Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur is one of the most famous lingerie shops in the world, and was founded by Joseph Corre, the son of Vivienne Westwood in 1994.

Buaba Eathai

Busaba Eathai is a popular Thai restaurant chain that has outlets all over London.  On some nights, there is a line all the way out the front of the Soho branch.  The food is somewhat watered down for western tastes, but is still very good.

Princi Bakery

Princi Bakery is a boutique bakery from Milan, and has a very good selection of tasty Italian breads, pizzas and cakes. The coffee is top notch too.

Hummus Bros

Hummus Bros started a few years back and now has two other stores. I used to work close to the Holborn Store and often had lunch here. The servings are decent, the food is extremely fresh and tasty, service is excellent, and the prices are reasonable (although outside of lunch it does become more expensive).

Song

Snog is yet another establishment that started a few years ago, and has since expanded to several locations throughout London. The premise is simple. Plain or chocolate frozen yoghurt, with your choice of a multitude of fresh fruit or sweet toppings. Not quite as good as Pinkberry, but still great.

Foot Patrol

Foot Patrol had reputation around the world as being an excellent sneaker store, stocking all kinds of rare sneakers from around the world. They had to close a few years back due to prohibitive rent, but are back (albeit as part of the huge JD sports chain), with a snazzy new store. JD sports have insisted that they will stay true to the ethos of the original independent store, and by first impressions, I cannot argue. There were some amazing sneakers in there.

Now let me move this shopping tour of Soho & Covent Garden into Covent Garden.  Covent Garden is home to lots of shops, cafes and bars, more name brands and generic stores, but still a selection of independents too.

All Saints

All Saints, which is a UK based store that sells a good selection of casual clothing.

Adidas

London’s Adidas Originals store. This store is actually quite disappointing compared to what I have seen in other Adidas Originals stores around the world. All the best stuff is in their Newburgh Street concept store just off Carnaby Street, about a 15 minute walk away.

Fred Perry

One of the many Fred Perry stores in London. This one tends to have some interesting items that aren’t at the other stores though.

Monmouth Coffee

Monmouth Coffee, on Monmouth Street servers some of the best coffee in London. I always buy my beans from here (or their Borough Markets outlet) and many of the good cafes around London also source their beans from here.

These guys know their stuff, and there is a newsletter that is updated every few months with a detailed description of where all their blends are from, how they discovered the blend, what undertones and flavours there are etc. Very, very good.

Sole

Sole has a very good selection of shoes for sale, including a very extensive selection of awesome sneakers, which one needs to try hard to avoid buying unnecessarily!

Reebok

The Reebok concept store. Worth a look in just to play with the pumps on the 1990s throwbacks.

Offspring

Another cool little shoe store. Neal Street, in the time I’ve lived in London, has become more and more of a shoe street. There are a stack more shoe shops on this street that I didn’t take photos of.

Size?

Size? is a great shoe store – there are outlets across the UK and it’s probably the best there is. It’s certainly my favourite of the lot. They have a very extensive selection of Adidas, Nike, Onitsuka Tiger and Puma sneakers and always have great sales on year round.

Pepe Jeans

Pepe Jeans is a great brand that I hadn’t even heard of before I came to London.  Originally a single stall at the Portobello Road Market, they now have stores all over Europe.  They have some really good casual clothes and their prices are very reasonable.

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters is a well known US brand that has a few stores in the UK. They sell all kinds of clothes and random bits and pieces, such as ”the book of farts”, ”Chuck Norris vs Mr. T” other useful/useless things.

Diesel

One of the many Diesel stores in London. Diesel jeans are another item that I have to pull myself away from, as I already own too many pairs.

American Apparel

The popular US clothing label with a focus on sustainable practices and materials.

Hugo Boss

Generally outside of my price range, but sometimes you’ll stumble across a great item on sale.

Ben Sherman

I find Ben Sherman to be very hit and miss. Sometimes they have excellent collections, and other times it can be quite underwhelming. It’s certainly always worth a look in to see what they have on offer at any given time.

Zara

Zara, the global behemoth is always worth a look in to see what they have.

Ted Baker

Ted Baker is one of my favourite brands and has stores all over London.  Their collections are generally always good, and come sale time it’s just unbeatable. This store is two stories, dedicated to men (the women’s store is around the corner), and very dangerous for my wallet.

Paul Smith

Paul Smith has some great clothes without a doubt, but even on sale, they tend to be too expensive for me. The best option for Paul Smith in London is an outlet store they have just off Bond Street. Often the sizes are awkward at the outlet store, but sometimes you can stumble across something great for cheap.

The Tintin Shop

I want to buy a poster from here of one of the covers, in French, but am undecided on which one to get. I’m leaning towards ”The Seven Crystal Balls”.

Now it’s time to move this shopping tour of Soho & Covent Garden out of Covent Garden and close to Leicester Square.

Cyber Candy

Cyber Candy. This is a great little shop, and they always have the favourites, as well as limited edition drinks, candies and chocolates from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Pret

Pret is a chain that is everywhere in the UK. Always a good default option for lunch, the price is decent and the selection of sandwiches huge. They make their stuff fresh on premises each day and donate what’s left to homeless charities at the end of the day.

Pizza Express

Pizza Express is another chain that is everywhere in the UK. I’m generally very picky about my food and quite anti-chain, but to be fair Pizza Express is pretty decent (they do proper pizza not Pizza Hut or Dominos style), and you can often get 2 for 1 vouchers online.

Tokyo Diner

Back up to Soho, the section that abuts Leicester Square, and Tokyo Diner is one of my favourite places to eat in the area. No nonsense, simple Japanese dishes, good quality, decent servings and well priced.

A few of my favourite grocery stores in Chinatown.

This one has expanded its selection massively since I first arrived. They have about 20 types of Iced tea from Hong Kong, and have even started stocking the Yeo’s brand Kaya spread, as I found out today!

HK Diner

HK Diner in Chinatown offers Londoners authentic Cantonese cuisine.  You won’t find it explicitly stated on the menu, but ask for the roast duck on steamed rice and you will be in for a treat.  In fact, there is a “Chinese” menu that differs from the one in English.  That’s where you’ll find the best stuff.

Keep an eye out for “mullet man”, who seems to be working there 24/7!

I hope you enjoyed my shopping tour of Soho & Covent Garden, and the you’ve seen some great tips for whenever you’re in the city.

Update Mar 2013: Looking through this post in hindsight has been quite interesting.  There are certain places not on this list that have become favourites of mine, but it’s still a great list!

Cornwall: 1 – 3 May 2010

Paul
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Cornwall: 1 – 3 May 2010

Cornwall is the most South Western county in the UK, and is a beautiful part of the UK, full of greenery, beautiful country side and lots of amazing coastal walks. The entire county is peppered with small towns and villages, with there only being one actual ”city” in the region. It’s easy to tell that there is a ”Cornish” identity, in the accents, the general way of life in the area, and the use of the Celtic language on signs all around.

This long weekend started in the town of Cheddar, which is actually in the county of Somerset, not Cornwall. The reason to go there was, of course, because it is where Cheddar cheese is from. I did have some cheddar with my lunch at the pub, then it was off to the Cheddar Gorge, which is the largest gorge in the UK and has been the site of human settlements since Neolithic times.

Port Isaac is a small fishing village, which is very pleasant to walk around.

Land’s End is the most south westerly point of the UK, and the most western point of the English mainland. People often walk from here, 1,349 kilometres away to John O’Groats in Scotland, which is the longest distance between two points in the UK. In recent years the area behind the building in the picture immediately below has had a lot of gimmicky things installed but there is no need, when the area is so naturally stunning.

Just west of Penzance is the Minack Theatre. In 1929, a local village group of actors had staged A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream nearby, and the owner of a nearby house offered to stage their next play, The Tempest in her garden overlooking the ocean. Over the years Rowena, along with her gardener, slowly built the garden up into the present day theatre, which is still used today.

Lizard Point is the most southern part of the the English mainland.

Falmouth is one of the larger towns in Cornwall.

Padstow was traditionally a fishing port, but is now a popular tourist destination, with restaurateur Rick Stein having several establishments here. I had a traditional English breakfast at his cafe, which while decent, was nothing spectacular. His patisserie however, was very good and on our group’s quest to find the best scone in Cornwall, the best by far was from here. The walk along the coast, which forms part of the ”South West Coast Path”, is stunning.

Paris: 14 November 2009

Paul
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Paris: 14 November 2009

The final day of my Paris trip, and a relatively manageable number of photos this time!

We start at the Musee du Louvre, which the most visited, and one of the largest, museums in the world. The collection is obviously massive, and covers many eras of human history. The original building began as a fortress in the 12th century and has been expanded and modified several times. The most recent additions are the pyramid structure above ground, which was completed in 1988 and the inverted pyramid, which was completed in 1993.

Just up from the Louvre, is some of the most upmarket shopping in Paris. On Rue Royal is the Ladurée pâtisserie, which has been selling all kinds of delectable delicacies since opening in 1862. Ladurée is where the Macaron was invented. It is one of my favourite pâtisseries in the world, and its creations are to die for.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica is located at the top of Montmartre. Amazing views across Paris can be had from here. The is the route up that many take, which is to walk or take a lift from Anvers Metro station, passing through numerous tourist stalls and street vendors selling ”lucky beads”, or the alternate route which is a fascinating walk from the Red Light district, up through the many artistic, narrow streets and public squares to the top. The latter is, as expected, a much more rewarding choice.

Paris’ red light district is quite small. The area is generally devoid of tourists, except for, of course, the Moulin Rouge.

Paris: 13 November 2009

Paul
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Paris: 13 November 2009

Day two of my Paris trip, and we start at Liège metro station, changing trains at Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau station, before exiting at Châtelet station, which is a short walk from the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, famous as being the focal point of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, ”The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.

Across to the left bank the river Siene is the Quartier Latin. This is a lively area with lots of bistros and bars, and in the area are many educational institutions, including the Université de Paris, which was founded in the mid-11th century. Today, it is actually 13 autonomous universities.

The Pantheon is a neoclassical building, the façade of which was modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. It contains the remains of distinguished French citizens.

The Jardin du Luxembourg is a large park in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It is the Garden of the French Senate, which itself is housed in the Palais du Luxembourg. This is one of my favourite parks in the world. It is absolutely beautiful and so calming to walk through. There are tree lined walkways, statues, a lake, and lots of activities like tennis and basketball courts and merry-go-rounds.

A bronze model of the Statue of Liberty used by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi as part of the preparatory work for the New York statue is in the park.

Leaving the park, we walk along Rue de Rennes towards Gaite Metro Station. I cannot remember the name of the little street with all the shops, but there were a lot of varied shops as you can see. One of the things that I love about Paris is that they appreciate good food. Quality and taste is important, and there are independent stores all over the city, selling specific types of produce and products.

Pont Alexandre III is an amazingly ornate, grand bridge across the river Siene. It was built between 1896 and 1900 and named after Tsar Alexander III who concluded the Fraco-Russian alliance in 1892.

Across the bridge on the northern bank of the Siene are the Grand Palais and Petit Palais. They were built at the same time as Pont Alexandre III, and are of the same architectural style. The Grand Palais was built as the exhibition hall for the Paris exhibition of 1900, and the Petit Palais was built for the Universal exhibition of 1900.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is arguably the most famous avenue in Paris. It is full of luxury shops, cinemas and cafes and is quite amazing. It is one of the most expensive streets to rent along in Europe and runs for 2 kilometres, from the Place de la Concorde in the east, to the Arc de Triomphe in the west.

The Place de la Concorde is the largest public square in Paris and contains many statues. The obelisk in the centre was donated by the Egyptian government in the 1833, and used to mark the entrance to the Luxor temple in Egypt.

To one side of the Place de la Concorde is Rue de Rivoli, another famous street in Paris, which is home to some of the most high end brands in the world.

Le Marais has a strong Jewish population, and more recently has become known for its gay community. It’s quite a vibrant area, with lots of cafes, restaurants and bars.

As I mentioned in my last Paris update, I love getting food from this part of Paris. This roast beef was simply divine.

Paris: 12 November 2009

Paul
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Paris: 12 November 2009

I was looking through some of my photos and realised that I never posted anything on here from my visit to Paris in November last year!

I took an absolute truckload of photos, and it was the first time that I had used my new camera so some of the photos are not quite as good as they should be, but they show something that I want to share so I will still post them in any case. Given the large number of photos, I will split this update into three over the week, with a post for each of the three days that I was there.

Paris truly is an amazing city. It is the only city in Europe that I have visited multiple times, and I always want to go back. The food is absolutely amazing – quality and taste are clearly at the forefront of French cooking, and with centuries of intricate technique to draw up, it is no wonder that French food has the reputation that it does.

As for the city itself, it is such an amazing city to simply wander around and lose yourself in. There is so much beauty and atmosphere.

As for the French people, well yes it is difficult to communicate as an English speaker but as long as one makes the effort to know a few phrases and at least try, I find that the Parisians are just as accommodating as anyone else. I think it is perhaps the French attitude that turns people off. They have an amazing culture and history, and are very proud. They do things their way and if you don’t like it, they don’t particularly care. If you appreciate the attitude of the French within this context, then you’ll realise that it’s not necessarily a bad thing!
We start at the Rome Metro station. Nothing particularly special about this station, it’s just close to where I was staying.

Next is the Trocadéro Metro station. The name comes from the Palais du Trocadéro, which used to stand on the site until its demolition in 1937. Today, the Palais de Chaillot stands on the site. It is where the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, and was the first NATO headquarters.

From the Palais de Chaillot, is a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. The tallest building in Paris, it was built in 1889 as an entrance arch for the World’s Fair, marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. Today, it is the single most visited paid monument in the world, but interestingly, it was considered an eyesore when constructed and the plan was for it to be demolished after 20 years. In fact the only reason that it wasn’t demolished was because of its use a communications tower. Needless to say, retaining the tower turned out to be the right decision!

The Parc du Champe de Mars is the park on which the Eiffel Tower was constructed. It is named after the Campus Martius (“Mars Field”) in Rome, a tribute to the Roman god of war, and used to be used for military drills.

We head down Boulevard Garibaldi and some of the surrounding streets before reaching Montparnasse. Montparnasse doesn’t have much for the tourist, and contains a mixture of commercial and artistic uses. My reason for coming here was to eat at a little place called Crêperie de Josselin, which is a very traditional crêperie that sells arguable the best crêpes in Paris. It’s very local and there are never any tourists around here, which is always a positive.

Next is Denfert-Rochereau. The reason for coming here was to see the famous underground Catacombs of Paris. Unfortunately, they were closed to the public due to the continuing actions of some vandals over the prior months. Luckily I had been before but for my dad, it was a big disappointment not to be able to see them. We walked around the area for a little bit, and stumbled upon this building which appeared to be some sort of arts school.

In the area, is the Cimetière du Montparnasse. The cemeteries in Paris are really beautiful, haunting places, and some of them are tourist attractions in their own right due to famous people who are buried there. Serge Gainsbourg, amongst others, is buried here.

We then headed to the Bastille. The Bastille was a prison, and was stormed on 14 July 1789, and act which is generally considered to signify the start of the French Revolution. The site is now home to the Opéra Bastille, and the July Column.

Rue de la Roquette has nothing of note for the tourist, but it is home to my favourite boulangerie and boucherie. Seriously good meat and bread and, because it’s not in a touristy part of town, the prices are very reasonable. I stayed near here the first time I visited Paris and on this occasion, made a special occasion to head out here to get dinner each night. The food really is that good and although other great affordable places must exist in Paris, I haven’t been able to find anything of that quality, for that price anywhere else.

Finally, is the great department store Galeries Lafayette, and some nearby streets. The food hall in Galeries Lafayette is to die for, and has a larger selection of anything you could ever want than anywhere else. Some of the prices are obscene, but it is heaven to walk through. The Christmas displays in the windows outside were some of the best I have ever seen anywhere in the world.

Perth, Scotland: 5 April 2010

Paul
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Perth, Scotland: 5 April 2010

About a 50 minute train from Edinburgh is the City of Perth. The only reason I went here is because I’m from Perth in Australia.

Perth, Australia, was named after Perth, Scotland, at the wish of Sir George Murray, who was in 1829 when Perth, Australia was founded, Secretary of State for the Colonies and Member for Perthshire in the British House of Commons.

The name Perth derives from a Gaelic word for wood or copse, and Perth, Scotland was granted the Royal Burgh Charter by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1210. There are banners for the 800th anniversary of the city everywhere.

The city itself was very nice and quaint. There is nothing particularly of note for a tourist in the Perth city centre itself, however Scone Palace, which was the original home of the Stone of Destiny and the site of the coronations of the Kings of Scots from 1114 to 1651, is only a 20 minute walk from the city centre. I could have sworn it was further away when I was there, and I didn’t visit, however Google maps clearly shows it to only be a 20 minute walk!

All these photos are from the very small city centre, except for the last few which are just outside. As for the photos of the three street signs, you’ll have to be from Perth, Australia to appreciate it.

Scottish Highlands: 4 April 2010

Paul
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Scottish Highlands: 4 April 2010

On the Sunday, I did a Highlands tour. Since I was only up in Scotland for a short time and was by myself, I figured that a tour would be the best way to go. There was nothing wrong with the tour per se – it covered a large area and the guide was very knowledgeable, however it confirmed to me that tours are not really my thing. We would drive past areas that looked amazing, that I really wanted to stop in, and come time for lunch or a meal break, we’d stop at some token tourist spot and spend far too long there. I’d much prefer to hire a car and just explore with a few friends.

In any case, the scenery was very beautiful, and the pictures are more descriptive than my words could ever be.

The first stop was Callander. Nothing of note really, I guess you would say this was a transition part of Scotland, just before the landscape changes and becomes the highlands proper.

Glen Coe was the next stop. The Massacre of Glencoe occurred in the early morning of 13 February 1692. It’s quite an interesting tale, and revolves around clan rivalries and allegiances to kinds and the like. In short, Alastair Maclain, 12th Chief of Glencoe, was a day late is signing his allegiance to King James. James, not receiving the allegiance on the deadline, decided it would be a good idea to make an example of the Maclains by destroying the entire village and everyone in it. What a nice chap.

Next, is Fort Augustus and Loch Ness. I was surprised at just how un-touristy this area was. Perhaps it’s not the usual stop off for Loch Ness? In any case, the Loch itself is very beautiful, but to be honest some of the ones the bus whizzed past looked even more impressive. What I found quite interesting was the Caledonian Canal. Because the Highlands are so mountainous, in 1803 it was decided to build a canal system to connect all the Lochs of ”The Great Glen”. It also provided much needed employment in the area at the time.

The canals contain locks. What happens is that boats enter the canal , then the locks are opened which adjusts the water level to be even. This happens for a few locks in a given section of the canal, and allows boats to travel from loch to loch despite the fact that they are at different levels. Probably not the best explanation, but it was rather interesting to see.

Finally, we stopped in a town called Pitlochry. Quaint and charming, but it was late on Sunday, everything was closed and the line to the toilet was longer than the time we were stopping.

Edinburgh: 2 – 3 April 2010

Paul
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Edinburgh: 2 – 3 April 2010

Over the Easter long weekend, I decided to head up to Scotland, basing myself out of Edinburgh. I will do another blog post with the other parts of Scotland next.

So many people that I know were always going on about how Edinburgh was such a great city. I am happy to say, that it more than lived up to the hype. Due to what can only be described as ignorance on my behalf, I had assumed that Edinburgh would be very similar to the English cities that I had visited. While there are certainly similarities, it is noticeably different – kind of like England but with more of a mainland European influence, probably owing to the fact that for much of Scotland’s history, it had very strong trade ties with countries that were nearby by boat, such as the Netherlands and Norway.

All in all, there was lots of impressive old architecture, lots of construction and a real link to nature in the city. Very, very nice and impressive.

First, is a stretch of road which leads from Haymarket down to the end of Shandwick Place and into the heart of the city. All those roadworks are related to the new tram that is being installed, which will run from the Harbourfront, all the way through the main parts of the city and to the airport. Despite the usual complaints from people about how it was going to cost too much, and disrupt the roads and traffic while being constructed, they went ahead with the project and when done, it is very obvious to see that it will be of great benefit to the city.

The first church is St John’s Episcopal Church and the second is the Parish Church of St Cuthbert. In the background are the Princes Street Gardens, and Edinburgh Castle. The cool night, falling sun and cemetery all came together to create a very atmospheric vibe.

Princes Street is the main shopping street in Edinburgh. It is impressive in that all the shops and buildings are on the North side of the road. The South side contains Princes Street Gardens, and amazing views of the Old Town, Edinburgh Castle, and the big valley in between, as well as the beautiful Gardens and its statues.

For anyone who has seen the film Trainspotting, the chase in the opening scene is along Princes Street.

Next we get to Leith Street, and a series of streets which together are known as ‘Leith Walk’. Currently in the process of urban regeneration Leith was historically been the home to the dark underbelly of Edinburgh. Crime, drugs and prostitution were the area’s hallmark and up until 2001, the police had designated it and ”official tolerance zone”. You can see how the area changes as I head further down the walk. The regeneration can be seen everywhere, from the tramline, to abandoned buildings being readied for restoration or demolition and various other things. Leith has an interesting character to it, with lots of interesting people and little stores. Hopefully the regeneration doesn’t completely destroy that.

Just off Haymarket the next day, I ventured down some side streets, past a new office area, to Edinburgh Castle. There was a Farmer’s Market set up and this had lots of tasty looking foods from local growers, farmers and businesses.

I could write a LOT about Edinburgh Castle, and there is a lot to learn by walking about there. This is a good example of a tourist attraction. Lots to see, lots to read, but all done very tastefully with proper preservation in mind. It might be the most popular tourist attraction in Edinburgh and full of tourists, but it does not feel ”touristy”. Something that the leaders in Hong Kong should have taken note of before destroying the authenticity and vibe of the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery.

The castle is built atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Humans are thought to have lived on the site from as far back as the 9th century BC, and there has been a royal castle of some description on the site since the 12th century, with many additions, destruction in sieges, rebuilding etc. occurring over the centuries. Certainly not to be missed when visiting Edinburgh, just make sure you get there early as the lines after 10 am are insanely long!

At the Southern foot of the castle, is a series of roads collectively known as the ”Royal Mile” which runs from the castle down to Holyrood Abbey. The mile is full of amazing old buildings and architecture, and also full of touristy shops. There are lots of little laneways and interesting things to discover just off the mile.

*nerd mode on* The father of economics. How exciting! *nerd mode off*

Scotland had a parliament from the Middle Ages, but when the United Kingdom was formed in 1707, the parliament was dissolved. Following a referendum in 1997, the Scottish parliament was re-established and first sat in its new form on 12 May 1999. Without going into too much detail, the fact of the matter is that the Scottish parliament can make a range of decisions without recourse to the UK parliament, giving the country a greater degree of autonomy than it previously had.

The first building below is the parliament building, which opened in 2004. It was highly controversial, but is generally regarded as a modern architectural masterpiece. An early goal of the design was to open the building and its public spaces, not just to Edinburgh but to a more general concept of the Scottish landscape, and it aims to blend in with the nearby Holyrood Park and Abbey, which form part of a greater UNESCO heritage listed site.

Holyrood Park (and Duddingston Loch) is simply amazing. I didn’t even know that it existed, and only visited it because I saw it when walking down the entire length of the Royal Mile. It is an array of hills, lochs, glens, ridges, basalt cliffs. The pictures below say more than any words of mine could.

Walking back down past the Scottish Parliament, are Holyrood Palace and Holyrood Abbey, which were both closed for some reason, so unfortunately not much in the way of photos here. I fittingly walked down Easter Road to check out the Harbour front. Up until very recently, this was part of the run down area of the city and there wasn’t much to entice anyone other than dockworkers and rough characters to the area. As discussed above with Leith (which is right next to the docks), the area is changing rapidly. Scotland, long an exporter of great seafood is starting to take its food more seriously and there are a lot of new restaurants around here that make the most of the access to great, fresh seafood. I wanted to try the Michelin Starred ‘Kitchin’ but alas it was well out of my price range, especially given my tight budget on this trip.

Heading back up through Leith, this is the end of the town that was really rough and it was obvious just walking around.

Back up to the part of Leith Walk and Princes Street from the previous night, but with a slightly different take.

London: 28 February 2010

Paul
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London: 28 February 2010

Today, I walked around The City of London, which is also known as ‘The Square Mile’ owing to the fact that its boundaries have remained the same since the Middle Ages, around one square mile. In Medieval times, the City was the entirety of London. Today, it is one of the world’s global finance and business hubs. I focused on the eastern half of the city, before walking through Aldgate and up Brick Lane.

Starting at 110 Bishopsgate, is the Heron Tower. When completed, it will be the tallest building in the City. According to Gerald Ronson, Chief Executive of the developer Heron International, Heron Tower will be the first “six-star” office development in the City. It will feature a concierge-style entrance and reception area, incorporating a 70,000 litre aquarium with a shark and 1,300 other fish. There will be a restaurant and sky bar – both open to the public – on floors 38-40.

Just a short walk from Heron Tower, is 30 St Mary Axe aka the Swiss Re Building aka the Gherkin. The site was, from 1903, home to the Baltic Exchange Building, which was Grade II Heritage listed, and was considered one of the finest examples of Edwardian architecture in the world. In 1992, the building was heavily damaged by an IRA bombing. A lot of pieces of the building were put into storage but, after years of trying to negotiate though complex regulations, the owners gave up on rebuilding, the heritage listing was officially removed, and what was left of the building, including its famous trading hall, was dismantled piece by piece and put into storage. An Estonian businessman bought the pieces a few years back and the building is going to be rebuilt, piece by piece, in Tallinn.

The Gherkin itself opened in 2004 and was widely considered as the best example of modern architecture that year. It is currently the 6th tallest building in London.

122 Leadenhall Street is currently a blank development site. The old building there, from 1969, was demolished in 2008, to make place for 225 metre ”Cheese Grater”, an unusual, wedge-shaped tower. With the onset of the global financial crisis, construction was put on hold. In the background is the Lloyd’s building.

This site was originally home to the mighty East India Company. It was one of the most powerful corporations in the world during the British Empire’s peak, and had a monopoly on trade with India. It was the company’s armies that became the armies of British India and the company played a pivotal role in converting the language of the region from Persian to English.

The Lloyd’s building which now stands on the site was completed between 1978 and 1986. The building was innovative in having its services such as staircases, lifts, electrical power conduits and water pipes on the outside, leaving an uncluttered space inside. The twelve glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK.

The Leadenhall Market dates back to the 14th century. It was closed today but in any case apart from the beautiful and ornate architecture, the market retailers are a mixture of clothing and food chains, the same ones which are found all over London. Nothing inspiring and the use of the word market is rather misleading.

After I saw all the buildings that I had aimed to see, I just wandered around Fenchurch Street and headed to Aldagte, on the eastern border of the city.

I thought this was funny, those who aren’t aware of 90s Australian pop music will probably be scratching their heads.

It is quite amazing that only a stone’s throw away from some of the most amazing buildings and headquarters of some of the most influential companies in the world, lie dirty back streets and council flats. This is in Aldgate, right on the border of the City and Tower Hamlets, officially becoming ”East London”. Inevitably, signs of change are evident here though. There are several empty sites where new office developments and apartment complexes are going up. It is surprising that, given its proximity to the city, this part of London has not been cleaned up and become expensive sooner.

The Romans built a wall around Roman London. The name is derived from Ale-gate, literally open to all, because, unlike at all other city entrances, no tolls were exacted at this gate.

Having walked up Whitechapel road, we come to Brick Lane. I have already discussed this area in one of my earlier blog posts, but will use this opportunity to show the area at night, as well as focus on some of the street art (and not so artistic graffiti) in the area.

This place has a reputation for having the best Pakistani sweets in London. I can’t say that I disagree. Lots of sweet, colourful, syrupy goodness to be had.

Mr. Katz came back to find what was once a Jewish neighbourhood somewhat changed.

The Sunday Up Market sells a variety of food, clothes and the like. It has a good vibe, but I’m not convinced about the food. The Asian selection is the usual beef and black bean, sweet and sour etc. Even though I don’t know much about some of the other foods there, if the Asian food is unauthentic, I would suggest that the other food is too. In any case, it’s packed and people are enjoying themselves and that’s all that matters – just don’t ask me to eat there!

This place is practically an institution. The food is cheap, there is some good variety, it tastes great, and is open 24 hours. What more could one want? Plain Beigel with cream cheese for 90p – can’t go wrong.

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