Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s biggest street party!
Do you ever feel like dressing up and dancing in the street? Every August bank holiday weekend the streets of west London come alive with one of the biggest and most colourful celebrations of life imaginable. The much-celebrated Notting Hill Carnival has been partying through west London since 1966 and if you think that sounds fun, just wait until you experience it! Carnival! The Notting Hill Carnival is one of my favourite events in London. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people from the British West Indian community take part in Europe’s largest street party each year. People from Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, British people with family in these nations…
Catching the train from London to Marseille
Did you know it is now possible to get the train direct from London to Marseille? Marvellous Marseille is somewhere I have been lucky enough to visit several times, and I have always flown there. So, when Eurostar launched their direct London to Marseille service and I was planning a trip with a girlfriend (who is afraid of flying), it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. It’s easy to let the UK’s island status make you automatically look for flights whenever you wish to leave the country. Flights are generally inexpensive, making them tempting, but there are also plenty of overseas trips by sea and rail on offer, with…
London’s West End – Theatre capital of Europe
London has an enormous range of evening entertainment. Londoners and visitors are spoilt for choice with restaurants offering every cuisine possible, live music performances and nightclubs catering to all tastes and interests, but what makes London so special to me is London’s Theatreland. With around 40 theatres operating in London’s West End (the area between Oxford Street to the north, the Strand to the south, Regent Street to the west and Kingsway to the east) you can be transported to another time or place for the evening at relatively little cost. With so much variety there is a show to suit every taste. Famous screen actors often feature in classic…
Reasons to move to London
As if the Queen living there wasn’t enough! London is a vibrant and modern city that continuously reinvents itself and stays on top of trends. The city is a den of activity with an array of sports available alongside areas of historical significance and just about every cuisine is available. Why not move to London? City life is not for everybody but London has something that will charm everyone. Here are a few reasons to make London your home, even if only temporarily. Multicultural City London is a city of many people from many places. It is a multi-cultural society with most nationalities represented. This means London is a fairly…
European cities – what not to miss
With so many people, cultures and influences all packed into a relatively small area, it comes as no surprise that Europe boasts some of the world’s most interesting cities. Here are some European cities not to miss. Europe offers a plethora of different towns and cities to explore and enjoy, so how did I choose just the few you see here? The simple answer is that I chose my favourites. We all have different priorities and preferences. These are the things I love about these cities, which are not necessarily capital cities incidentally. Maybe you will agree with my choices, maybe not. Let me know! Nice, France The perfect marriage…
London’s Burning
I was woken yesterday by an sms message from a friend in London saying “Riots!” followed by another saying “London’s getting ransacked!” I had noticed riots in the news over the weekend, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to see, bleary eyed and freshly roused from sleep (about 11pm in the UK). Britain is considered one of the world’s ‘developed’ rather than ‘developing’ countries. It is widely trusted as a stable and safe place. I’m a British expat and generally live my life, wherever I am, comfortably confident that not much changes in Britain while I am away. Over the past few days however, Britain has looked…
Lights, Camera, Location!
It is all too easy to find yourself stuck in a routine and to slowly come to recognise that maybe there is more to life. If there are reasons that you can’t escape the routine just yet, then sit back and enjoy some armchair travel. Be inspired and plan your own adventure. These are some of the movies that have inspired me to travel. The Beach – Thailand This story follows a young backpacker who leaves Bangkok for Thailand’s beaches and discovers an island community where he realises he has a lot to learn. This is probably one of the first travel movies that ‘spoke’ to me. As an impressionable…
London Commuting
“There’s nowt as funny as folk.” That’s a phrase my grandfather used a lot and he’s right. London is definitely the place to be if people-watching is your thing. London seems to be a magnet to such a variety of people and lots of the interesting ones you encounter on the buses. I was inspired to write this post yesterday. Whilst waiting for a bus on the Strand, I was approached by a chap whose hand was smeared in blood. He innocently asked me directions to Waterloo, as if nothing was unusual. The blood made this a bit scarier than the sleeping smelly old tramp who, one day on the…
Have a butchers at Londons markets
Whether you are looking for something specific or just keen to get in amongst the locals and soak up some of the atmosphere, London’s markets will not disappoint. There is always a market on somewhere in London and all sorts of treasures can be found. Keep your ears peeled for cockney rhyming slang too. The phrase ‘Have a butchers’ in my title means ‘have a look’ for example. London has many many markets.I have featured my favourites but there are lots more to explore. Camden Camden town has a thriving market scene. The largest market is by Camden Lock and it is possible to buy just about anything here. There…
Favourite London parks
A French friend of mine living in London, commented to me once that Paris had nowhere near the amount of open park space that London has and that it was one of the things that she loved most about London. Ironic really I thought, when we probably have the worst weather in Europe. Still, the London parks offer a welcome interruption from the cityscape and are free to visit. Interestingly, at the first hint of sunshine (even on cool but sunny days) they are strewn with barely-dressed Londoners desperate to have even a hint of a tan. Hyde Park Hyde Park is the largest in central London and is often…
