Villa Park

Being a massive football (soccer) fan, I jumped at the chance to head over to Birmingham for the weekend to see an Aston Villa game.  It was really nice to catch up with family who lives there, and Aunty Chris gave us a nice tour around the city centre, which was absolutely packed due to the German Christmas markets that were in town.  The markets were actually pretty good and authentic compared to the markets we saw in Germany and Austria last Christmas.  We also spent some time shopping in the Bullring shopping centre, and went to a nice Indian restaurant on Broad St, a busy district with plenty of restaurants and nightlife.

On Saturday afternoon, we caught the train out to Villa Park for the match.  The train was crammed from wall to wall but the journey was only 10 or 15 minutes, and the atmosphere was positive with many people in their supporter's gear.  Even playing against bottom of the table Sunderland, the stadium was quite full with around 32000 attending.  There was a lot of fuss going on in one corner of the stadium which we later found out was due to Prince William, who is apparently a big Aston Villa fan, being spotted at the game.  Too bad for him, the game ended up being a fairly uninspiring 0-0 draw.  Nonetheless, it was a great experience to be at the game and witness the English passion for football and their home team.

Copenhagen

It's hard to believe, but it's that time of year again. The start of our second European Christmas season was brought to life with a long weekend in the Danish capital of Copenhagen.  Six weeks before Christmas day, this city was just beginning its Christmas celebrations and was doing so in style with markets, music, lights and of course, plenty of glogg (this is a real thing- more on this later).

We started our first morning with some coffee in the Ørstedsparken, looking out over the lake in this park which provides some nature in the middle of the city.  As we explored the city, we found that it to be full of bicycles. We were later told that it was the second most bicycle friendly place in the world (although we live in the most bicycle friendly place, so it was not that impressive...).  A walking tour of the city took us to some really nice sights including Radhuspladsen (the town hall square), Stroget (main shopping street), the scenic harbour Nyhaven and the royal palace district.

In the afternoon we wandered along the edge of the main canal to probably the most recognised Danish landmark, the little mermaid statue.  Everyone who has seen the statue is quick to warn that it is very small, so were were well prepared and not at all disappointed when we saw it, despite the moderate crowd of visitors.

In the evening we explored some of the markets and shops (including the Lego shop), before heading to the Tivoli gardens.  This amusement park complex was starting its annual Christmas festivities on this weekend, and the decorations were incredible.  Every tree was brightly and colorfully lit up, and the Russian themed food hall in the centre was a standout.  The lights and water fountains show was another highlight.  The steaming cinammon, almond and raisin glogg (Danish mulled wine) helped keep us warm despite the chilly breeze.

On our second day we rented bicycles to help us get around the city a bit quicker, and started by cycling to the national museum where we saw a great exhibition about the Vikings.  After lunch, we were lucky enough to find a Christmas bockbier festival at Nyhaven.  The atmosphere was warm and busy as we sampled different types of bock bier on the water's edge, accompanied by a brass band of santa clauses.

Like many other European cities, Copenhagen's skyline has a number of church spires.  One of these is the Church of Our Saviour which we visited and climbed the stairs for a really nice view over the city.  It was incredibly windy and cold though, so we didn't spend too long up there.

We started Sunday morning with a stroll across the bridge to some markets at Ravnsborggade, which were quite disappointing.  It was a nice sunny morning though, so we walked a bit along the side of the canal before visiting the Rundetaarn (round tower) which also had a nice view over the city. By the time stopped for lunch, it was time to leave for the airport for our flight home.

Despite being very expensive, Copenhagen was a great city with a real mixture of old and modern architecture.  Learning about the history of the Danish people and the impact it has had on forming a community of caring, happy people was very interesting.

West End Weekend

As someone who has spent almost all of my life living in Australia, I find it incredible to say that I went to London for the weekend.  But it's true.  On Friday morning we flew to London Luton airport, and by around midday we were at our hotel near Russel Square.

Armed with new oyster cards, our first stop was Westminster Abbey which we ran out of time to see when we were in London last year.  Unfortunately it was just closing, so from there we went to Harrod's shopping mall.  This upmarket centre was incredibly, even inaccessibly opulent.  We spent some time wandering through the foodhall with the beautiful food displays set up in themed rooms.  We've been to a few high end food halls on our travels, including the Galleries Lafayette in Paris and KaDeWe in Berlin which we enjoyed, but found Harrod's too high end and intimidating to actually be enjoyable.

Next we visited St. Paul's cathedral, where we learned about the history of this church that was built after it's predecessor was destroyed in the great fires.  It was well worth the climb up the several hundred stairs to the top of the dome to see the nice view in all directions over London.

View of London from the top of St Paul's Cathedral

Rare blue sky

After a delicious and authentic Japanese meal at a casual little restaurant/diner in West End, it was time for the main event of the weekend- Les Miserables at Queen's Theatre.  Sam is a big fan of this musical (the tickets were her birthday present) so she was pretty excited to see it.  I found it quite enjoyable as well, I particularly liked the rotating stage which they used to add some movement and depth to the performance.

Shaftesbury Avenue

Queen's Theatre

As we missed out on seeing the Westminster Abbey the previous day, we started here on Saturday morning.  There was a lot of history in this church, but it is still playing an active role in the present. Having seen the Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle earlier this year, it was particularly interesting to see the throne under which it was kept for many years, and will return to for future coronations.

Inner Cloister at Westminster Abbey

We had a delicious lunch of Indian curry at the Borough Markets on the South Bank.  These markets were absolutely packed- apparently this is pretty normal but I'm sure that the intermittent rain driving people under the cover was making things even more congested.  We wandered around admiring all the delicious food before settling on a nice big piece of cheesecake.

From there we walked along the South Bank to the Globe Theatre, a reconstruction of the original theatre where Shakespeare made a name for himself in the 17th century.  Although the original was destroyed by fire, the current theatre is built as closely as possible to the original specifications and materials, based on research of the remains and written documents.  It is an outdoor theatre so closes down during winter months due to lack of sunlight hours and unpleasant temperatures, which means there was unfortunately no no shows playing, but the guided tour and museum were quite interesting.

Outdoor stage at the Globe Theatre

Just next door to the the Globe is the Tate Modern, and given that entrance is free we decided to drop in for a few minutes.  Modern art is not really my thing so we didn't spend too long there, but I can appreciate that it is a world class collection. We finished our day with a really nice meal at a French bistro called Cote, and some dessert and drinks at a typical English pub in West End called the Angel & Crown, which seemed to retain some authenticity and coziness despite being in fairly prime tourist area.

St Paul's at night

On Sunday morning we started with brunch at a trendy cafe in the suburbs of East London called Caravan.  The menu looked impressive but it was maybe a bit too popular for its own good- we were seated outside (which was fine until the sun went away and the wind came out), service was extremely slow and the dishes were pretty small portions for the price.  But the coffee was pretty good.  From there we went on the underground to Portobello Road and although the markets were closed, it was still bustling and full of interesting little antique shops.  We then walked the length of Hyde Park, enjoying the fresh air and wide open spaces, until it was time to catch our train back to the airport.

Portobello Road

Hyde Park

London is a great city which I really enjoy going to, although I'm not sure when my next opportunity will be.  Even if we don't manage to make it back here again, we've definitely had a chance to experience some of the best that London has available.