Friday, 23 January 2009

Hampton Court Palace and Gardens






Picture 053
Picture 053,
originally uploaded by Sabrina Bravissimo.





Recently, I went to the Hampton Court Palace with my friend Aaron. I became a member of theRoyal Historic Palaces,which includes entry to all the grand palaces in London,plus the privlige of being invited to events unbeknownst to the public.The Five Great Royal Palaces are Kensington Palace,Tower of London, Banqueting House,Kew Gardens, and Hampton Court Palace.



Hampton Court Palace,was the home of Henry VIII, and his
six wives, that's right, six wives. King Henry VIII was desperate to
get an heir for throne, so he fought tooth and nail to get a proper wife
to bear him the proper male heir. Since, in those times it was deemed that only men could rule properly. The irony of it all, was that his daughter, Elizabeth ended up being the finest and most powerful monarch. England prospered and became very powerful and rich under her reign. Unfortunately, her mother Anne Boelyn was beheaded.
















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Saturday, 3 January 2009

My Neighborhood:Bayswater, Notting Hill Gate, Kensington















Currently, I live in Charming Bayswater which is located
2 blocks from Hyde Park in West London.
It's great to live so close to the Park because
on sunny days I can jog or if I am feeling lazy walk in Hyde Park.
Also, on Sunny days,( they do happen even in Winter)
I grab a croissant and a thermos and head down and walk through
Hyde Park and sit on a bench and have a great look at the Swans
and the Ducks and think about what I am going to do today
and think about the great mysteries of life, no, just kidding.


Straight through Hyde Park is Kensington Palace
and right next door, The Orangery.
The Orangery is great for tea and many
fabulous ambassadors and tourists dine there.
If you keep walking through Hyde Park for about 20 minutes,
you land on the corner of Marble Arch and Oxford Street.
Walk one block down and the fabulous and super cheap department
store,Primark is there. Primark, is one of London's great
finds. You can find really cool pajamas for £4 and
great berets for £5. All Londoners know and shop at Primark
for the cool chic clothes and great bargains.



OK, back to Bayswater,the neighborhood where
I have lived in for about 6 weeks now.Bayswater,
is opposite Hyde Park is a great little neighborhood,
filled with great Restaurants,two tube stations
( Queensway and Bayswater), a Skating rink, Casino,
Whiteley shopping Mall that has a Marks and Spencers
and an Odeon movie theater, and even a Tesco. Tesco, is the British
version of Ralphs or Safeway, but to me, it's more interesting
because they have all these great spices I have never seen before
(Morrocan Spices for Cous Cous, Bouqet Garni for Stews is only £1.29



Bayswater is big Arabic village, so many restaurants are Persian,
Middle Eastern and Lebanese. Many restaurants sell Shisha, which is flavored tobacco that you smoke from a Hookah.So, if you 'd like you can smoke your shishah and have some Morrocan Mint tea in these very groovy caravan type restaurants. I say,"No thank you! but you go on smoke your shishah and ruin your lungs see if I care." Anyway, it's a big past time in Bayswater.



If you walk West from Hyde Park on Queensway, make a left on
Westbourne Grove, you end up in chic and trendy Notting Hill.
Notting Hill where the famous movie with Hugh Grant and Julia
Roberts took place. My favorite chic street in Notting Hill is Ledbury
Road there is a Pisarro Gallery, a Dyptique pefumery and many
chic clothing stores. Notting Hill also has the cooleset restuaurant bar,
Beach Blanket Babylon where you can hang from the chandelier
in this ultra trendy restaurant that looks like a boat.



If you keep walking on Westbourne Grove you'll end up on Portobello
Road. Portobello Road is a shoppers paradise, it's about 100 stalls
of antique's and vintage finds.It's an absolute heaven and very fun.
When, I went today they had beautiful Swing Music playing,
which added a glamorous touch of a bygone era. If you continue walking
on Portobello Road for about 15 minutes, you end up at High Street
Kensington make a right and your about minutes to Kensington, another chic place for high end antiques. My yoga studio, The Life Center is close by.
If you walk another 5 minutes, you get to Kensingston Church Street,
Whole Foods London is there, being from California I feel like home
whenever I see Whole Foods, I get very excited. Anyway, Kate Hudson
was last seen there.If you keep walking another 10 minutes you end
up on Embassy Row, where you see the most glamorous and opulent
mansions that house the Ambassadors and the like. When, I went last
Sunday, there was a big riot in front of the Israeli Embassy
to protest the Gaza Attacks. You keep walking on Embassy Row
for 10 minutes (or longer if you want to admire the mansions)
and then you end up on Bayswater Road. Again, Hyde Parker right next to you.


You walk two blocks or as the Brits say 5 minutes and there,
you found my home. During this walk I found out later
they were protesting outside the Israeli Embassy for the attacks
in Gaza.


The whole loop takes about 45 minutes and in the freezing cold
is quite invigorating,energizing and very inspiring. It's Great Excercise
Blokes for burning off all the beer that you drink in the pub.


Cheers !



Beautiful, Eclectic Portobello Road in Notting Hill





















Friday, 26 December 2008

To surf or not to surf that is the question.

When I had planned my trip to London, because
I was right smack dab in the middle of Graduate School
I didn't really have a lot of time or money to plan things properly.
But, one thing I did do that I am really happy about
was sign up a profile on http://www.couchsfurfing.com
My time spent on CouchSurfing was unforgettable and I was inspired
by the open generosity and love of so many strangers.



By the time, I got to London I had a few couchsufing hosts lined up.
That's right, sleep on someone's
couch. When I first heard of the idea from a friend
in Berkeley I thought isn't couch surfing about
some creepy guys trying to get with some willing
damsels? She assured me that was not the case at all,
( although it can happen)and that many of the hosts
are very kind people that have testimonials
and references on their profiles.



Well, I thought can't be all that bad
if my friend, who seems very sensible, thought highly of it.
I put up my profile and researched a few hosts.
So, I thought to give it a shot and signed up with http://www.couchsfurfing.com
Why not? And, to my great surprise I found Couch Surfing
to be a very fun rewarding experience in which I got
to meet many people from all walks of life.




In my couch surfing experience
I met some interesting people and I am glad I visited
London this way, because I was able to see some really
interesting London neighborhoods this way.
Let's say I just was going to visit London and stay
in a posh hotel in High Street Kensington, I would
never get a chance to see how the real Londoners live.



I got to stay in all sorts of neighborhoods with really
weird names. I stayed in Dalston Kingslad with two
British Blokes Richard Herring and Hamish ( from
Scotland). Dalston Kingslad is an interesting neighborhood
in North East London. Not the most desirable neighborhood,but
it was fun and they had this great market, where you can buy
knickers for £1 and avocadoes for 50p. Richard Herring
is a graduate from Oxford. He lived in this flat with his
friend Hamish. Both are pionneers and are creating a media
television show called http://www.http://visionon.tv/




I stayed with two Italians near Liverpool Street, just south of the Thames.
They were really nice and checked up on me when I was sick and brought me
some paracetamol. The weekend I was there one went out of town to Italy and
let me stay in his bedroom. It was nice for a change to sleep in
real bed, instead of a couch. They were really generous and gave
me the keys to their flat so I could come and go as I please.Lucky Me!



What I got to learn is people's different hospitality styles.
Some people were comfortable with me going in the fridge
( I was not particularly comfortable with that because
of the way I was raised),and did not mind if I helped myself
to the pots and pans. One man didn't want me to touch his stuff in the kitchen,
but then he took me out to a really posh restaurant for dinner.
Another man, waited on me hand and foot, cooked
me dinner, made me midnight snacks and porridge for breakfast.



The couch surfing experience was fun, adventurous and
terribly insightful. I would recommend it to anyone.
It's a great way to experience a city,
and see an insiders view. I would have
never got to see those tiny little referigerators
and tiny stoves that everyone talks about
when they visit Europe from America.
Every single house I have been to has one
thing in common, a kettle for tea.




Do, I recommend that women couch surf? Yes,
absolutely !! Everyone, not just women,
should be advised to have plenty of money
and the numbers of other hostels and hotels.
Of course, the phone numbers to taxis.
Just in case, of an unlikely idiot that wants
to take advantage of a damsel. Many,Couch Surfing
Hosts view couchsurfing.com as a dating machine.
Also, keep the numbers of a few taxi, in case
you have to flee in the middle of the night.
Bring a bottle of wine or perhaps
chocolates. Marks and Spencers sells Great Truffles
for about a tenner. Read thoroughly your hosts profiles,
get to know their tastes. Use the time as a couch
surfer as you would if you were an anthropologer.
Study, Observe, Excavate Politely and Learn !
You get to see inside the homes of Londoners,
and this is invaluable experience. Anyone,
can stay in a posh hotel ( or maybe not),but
by slumming it you get a chance to be a real
thinker and adventurer.When you are done try
to send a Thank you note.



Just got started in April 2008.
I am in London now. My first month in London
I stayed with several CS hosts, they were all kind, loving and generous. I am very grateful to the CS community. In addition, I have found that this is a great network to meet people. Since, I am no longer a guest I am meeting friends with common interets.



I think this is a great way to learn about people and especially their culture. Hell, in London, I have stayed with a Chilean man and a Colombiano. I have stayed with 2 British gentlemen Hamish and Richard, they are both super smart and nerdy so we got on famously.



http://www.couchsfurfing.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23023250@N06/sets/72157612823459465/





Here is this cute, sweet Argentinian Juan Vaccari
He's a Phd student and was living with the two
Italian Guys. I am really happy to have met him.











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