Just Landed in London

I went to Christmas market in Brussels last year. It was just okay. I wasn't sure what to expect but I wasn't impressed with their Christmas market. In October, Amy asked me if I want to join her and two other friends to Germany Christmas markets. I heard the Germans know how to do the proper Christmas markets, so I said yes. I wanted a re-do. We booked a ticket to Basel, Switzerland leaving on Friday night and coming back really early on Monday morning. I actually was in Atlanta the Saturday prior and back in London on Friday morning. I decided to take Friday and Monday off. I could have worked but it was going to be too crazy. I slept really well on the flight to London. Thank to the business class flat bed. I was out for 6 hours from the time we took off and skipped dinner. The flight attendant woke me up just in time for breakfast.

After a short nap on Friday afternoon, I still felt tired since I didn't sleep much the night on Wednesday night. I couldn't believe that I was doing this, but this would be worth it. That was I kept telling myself as I was making the trip to Heathrow. I met up with Amy, Jessica and Laura at the terminal. The flight to Basel was short. We flew there because it was pretty cheap, 110 pounds return. We rented a car and checked in to the hotel in Basel that night. The following morning, we had a great and really cheap EUR 5 at the hotel. I was impressed. They had real eggs, sausage, bacon, yogurt, cereal, pastries and fruit. I was pretty determined to eat sensibly for the whole weekend. There were going to be a lot of deep fried, carb loaded and sugary food, but I would do my best to be good.

The first market that we went was Freiburg, Germany. It was about an hour away from Basel. By the time, we parked and walked to the market, it was almost 11AM. Even though Freiburg was a small town, I was really impressed on how big the market was. It was really nice and Christmasy. They had loads of Christmas tree ornaments, home made soaps, wood carving, anything artsy and food & gluhwein.

The first Gluhwein stall that we visited. I had red wine. It was good.

It was raining lightly. Not enough to use an umbrella.

Normally gluhwein is EUR 5, but if you return the mug, you'll get EUR 2 back. Or you can keep it for a souvenir.

I love these paper chandeliers. The color is so bright and cheery.

Kartofelpuffer or German potato pancakes. I had a tiny bite. Crispy shredded potatoes in an egg batter deep fried in oil. You eat it with apple or plum sauce.

This is the only sweet treat I bought the whole weekend. It was a light marshmallow fluff dipped in chocolate. I think I had the cappuccino flavor. They offered at least 10 flavors.

Another gluhwein stall. They're serious in decorating their little shops. Very festive.

We just ran into their regular market.

We drove through Black Forrest region. They're known for their cuckoo clocks. I got myself a cuckoo clock fridge magnet.

After Freiburg, we drove north to Heidleberg, which was much bigger than Freiburg. We checked in to the hotel, which was surprisingly very modern and nice. The nicest hotel I've ever stayed in Europe. Amy and I found this hotel from hotels.com, I don't remember looking at the pictures closely. I just knew the hotel had a good review. We booked a four people room, double bed and a sofa bed that was spacious enough for two. The room also had skylight and hardwood floor.

Sofa bed

They had a tub and standing shower.

We left the car at the hotel and walked to the market, which was about a mile. I bought hand and foot warmers to keep me warm. It was cold but nothing out of the ordinary for December in central Europe.

They sell lots of grilled meat from sausages, burgers, to hotdogs.

Moulin rouge theme

Lots of decorated ginger bread.

We also passed many stores. Their windows were nicely decorated.

I tried roasted chestnuts, which were really great. I love them.

Another stall's decoration that was over the top

This was interesting! Giant snow balls. The layers are like pie crust that was cut into small strips. Some of them have fillings.

Christmas tree with the Heidelberg castle in the background

Meat and more meat!

I took a picture of Amy from inside a store. We were just getting goofy.

I forgot to take a picture but I tried the white gluhwein here. I like it better than the white wine.

Wooden houses

I bought this guy and his friend. One for me and one for my sister. They're so cute and original.

We stopped by at a pub before heading back to the hotel. I just had Diet coke. Two gluhwein in a day was plenty for me. We were in bed around 11PM.

The following morning we drove south to Colmar, France. This town was right off the Germany border, so it had a lot of German influence. The town was so pretty with colorful buildings.

A store decoration that was selling gingerbread and Christmas cookies.

Tintin and Snowy!

I had this for lunch. I just ate the hotdog and sauerkraut with mustard

I took a picture of Amy's beer glass. The girl's head piece, which was like a bat's wing, was Colmar traditional outfit. I got the fridge magnet, with properly covered butt and chest.

We went to the hotel and sat at the hotel bar. Had something like cheesy flat bread to share.

Overall, I was so glad that I went. The markets were great. I hate being out in the cold for hours, but I could say this was worth it.

I still owe one more post on France but I had been hanging around in London since I got back from France in September and couldn't wait to share what I've been doing. London still has a lot places for me to explore and a lot of new things to do. I truly blessed that I get to live here. London is a much more exciting place to live in than to visit. I mean, if you're a tourist, you probably won't be spending much time in the markets, going to concerts and sporting events and visiting the parks. Some of the pictures below were from this Summer in between my travels all over Europe. Hopefully through these pictures, you will see why I love London so much.

Victoria Park in East London. Impromptu picnic with Jessica while watching the dogs and ducks.

London marathon in April. Cheering for Mo Farah, his marathon debut.

Buckingham Palace in full bloom, close to the finish area for the marathon.

Italian Garden in Hyde Park.

Ivy tunnel by Kensington Palace Garden

Kensington Palace Garden in the Spring time.

Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park

Diana's Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park.

Proud peacock in Kew Garden. He knew people were watching him. He put on a good show.

Japanese Garden Regents Park

Regent's Park serenity. I will miss having a summer picnic there.

Queen Mary's Rose Garden in Regent's Park.

Purple is not my favorite color but I can't resist taking this picture. They're so pretty.

Artificial orange tree at Sushi Samba's bar in London.


Impressed with the desserts at Sushi Samba. Soaking the sun in the roof top patio.

My favorite book store in Marylebone. Lots of great books.

I live in Marylebone. It's posh and expensive part of London. I love being a local in this area from going to a bookstore, grocery store, farmer's market on Sunday to borrowing books at the library.

Sometimes I just grabbed a book, sat on a chair under the sky light and read.

The only fish monger in the area.

Fresh seafood.

One of the shops that I frequented. Their food is just okay. I just like the cafe.

Fancy bakery across the street.

Too beautiful to be eaten

Small library in Marylebone.

Wallace Collection, small art museum in Marylebone.

Rembrandt paintings

Macaroon in London is one pound a pop. Ridiculous.

Poppies at Tower of London

Up close and personal while volunteering to plant the poppies.

Each poppy represented each British soldier that died during WW I.

Our shift planted 5,000 poppies in 3 hours.

After my shift was over, I walked to Borough Market for a seafood paella lunch.

Giant meringue cookies.

You can pretty much find any cuisine in London. Lamb tangine with prunes is one of my favorite.

Most museums are free. I'm not a big fan or modern arts but Tate Modern is worth a visit.

Nude Woman in a red arm chair by Picasso

Nude woman with necklace- 1968. It reminds me of Kate Winslet in Titanic.

Salvadore Dali. Full of meaning is the title of painting. Really?

At Tate's balcony, facing St. Paul and looking over the river

Mark Rothko's Black on Maroon. This exact painting was vandalized and after two years of restoration, it was publicly displayed again this summer.

Other Black on Maroon paintings.

The whole room was dedicated for Black on Maroon paintings.

I got to to Ed Sheeran concert in O2.Standard Chartered has a suite and they invited me for events.

His concert was pretty cool. Only him at the stage, no back up dancers & singers.

Kale quinoa, poach eggs with sweet potato 'hollandaise' at Good Life Eating, a vegan cafe.

I got into healthy eating after I read Wheat Belly book mid October. It was really an eye opening. Since then, I cut gluten from my diet. I did cheat three times since then: Naan at Dishoom (Indian flat bread, a piece of cake at the NFL dinner and truffle toast at 2 Michelin star restaurant, Ledbury, which I will talk more later). Not too bad. If you never read the book, just clicked on the link. It explained a lot. I don't replace gluten with non gluten products.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FBy24ssvE

The most American food products I saw at Partridge, complete with American flags.

Part of healthy eating, I made a mean roasted vegetable.

No I didn't eat any of these. Truffle store in East London. Pretty impressed with their selections.

Crazy cat cafe. You can pet kitties while enjoying a cup of tea.

Hackney City Farm. It was a pretty sad city farm.

Lots of chickens. Different varieties.

Two lazy hogs

Cute goat and donkey

My first burger in London. I had been craving it. Replaced the buns with salad.

Nama in Notting Hill.

Have you been to a raw vegan restaurant? I found one in London, Nama. I had been dying to try, I read the menus and reviews several times. I was just really curious. I finally went there with Amelia two weeks ago. The left one is Italian pizza. The base was made from cashew and zucchini. The toppings are olives, sun dried tomatoes, vegan cheese. The right one is zucchini pasta. I really like the pizza. I also like the cheese cake, not too sweet and tart.

Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert: raw and no animal products.

Ottolenghi. Another great finding in London.

Yotam Ottolenghi is an Israeli chef. He has 3 cafes and 1 restaurant in London. They're always packed. He also wrote cook books. I think I found out about his place from a blog. The salad is super yummy and healthy. You can get a plate of one main and several selections of side dishes. I went there with Jessica on a rainy Sunday afternoon. We waited for about half an hour. The seating is mostly communal tables. I ordered salmon, grilled aubergine with yogurt sauce and white cabbage & apple slaw. I was so happy with my choice. Unlike British food, they were well seasoned.

The following week I came back and tried their broccoli (back), butternut squash (left) and aubergine.

Last Friday, Jessica had an extra ticket to Rachmaninoff concert played London Philharmonic Orchestra. Amy grabbed it. I wasn't going to go but I thought, when else would I have a chance to go to something like this after I go back to the US, so I went. The ticket wasn't too expensive, 16 pounds and my seat was the left of the orchestra. Jessica and Amy sat not too far from me. I was pleasantly surprised with their performance. The first piece was all violins. The second one was all instruments but the main star is the piano. The last one called Winter Daydreams was all instruments again. I sat next to a sweet grandma that kept falling asleep. I thought I was going to do the same thing, but I was truly enjoying their performance from start to finish.

London Philharmonic Orchestra at South Bank Centre

The next day was the Lord Mayor day. It was basically a parade around Bank area. I went to St. Paul Cathedral because they had an open house, no entrance fees.

The dome from the outside

Churches in Europe always have beautiful ceiling, this one included.

The dome from the inside

I made food for the whole week. Roasted sweet potatoes with onion and sun dried tomatoes. Egg and asparagus casserole with feta cheese. Kale salad with dates and tahini. I'm inspired by Ottolenghi.

On Sunday Nov 9, I went to my first (American) football game ever, not just any game, but it's the NFL Dallas Cowboys vs. Jacksonville Jaguar at Wembley Stadium. My ticket and pregame dinner reception were courtesy of Bank of America. One of the perks working in Treasury. The ticket was 329 pounds, unbelievable.... The food at the hospitality restaurant was okay. They had a buffet line from carved meat to dessert. They served unlimited wine and beer. I was able to get two tickets. I gave one to another American ex-pat at the office. The bank had a table of 10, and I was the only girl. I wasn't too surprised.

NFL in London has been getting much attention lately. This was the third game this season. It was comical to see people wearing football jerseys even though that team wasn't playing. I saw from 49'ers to Miami Dolphins. When I was climbing the stairs up to the entrance, in front of me was 4 guys wearing Steelers jerseys with white cowboy hats... just to let people know what team they were cheering for the night.

The Jaguars were being introduced

It was Jaguars home game, so we all get the Jaguars team flags. I was looking forward to the Cowboys cheerleaders, but none of them was there.

At the beginning of the game, we sang the national anthem, and we pulled out a color plastic bag assigned to our seats and made the poppies in the background. You'll see them in the picture below.

This Fall I went to see a couple of shows at the west end, which was just a mile from where I lived.

Billy Elliot

Miss Saigon

Matilda

All three shows are amazing. I got good seats too. I would rather spend more to get a good view, rather than super cheap seats that were a mile away from the stage. Besides the Broadway shows, I went to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra in South Bank. This is the first indoor orchestra that I went to. I thought it was going to put me to sleep, like the grandma that sat right next to me, but I really enjoyed the performance. It was amazing.

Last month I had the best and most expensive meal in my life. A bank took us to a 2 Michelin star restaurant, the Ledbury in Notting Hill. I felt like Tom Collichio from Top Chef was going to pop in any minute judging each dish. We had the tasting menu with unlimited wine pairing. Somebody said we had 8 courses, including amuse bouche and palate cleanser. That sounds about right. Everything was so pretty, almost too beautiful to be eaten. I had no idea half of the components. I felt unworthy eating them, because I couldn't list all of the ingredients, let alone the techniques on how to prepare them. Since it was a business dinner, I couldn't take pictures because that was just so tacky, so I found them online.

Our table

Foie Gras Crisp with mead jelly. I never had foie gras before, and this was amazing.

Truffle Toast

Bacon onion brioche

Buffalo milk curd and onion consomme

Ceviche of Scallops, Shaved Kohlrabi, Seaweed Oil and Frozen Horseradish

Our dish was much more beautiful that this, but it's pretty much the same. Fish, mushroom, two ways butternut squash, cubed and pureed.

Breast and Confit Leg of Pigeon, Cherries, Red Vegetables and Leaves

Pre-dessert, Pre Dessert - Fruit Granita and Sweet Custard

Main dessert, chocolate bar with herb ice cream

Post dessert: Juniper Lime Pirouette, sweet and salty.

Another post dessert: Nitro coconut balls

I feel like I'm missing a couple more items. Everything was amazing. We sat in a table of 10 and two of us were vegetarian. Their food looked good too, but ours was better. By the time we got to the pigeon dish, I was done, plus I felt odd eating pigeons. Maybe a bit disgusted because in London, pigeons are like flying rats.

One Saturday, Jessica and I went to Bletchley Park, which was the main campus for was the central site of the United Kingdom's Government Code and Cypher School, which during the WW II. It was just in time for the movie Imitating Game to premier the day prior. They were around 8,000 workers, that were mainly recruited from Oxford and Cambridge University. Mostly were women, since the men went to war. Their jobs were super important and the war would have been 2-4 years without them. What they did was super tedious and required concentration for 8 hours a day. I don't think I would and could do it.