Too much tennis?

Our fave part of Wimbledon -
this quintessential Wimbedon umpire
should have been on Centre Court!  

We have become obsessed with tennis during our travels, both playing and watching.   So, naturally, we were eager to head to Wimbledon to see the Grand Slam tournament in action.

Unfortunately, tickets are not easy to come by and, if you are not lucky enough to win them in the Wimbledon lottery at the start of the year, the cost for tickets can be around $1,000. So, naturally, buying tickets in advance was not going to be for us.

Luckily, Wimbledon has a number of "day of" tickets to allow eager tennis watchers to see some games.  They offer both show court tickets and day passes.

If you want to purchase tickets for any of the show courts, you actually need to line up the night before and camp out in line overnight.  This too was not for us.  

Instead, we opted for the "day passses" which allows you to enter the grounds and watch the less publicized matches on Courts 4 through 19.  Even these passes require an early start, with the 5,000 day passes selling out before 7am.  These day passes can resurface throughout the course of the day, however, as people leave the grounds.  The tickets are then resold.   Thus, if you can get there by 4pm, you can usually get tickets for the later scheduled matches.

So enthusiastic about watching the tennis, we had planned to go one day after work and then take one full day off work.  The first day, we arrived at around 4pm to the "shortest queue" they had enjoyed since the beginning of the tournament and were considered fortunate to grab queue tickets numbered 11,660 and 11,661 that day!  This "short" queue to get in still took over an hour and a half and, once inside the grounds, everything else had a long line too.  There were queues to get seats on the smaller courts, queues to get food, and even queues to get a spot of grass to watch the big television screen showing the Centre Court match.  So many queues!

All the queueing, paired with the very grey and misty weather, made us less enthusiastic about getting up at 4am to queue again the next day.  As such, we devised a new plan and decided to go to one of the outdoor 

screens around London that were televising the matches.

As such, we awoke at normal time, had a wonderful vegetarian breakfast and then headed over to Cardinal Place near Victoria Station.  Worried about getting a seat, we arrived early (and ready to queue) only to find that there were still plenty of seats available.  The weather even grew sunny as the Djokovic match began and we spent the next few hours comfortably watching the match unfold.  After the match, we even had time to head over to Hyde Park for a tennis match of our own before heading out to a play that evening.  It may not have been our original game plan, but this was certainly an awesome way to experience a day of Wimbledon!

Play it again...

We went to see the new play, Skylight, this past week.  It was only after we arrived that we realized it was Reporters' Night.  Naturally, the scene was abuzz and there was not an empty seat in the house nor an open space in the reception area of this small theatre.  

Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy, the two leads, were superb.   Although their age split was probably far wider than originally designed, the two pulled off a very convincing and heartfelt relationship while actually making a spaghetti dinner on stage!

In retrospect, there is a good chance we have overdosed on theatre while we have been here.  We have already seen 11 plays and have 2 more planned.  But the opportunity to see so many acting greats like Angela Lansbury, Kathleen Turner and the cast of Skylight perform in person has been just too tempting.  If only we could be so passionate about going to the gym....


Our favourites:

Beth - Miss Saigon (as powerful now as it was 25 years ago!) and Bakersfield Mist
Geoff - Wicked (5th time and still loving it...)

The wild crowds at Skylight, with Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy

A lazy Saturday?

Without anything booked and with a beautiful day unfolding, we decided to enjoy a casual Saturday wandering around London and taking in some of the sites.

We started off heading over to Tower Bridge.  The bridge itself, built in the late 1800s, is a site to see but it also offers spectacular views of the Tower of London and its architectural contrast with the developing business district buildings such as the Shard, the Cheese Grater and the Gherkin.  

A nice stroll along the Thames led us to Burrough Market, a bustling food market where the locals go to pick up their supplies for the week and perhaps stop for a quick bite and drink along the way. Perhaps because we don't cook and thus don't appreciate the freshness or sophistication of some of these items, we were somewhat underwhelmed and, after enjoying a Pimm's and champagne cocktail while drooling over the most enormously-sized chocolate chip cookies, we left empty-handed to find a nice place on the water for lunch.

After taking a quick peak at the Globe Theatre, we continued our stroll and stumbled upon Gabriel's Wharf, an utterly charming collection of independent retail shops and restaurants housed in converted old garages.  The Wharf was opened in the late 1980s to bring attention to the south side of the river and is credited with signalling the "rebirth" of the South Bank.  It was packed full of locals out relaxing in the sunshine.  

A little further down the river and we ran into skateboard parks, food vendors and even a comedy festival before hitting the London Eye.

It turns out that even a "lazy Saturday" in London can be full of so much activity!

Celebrating 2 years...

For several past London visits, we have tried to book Afternoon Tea at the Berkeley Hotel only to be told that we need to book months in advance to secure a spot.  Actually knowing our travel itinerary in advance this visit, we took advantage and booked ourselves a table to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

The Berkeley Hotel is famous for its unique afternoon tea, Pret-a-Portea, designing its pastries to resemble the latest catwalk fashions.  Pastries feature designers such as Christian Laboutin, Victoria Beckham, Oscar de la Renta and the like, highlighted in the guide that accompanies the pastries.

Although its savory starters are a little less extravagant, the sweet treats are delightful and make you forget that you won't be able to fit into any of these beautiful fashions after eating these several trays of baked goods...

An awesome warm-up...

The Aegon International is one of the warm-up events for Wimbledon.  Having developed a passion for tennis-watching at the French Open and wanting to visit some good friends who lived near the stadium, we were thrilled to have a chance to head to Eastbourne for the event.

Dear friend, Sonja, picked us up from the train and bravely navigated the packed streets looking for parking.  Once we actually got into the stadium, however, the crowds were barely noticeable.  In fact, our seats turned out to be in the first row of centre court and we honestly could have whispered tips to the tennis players (if only we knew some advice to give) we were so close.

Not only was the main court intimate and relaxes but the lower game and practice session courts were so casual you could actually just grab one of the folding chairs from the stack and pull up a seat to watch.  

But the main event - the tennis itself - was incredible.  One of the big games - top seeded Radwanska versus Paclyuchenkova - was a nail biter.  The frigid weather did not diminish their resolves to win as they battled out each game over the three sets (6-4, 3-6, 7-6).  The final nod went to Pacyluchenkova who, although lower in rankings, seemed to have a slightly better command of the court that day.  Unbelievably, she went on to play a doubles match that afternoon!

To top off this great day, we headed back to Waldron for a lovely catch-up and dinner with Maxine before taking the train back to London, exhausted but very satisfied.

A Chorus Line...

As if we haven't seen enough theatre while we were here, this weekend we attended West End Live, a celebration of London's theatre scene.

In its 10th year, this event showcases 20 minute performances of each of London's musicals.  The event has grown so popular they have had to move it to Trafalgar Square to accommodate all the people.

Musicals included Thriller Live,  Les Miserables, The Commitments, Miss Saigon and the like.  Because of its anniversary, the event also brought back some of its former biggest crowd pleasers such as Chicago and AvenueQ.

The weekend weather was perfect and the crowd enormous.  And the music fantastic.  Our favourite part, however, was watching all the members of the audience sing along with every word of every song performed.  People definitely love their theatre here. Us included!

A day at the races...

A few months ago, we applied to the Canadian Embassy on the off-chance that we might get lucky and be awarded tickets to the Royal Enclosure at the Royal Ascot horse races.

We were thrilled when we received the notification that we had been selected to receive tickets.

Our elation was quickly followed, however, by the realization that we were woefully unprepared for the event and had none of the required wardrobe to even be allowed into the enclosure area.

Lucky again, we found several places around London for Geoff to rent a morning suit and even found a place for Beth to hire a hat for the day.

Outfitted in our best hired clothes and wearing our personalized entry pins, we hopped on the crowded train to Ascot to collect Beth's hat from a random lady in a random car park and then head into the races.    

As we entered the race grounds, we felt almost like we had stepped back in time.  There was a band playing in the bandstand, vendors selling betting tickets and concessions and hats galore.  At the end of the day they even had a sing-song with tunes of yore and flags for everyone to wave!

Although the official program didn't start until 2pm, they advise you to arrive early to enjoy the grounds and activities.  A bit suspicious at first about how we would pass the time, we were amazed at how quickly three hours could pass just wandering the grounds, especially as we quickly ate our high-brow Pizza Express lunch standing up.

There are three different areas of the race grounds.  It is odd to look down the field and see two of the areas totally packed and the third area, the Royal Enclosure, comfortably spacious and with plenty of available seats so not to feel too overcrowded!

We were lucky to grab some front row seats on the balcony right before 2pm to watch the Queen and her royal entourage arrive in horse and carriage.

And then the races began...

There were six races in total.  Four were invite-only and two were open to any horse.  No matter what type of race, the crowd was electric,  watching focusedly and up off their seats as the horses made their final turn.

The races themselves were the only time that day we were weren't lucky - having abyssmal success picking the winners.   A small price to pay for such a memorable day.

A spot of tea...

Although we have not had the best luck finding delicious vegetarian restaurants here, we have not been disappointed by London's afternoon tea spots.  What a civilized way to spend an afternoon!

Eager to try out one of London's iconic department stores and tea salon, we booked a tea at Fortnum and Mason's flagship store on Piccadilly Street.  

Fortnum and Mason was first opened in 1707 and is reknowned for its loose leaf teas and its gorgeous picnic hampers, which can range in cost from 40 to 25,000 pounds!

The tea room itself was calming and bright, although perhaps a little bigger and more commercial feeling than we expected.  But the food (and the tea) was delightful and we nibbled and drank for the next few hours, taking in the scene.  We left satisfied, although perhaps in a bit of a food coma, and, with our leftover pots of jam in hand, headed right to the grocery store for some vegetables to try and balance out all of the cakes we had just devoured.

How Royal!

One of the best parts of living right in the heart of the London action is our proximity to all of the seasonal events.  This weekend, for example, was the Trooping the Colour parade in honour of the Queen's birthday. Although the Queen's birthday is actually in April, the annual June parade marks the official birthday of the British Sovereign.

The parade is Britain at its finest.  The Queen travels down the Mall from Buckingham Palace in a royal procession escorted by the Household Cavalry.  Once arriving at the grounds, she inspects all of foot guards, horse guards and the royal artillery and a massive ceremony of marching and music ensues.  Once this is all complete, they all then parade back to Buckingham Palace where the entire Royal Family congregates to watch a 41-gun salute.

To celebrate, we found a quiet spot among the masses to watch some of the parade and, after a short while, headed back to our apartment to watch the remainder up close on television.  We then dressed in our "Saturday finest" to go to the Army and Navy Club and enjoy lunch with some of the cavalry men from the parade.   Another wonderful British tradition.

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Our Day at Downton...

Thanks to some very lucky timing, we managed to secure some tickets to tour Highclere Castle (aka. Downton Abbey).  Unbeknownst to us, you actually need to start trying to book tickets in February to have a solid chance of a summer visit.  For some reason, on the day we inquired, they had just released some tickets for a special private viewing because of an unexpected break in filming.  The afternoon session was already sold out but there were a few tickets left for the morning session.  Without a second thought, we booked them!

Highclere Castle is just as beautiful in person as it appears on the television show.  The grounds are enormous - it takes a good five minutes to drive through the grounds to actually reach the castle - and beautifully manicured.  En route, sheep are grazing and basking in the sunlight.

The front doors to the castle are imposing, sturdy and ornately carved.  And when the doors opened and we stepped inside the entrance way, it almost felt like we had gone back in time and had arrived to visit the Crowley family for a spot of tea.

The show uses most of the home's regular furnishings, with the exception of replacing the flowers with bouquets more reflective of the earlier era.  Although the rooms feel a bit smaller than they seem on the television, the home feels so similar to the show that we felt almost like we were walking right onto the set.

These old British castles are fascinating - they are so large and so regal but over time have become unsustainable.  Highclere Castle, for example, spends a million pounds each year for staff and maintenance and, even with the added financial benefits of a successful television show behind it, doesn't have enough money to make needed repairs on the third floor and grounds.    They are not alone. It is amazing that so many of them had to rely on marriages with American women to secure the necessary funding to keep these estates up and running.  Just like in the tv show!

As we wandered the floors and saw the old photographs and newspaper clippings on the walls,  it is clear that Downton Abbey has taken much inspiration for its storylines from the real Highclere Castle, which made everything feel very familiar and almost personal as we wandered the incredible grounds.  A stately day, indeed!

Theatre. London-Style.

Having seen an absurd number of plays in our short time in London, we decided to shake things up a bit by going to some non-traditional theatre.

We started off at The Drowned Man, put on by Punchdrunk and the National Theatre.  This was an "immersive" play where the audience members put on masks and actually walk around the three floors of the theatre (housed in an old-packing plant), following the characters and scenery that interests them.  The purpose is to allow each guest to create their own experience.  The concept was intriguing and the ambience the created was both unnerving and electric.  Although we enjoyed the play's innovation and the overall experience, we both left feeling completely confused and having no idea what it was supposed to be about.  We were so baffled, in fact, that we had to take to the internet to try and figure out the plot.

To get back into the groove, we decided to hit up the Rooftop Theatre in Shoreditch to watch something a little more mainstream.  Classic, charming and romantic, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was the perfect choice.  Thrilled with a delicious BBQ vegetarian option, we sipped pimm's and nibbled on popcorn while watching the movie with the sun setting all around us.  Although it got very cold by the end, the gorgeous skyline made it feel like everything was right with the world...just like Audrey Hepburn felt about her visits to Tiffany's.

To round out our week of "unusual" London theatre, we bought tickets to see Hobson's Choice at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.  Our first highlight was learning that Hobson's Choice is actually a common saying meaning "take it or leave it".   Our second and more lasting memory was the evening itself.  Regent's Park is magnificent and we began our night with a relaxed picnic on the manicured grass.  The play, still in previews, also didn't disappoint and we sat back taking in both a great play and the beautiful night sky.

After such a cool week of theatre we are left with the realization that we need more nights in London - there is just so much to see here!   

Rain or Shine...

It seems like you could do a different activity in London everyday for a year and still not even scratch the surface of things to do here.  The number of possibilities is almost overwhelming!

Thus, heeding advice from friends on the best things to do, we bought tickets to the Clapham Common Food Festival.

The day didn't start well.  The rain pummelled down, turning to hail and then a wind-rain storm.  We were convinced that the outdoor event would be cancelled as a result.  But things seem to run rain or shine here (perhaps because if they cancelled things for rain, they would end up having very few events) so we put on all of our rain and cold weather gear, wore a stiff upper lip and walked to catch the bus as planned.


Luckily, things turned much brighter once we were en route and by the time we arrived, we were clearly much too heavily dressed for the beautiful weather.

Unphased, we met up with Janna and Nikki and enjoyed a fabulous afternoon of delicious food and drink. Beth met her perfect food match - the spiraled potato stick, Geoff purchased strawberries and cream from a travelling strawberry saleswoman and Janna and Nikki bought the "most delicious prosecco I have ever had" from a wine connoisseur in exchange for some seats at a table.

We spent the latter part of the afternoon watching a chocolate presentation and going to a Chilean wine tasting where the teachings were lost as we rattled away in conversation and ended the evening at a charming pub, Avalon, where we were clearly under-dressed in comparison to the much more dolled-up guests.  Well, Janna and Beth were anyway!

Springtime in Paris

Since Paris has never been our favourite city (it seems so shameful to say that), we decided to shake things up by skipping the traditional landmarks and taking in some different parts of Paris.

And they were wide ranging...

From our Mystery Escape (go "Team Pain Au Chocolat")  where we had one hour to solve a variety of puzzles to free a trapped spirit, to a four-hour brunch at the delightful St James Club, to the over-hyped Crazy Horse cabaret, to the most delicious falafel wraps from a L'AS Falafel restaurant in Le Marais (aka. the Jewish Quarter), we really got to see a different side of Paris.

And we liked this side much more....particularly the 16eme arrondissement and those awesome "French" falafels!

Always Eiffel

No trip to Paris is complete without a little bit of the Eiffel Tower.  Even though it was never in our itinerary, the Eiffel Tower seems to be ever-present in Paris.