I love to cook and be creative. I love creating and eating complex dishes with many ingredients resulting in a multi flavoured foodgasm. But sometimes nothing can beat a classic simple dish that connects you to your youth.

Baked beans on toast is an English staple, white bread, a can of Heinz Baked Beans and that’s it. I did add some HP sauce and a dash of hot sauce mind you. Every bite took me back to being a kid, sitting in front of the ‘telly’ eating on my lap or visiting my gran who would accompany the beans with home made white bread buns. Simple, classic and so tasty.

What’s the meal that reminds you of your youth?

Originally posted on Foodists.ca

Not a simple question to answer. Presuming I was on Death Row (ill accused of course) and I didn’t have the luxury of beckoning say Gordon Ramsey to come and personally cook for me, I started to think about what it would be that I would want to eat. Fish and chips would be amazing and definitely on the menu right after a starter of mini Yorkshire Puddings with proper gravy and thickly sliced onions. The main course would be a Sunday Roast – roast beef, roasted potatoes (nice and crispy) with fresh horseradish and even more yummy gravy.

When it came to desert I would allow my ‘no sugar and no dairy’ rule to lapse (just this once mind you) and would enjoy bread and butter pudding. Followed by fine rice pudding, a decaf Americano (don’t want to get a caffeine head ache just before dying eh!) served with a very, very expensive bar of dark chocolate. All of this would be complimented with two pints of good local beer.

What would your last meal be (add links to recipes where appropriate)?

Originally posted on Foodists.ca

After three weeks here I am almost all English again, using all the phrases that will confuse the Northern Americans, my alcohol tolerance has increased rather a bit and my diet has gone down hill with my daily intake of mini pork pies and a packet (or two) of crisps.

Some things in England are simply better. You can buy booze in the supermarket, GMO foods are listed on packaging, Gluten-free is catered for a lot in store-bought products, and as a culture in London people take more risks than in ‘safe’ Vancouver (I never saw one iphone with a protective case on it in London which I have never seen in Vancouver). Vancouver is calmer, has more spectacular scenery than say London, accommodation is way cheaper and people are lets say more open minded than in the UK.

That said I am looking forward to going home with a ‘feather of curiosity in my hat’. I have missed my family terribly and can  not to wait to see, hug and spend time with them. But I am not fully excited to return to Vancouver as a city. I am curious to see how I will feel about the city, about what it has to offer, what will I choose to visit and appreciate – or will I allow myself to be swallowed back into everyday life living from one day to the next.

Going to the countryside yesterday made me want more of that with my family. To spend the weekends enjoying the beauty that Vancouver and British Columbia has to offer.

This trip has been amazing to reconnect to family and friends.

To spend time in my homeland has ‘recharged my batteries’ and has ‘lit a fire in my belly’ to want more in my life whilst at the same time stopping along the way to smell the flowers and to appreciate the beauties that surrounds me every single day.

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part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

“PLANE RIDE OR A NICE DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY DARLING?”

Within half an hour we were in the middle of nowhere. A  tiny village consisting of only ten homes (not sure if this even constitutes a village). Like any good English village it had a pub and this was the main reason for visiting. The village name was ‘Friday Street’ near New Dorking and the pub was the Stephan Langton pub. This pub served surprisingly good food. I presume this is the attraction as why else would you drive to the middle of nowhere. You know the pub was old as the toilet was still outside at the back.

To preserve the community (and business) in this village (and quite a few now across England) you can only buy property if you are in someway connected through birth to someone who lives there. This seemed a little ‘strict’ when I fist heard it, but after hearing of villages where tourists have bought places and only stay there in the summer, which eventually effected local businesses and the general vibe of the place – I fully understood.

I had the Pan- fried pork fillet with roasted apple, potatoes, black pudding and gravy. At almost thirteen ($23) pounds it seemed a little expensive, but when I saw the meal as it was brought to our outside table and tasted it, it was well worth it. The sweetness of the roasted apple, the meatiness and flavour of the black pudding mixed with the perfectly cooked pork was mouth-wateringly delicious.

Well worth a drive to the country for sure. All of this was washed down with two pints of local beer, which had the right balance of hops and smoothness. After lunch, we went for a gentle stroll (luckily as anything longer and I think I wouldn’t have made it, not being used to drinking at lunch There were plenty of public footpaths to choose from, winding our way through forests and small country roads. It was so British, like something out of a country fairy tale.

One of the houses had home made marmalade outside for sale. You just took the jam and left the money in a wee pot. I love this small village mentality, trusting humans to be good people. It was good to be in the country.

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part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
So I just learnt that my flight tomorrow is cancelled due to an Icelandic Volcano spitting ash into airspace over most of Europe. Damn it. I am for sure disappointed and sad as I was so looking forward to spending the day with my wife and daughter. Looking on a brighter side, at least I am staying at my friend’s house and not sitting on a suitcase at the airport getting more and more frustrated. Oh, Mother Nature, how you can be so destructive. I find it fascinating that in today’s world where Man Kind is so amazing and so powerful how we can quickly come to a halt when Nature decides to throw a volcano eruption, tidal wave or any other natural disaster at us.

ROOOAAAR
Saturday morning we made our way to the National History Museum. This is another museum that I had no interest in visiting when I use to live here ten years  ago. in fact I walked past it to the Royal College of Art every day. I liked it so much I spent four hours there and could have easily spent another four. As the museum (as so like many in London) is free the queue (line-up) was quite long, or so it seemed. I went to ask the staff member at the front how long it would take before we were inside. He explained that it will only take a few minutes, and that this was quiet for a Saturday for some reason (everyone is probably stuck at European airports at the end of the School break).

The staff  in the whole museum were amazing, and I don’t say that lightly. They were personable, knowledgeable and very polite; everywhere,  everyone of them. I would presume that there is some customer service initiative in place with the staff, and it is working very well.  Well done  National History Museum.!

The older I get the more interested I get in History and I have heard many great reports about this museum especially the dinosaur exhibit. After a small line-up we were in, looking at actual dinosaur bones and fossils from 75 million years ago. Like so many other times on this trip I was blown away with the age of items on display, right there in front of you. These dinosaur exhibits were also quite ‘young’ in comparison to the Petrified Tree Trunk in the grand entrance to the museum which dates back 225 million years.

The dinosaur exhibit was rather amazing, not just from the awe inspiring consciousness of what you were looking at but also imagining what it would have been like being on the planet with these amazing creatures. This was helped by comparing the size of the animal to the human on the informational panels. Even the ones  which were ‘smaller’ and about our size would still make you want to run as fast as you possibly could. Either that or try to distract it by throwing it a bone like a dog, and then legging it in the opposite direction. Then again if the bone wasn’t  the size of a dog the dinosaurs probably wouldn’t see it. Upstairs were actual dinosaurs and below were informational areas looking at their time on the earth, lifestyle and different skeletal structures.

THE COCOON
The Museum has recently opened up a whole new wing  which is very modern and rather amazing. In the ‘Orange Zone’ there is the Cocoon, Attenborough Studio, Wildlife Garden and Zoology spirit building. The Cocoon was a seven storey high cocoon structure which explores “the science of nature like never. Take a self guided tour and witness real specimens, incredible displays and animated interactive activities”.

Inside it was simple and engaging utilizing modern technology to enhance the user experience. When you entered you  were greeted by a male and female ‘virtual’ scientist who would be your guide for the exhibition. They were on different screens or info panels throughout the exhibit  which really helped the user put a face and voice to the information being presented. I found this easier to absorb and less dry than just traditional type on a white board mounted to the wall. They also used the Nature Plus card system. You collected a free card and if there were any displays where you wanted to learn more you could scan your card. When you got home all you had to do was go to the website and type in the code number on the card and it would bring up all the information you requested back at the exhibit. It is a brilliant way to take the exhibition home with you and to extend the brand experience even once you have left. Loved it.

Simple projections added texture to the concrete curved wall while adding meaning and depth to that specific exhibit. Projected keyboard touch screen panels were also used to create interest for all ages, using technology to draw you into the exhibit–which was rather successful.

This whole new Orange Zone also housed actual scientists doing what they do. At different points throughout your journey in the Cocoon you had the opportunity to peak into different labs to see scientists working (unfortunately they don’t work weekends). I thought this was great exhibition design and again adding another layer of interest for the visitor.

Outside the Attenborough Studio was a large glass display all about climate change. There were many interactive panels and some that just showed images and facts. I am always a little wary of interactive panels as they are often boring and clumsy, but the usability here was intuitive and the content was very interesting and simple, driving you to a website URL to discover more.

A RATHER INTERESTING LECTURE
Inside the Attenborough Studio was this fantastic theatre showcasing ‘Nature Live’ where you can go and meet and listen to actual scientists that work at the museum. I saw a lady who spoke about fossils from the Messel Pit in Germany. Due to it’s unique conditions (calm waters and no oxygen due to the oil sands) it makes it the perfect place for incredible fossils. We saw images of fossils from this region that were 47 million years old where you could see not only them all in their entirety (as apposed to bones being scattered in different areas) but you could also see their skin and fur details fossilized. On one fossil of a bat you could even see the veins in its ears – rather amazing.

The scientist explained that until 1995 when the site at Messel (which was a retired oil mine site) when it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site it was under threat from the local city as they wanted to turn it into a landfill site. How sad this was to hear, we need to protect these natural areas  which can be the key to understanding so much about our past.

The interior of the theatre was modern and ‘rather cool’ looking. Funky and comfortable orange seating, each seat had an interactive panel for audience interaction (although not used in this presentation) and the information screens were projected on five different walls ensuring everyone could see the required information. Like elsewhere in the museum someone was using their brain, and rather than a scientist just talking to you they made it into an interview style lecture, also taking many questions from the audience. The feel was informative, intelligent (but still accessible for all intellectual types and ages) and interactive.

The main section of the lecture was looking and learning about IDA (Darwinius Masillae) that was discovered at Messel in 1983. This animal is supposed to be the missing link to explain the evolution between the monkey and mankind. The detail of the fossil like all Messel fossils was amazing. They explained how it was a young monkey and went on to explain that they know this by looking at the teeth in the fossil and could see that it still had half of its milk (baby) teeth.

The lady who was the interviewer was great at asking for questions especially from the young kids (who often asked more interesting questions than us oldies). On one occasion they didn’t know the answer so they said they would find out and email the gentleman the answer. This shocked me in a great way, what wonderful customer service.

At the end of the lecture they invited people to the front and look at some different specimens of fossils from the Messel area, and also to ask any further questions. Once again,  fascinating and very accommodating.

The whole museum had me reflect on mankind and our rather short time on this planet and how we have raped it left, right and centered! I overheard one person say “Is there anything that is not in danger of extinction”. I thought this was very poignant. If you look at all the different animals, plants and species that have inhabited the planet before mankind I find it rather arrogant if someone feels that our time is not limited here. We seem to be experiencing every year more and more effects of global warming caused by man’s greed. I wonder what the future evolution of man will read in a museum in a few million years time about our race, about our time on the planet, and all the great things we created and discovered as well as all the destruction we caused.

The museum has over 70 million samples (not all on show) including those from mammals, human biology, creepy crawlies and minerals to mention just a few.

This would be a brilliant place to visit again with my daughter. To see her face light up as she explored the many wonders of the museum would be well worth a second visit.

SEE IMAGES ON FLICKR:
part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

THWARTED EXPECTATIONS

Interesting note that I learnt this day: “The name derives its origins from WW2 when American GI’s used to pour hot water onto their coffee. It was then adapted in the United States by large chains who sought to create a marketable fusion of drip coffee and espresso to sell to a mass market”.

BETRAYED BY COSTA
I went to Café Nero and got the coffee I had been  desiring. When I lived in the UK my favourite coffee shop was Costa Coffee, it was strong and suited my taste buds. As coffee and most other product experiences are your own personal preference it is hard to argue with a friend that one is better than another (although many do try). So when I came back on this trip I went to Costa first to relive my former coffee love experience. Well, there was only disappointment and my former romantic memories were quickly eroded. It was weak and had coffee grounds in it. I asked for it to be remade and although there were  no grounds in this one the taste was weak and not hitting the mark. I did not finish the drink. The gentleman also ‘accidentally’ shortchanged me 7 pounds, good job I know how to count. Then I found Café Nero where the coffee is strong, bold and fits my taste bud requirements. As a branding expert it is another example of how fickle we are as consumers and how loyal we can be to a brand until that brand relationship is upset or severed and how easy we will ‘jump ship’. I didn’t give Costa a second chance, one bad coffee experience was bad enough and with so much competition selling the same products I played the market and found a new coffee love.

A HISTORIC WALKABOUT
After I had finished my cup of dark coffee love I headed to the meeting point for the London Walks, London’s award-winning, original, foremost, signature walking tour company.
This specific tour was titled Hidden London, exploring the hidden places and forgotten nooks of the world’s most elusive city. There was a surprising large amount of people who had turned up (35) but it was not a problem, the guide’s voice traveled well so that everyone could hear clearly, and was also a good sign that this was a popular attraction. I have never done a guided tour and I have to say it well exceeded my expectations. I like the fact that it was by foot, not only did we get some exercise  but we were able to go down lots of little side streets and inside buildings which would not happen if we were on a bus tour for example.

In summary the guide was fantastic,- very knowledgeable, personable and had a great sense of humour – as we had to cross many roads he informed us (with a smile) “before crossing the roads wait for the walking green man sign – or the green lady wearing trousers”. Brilliant.

We met at Monument which was built to commemorate the great fire of London 1666 where 4/5ths of the city burnt to the ground. We learnt many facts about this from the religious politics of the time to how the city was rebuilt as it was ‘pre-fire’ due to land rights rather than the suggested design which would have resulted in today’s city being less congested and easier to navigate (oh well).

It was fascinating to learn how things we take so for granted today came to be. For example we in the UK drive on the left side of the road because in 1722 when this law came into play it was decided that when on the road you needed to have your sword hand free, and as this was your right hand it made sense to travel by horse on the left so you could battle your oncoming opponent. Now as Napoleon controlled a lot of Europe at the time, and as he was left handed, and as he didn’t really like the English, he decided that Europe would drive on the right side. I think all the European right -handed sword men got a rough deal there.

The year 1665 saw the last great London plague. At the time there was very poor sewage and people would throw the contents of their bed pans out of the windows into the streets (imagine the smell). As the plague spread the intellects of the time thoughts it was the dogs and cats that carried the plague, so 40,000 cats and 20,000 dogs were slaughtered; but with no results. They later discovered it was the fleas on the back of rats that carried the plague and as this specific species of rats were ‘sociable’ (they liked humans and lived among us) the disease was easily spread. Years later the Norwegian rat (now the common rat in modern London) came on boats to England and dominated and killed off the rats of the time. As this rat is ‘unsociable’ and lives in the drains and doesn’t socialize with humans it saw the end of great -plagues as the fleas didn’t spread from rat to human. I wonder what happened to all the dogs and cats and if there is a marble plaque in their memory.

The tour was filled with most fascinating facts like the one above, ones that you could relate to modern times so you could have a personal connection with and not the usual boring historical facts that sends you to sleep.

Another favourite funny descriptions, was that “squirrels are rats with good PR”.

And then there was more: Floats in a parade date back to the Lord Mayer parade on the river Thames as companies of the time had their exhibitions on boats that ‘floated’ down the river.

The name Grocers came from the salt and pepper merchants who started to buy their product in bulk, hence the term grocer from the French “grossier” meaning wholesaler.

The streets of old London were named after  the industry performed on that street . For example there was and is Bread street, Garlic street, Candle street etc. How easy would this have been.  It would obviously not work in today’s society as we have so many options. It got me thinking to how easy and spoilt we are in today’s society, not connected to how our food is grown, or where products are made and how they are imported.

In summary the tour was amazing and wish I had done it earlier in my trip as I would have for sure done other tours during my stay.

SWEET AND CRUNCHY
We went to a great little Vietnamese restaurant for lunch called ‘Viet’. We are spoilt in Vancouver for amazing and affordable restaurants and Vietmanese is a regular favourite. So I had high hopes and couldn’t help comparing the London and Vancouver experience. In summary the starters were amazing but the main course was disappointing. We had a simple prawn roll in fish sauce – nice and refreshing. Then we had the pancake lettuce wrap – wow, this was so good. It was somewhere between a pancake and egg omelet stuffed with bean sprouts, pork and tomato ‘yummyness’. Wrapped in a cold lettuce leaf it made a very interesting combination of temperatures, crunch and chewy, flavours and sweet and savory. I will be having more of these on my return to Vancouver for sure. The inside was basic but clean. The staff  were friendly and quite lovely.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED
The day continued with a trip to the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising. “To walk through the magnificently cluttered time-tunnel of cartons and bottles, toys and advertising displays is to locate your own place in history” Time Out. The museum is small and intimate, but boasts over 12,000 original items to view, admire and reminisce about. The museum was organized by decade starting with the Victorian era and continuing to present day. Throughout the amazing packaging there were wonderful and informative cards describing how and why certain packaging trends changed due to environmental reasons like the war or the development of new packaging materials. I have seen a few displays of old packaging before but I was still sucked into the history of old products, some which have changed a lot over the years and some brands that have stayed rather true to the original designs through out the decades.

By far my favourite area was under the ‘Brands’ section where rather than showing the products by era they showed them by specific product.

For example they showed the development of Johnsons Baby Powder from the 1920s to 1990’s and the same with the pop drink Tango, Nescafe and HP sauce. It was fascinating to see each brand displayed in one row where you can easily compare the similarities as well as the developments in design and packaging. The museum was small and a quick visit but well worth the trip, the staff and the overall experience was one of professionalism, friendly and very interesting. I read later that the space is available in evenings and weekends for private hire for drink receptions, parties and lunches. I think this would be a perfect location for any design party.

HIGH HOPES FOR THE PEAR
This great day continued and after a 30 minute walk I have found the pub I am looking for. I got the information from Google, searching ‘Perry in London’. After asking for directions five different times I finally found the right street name. The bar is called Chimes Wine Bar, at 26 Churton Street, SW1V 2LP. So I have been after a sip of this mysterious brew for several months now ever since watching ‘Oz and James Drink to Britain’ where I learnt about an English Cider specifically made from the Perry pear. I have had other pear cider since visiting the UK but not Perry. The bar is quaint, open, well lit and laid back. Seem like a perfect place to relax and enjoy a nice glass of cider or wine.

“So how is the drink?” I hear you enquiring.  Well it’s rather nice. I am not a cider fan but this is very enjoyable. I am not ‘Oh My God, this is my new drink’, and I would rather be outside sat by the river bank on a nice green park sipping this cider on a hot and sunny summer’s afternoon. That said it is light and not too heavy. I find apple ciders the opposite of this, heavy and dense – but maybe this has something to do with my early years where I would drink copious amount of Woodpecker cider at parties with the intention of getting wasted (and very successful at that I was!). I actually just overheard a man order a Cider at the bar, he requested one that tastes of ‘damp hay mixed with rat piss’, yum, no wonder I don’t drink apple cider. Perry still has a very cidery taste, there is no escaping it, but it leaves a delicate and soft after taste on your palate (no rat piss flavours luckily).

Just before leaving for London someone replied to a blog post I did about where to find Perry in Vancouver. Come the summer months I will buy a bottle and take my wife to the beach, throw down the blanket and enjoy another glass of this drink as we enjoy the sunset over the Vancouver  mountains. Until then I shall very much enjoy this glass in Victoria, London.

FANCY ASIAN FODDER
Later that night we went to Ping Pong. “A Ping Pong restaurant is a modern take on a very ancient Chinese tradition. Hundreds of years ago, merchants on the Silk Road would stop at tea houses en route to rest their weary feet, relax and drink tea with their fellow travellers and share Dim Sum – baskets and dishes of little sweet and savoury snacks, usually steamed, baked or fried”.

We had to wait 40 minutes (not bad for prime time on a Friday night in London) but as I am not one who likes to wait for food this made my initial impression a negative one. This dissolved  rather quickly due to the great customer service, it was friendly and professional. On the back of the new waiters t-shirt it said “I’m new, don’t shout at me” –  I like it.

Again, Vancouver is spoilt for its amazing Asian food especially dim sum, but Ping Pong held up. It was a swanky interior, definitely a higher-end restaurant without being too exclusive. The food was great. Rich flavours and simply served, staying true to the dim sum tradition. The interior was modern using lots of dark wood to create a very intimate dining experience. Downstairs was organized with a series of round tables but upstairs where we ate was lower, more comfortable dining, with leather seats, dim lighting and one I rather enjoyed. As dim sum is all about sharing and eating in a less formal style with chopsticks, the furniture upstairs seemed to gel rather well with the eating style. Overall I have had better dim sum food, but this is me being ‘rather picky’, it was a great night, great service, great food and fantastic company; a rather good eight out of ten.

The dinner out was a rather satisfying end to a very full day, probably my favourite day to date on my trip to London.

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part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

SMALL WONDERS IN A BIG GALLERY

We choose not to go to the highlighted exhibition as we knew nothing about the photographer and didn’t want to spend the ten pounds admission. Instead we had a brilliant idea and that was to go to the book  shop and look at the exhibition book. We didn’t like the work and would have been disappointed if we had spent the entry money. I will do this in the future before paying for a show if I know little about the artist. Did I mention it was a brilliant idea

I found great joy though in the braille tour books. I opened one to expect to see braille as I always find it visually amazing. It was full of drawings, so I put it back and pulled out another to realize that the drawings were stylized line drawings of the art on show and was raised from the page so that the hard of sight person can run their fingers over the drawing in the same way they would braille type. These books, and also when Matt and I squeezed into the same section of the rotating door, even though we knew we weren’t supposed to due to warnings everywhere (so rebellious and crazy we are in our ripe old age) were by far the highlights of our visit.

Later that day I went for a wander and got lost which was fantastic. Walking around a city not quite knowing where you are going can be so exhilarating. I eventually ended up right were I was wanting to go later in the day which was pure coincidence, I found myself in the lively and fun place called Covent Garden. Famous for it’s stalls, artsy nature and lots of street entertainers performing great acrobatic stunts, standing frozen like a statue or mesmerizing the audience with magic.

LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM
In one corner of Covent Garden is the London Transport Museum. When I lived in London I never wanted to go to this   museum as it’s what tourists visited. But now as I AM a tourist I thought it would be fun to check out. It covers the story of transportation throughout the history of London, from the ferry boats on the Thames, the horse drawn taxis, the building of the road ways, the development of the underground train / tube system to potential futures for transportation in the city.

There were great little info bits like the following scattered around the museum “The word bus comes from ‘omnibus’ which means ‘for all’ in Latin”. Seeing inside the old tube trains was very interesting, not just seeing how the interior used to be but looking at the style of advertising that was done 30 years ago (showing old dial telephones for example) – how times have changed.

I was looking at one of the old Trolley Busses (the type that is connected to electric wires above the road) when an elderly gentleman came up to me and started to reminisce about when he caught this type of bus to school as a child. The one we were looking at had the open back of the bus so you could jump off and on. He said it made a wonderful excuse if you were ever late for school to blame it on these connecting bars as  they sometimes came loose and the bus driver had to spend time reconnecting them. It was great to see him come alive while telling this story,- it was rich and filled with passion. There was a disturbing statistic next to the bus that read as follows “In 1901 when nearly all traffic was horse drawn, there were 186 fatal road accidents in the London County Council. By 1929, when the motor vehicles dominated, there were 1362 deaths and 55,000 injuries”. This high number of deaths is what lead to rules like speed limit, give way signs etc being introduced to London, much needed indeed.

The current temporary exhibition is called ‘Suburbia’ and explores the explosion of growth of London outside the city boundaries and into the suburbs over the last 60 years. The exhibition looks at how public transportation has helped to create and then sustain this suburban lifestyle. “From daily commute to leisure travel, public transport makes living in the suburbs possible. Suburbia offers a job in town and a home in the country, rural peace and urban distraction. The best of both these worlds are connected by train, bus and tram”. There were lots of great old posters and real estate promotional  material which I have never seen before, I loved the stylized design that was reflective of the era and the type of language that was used; so different than in today’s society.

One of the last things I read on the way out of the exhibition was one of my favourites. It was in the section that reflected on present day and future transportation and I feel it is very reflective of today’s society. It read, “do you realize, some people drive to the gym to go on a running machine”, ah the irony.

DRINKS ON THE STREET
One thing I really miss about London is the after work drinks, it is a wonderful way for staff to bond and to get to know each other in a more relaxed environment than at the office. After the Transport Museum I walked through Covent Garden to Soho where there are lots of pubs and as the weather was sunny the streets were lined with people and their pints chatting and laughing.

SEE IMAGES ON FLICKR:
part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

SQUEEZE ON IN

ALL THINGS BRITISH
After I got settled at my friend’s place, my buddy (Matt), his 13 year old daughter (Emily) and I went to the British Museum.

“Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history. Visitors can travel the world and experience the collections form Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Ancient World”.

London is amazing for free exhibitions and galleries – which is good as the rest of the city can be rather expensive. The Museum is rather overwhelming at times as there is so so so much history and exhibits. You could spend several days there exploring one area after another.

Everything is old. To illustrate this- it is amazing when you are looking at exhibit after exhibit that date back to 2400 BC and then when you see one from say 1850BC you think they are not so old, in fact rather modern. It’s crazy, 1850BC is still seriously old in every way, but as you are encapsulated in such rich historical artifacts it all becomes a different perspective. I wonder what a museum of similar theme would be in Vancouver or Canada. ‘Here lies the great XYZ from the late nineteenth century.

The Egyptian exhibition was overwhelmingly amazing. The detail, the scale, the language and the big question of how did they manage to build what they did. The Mummy section was an eye opener, learning how the process is completed and viewing not only ancient dummies preserved perfectly but seeing inside them using modern CT scans showing the preserved bones from thousands of years ago.

On of the most popular exhibits was the Rosetta Stone. This stone is said to have been the key to understanding the Egyptian Hieroglyphics. “The stone is a Ptolemaic era stele with carved text made up of three translations of a single passage: two in Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphic and Demotic) and one in classical Greek. It was created in 196 BC, discovered by the French in 1799 at Rosetta, and transported to England in 1802. Once in Europe, it contributed greatly to the deciphering of the principles of hieroglyph writing, through the work of the British scientist Thomas Young and the French scholar Jean-François Champollion”

The whole Museum had me feel awe for previous cultures and felt that ours doesn’t quite match up. When people look back at our time in thousands of years I wonder what they will be looking at. Fair, we don’t hire / make thousand of slaves build ‘great wonders’ like the pyramids etc (although this is rumoured in Dubai etc). Maybe people will remember things like the beginning of the Internet, cell phones, over population, child labour making sneakers for Nike etc. Erm, I know this is a little negative and we have actually had many amazing advances in all areas of life but I feel they wither in comparison to those of thousands of years before. Time will tell I guess.

Whilst there we had the conversation about who owned the treasures of the exhibit. Some countries like Greece want what was once ‘stolen’ (or ‘acquired’ depending on how you want to word it) back to belong in museums in their country. To be honest I can’t blame them, we did steal them as we went round the world creating the Great British Empire all those glorious years ago. If in today’s society I was to go into a shop and steal say some TV equipment and later on the Police tracked me down and found the stash, they would return them to the rightful owner. Good luck Greece (although I think there is little hope in you getting them any time soon).

On the way home that night I learnt from Emily all about Pokemon which I can say was in extreme contrast to the previous few hours exploring the wonders of Man’s other great creations. That said it was great to be genuinely interested in her world and how she ‘shined’ explaining it to me in great passionate detail.

SEE IMAGES ON FLICKR:
part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

MUSEUM OF

As I first walked in I thought the place was quite small and we would be done in half and hour. I obviously forgot we had two kids with us. We were there for a very enjoyable three hours (including lunch). The museum is on two floors with a temporary exhibition on the top floor. The current show was childrens chairs. Now this may not sound too exciting at first but it was brilliant. They had kids chairs through out the ages. From modern day plastic crap to hand carved chairs from the 1800’s. But then they took the concept of the ‘chair’ beyond ones initial interpretation. They showed other items that you sit on, there was a toilet with an orange seat, a baby potti as a formula one car and the Trunki which is a kid’s suitcase shaped like an animal that kids can sit and ride on while in the airport. They also had hands-on exhibits where kids could build their own chair or design their own chair and enter it into a competition. Fantastic.

The rest of the Museum was in large cases each were themed. I loved reminiscing about my youth when looking at the Star Wars figures, the Action Man figures and the amazing train track demonstration they had set up. My favourite part was these very simple three showcases. The exhibition designers wanted to show the diversity of residents of North London. So they choose three families, and within each family three generations–Grandmother, Mother and Daughter. Then each family displayed items from their childhood in the showcase. The Caucasian family had Doris Day records and a Chopper bike from the 80’s. The Indian family had traditional Indian dolls and a rack of many brightly coloured bangles. It was really well done and you got a great sense of the different cultures and the diversity that makes each unique.

MEAT, MEAT AND MORE MEAT
Later that day I cooked dinner for my friends  which was great as I haven’t cooked for a week and a half (so strange). Made a  big bacon, chorizo sausage and ground lamb chili – most lovely, especially if you’re a meat lover (meaty heaven). Several beers later and great conversation we all crashed and had an early night.

SEE IMAGES ON FLICKR:
part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4

ON THE MOVE AGAIN

Today I am on the road again off to another friend’s house for another two days. I am starting to feel a little bit ‘oh, here we go again, squeeze like crazy all my stuff into my bag, strap it to my back and off again–just to do it all again in two more days. I am curious to see how I feel at the end of the week as in two days I will visit my friends Matt and Emma who I will stay with for four days in total which I feel will be a better amount of time to stay in one location than just two days. I remember the bits in Long Way Down where Charlie and Ewan talk about always feeling like they were on the go and there was no time to just relax into a certain location and explore what it had to offer. I think when we go on our global travel we should make a general rule that we don’t stay anywhere for less than say four or five days – unless say we are at danger or the King of a country invites us to stay at the palace for longer – we’ll have to wait and see I guess.

CHIILING IN THE GARDEN (well kind of)
The rest of the day was chilled. I hung out with my pal Liz and her two kids in her garden. What’s with these five year olds wanting me to run and race and get exercise – easy now!! Most of our friends have kids older than my daughter so it was fun to see what type of things my daughter may be up to when she is 4 years old.

PUB QUIZ AND CRISPS
After Liz’s husband came home he cooked up an amazing Indian meal (so so so good). After that Liz and I popped to the pub for a couple of pints (oh well, there goes another day without drinking any booze).  The pub was having a pub quiz. It had me miss living in England even more than I do already. Not because I am any good at pub quizzes (I am actually terrible) but the idea of friends going to the pub to bond, spend time together and to participate in something together I feel is missing in Vancouver. Maybe it’s not, I will have to look into this when I return. While we were there I enjoyed one of England’s best nutritional treats – a pack of crisps. Actually I had three. Crisps (Chips in Canada) have like everywhere else become all grown up. No longer do you just get Salt and Vinegar, they are now Sea Salt and Basalmic Vinegar, or Crushed Indian Black Pepper. Come on, just give me the simple version please (bloody Marketing and design people) – that said, they do taste rather wonderful – hence the three packets.

SEE IMAGES ON FLICKR:
part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4