Walking 'round London Town

classic.

      

breakfast at the hotel

Princess Di Memorial Walk

To start my day in London, I grabbed some fruit and tea at the continental breakfast in the main building, checked out and left my luggage in the lobby, and made my way to the Wellington Arch to meet up with another Sandeman’s Free Walking Tour.  I wound my way through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to get there, passing the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and many royal statues.  It was a wet, gray day, and I contemplated skipping out on the tour and just going shopping, but I toughed it out, and I’m glad I did.  Because of the glum weather, there were only about 8 people in the English group on the walking tour, which made for a fun and more intimate version than I assume most people get.  My tour guide was super cute, and I made friends with some Australians who had just arrived the night before.

Tour starting point: Wellington Arch

The tour covered all the sights you would expect it too...Buckingham Palace, St.James Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and Parliament, Westminster Abbey...the works:

I don't remember what this is.  Victoria statue? Anyways.  Its cool.

Buckingham Palace

St. James Palace

Canada House!!! Sang here on July 1st with the SCC in 2009

Big Ben

Parliament Buildings (Remember, remember the 5th of November!)

Westminster Abbey

And that was London! After the tour ended I just headed back to hotel.  It was gross and rainy out, and I always prefer to just get where I'm going-which in this case was back to Amsterdam.

By then, Amsterdam just felt like home.  Lisa came and met me and Central Station, we grabbed Starbucks (Ams had a cranberry mocha as one of their holiday drinks- yum!) and had a big ol' catch-up session.  Back at Weesperflat, Jenny came and hung out while I repacked all my crap, including a whack of souvenirs for the folks back home.  I can't remember now what song it was, but at some point the 3 of us were belting out a tune that earned us some knocks through the wall.  I think it was Disney.  

Lis and I got up early in the morning and had breakfast together at the airport.  Yeah, she took me to the airport.  What a gal, that bestie of mine.  We said our goodbyes, which were made a tad less sad since we knew Lis would be homeward bound in less than a month's time.  Then began the long trek home, and as much as I loved loved loved my Europe trip, boy was I ever glad to hit Canadian soil, to see my parents and brother, and, since I arrived home on a Wednesday, my choir fam too.

London Calling

So it has been over 3 months since I got back from Europe.  Wow.  I’ve been back longer than I was gone! That makes me a little bit sad.    A full on reflective is coming up, and will effectively close out this blog that is so close to my heart, but first, feast your eyes upon a slightly unreliable primary source document (given that the events in question happened a quarter of a year ago- ugh), detailing my spell in London that I apparently forgot to document at the time.

I believe I left you in a boring Slovenian airport, killing many hours due to a delayed flight.  My original plan for my evening in London was to kick it back choral school, and attend Evensong at Westminster Abbey.  Trouble was getting there in time, which proved impossible given that my flight was delayed, and that I had to take the train from Stansted Airport into central London, which took close to 45 mins.  The change in plans sparked something in my newly discovered (if mightily untapped) sense of spontaneity though, and I ended up surfing the web (wifi on the train! Whaddup) for shows that I could potentially see that night. I think my one regret from the entire trip is that I didn’t just stick to something I knew would be awesome and go to Les Mis, but hey, one regret in 7 weeks ain’t bad.  What I did end up booking a last minute rush ticket to was Billy Elliot: The Musical, playing at the Victoria Theatre.  It was quite on a whim.  I figured, hey I love the movie! And sent my credit card details out into the universe.  They had my ticket at will call, it all worked out in that regard.

First things first though.  My train got me to Tottenham Hale station, from which I took the tube (yay memories of SCC UK Tour 2009!) to the Hyde Park station, proceeded to walk back and forth up and down the block in the dampness and the dark for about 20 minutes before finally figuring out how to get to my hotel.  I thought that I was splurging for a fancy place my last night out in Europe, but the Paddington Hotel 27 wasn’t all that special.  The reception was located a couple doors down from the hotel rooms, which was weird, and it was just one teenage girl playing on her computer at the check-in desk.  She did help me print off my Billy Elliot confirmation number though, so that was nice.  My room was on the ground floor, next to a busy street, but it had one heck of a nice shower, and a big fluffy bed, so I couldn’t really ask for more.  I quickly changed out of my travel clothes and walked up the street to Paddington Station- a big train stop as well as a connection for many of the tube lines.  I took the Victoria line to the theatre (after grabbing a Starbucks, obviously [and ordering in English!]), grabbed my ticket and headed up to the nosebleeds to spend my evening attending a musical, like any culturally-sound 20 something world-traveler would. 

27 Paddington Hotel

Sad to say, I wasn’t hugely impressed by the show.  It was cutesy- which some people like, but I’m more of a show-stopping numbers and high-drama kind of girl.  The one thing I will say is that the kid who played Billy was an extremely talented dancer.  My favourite scene of the whole show was a dream sequence where little Billy was hooked into wires that allowed him to fly around the room, and “big Billy”, who must be a professional ballet dancer, doing a duet to that big number that closes the movie version.  Very magical.

The woman who played Billy’s grandmother was also hilarious, so props to her.

I headed home right after the play, had a nice little group fb chat with my famjam, had a super cozy shower, watched an episode of Bomb Girls (cause I missed Canada a lot at this point), and then went to bed.

A decently sized bed.

One last day in Slov

My last day in Slovenia started off at such great heights. Literally.

As a special surprise for me, Mat had organized a flight over the Slovenian Alps in a little 4 seat passenger plane with his pilot friend Blaž driving. I was so nervous that my parents would kill me for flying with a new flyer, but I've broken the news to them (figured it'd be best not to do so in a public blog post), and I haven't been disowned, so that's good.

Our little plane!

Look at me! Such a boss!

Other than the worry for my life upon arriving in Vancouver, the trip "up in the air", as Mat kept calling it, was so awesome. Amazing views of the luscious Slovenian scenery that I never would have seen otherwise. My favourite views were when we flew over Lake Bled, with the sun sparkling over the water.

Flying over the "Slovenian Alps"!

Slovenia's highest peak.  We gave those mountain climbers a little wave with our wings.

Beautiful blues and greens

Lake Bled

After our flight, which was just under an hour, we drove to Lake Bled at ground level, and had the famous regional treat-invention of Kremčnita- literally translated as "cream slices". Basically two papery thing pastry layers with a big thick custard layer and a slightly less thick whipped cream layer tucked between, all dusted with icing sugar. Oh em gee. So yummy. And the beautiful lake backdrop only made it better.

SO GOOD

Me and Mat at the cafe

Blaž had joined us for dessert, but left shortly after, and then it was just me as the Mali brothers (Jakob had joined us for the flight). We spent our afternoon strolling along the lake shore, which was beautiful in the sunlight, surrounded by mountains, a quaint little island in the centre and ducks quacking all over the place. Really pleasant. Pleasant is the perfect adjective for that part of the afternoon.

Kathaumixw 2010

A recreation of the photo that started our friendship <3

 Back in Domžale, Jakob suggested we play in the yard with Mat's bow and arrows. In a splash of luck, coincidence and hilarity, I got a bullseye shot. To prove it was a fluke, Mat set an apple from a nearby tree on top of the target and bid me to hit it if I was so good. And I did. And then died laughing. The boys were both impressed, and I'd wager a little bit perturbed.

Just call me William Tell

After our dabble with archery we were joined by Mat's musical friend Neže (a classical guitar student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg) for lunch. Blaženka had made the kneudel soup again, salad from the garden, and a main course of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, fried potatoes, and a breaded meat dish that she made with sesame seeds instead for my portion, which was so thoughtful of her!! Home cooked meals man. So good.

After dinner, Mat's parents went out, Jakob went upstairs to study, and Nat, Neže and I had some homemade tea and watched a video of a community star production Mat had starred in a couple years ago (the same summer we met at Kathaumixw, actually). It was sort of an epic, telling the story of how the salvo people's conquered the Romans. I got a sweet live English translation and quite enjoyed the play.

Later that night, after Neže had gone home to practice, Mat and I drove to te medieval town of Kamnik for a night walk. We climbed a hill to an old old castle, sat on the ledge and gazed out over the city, listened to the church bells to every quarter hour, and talked about life. It was such a nice way to wrap up my weekend.

On the drive back home Mat showed me a couple more sights, and then I said goodbye to his family, who would be gone to work/school when Mat and I woke in the morning. It was really great getting to stay with such a kind and friendly family. Made me miss home a little bit less!

The next morning Mat drove me to the airport, where I had to kill about 4 hours thanks to a delayed flight. Easyjet. You suck. It meant I had to forgo my original London plans, but also that I made some fun other ones. More on that later!

Caves, castles and coasts- oh my!

Saturday in Slovenia was packed with awesomeness. Mat and I had breakfast with his mum in the morning- I enjoyed cheese and prosciutto on my rice crackers, and we had fruit and poached eggs as well. I also had a delicious cup of Blaženka's homemade tea with flowers from her garden. Mat and I left the house around 8:30 and headed to Postojnka Jama- one of Slovenia's largest cave systems (of which they have nearly 10,000! And they're such a small country!!).

Mat and me on the train, entering the cave system!

It was a brand new experience. I've never seen anything like it- save for in movies and faked caves in Disneyland. We took a 20 minute train ride through tunnels and big open spaces, and then walked around the cave for 40 mins with an English our guide. We learned all about how the cave was formed, saw loads of stalactites and stalagmites- some of which resembled animals, objects, and famous buildings. We saw "galleries" of brilliant sparkling white features, and others turned red with iron. We climbed to the highest point of the cave and walked over the lowest. It was seriously incredible. The great hall where the walking portion of the tour ended had a reverb time of 6 seconds. And was huge. And kind of unreal. Just woah.

Me outside the cave

After the cave, and after a coffee fuel-up, we visited Predjama Castle, a 12th century fortress built into the mountain side. We did a little self-guided walk that took us up old stone staircases, through the rooms, to balconies with beautiful views of the valley below, and even deep into the rocks. It was super cool.

Predjama Castle.  Very cool

The water made me feel at home

Next up, we had about a 30 min drive to the coastal town of Piran. We listened to choir music, which was obviously sweet. Slovenian folk music is so good. Bok Daj Bok Daj!!!!!!!

Piran was just lovely. The sea is so my heart's friend. We just wandered along the shore, enjoying the sunshine and pretty harbour views. We were there for a couple hours I think, and then drove to the nearby coastal town of Pontorož for dinner. Afterwards, Mat popped us over the Slovenian/Italian border into Trieste, so now I can say I've visited 10 countries besides my own. Double digits baby!

Quaint Coastal Town of Piran!

That evening, after Mat had a quick snooze back home in Domžale (he did a lot of driving. It was totally deserved), we met up with his sister Urška, and Blaženka drove us all into Ljubljana. We went to a wine bar in the heart of town where you can sample over 700 wines from the region (of which I tried 2). We were joined by Sanja, and Urška's fiancé Žiga. We had some great conversations, both fun and philosophical, shared some laughs, and got a little drunk. We parted ways with Urška and Žiga, and Blaženka picked me, Mat and Sanja up and brought us back to the house, where we got to bed by 1:30.

All you need is sLOVEnia

Dragon Bridge in the heart of Lljublana

Well. I had a fantastic weekend in the beautiful country of Slovenia. Can't believe that London and a brief stop in Amsterdam are all that's left in my epic Euro-adventure!

I arrived in Ljubljana at about 2:30pm on Friday afternoon. The station was a bit bigger than I'd imagined it would be (good for you, Ljubljana!), and I had a brief "oh shit" moment of thinking I wouldn't be able to find Mat, but it all worked out. He had a car at the station- what a luxury, not having to cart my stuff around on a bus- and our first stop in Slovenia was a department store where I finally found a replacement for my dilapidated combat boots. And only 15€!!

Then we drove to Mat's home in Domžale, where I met his parents, Matia and Blaženka, and his younger brother Jakob. Blaženka had made us a lovely lunch. First the classic "comfort food" of soup- perfect for after travelling- with these little dumpling like things called "kneudels" floating around inside. Then we had some chicken and rice and I broke the news of my annoying gluten allergy. Blaženka immediately went out and stocked up on rice alternatives- the first of many kindnesses I received from this wonderfully sweet woman.

One of the rivers running through the town

This fountain represents the 3 rivers that run through Lljubljana

The hotel we stopped in for a drink at

After lunch/dinner, Mat drove us in to Ljubljana (only about 20 mins away. You can drive across the while country in 2.5 hours) to the music academy he takes voice lessons at. I was in for the treat of hearing Mat and fellow students give a short informal concert. It was lovely and Mat sounded great. At the end of the concert I met Mat's girlfriend Sanja, and the three of us took to the streets of the capital city, both locals pointing things out to me as we went. We crossed many bridges- my favourite the "dragon bridge", decorated with the city's animal mascot of sorts. We saw lively squares, beautiful churches, and ducked into the Art Nouveau styled "Union Hotel" for drinks. There was a Slovenian story-telling performance happening, which Sanja graciously translated for little old English me. (Have I mentioned how stoked I am to be headed to a country where my language is also their's? I won't feel like such a North American jerk anymore).

A little Ljubljana model!

Sanja had to duck home then for a quick study sess (med students. Just as busy in Slov as they are back home), but Mat and I had a bit more time to explore. He showed me some beautiful churches and a little mini model of Ljubljana where I attempted to get my bearings. Then we walked to his car, picked up Sanja and drove to the hockey rink in Ljubljana where Mat was reffing an evening rec league game. Sanja and I so enjoyed each other's company in the stands that I must admit we missed most of the action of the ice.

We chatted about all sorts of things, including Sanja's experiences singing with the World Youth Choir, which is something I'm really interested in checking out for myself. The game ended around 11:30, we dropped Sanja home, and after Blaženka checked that we were happy and had had a good day, we went to bed.

So much Salz

I succeeded in packing my day to the brim today.

View from a fortress tower

Alex and I got breakfast together at the buffet downstairs, and set out at around 9am- so right on schedule. We walked across the bridge to old town, and the fog had let up enough today to allow for some nice mountain views! The first thing we did was take the funicular up the cliff to visit the Salzburg Fortress. The views from up there were amazing!!!! Definitely worth it. We did a little audio-guided tour through the fortress and that was neat too.

Up on the roof at the Salzburg Fortress

We took the funicular back down, walked a little ways and then took the Monsburg lift up through the rocks to the Modern Art Museum. There were 3 floors to the exhibit. One called "open spaces, hidden places" that was mostly photography. Another that was really sparse and I can't even remember what it was, and a third that was "portraits" and had some really cool creative takes on the subject, like a woven tapestry portrait and a portrait made of thumbprints.

After our short visit to the museum, Alex and I headed back down to the street and went to see Mozart's birthplace together. It was a nice little museum- well organized and with good descriptions of what you were seeing, as well as authentic artifacts from the Mozart family. My fave was an original manuscript of "Dies Irae" from the Requiem. I was all- I've done that piece!! And just imagine standing in the room where freaking Mozart was born. Unreal!

Mozart's Birthhouse

We grabbed a quick coffee and then Alex had to leave to catch a train to Munich. I then headed to the Panorama Museum, where they had a special "The Real Von-Trapp" exhibit, as well as one that showed all the different adaptations of the story, in writing, in film, on broadway, and in all different languages. My favourite part was a little audio station where you could listen to "Favourite Things" in 12 different languages. Japanese was the coolest. After visiting the museum, I think I'd like to read the real Maria's autobiography, who was, btw, a second soprano. Holla.

Right next door was the Salzburg Museum, where I learned about the history of the city, looked at some paintings of mountains, and was introduced to Austria's first feminist.

Then I broke up my museum stretch with some shopping. Still no luck on new shoes, and my current ones are quite literally falling apart. My only hope is London, or that they last the next 6 days without crumbling off my feet.

My final destination was Mozart's residence, where along with wandering the rooms, you got an audio guide and listened to Mozart throughout. That was really nice.

I had dinner at the Heart of Joy cafe again. I know the food is good, and the prices are decent, so why not.

Gluwein with my new friend Kate!

At 6:00 I met up with Kate, and a new roomie, Jan, and we hit up the newly opened Christmas markets!!!! First we visited the smaller one at Mirabellplatz, and then made an evening of it at Salzburger Christkindlmarkt- the largest market in Austria. 100 stalls! We enjoyed a cup of gluwein (mine flavoured with apple and cinnamon- yum!) and then wandered through the stalls selling ornaments, spices, food, and enjoying the trees and beautiful sparkling lights. It was the perfect way to wrap up my time in this lovely city!!

Christmas Market!!

Sup Salzburg?

So Tuesday morning Beate extended her awesomeness and drove me to the Berlin-Tegel airport for my flight to Salzburg.

Foggy Salzburg

I arrived in Austria at around 2:00pm, and I must say, the surrounding greyness wasn't doing much for my mood. I caught a bus from the airport to the train station and on that ride I told myself, no sense in being gloomy, and was awesome instead. Really though. I just forced myself to smile, and soon I was just smiling! Try it sometime.

I got to my hostel and checked in and settled in. My room is so nice, and has a big ensuite bathroom with a real shower that I'm pretty excited to use. (Simple pleasures, people). I set out right away to it in some exploring before it got dark. I didn't have a purpose other than getting my bearings and killing some time really.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I loved this city. I think it has a whole lot to do with how much they love Christmas. Honestly, there is a wreath above every door, a display in every window. And I don't just mean retail shops. There were Christmas trees with glasses-ornaments at the optometrists. Salzburg goes all out my friends! I also caught an ad with the freaking brilliant news that the Christmas Markets open Thursday, which means I just catch them!

So much Christmas!

I stuck in "New Town" my first evening (the same side of the river as my hostel) since getting lost my first night in a new place wasn't something I wasn't interested in and was something that probably would have happened. I discovered a lovely little shopping street and hit up a few stores. It was my first time hearing Christmas tunes! Joy!

After my mini shop I found a little cafe for dinner called "The Heart of Joy" with, get this, G-Free specials!!!!! Dang! So I had the daily special, which was curried lentils with rice and it was delicious. It was also a huge amount so I was able to take some back to the hostel for lunch the next day. I had a Mozart Café, which was with caramel and organic whipped cream and slivered almonds, and came with one of the "Mozart Balls" that Salzburg is famous for.

Mozart Cafe

I got back to the hostel around 6:30 or so and met two of my roomies, Alex from Sidney, Australia and Gina from Seoul, South Korea (if only I was from Ottawa). We decided to all go downstairs together and watch "The Sound of Music" together in the "Amadeus Room" downstairs. T'was a lovely evening. We were joined by a couple other gals and we all sang along and had a lovely time.

I woke up at 9am this morning and squeezed in a few sites before my organized SoM tour. My first stop was the Salzburg Dom, or cathedral. I must say I was more impressed with the one in Berlin, but it was still opulent and lovely. I walked down the Getreidegasse- Salzburg's main shopping street. I slobbered over many an Xmas ornament, but so far I'm holding out for the "real thing" at the markets tomorrow night.

Back over the bridge, I visited the Mirabell Gardens and was particularly giddy to visit the little dwarves and Pegasus fountain that feature prominently in the "Do-Re-Mi" scene from SoM. At around 12:30 I went back to my hostel for a vote to eat, and met another Aussie named Kate in the lounge. We made plans to meet up in the evening, and then I headed out to meet my tour group.

They race through here during Do-Re-Mi!

Pegasus Fountain

Me in the Mirabell Gardens

In what is explained most accurately as an odd situation, I was put in a mini van with a family of 6, and just me. So Gma, Gpa, mum and dad, 16 yr old sister, 5 year old brother, and me. Haha. Weird. But our guide, Naomi, was cool and fun, and I was sitting up front with her, so it was all good.

Where the kids and Maria fall in the lake!

16 going on 17!

I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME!

During the tour we listened to the SoM soundtrack and sang along. We drove past many of the sites the movie was filmed at, and got out at some key ones to take pictures. My fave spots were the lake where Maria and the kids tip over in the boat, the gazebo where Leisel and Rolf sing "16 going on 17", and the lane that Maria runs down while singing "Confidence in Me". After seeing all the central Salzburg sites, we drove out to lake country to see where the picnic scene was filmed. We also visited "Mondsee" to visit the church where Maria and the Captain were married in the movie. I had a "crisp apple strudel" at the cafe across the street. I couldn't resist.

That was our last stop. We sang "So long, Farewell" and then Naomi was kind enough to drive me right to my hostel so I didn't have to walk back by myself in the dark. I met Kate in the lobby and we's meant to go to a museum, but my Frommer's book lied, and the 2 we had to choose from actually closed at 5 and not 8. Lame. So we just went for dinner instead, at a restaurant in Old Town called Zom Morhen that Mozart and Schubert used to eat at. Bam. I had a supremely delicious veal goulash. The meat was so so tender. I stayed away from the spätzle and schnitzel since I'd already cheated today. The goulash was so good though.

Tomorrow I am going to do EVERYTHING else on my list. It's a big one. It's gonna be a big day.

Salzburg by night- walking back into New Town with Kate