A lot of culture and delicious food

Halloooooo!

One looooooong blog post coming up :) But instead of starting on Saturday 18/10, my blog post will start on Thursday evening 16/10 when my cousin arrived.

But first enjoy this video of her stay in London and us being total tourists!

Thursday 16/10
Eventhough Thursday started very well (saw the cutest squirrel in Green Park) it wasn't the best day. Being tired, thinking too much,... The usual. And to make it even 'better', some dude just slipped through the gates right after me so I basically paid for his train ride. It's not the first time this has happened to me and it makes me feel so angry. If you know me, I don't get angry very easily (Annoyed, yes. Angry, no) So on my walk home I was constantly thinking of what I should have said or what I should have done. You know, completely Kathleen Kelly from You've got mail. But none of it would have helped or make an imprecision on the guy who prefers to let a girl half his age pay for his train ride. So the only thing I can hope for is that Karma gives him and everyone who do the same thing a HUGE fine.

But anyway, by the time I got home I still had an hour and a half or so to unwind and relax before I had to walk back to the train station. Lies, my cousin, was to arrive at 9pm at Thornton Heath station. Her journey was kind of "bumpy" (giant airport, huge queues at ticket machines and a missed train) so she arrived about 30 minutes later than planned. We were both exhausted so after the first 3 hours of catching up, we went to sleep.

Exploring vs working
Unfortunately I still had to go to work on Friday so Lies was on her own for the day. Not that that was a problem. She went to Camden town, saw the gherkin up close and saw some art in Tate Modern. In one day she did what I wouldn't even do in a weekend x)

After work we met at Oxford Circus and we walked down Regent Street to Leicester Square becaaauuuuse... We wanted to see what the prices were for a last minute ticket for a musical^^ Luckily there were only two people in front of us, so we didn't had to wait that long. But by the time it was our turn, there was a pretty long queue...

Next challenge was to find food. Pretty quickly we decided to go to Covent Garden to eat at the Jamie Oliver Union Jack restaurant. After witnessing a dude performing a show on a unicycle we made our way to the restaurant. Again, we hardly had to wait longer than 5 min to be seated. By the time our food arrived, a queue had formed again.

I loved walking around West End in the evening. The city looks so different when the sun sets. It's something I don't do simply because I hate the thought of walking from Thornton Heath to my house at 10pm by myself. I am actually really excited about the fact that winter is coming and therefore the days will be shorter :D

Jamie Oliver Union Jack in Covent Garden

Poppies at Tower of London, Natural History Museum and Billy Elliot
Saturday morning started a bit difficult. Eventhough I travel by Oyster card for about 6 months now, I still have no idea who it works. The guy working in the ticket booth at Thornton Heath station tried to explain with all his power how it works. He even closed his booth for a while to get out and help us and explain again. Unfortunately, I still have no clue. But Lies could travel all day for £8.9 with public transport as much as she liked. Bingo!

Saturday morning was Tower of London day to see the poppies. After purchasing a delicious breakfast at Krispy Kreme, off we went to the East End.

Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red is an art installation at the Tower of London marking the 100 years since WW I started. If you're interested please clic here for more information :)

Blood Swepts Lands and Seas of Red at Tower of London marking the 100years since WW I by poppies.

There was a lot of people

After breakfast next to the Tower of London, we went all the way to South Kensington to the Natural History Museum. Because we had to be at the Victoria Palace by 2:30pm we kind of jogged through the museum. It is HUGE! If you ever need a day out and it is raining: Natural History Museum is your place to go (or Science museum or V&A). So much to see. Dinosaurs, mammals, creepy insects, volcanoes, space, earth, etc.

The reason why we needed to be at the Victoria Palace by 2:30pm was because we went to see the musical Billy Elliot! Thank you Bieke (Lies' sister) for suggesting the musical. Tickets are very expensive, but because we bought ours Friday evening (pretty last minute) we had seats at a reasonable price. Obviously for the price we paid we didn't have the best seats in the house. We were seated at the very top of the theater so if you are afraid of heights, you'd be very unlucky... But we could see and hear everything just fine :) The musical was wonderful :)

After the musical, which ended at 5:30pm we went to Oxford Street for some "shopping". I say "shopping" because we actually didn't buy anything :) Nando's for dinner and then off home again.

The Breakfast Club, Canary Wharf and Science museum

Sunday started quite early. We really wanted to be on time at the Breakfast Club for breakfast. I had heard quite a bit about it and I was curious to what the fuzz was all about. Lies did some research and we learned that is not unusual to have a queue at 10am.

When Lies and I arrived at the Breakfast Club near Liverpool Street, we could just walk in, didn't have to wait longer than a minute to be seated and were served in an instance. By the time we walked out, a queue had formed all the way out on the street. That was at 10:10am...

The Breakfast Club met my expections big time. Awesome interior, delicious food and man, the coffee. I was sold.

Breakfast was so good we actually needed some time to digest everything x)

After breakfast we went to Canary Wharf, the 2nd financial borough in London. Perhaps you recognize some of the buildings in the London skyline?

Against all odds, we walked around for quite a while. We sat on a bench enjoying the view on the Thames and West London and the group of Sunday crazy morning people who choose to exercise so early.

After Canary Wharf we went back all the way to West End to Victoria station so Lies could buy her Gatwick express train ticket. When we arrived: no queue. When we left: queue.

Next thing on the agenda: the Science museum. We only got around the ground floor. Again it was HUGE. But there was a room called "Exploring space". My little heart exploded. It was so interesting! And the amount of children running around was also pretty cool.

A little guy was hugging the picture of Yuri Gagarin and kept saying: "Astronaut, astronaut, astronaut,..." I guess he has ambitions :)

In the hall next to the "Exploring Space" one was the "Making the Modern World". A guy in costume did a little "show" explaining how electricity came to be. Eventhough I have learned everything in high school, I can say a forgot 90% of it. So it was very nice to refresh my memory x)

3:30pm came around pretty quickly and before I knew it Lies was on her way home again and I was alone in Victoria station. I literally had to sit down for a minute because I had no idea what to do next. After a little "pep talk" from my sister (not really a pep talk, she just said to get on with things and do something from my to do list that was the nearest) on I went.

I took the tube to Monument to the monument that represents the Great Fire of London in 1666. I also went to Pudding lane, the street where the bakery was situated where it all began. I didn't know you can actually visit the Monument, so that might be something I do next :)

the Monument

I thought I might have a nice stroll towards St Paul's Cathedral, but I ended up walking a pretty big tour and I saw loads of new things in London :) By the time I reached Temple (4 tube stops from Monument) I decided it was time to get a coffee and a panini and head home.

St Paul's cathedral

If you are familiar with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, you'll know what this is ;)

Beautiful view to end my tour

This is for this weeks blog post. I hope you enjoyed it! I certainly did. It was so lovely to have my cousin around for the weekend! I am looking forward to the weekend my parents will come and my sister and her boyfriend. By then, London will be transformed into a Christmas card x) Excitement!

Thanks for reading!
xo - Sara

A journey of a 1000 miles

Halloooooo!

This is the second blog post for this week. And yes, this is a quote that I think is definitely so true.

I've heard this quote for the very first time on the Graham Norton show when Amy Adams, Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe were on the show. Russell told a story about him meeting Henry Cavill as a youngster and what he told him back then. That quote made me actually stop the episode, got me out of my sofa to get something to write it down.

Obviously Russell Crowe didn't use the quote for the first time. Actually I am not a 100% sure from who the quote originally is, but I found Lao Tzu. So I guess that is the correct source.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is so obvious and simple, but so true. If you want to reach your goal (that is a 1000 miles away) you have to start walking. If you don't take that single step, you'll stay right where you are. You'll not magically fly a 1000miles and reach your goal in a minute.That is definitely so true! (And I just explained the obvious to you. I am sorry:))

If you like, you can watch the episode of the Graham Norton show on the link below :)

Thanks for reading!

xo - Sara

The Perks of being a Wallflower

#movietime

Hallooo!!

Because the next blog post most likely will not go live this weekend, I forsee two blog post this week to make up for it. This is the first one. 

I am sure a lot of you have already heard about this movie. Especially because Emma Watson is starring in it. But I'll write a blog post anyway, simply because I loved the book and loved the movie!

2012
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Actors: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Kate Walsh, etc
Lenght: 102min= 1h 42min
Family proof
Genre: Drama

Charlie is a freshman in high school and has difficulties making new friends. He isn't like all the other students his age. As the story evolves we get to know Charlie and this touching story.

If you are like me and you want to see every movie Emma Watson has ever starred in, then that is one reason to watch it. If you have read the coming-of-age novel and are curious about the movie, that is an other reason to watch it. Don't worry, it won't disappoint. It is a beautiful movie to watch with a friend who has the same taste in movie as you have.

But I have to warn you, the undertone and storyline is quite serious. It is not depressing or anything. It's just very moving.

You meet Charlie, a slightly more awkward freshman in high school who just tries to find a way to fit in. Then he meets Patrick and Sam and for the first time he knows what it is like to have friends. Besides the struggles most freshmen have in high school, the story also touches the subjects of sexuality and abuse. It is not your typical light themed movie about high school.

If you don't feel the need to cry halfway the movie, then I have no idea what else could/would make you cry. And it might come as a big surprise, but you actually will not cry because it is sad. You'll cry because, ok it is sad, but it is so much more than only sad. It is so beautiful and powerful at the same time. The phrase "I feel infinite" descripes it perfectly. 

Stephen Chbosky produced so many beautiful quotes. They really make you think twice about them. "I feel infinite" is one of them, "Welcome to the island of misfit toys" and "We accept the love we think we deserve" are other examples.

A still from the movie.

From the very first scene, the very first line Logan Lerman says as Charlie, you are drawn into the story. He is cast spot on. You really feel for him. You want to just hug him and tell him everything is going to be just fine. Emma Watson does an amazing job. If you had ever any doubt about her acting skills, you will have them no longer. And Ezra Miller. Well, he portrays everything what Patrick is. He completes the trio. The chemistry between Logan, Emma and Ezra is what makes the movie work.

I hope you are convinced to see the Perks of being a Wallflower yourself if you haven't already. Please let me know your thoughts and opinion on this blog post :) I'd love to get some constructive feedback!

Thanks for reading and make sure to watch the videos I have linked below :)
xo - Sara

Quote from the movie
Charlie: My Aunt Helen has said I should be a writer, but I don't know what I'd write about.
Sam: You could write about us.
Patrick: Yeah! Call it 'Slut and the Falcon'. Make us solve crimes. 

Videos
Enjoy watching these videos I found on the world wide web

Trailer

Popsugar interview with Emma Watson and Stephen Chbosky

BBC Radio 1 interview with Emma Watson. It's hilarious :D

Sources
IMDb and YouTube, of course.

JIN weekend and GRADUATION!!!!

Halloooo!!!!

Let me just tell that this week was crazy. No really, I went back and forth twice between London, Brussels and Zeeland (Netherlands) in less than a week. "Why?" You may ask? Well, keep reading to find out :)

But first of all: HERE IS A VIDEO!! ^^

JIN weekend

It all started Friday afternoon 3/10. My boss let me off of work at 2:30pm, because I had 2 late nights on Tuesday and Wednesday. My train didn't leave until 7:38pm, so I wandered around Soho for about an hour and a half, eating delicious noodles. Paris, a colleague, suggested Wok to Walk when I told her that I was craving noodles for lunch. It is super delicious, so if you're ever in Soho, London, stop by Wok to Walk next to Oxford Circus tube station for a quick, customize and delicious meal!

By 4:30pm I was in St Pancras. About 2hours before I even could check in, so I had plenty of time to eat "dinner".

My favorite kind of meal

This weekend the jin who were jin in 2010 got together in the Netherlands. These kind of occasions are always so much fun. This is the second time we went away to the Netherlands to stay in a little bungalow for 2 straight days. We went to see the sea side, we went swimming, etc. Just being the most random group that we are and laughing every chance we got.

Friday night at 12:45am I arrived and Sunday 11:45am I had to leave again to catch my train at 2:52pm. It was nerve racking and I was completely stressed out, but I eventually made it on time. Just.

That was my first time that I took the Eurostar to Belgium and back on my own. Wednesday evening was the second time. 3 lovely nights in my own bed, 1 really early morning and a hastle with my big North Face bag later, I sat on the Eurostar once again.

I GRADUATED!!!
The reason why I left Wednesday evening to Belgium again was not just for fun or because I was homesick. No, the main reason why I wanted to go back to Belgium was because... I GRADUATED!!! Thursday evening was the official graduation and I just had to be there :) And of course, whilst I was in Belgium, I took the opportunity to see as much friends and family as I could.

Because the earliest Eurostar that went back to London was Monday evening, I had to take 3days off of work, so you could compare it to a mini break from work :) But eventhough it was a mini break, no time to rest!

Jup, we did it!

On Friday I met with these girls again to have a proper catch up over smoothies and cheesecakes and some other friends from Erasmushogeschool as well.

(Btw, the girls left and right of me have a blog too! Go check out Lipstick and Sneakers :) It's a beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog.)

I can tell you that and the JIN weekend and the graduation were perfectly timed. I have been in London for 2 months now and after my mini break I have another 2months before it is the Christmas holidays :) I can't believe it's been 2 months already. Time flies when you are having fun I guess? :)

That is it for this week! :) I hope you enjoyed the video x)

Thanks for reading!
xo - Sara

Battersea Park, DVD lists and Gone Girl screening

Halloooo!

Just as last week, this one will be a short blog post :) Yay!

DVD lists
As I said last week, I had the idea of going to Brighton. But when I looked up the train tickets, I just... It was a no. £26.3 there and back. If you know that last time I went to Brighton I paid £10 there and back. I just didn't think it was worth the money to spend an afternoon by the seaside, not being really prepared.

So instead I watched a couple of the new dvd's that I bought on Friday :) We bought a Zoo, the Proposal and Sunshine Cleaning. I recommend all three :) I also started to make a list of all the DVD's that I own. Turns out: I left part of my DVD's back home in Belgium... The last thing I will say about it: it took longer than anticipated...

Battersea Park, the Death Cure and TCON
Sunday was a bit more active. As in: I went outside the house x) Because I enjoyed last Sunday so much, I decided to just repeat it. Take the train into town see where I end up. Because I was well aware of the fact that I have more books than I have time to read, I have consciously avoided the center of London and therefore Waterstones.

From London Victoria I walked, with a Costa Coffee in hand, South towards Battersea Park instead of North towards Buckingham Palace. As a result, I saw a new part of London and I had a lovely afternoon walk through town and through the park. Eventually I ended up on a bench looking over a pond, reading.

View on Battersea park from Chelsea bridge.
It might not show in the picture, but it was actually a very warm day

I wish I had more time to walk through Battersea Park, but I just couldn't stop reading the Death Cure. I remember so well, after reading the Maze Runner, telling my friend who'd read the books (yes, you, Molly) that I wasn't really sure what to think of it. She just said: "read them all and then we'll talk". My colleague said the exact same thing. And man I am glad I did! I ended up L O V I N G them! That James Dashner did a fine job. I am even tempted to read the prequel the Kill Zone. But first I am going to read TCON. 7 small books with large margins and drawings. Completely the opposite of LOTR x) You would think that J.R.R Tolkien would have listen to his friend when it came to book margins x) And they are supposed to be children's books. I say "supposed to be". The Maze Runner trilogy and the Hobbit are supposed to be children's books as well... So we'll see.

Gone Girl screening
Tuesday evening was very exciting. We had a meeting with the Regent Street Association regarding a very exciting event that is happening really soon. So you'll probably want to keep your eyes open for this one ;) And dad, you'll be proud: I kept the name tag! x)

After the meeting, we were treated on a screening of Gone Girl (which is in cinemas right now in the UK and will be in cinemas on the 8th October in Belgium). I just... It is... I can only recommend it. It's... Speechless. You'll like Ben Affleck and you will LOVE Rosamund Pike. It's the perfect psychological thriller. If you like me to write a blog post about it, I'd be happy to. Just let me know :)

Just one more thing I'd like to share in this weeks blog post. Then I'll end it, promise :) This picture. It is Green Park at his best. You can see autumn slowly making his way in.

Green Park at his best

As promised, I'll leave it here. I thought it was going to be a short one, since nothing spectacular happend this week, but I alway surprise myself that I always find something to write about.

Thanks for reading! :)
xo - Sara