Twenty20 Cricket World Cup - 5th of June

Last year, whilst working in Dubai, I managed to get hold of four tickets for the opening ceremony and first game of the Twenty20 World Cup at Lords. Unfortunately the opening ceremony with Alesha Dixon was rained off but the first game could still be played. England Vs Holland should have been a complete walk in the park, however this is England and we either run hot or cold. The game ended up being a real nail biter with Holland winning off the last ball thanks to an overthrow from Chris Broad. We were all there to witness yet another famous English defeat ;-) Bet the Aussies are scared!

Copenhagen - 3rd of June

After work, Henrik gave me a guided tour of Copenhagen. We started off in Christiania, an old military base taken over by hippies in 1971. Christiania is a self-governing community complete with shops, theatre, restaurants and the famous Christiania bicycles. You aren't allowed to take photos within Christiania as the cannabis dealers are worried about the police. I did take a photo from outside the perimeter wall though (first photo). When I did some research on the internet I discovered that Christiania has a history of violence including grenade attacks! Henrik takes me to all the best places.

Henrik then showed me some of the more upmarket areas of Copenhagen before heading to the old city for dinner at Pasta Basta. Afterwards we stumbled on an impromptu street party which was continually moving around to dodge the police. I love the lady in the photo below who thinks she can still drive through the street:


After a short walk we came to Nyhavn, a very beautiful old area of Copenhagen full of great restaurants and old boats. Grabbing an ice cream covered in melted marshmallow seemed the right thing to do. To fit in with the locals, you understand.

On the way back to the hotel we came across an excellent display of funny signs from around the world:

Thames & British Music Experience - 31st of May

Carolyn was pretty keen to spend the day catching up on work, but with a little persuasion/guilt trip eventually agreed to head out for a bit of fun. The weather was perfect so we caught the Thames Clipper from London Bridge to the o2 where we grabbed some lunch and checked out the British Music Experience. I wasn't really expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. There were loads of personal effects on display from the Stones, The Who, Beetles, Elton John, Queen, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Oasis, Spice Girls and Cold Play to name but a few. I especially enjoyed the Britain Vs USA feature where I once and for all showed Carolyn that British music is best by triumphing in the interactive tennis game. Carolyn then showed me her line dancing skills. At the end of the exhibit there is a chance to work your magic in a recording studio with guitar, keyboard, drums and vocals. All of which are saved via a 'smart' ticket for future review on the web - unfortunately. On the return journey Carolyn worked the camera DURAN DURAN style.

The Shard - 30th of May

Our little area of London is certainly changing. It wasn't that long ago that black cabs wouldn't come over this side of the river. Now Vogue says we have one of the coolest streets in the city and work has started on a new 72 floor super-skyscraper nicknamed the Shard. This will make it the tallest building in London and one of the tallest in Europe. It's going to be really interesting to see this amazing building take shape over the next couple of years.

Borough Market - 30th of May

We are very luck to live just ten minutes away from the fabulous Borough Market, one of London's top tourist attractions. We try and grab lunch here every Saturday, when we can. The photos show some of our favourite vendors - roast turkey baguettes with cranberry and stuffing, seafood curry, West Country venison burgers/sausages and fish & chips. As you can see, I went for the venison sausage bap today. Other favourites include gourmet chicken burgers, pork belly rolls with crackling, Cornish ice cream, diver caught scallops, prawn wraps and chorizo sandwiches. I can highly recommend Roast, a restaurant attached to the market which sources ingredients directly from the market.

Stalking Elizabeth Haddon - 11th of May

There are strong historical links between the part of London where we now live (Southwark) and Carolyn's home town (Haddonfield, NJ). In 1698 John Haddon purchased land in America which required possession be taken within six months. John Haddon sent his 20 year old daughter, Elizabeth, to lay claim to the new holdings. The first photo shows Carolyn outside the Haddon family home in St. Saviours Dock, Shad Thames. The second photo shows Carolyn at the site of the Haddon's blacksmith shop, Bermondsey. Whilst we were walking back from the site of the blacksmith shop we stopped to snap some quick shots of Tower Bridge opening. We also stumbled on the fire station used in the television series - London's Burning. I knew it was around here somewhere but had never seen it before.