Tuesday felt quite unusual as it was Australia Day back home and it seemed a bit like we were missing out on something. We went off to work, because we didn’t want people to think we were “taking the piss”. You know, like those people who always take Australian holidays but then also want time off for Greek Easter and Chinese New Year as well. In some ways it felt as though due to us coming across here on our own free will, to be so far away from Australia, we weren't entitled to celebrate the same as everyone else.
Nevertheless, lots of the Aussies across London came together with several large gatherings throughout the capital. Lauren and Adam spent their final night in London at an Australia Day party with Lauren’s friend until the early hours of the morning.
If you were to think about the number one selling dish from nearly every pub and RSL club brasserie across Australia (disclaimer: sales figures not verified), a truly symbolic bogan food - it would have to be chicken parmigiana. Unfortunately for the inner bogans within us, the old parmi doesn't exist in the UK. Stranger still, it wasn't until we came abroad that we learned some Australians refer to it as a parma. They seem to be from Queensland and Victoria mostly. Curious folk. Home made parmigianas we had. Not as big as one from the club, but still fan-bloody-tastic.
We woke on Wednesday morning to an empty house, Lauren and Adam had left for the airport already and unfortunately we’d only just missed them. On the Sunday just gone during our housemate search, we’d met a Kiwi couple called Molly and Nathan who we’d clicked well with. Our flat does have 2 bedrooms, although one of them is quite petite. Molly and Nathan were interested in the bigger room, so we spent Wednesday evening condensing our belongings and swapping over to the smaller room.
Molly and Nathan moved in on Thursday, meanwhile Brendan went out for dinner with work to Chiltern Firehouse. Chiltern Firehouse is one of the most hyped restaurants in London at the moment, rumoured to be a hot spot for celebrities. Apparently Lindsay Lohan has been, but who knows whether she has any memory of it. It seemed like a decent amount of the menu was either raw or only part cooked, an interesting concept but the food was still exceptional.
On Saturday, we paid a visit to St Paul’s Cathedral, the 111 metre high dome of which is renowned across the city. Photos and phones are forbidden in this big house of God - several tourists were told off during our visit. Entering the huge cathedral floor, you first reach The Nave and are afforded a view right down the full length of the cathedral. We roamed the Cathedral Floor, taking in the colourful Biblical artworks high up on the walls and ceilings. Many of these were made of mosaic tiles.
After roaming the floor, we headed upstairs to the Galleries. 257 stairs up the dome, the Whispering Gallery has a diameter of approximately 33 metres and looks down upon the Cathedral Floor. The name is said to have derived from the Gallery’s strange and inadvertent acoustics - if two people stand on opposite sides of the circular gallery and one puts their ear to the wall while the other whispers to the wall, the person listening can apparently hear. Although there were too many people there for us to test this effectively, you could definitely hear people talking even though we weren't really near anyone.
Another 119 narrow and meandering stairs up (total 376 from the Cathedral Floor), we reached the Stone Gallery, the first of two Gallerys that encircles the outside of the dome.
152 stairs higher still, and we reached the peak - the Golden Gallery. The Golden Gallery is a total of 528 stairs or 85 metres above the Cathedral Floor. This Gallery level is quite narrow to walk around, but allows you to take in unobstructed views across the London skyline.
We wrapped up the weekend with a late Sunday brunch after 2pm at Brickwood in Clapham, which is one of three Australian/New Zealand influenced Brickwood cafes.
Meanwhile back in Australia, Brad was wrestling snakes. They relocated this very much still alive carpet python from Roslyn’s pop’s house to another property with a rodent problem. Eugh *shudder*.
Highlights for the week:
- Australia Day
- Home made chicken parmigiana
- Lauren and Adam moved out to head back to Australia :(
- Swapped bedrooms
- Molly and Nathan moved in :)
- Brendan’s dinner at Chiltern Firehouse
- Visited St Paul’s Cathedral and climbed all 528 stairs to the top
- 2pm brunch on Sunday
If you were to think about the number one selling dish from nearly every pub and RSL club brasserie across Australia (disclaimer: sales figures not verified), a truly symbolic bogan food - it would have to be chicken parmigiana. Unfortunately for the inner bogans within us, the old parmi doesn't exist in the UK. Stranger still, it wasn't until we came abroad that we learned some Australians refer to it as a parma. They seem to be from Queensland and Victoria mostly. Curious folk. Home made parmigianas we had. Not as big as one from the club, but still fan-bloody-tastic.
We woke on Wednesday morning to an empty house, Lauren and Adam had left for the airport already and unfortunately we’d only just missed them. On the Sunday just gone during our housemate search, we’d met a Kiwi couple called Molly and Nathan who we’d clicked well with. Our flat does have 2 bedrooms, although one of them is quite petite. Molly and Nathan were interested in the bigger room, so we spent Wednesday evening condensing our belongings and swapping over to the smaller room.
Molly and Nathan moved in on Thursday, meanwhile Brendan went out for dinner with work to Chiltern Firehouse. Chiltern Firehouse is one of the most hyped restaurants in London at the moment, rumoured to be a hot spot for celebrities. Apparently Lindsay Lohan has been, but who knows whether she has any memory of it. It seemed like a decent amount of the menu was either raw or only part cooked, an interesting concept but the food was still exceptional.
On Saturday, we paid a visit to St Paul’s Cathedral, the 111 metre high dome of which is renowned across the city. Photos and phones are forbidden in this big house of God - several tourists were told off during our visit. Entering the huge cathedral floor, you first reach The Nave and are afforded a view right down the full length of the cathedral. We roamed the Cathedral Floor, taking in the colourful Biblical artworks high up on the walls and ceilings. Many of these were made of mosaic tiles.
After roaming the floor, we headed upstairs to the Galleries. 257 stairs up the dome, the Whispering Gallery has a diameter of approximately 33 metres and looks down upon the Cathedral Floor. The name is said to have derived from the Gallery’s strange and inadvertent acoustics - if two people stand on opposite sides of the circular gallery and one puts their ear to the wall while the other whispers to the wall, the person listening can apparently hear. Although there were too many people there for us to test this effectively, you could definitely hear people talking even though we weren't really near anyone.
Another 119 narrow and meandering stairs up (total 376 from the Cathedral Floor), we reached the Stone Gallery, the first of two Gallerys that encircles the outside of the dome.
152 stairs higher still, and we reached the peak - the Golden Gallery. The Golden Gallery is a total of 528 stairs or 85 metres above the Cathedral Floor. This Gallery level is quite narrow to walk around, but allows you to take in unobstructed views across the London skyline.
We wrapped up the weekend with a late Sunday brunch after 2pm at Brickwood in Clapham, which is one of three Australian/New Zealand influenced Brickwood cafes.
Meanwhile back in Australia, Brad was wrestling snakes. They relocated this very much still alive carpet python from Roslyn’s pop’s house to another property with a rodent problem. Eugh *shudder*.
Highlights for the week:
- Australia Day
- Home made chicken parmigiana
- Lauren and Adam moved out to head back to Australia :(
- Swapped bedrooms
- Molly and Nathan moved in :)
- Brendan’s dinner at Chiltern Firehouse
- Visited St Paul’s Cathedral and climbed all 528 stairs to the top
- 2pm brunch on Sunday
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