For me Christmas time begins when you get your coffee to go in the seasonal papercup! This particular one is from EAT. which is my favourite of the coffee chains in London due to its creamy Latté and the design and colours (or should I say non-colours) of their stores. To find one near you click here.
Last night I had tickets for “pool, no water” in the Lyric Theater in Hammersmith. I have looked at the building often while strolling around the market on Thursdays, and wondered what it might be like inside. I think it is always interesting to explore new places, hidden from the world and not easily seen. You have to enter to find out. This one was definitely a winner!
The reception area really doesn’t look like much, in fact there even isn’t much space. You have to walk up two stairs in order to find yourself in an open bar area, which is inviting and modern at the same time. You can have a glass of wine, coffee or even a few sandwiches or cakes. Just right if you made it there straight after work and you haven’t had dinner.
The stage is again one floor up and you suddenly find yourself in a surrounding that could be an original old theater! It looks cosy and oldfashioned and although I am assuming that it is just made to look that way, it is not hard to immagine it’s real.
The play was chosen by my date and I do have my doubts about modern pieces. Nevertheless the music and lighting were very good and, although I would have liked somewhat more of a storyline, it was entertaining. Like in most modern pieces the actors needed about 15 minutes to be naked on stage (I never quite understood the necessity of it but I guess by now you are only allowed to call your play modern if at least one person is naked for some time), you had the must-have frantically running around part as well and more meaningful stares towards the ceiling than dialogue.
But, I am the first to admit, in the end it is all a matter of personal taste. The play was already on for some time and it was completely sold out. My number one modern-theater-experience will never be topped anyway: I once saw a play in Paris which lasted roughly three hours and in the end ALL the actors were frantically running around naked, demolishing a whole house that had been build on stage. That was too much, even for my tolerance level…
I should mention that there was the possibility of meeting the actors after the play in order to ask questions. We prefered having another glass of wine in the bar as we had to prepare our upcoming trip to Madrid, but next time that’s certainly something I would like to do.
I did enjoyed myself and will most definitely come back to see more!
Lyric Hammersmith
Lyric Square, King Street
London W6 0QL
Tickets: 08700 500 511
Look it up on the map
Luckily in the area where I live are quite a few venues. That means getting bored is not an option, there are too many theatres, cinemas, shopping possibilities, cafes and restaurants.
The other day we decided to try the Riverside Studios. I walked past it once and it looked like a nice place for the evening. They have a movie theatre, changing shows and a bar, but you can also go there just to grab a coffee or have lunch. It sounded like a good mixture!
We met for a drink at the bar which turned out to be a bit dissapointing. I think it is meant to be industrial style but there could have been more effort put into the design of the place. So far it looks a bit unfinished. The lack of windows (none…) doesn’t make it very comforting and it has the feeling of a university-cafeteria.
However the wine was good and it was fun watching the dancers of the show running by to get to their stage.
I had picked The Queen as the movie for the night. I figured it is a must-see when you live in Britain. The movie theatre is all the way up the stairs and the room was huge with a very big screen (you never know when you try out the smaller places…). In front of the screen was a stage and in the corner stood a piano. It looked like there were dance lessons to take place as well. All in all a quirky kind of place, but in the nice, comfortable way.
I should mention that the movie was fabulous! Me being a Helen Mirren Fan I enjoyed seeing her in that role. Much has been written about her appearance in the film so I’ll spear you that part. However I need to mention that the Blairs were fantastic as well. It was very interesting how you start noticing that your feelings towards everybody shifts throughout the movie. In the beginning you think you have it all figured out but then you have second thoughts. Just in real life I guess…
One thing I would recommend is the movie double bill which is offered on a regular basis at the Riverside Studios. They show two movies somehow related to each other (theme, director, etc.) on one evening. I am a bit of a movie addict so that’s just my kind of thing! Unfortunately I haven’t found the time yet to try it out. The seats in the theatre are definitely comfortable enough!
They are also currently featuring a Festival of Central and Eastern European Arts!
Riverside Studios
Crisp Road
London W6 9RL
OPENING TIMES
Building: Mon-Fri 08.30-23.00, Sat 12.00-23.00, Sun 12.00-22.30
Café Bar: Mon-Fri 10.00-23.00, Sat 12.30-23.00, Sun 12.30-22.30
Espresso Bar: Mon-Fri 08.30-14.30
Box Office: Daily 12.00-21.00
Look it up on the map
If you are looking for something different to do on the weekends and you don’t want to make a big fuss, why not trying out one of the many shows (I think Messe would be the correct German word for it - although a Messe is usually refered to for a much bigger event) that are around.
This weekend we decided to give it a go and chose two shows - one for Saturday and one for Sunday. The whole concept is a bit new to me but I have to say that it is quite entertaining. On Saturday we went to a dog show. You might want to check whether or not you are allergic to certain breeds, that should save you from walking around with red eyes and sneezing all the time…
Anyway I was surprised what an effort people made to present their breed. The stands were lovingly decorated with pictures and personilized through loads of drawings and self-made accessories. You could stroll around and have a look at and pat every dog. There were all kinds - from big to little and from cute to the most ugly one you have ever seen.
The reason I came was to have a closer look at chocolate labradors which most certainly will be my dog in the future! Luckily they didn’t have any puppies! Otherwise I might have taken one home straight away…
Discover Dogs 2006
Earls Court 2
Earls Court, London
Open 9am until 5pm Saturday and Sunday
Look it up on the map
Oh, and when we left the show we suddenly noticed this cool advertisement:
It’s the same picture, but as you walk by it changes! (See, I am very easily amused…)
On Sunday we went to the Good Food Show. I liked the dogs (despite my sneezing) but this one was fantastic! Loads to try and look at. All kinds of things were presented: food companies, kitchen utensils, wine… I especially liked all the little companies! My favourite being by far: blendsforfriends! A very original idea for presents. You can fill out an order form with character traits of the friend or family member the tea is for and a master tea taster will create a personalized tea blend. No one else will have exactly the same tea. It’s such a unique idea!
And there were many more gift ideas. It is certainly a great place to go to if you want to get some christmas shopping done.
We also had the chance to see Gordon Ramsay cook and he even said “shit” and “fuck” much less than expected! He is such a great entertainer and also very inspiring when it comes to cooking. I felt like going straight back into the kitchen right after coming home.
So next time you have a weekend ahead of you and don’t know what to do, check out what shows are in town. There might be something interesting on!
The BBC Good Food Show London
16th - 18th November 2007
(wil be happening next year as well)
Olympia, London
Look it up on the map
Just yesterday I made a wonderful discovery! There is a Farmers Market on the Lyric Square in Hammersmith which offers a superp selection of food from all parts of the world.
Well, actually I have been to the market before as it is a good place to stock up on bread (Really good bread! Fresh loafs with a thick crust but moist and tender on the inside. And don’t get me started on the Brownies and Banana Cake…). However this was the first time I actually used it to grab something for lunch, along with most of the working population in that area.
Even though there are so many things that look delicious I opted for a Rainforest Box, which was filled with a variety of salads (you can choose which ones you like), all ingredients are uncooked and unsalted. If you ask me there could have been a little salt in there which I think brings out the flavours just that little bit more, but still it was absolutely delicious! Just standing in front of the stall and looking at all these amazing colours made me happy. Get this if you’re after a healthy lunch! And surprisingly it’s satisfying and filling too!
But then again you could get a pita bread filled with marinated and grilled squid. I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone prepare a sandwich with as much care and love as this guy there. You see it already when you have a closer look at the stall: everything is neatly stacked and there are even little decoration items here and there. Needless to say that the sandwich tasted great too.
Farmers Market
Hammersmith Lyric Square
Thursdays 10 - 3 pm
London
Look it up on the map