Monday 24 December 2007

Item 16: London Transport Museum... "Please mind the gap..."

Location: London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza, London, WC2 E7BB

It's been four months since my arrival in London and the Tube has been my best friend. From the very beginning, as I boarded the Piccadilly line at Heathrow Airport, my deep dependence has fostered our relationship on a daily basis. And so, it was time to get to know each other a little better and meet Tube's family with a visit to the newly refurbished London Transport Museum.

An £8 admission fee and a lift ride that counts down as you travel back in time to the 1800's brings you to the start, where horse and carriage serviced the city. As you venture through the exhibits that progressively bring you to the transport systems of the present day, visitors are provided with a card to collect 13 stamps throughout the complex. Each stamp provides a representation of the transport of the times. Hence, the first stamp is in the shape of a horse and cart. The rest I shall leave as a surprise.

If the stamps fail to capture your interest, as transportation improves through the ages so does the level of interaction with the displays. Put up a fight against the little kids and their parents, and get in quick for a chance to drive your own train in the 21st century. Or give the kids a nudge in the direction of the makeshift rails to see what will happen in the real world.

As for the my beloved Tube, be captivated as you watch the development of the network though the joining yellow, blue, green, red, silver, brown, black and maroon lines on the big screen to form the current map of today.

A fulfilling afternoon at the museum, and happy memories come to mind as I hear the station annoucement, "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform".

Item 16: London Transport Museum? CHECK!

Thursday 13 December 2007

Item 15: I Knit London.... Yes I do!

Location: I Knit London, 13 Bonnington Square, Vauxhall, SW8 1TE

Let's start at the beginning. I'd met new friend through a friend who modelled her warm and cosy beanie at a party, only to be told that it wasn't to be found at any high street store but in fact she had made it herself. "Come along to my knitting club".

Meetings are held by the club twice a week, one night at the I Knit London store and the alternate night at a Pub. More importantly the shop also has a liquor licence which ensures Each gathering welcomes you with a lovely equilibrium of social knitting and alcohol.

The idea of knitting anything more than a few rows to begin a quilters square has always been an deluded concept to me, (and my short attention span). But the lovely members who exhibited their quick knit scarves and intricatly detailed socks and gloves all boosted my enthusiasm to create something big.

Purchasing a giant ball of wool and a pair of needles, I struggled to cast on to start any stitches. It was game over. Time for a cider. But no, the team gave me a helping hand and taught me some hints and tricks that had me knitting like my Granny in no time.

As the ladies compared their crafts and pondered over the practicalities of a knitted woollen bikini, cakes and biscuits were served to warm us further through the evening. By the end of the night, I was happy with my first knitting efforts in London and had enjoyed a good ol' yarn with some friendly crafty London folk.

Item 15: I Knit London? Check!

Thursday 6 December 2007

Item 14: The Church (Forgive Me, Father)

Location: The Forum, 9-17 Highgate Road, London NW5 1JY

I had to do it. Just once.
If you're an Aussie, Kiwi or South African missing home, an afternoon at The Church, in Kentish Town, should provide you with a dose of antipodean spirit that will either motivate you along your backpacker way, or make you renounce your citizenship immediately.

Paying seven pounds at the door 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon, we walked in to the old Forum theatre and were immediately carried away in a gust of boganism to line for drink vouchers, next to the bar selling Jesters meat pies, Twisties and Burger Rings. Three tickets for £7.50, after a tight squeeze in the queue, we made our way to the bar on the other side of the premises to order our three drinks. Lovingly they were served in a sturdy plastic bag that could be tied to your waist in preparation for excess consumption when desired. Drinks secured we headed for the lower level dance-floor to be amongst all the fancy-dress action.

Oh yes, there were girls in wedding dresses, boys who thought they were superheroes, kids in fluro-yellow high-visibility gear and of course, us in our Santa hats, tinsel and our boys wearing their big Christmas gift bags and not much else!

Old school favourties belted out of the sound system and lots of noise arose as the MC's got the cultural rivals to scream for their countries.

Revving up the crowd once more, the female stripper performed two shows during our visit, each time selecting a guy from the audience as her little side kick to lotion things up. Ah, alcohol. The ultimate social equaliser. Although I'm pretty sure the boys she picked wouldn't mind bearing their bums for all any other day of the week.

Actually, there were plenty of bare bums on display amongst the crowd during the day. Adding to this were the boobs flashed on stage, to gain the handicap in the sculling competition between nations. Artistic skill by the cameramen however, meant a quick flash was no longer a flash, more a 30 second freeze captured on the two screens in the theatre.

Then, faster than we knew it, it was 3:30pm. The lights came on and we ploughed through the sea of empty cans and plastic bags on the floor towards the door. A London travellers institution, and how well they have have planned it. As you emerge outside onto the footpath with your inebriated fellow countrymen, you realise The Church really does look out for it's community. As even though it's still mid-afternoon in London - it's already dark!

Item 14: The Church? Check!