Monday 28 March 2011

Item 80: V&A Friday Late


There was literally a red carpet welcome on Friday night as I walked into the V&A Friday Late: The Play-House. Slightly embarrassing but it got everyone into the spirit of things as the rehearsed crowd screamed and cheered you into the the building.

During the last Friday of each month the museum hosts a themed evening and I made it along to get involved in the activities on show. Busy with activity around the Cromwell street entrance, drinks were served in the foyer and a theatrical performance on a temporary stage beamed through the growing number of attendees.

As soon as I entered the Sackler centre, which was abuzz with creativity from 'Fire The Inventor' group, I was caught up in the evening and itched immediately to start making something. With lots of odds and ends of offer, I quickly grabbed a piece of automata and started building my contraption. Compiled without glue, my machine fitted nicely together with the mish-mash of inventions made by other visitors that night. And with the crank of the wheel, mechanical theatre was made.

Addictive fun, and childhood relived with feathers, pipe-cleaners and sparkly things it was another Friday night well spent.

Item 80: V&A Friday Late? CHECK!

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Item 79: Brussels and Brugge

Location: Brussels and Brugge, Belgium

With a need for a cruisey holiday, I found a really good deal via the Eurostar website with a two night stay in a five star hotel. The plan was to laze about and eat mussels in Brussels. In the middle of winter, comfort food was definitely required.

A nice and easy check-in at Kings Cross St Pancras and on to my beloved train to take me across the English Channel, popping out the other end at Brussels Midi.

Having been to Brussels before, it was nice to find the city very familiar. I spent a day exploring the main city, saying 'hello' again to the Mannekin Pis and savouring my first waffle of the tour.

The city itself was covered in snow, so an indoor visit to the Belgian Comic Strip Center to find Tin Tin and Papa Smurf waiting for me was really heartwarming. I love finding childhood heroes in foreign countries.

With time on my hands, I hopped onto a train to Brugge for a day trip to walk around the Burg and the city hall. There I ate a giant pot of mussels in a local haunt off the main street and wandered the village along the canals, window shopping at the brightly lit chocolate displays.

A most casual visit to the continent but a two hour journey on my favourite mode of travel in Europe, this short break was just what I needed.

Item 79: Brussels and Brugge? CHECK!

Thursday 3 March 2011

Item 78: Tromso - chasing Northen Lights

Location: Tromso, Norway

March may be the optimum time to see the NORTHERN LIGHTS, the Auroa Borealis, the dancing lady of the night, but I went to chase them in December 2010.

I booked flights to Tromso, which was researched as an ideal destination to begin my Arctic adventure. With day light hours between 11-2, it was amazing that the people were, as my postcard home read 'really really nice', to the point where my travel companion suggested that I go and date a Norwegian. Ever so friendly and helpful, our ad-hoc adventures were driven by the one purpose - to see the lights.

The first night we joined a tour which started from the town's cathedral at 6pm where we hopped in a van, rugged up in the snow suits and travelled to the islands as our guide radio-ed in to see if his accompliaces could see the lights from their positions. We stopped at a spot with low cloud cover, lit a fire and huddled around with 'special' viking drinks - blackcurrent flavoured as we gazed above. At midnight, with conversation amongst the group waning, we got back into the van where we were dropped off at our B&B which the guide described as the cheapest hotel in town with the best view.

In the dusk of day on our second day, we visited the Polaria and watched the documentaries of the Artic landscapes and wild life. But with our time shortening and no sights of the lights, we decided to make the most of being quaint and friendly town and we booked places for a one hour dog sledding tour with
Lyngsford Adventure. Again, rugging up in the hired snowsuits were were taken inside the Sami tipi and served reindeer stew around an open fire.

After dinner, stepping out of the tent we looked up and there she was, Miss Auroa.... but not as we had seen in pictures. She was white and didn't feel like dancing, almost camouflaged as midnight clouds. But, convincingly the tour guide told us she was out, as we hopped into our sleds and the happy dogs took us on a tour of the open plains under the night sky.

It may not have been the lights that we'd seen in photos before our trip, but the town of Tromso was so welcoming and peaceful that I'm planning the next adventure to chase the lights.

Item 78: Tromso? CHECK!