Wednesday 6 January 2010

Happy New Year and London was freaking freezing but brilliant!

Well its 2010 and what will it bring, who cares, enjoy each day as it comes i say.

So i'm now back in snowy Swansea after spending the new year in London and what a busy 4 days we had.

Day 1:- We left on 30th Dec at stupid o'clock in the morning on a grey wet cold day and arrived in London around 1pm so we decided to put our bags in storage so we could take a walk around London before checking in to the hotel later that evening. £16 later the bags were stored away, £16 oh my god i almost fainted. So out we ventured but the weather was pretty bad so it was a tube to Picaddily and in to the Trocedero for a browse then to Garfunkels for a meal. The hotel we stayed at was in Langley and it was lovely, really smart bar, great room and well worth the £120 for 3 nights.

Day 2:- Got up bright an early to get my free breakfast, well i'm not going to miss food thats free no way. Filled up on toast and fruit & fibre for the day before heading in to town. Today i promised Helen she could have her shopping day so i graciously followed around all the womens shops on Regent and Oxford street (time to hide my credit cards). After going to a few womens fashion shops we headed to Selfridges where i worked back in 1991 and guess what, nothing had changed, every department looked exactly the same only more expensive and the cosmetic ladies had 10 layers of make up on instead of the 5 they wore back in 91 (why do they think thats a good look?). On to Primark (my type of shop) and it was huge, i mean really massive and packed, the most popular carrier bag on Regent street was a Primarks one i'd say 1 in 5 were carrying it so we joined them, i splashed out on a 50p pair of woolen gloves, as you can see i live the high life. After extensive sale rail rummaging it was time for a well earned drink at my favourite local in Covent Garden "The Punch & Judy" then head back before getting ready for new years night but before we could head home i had to get my London fix of a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, a dozen to be precise. Oh my god they are the best. Here's a link for their locations.


After a quick shower and change we were ready to party the new year in. Once in the centre of London it was the coldest i've felt it and police had said that by 9pm the viewing areas for the midnight fireworks display would be closed as they were expecting over 250,000 people, there is no way i was standing around outside in a temperature of -2 deg by a smelly river for 3 hours to see 5 minutes of fireworks so we decided to take or chances and go for food first. We got to the Hard rock Cafe only to be told that the tables were all taken and people had waited outside in a cue for 3 hours, i didn't want a burger that desperate. Plan B, off to Chinatown and i am so glad we did go with plan B. We ate at the New China restaurant and have to say best chinese food i've ever had, we had satay chicken, prawn toast, crispy seaweed, spring rolls, crispy duck pancakes, sweet & sour shredded crispy beef, chili tiger prawns and egg fried rice and being as we were 2 of only 4 english people eating in there (all the rest were chinese) i decided to eat native and use chopsticks, i am now a black belt in chopstick usage.

After we had stuffed our faces it was time to head out in to the cold down to the Embankment, it was crazy, staggering everywhere with bottles in hand, falling over, pushing and shoving anyone that got in the way and that was just Helen LOL. We watched the fireworks and to be honest i'm glad i didn't wait outside in the cold as it wasn't that good a display, i didn't take any pics as i didn't have a camera with me but here's an artists impression of what it was like.




Back to hotel and time to warm up our frozen hands and feet and recharge ready for new years day.

Day 3:- Got up a little later so missed the free breakfast, Damn! Today was sight seeing time, i myself was only up in London last winter but for Helen it had been 12 years. There was the new years day parade around London and it was blue sky and sun but still as chilly as a penguines bum. Took a walk to Trafalgar Square and watched a bit of the parade but again the people were 6 deep to the front of the barrier so for vertically challenged people like myself i would see the odd flag or pom-pom above the heads as the pararde passed by. Onwards down to the millenium bridge and being as we had seen Sherlock Holmes before going to London we stopped off at his pub.



I don't think he actually owns it and if he does its all a bit self indulgent with all his personal affects on the wall and his films on the TV's also an ale named after himself "Sherlock Holmes Ale" how original LOL but it did taste really good. Yes i do know he's a fictional character, i was joking! We then started to feel a bit peckish so we went for lunch at my favourite Greek restaurant "The Real Greek" in Covent Garden and had a really tastey Meze with some rose wine, watch out for the price of a glass of wine, BLIMEY!

http://www.therealgreek.com/

After all the walking, drinking and eating decided to go back to hotel for a relaxed evening with my doughnuts (only 4 left to eat).

Day 4:- Up early to make the most of the last day of free breakfast, yum yum! Made our way to Victoria station for the coach home at midday and decided that i wanted to pick up some rock t-shirts ready for Greece, so with only an hour till our coach i left Helen with the bags and went back in to the centre, i ran like Bruce Willis in Die Hard 3 from place to place with little time to get there, i ran up stairs, down escalators, throwing men, women and children behind me in my quest for a Sid Vicious t-shirt only to find that they had L and XL sizes left, great if your an american, rubbish if your a short assed welshman but i did get a sex pistols and guns n roses t-shirt so it was worth it. Got back to station just in time for our coach home to lovely South Wales.

In all it was the best new year i've had apart from the millenium as i made a packet DJing LOL London i always enjoy and we intend to go again before heading out to Greece. Wish we had more time as wanted to do so much more but time just flies when your there what with walking around and taking tubes to places. Next time we go its to see a show and visit other places like the Museums, London Planetarium and Madame Tussauds.

And yes i did finish all 12 doughnuts and also now have a taste for Sushi after having freshly made Sushi in london.

Time to dip my fingers in the snow now as they are on fire with all this typing, hope you enjoyed my blabbering crap on London. Watch out Dublin Feb 5th, here i come.

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