Kitchenware, colourful lights, lovely sights and familiar dinners
It's been an eventful weekend, with a trip to IKEA near Wembley and several visits to the Lumiére festival's installations spread around London. I've also had my two first classes and properly experienced Central London during peak hours on my way from class and to floorball practice. Busy busy busy!
Friday's shopping list.
On Friday, I decided that IKEA was the place to get my kitchenware. So I pinpointed the closest stop on the Underground (Neasden on the Jubilee Line) and headed over to Old Street Station to get a 7-day travelcard, so the day's journey out to Zone 3 (and subsequent days' journeys) wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg, and hopped on the next train.
My route, in green. IKEA is just above the "Brent" in "Brent Park".
Upon quick inspection of the map, I figured I'd head south out of the station at Neasden and somehow immediately head west. In my mind this meant I wouldn't have to cross over the trains again. Why this was deemed to be important, I do not know. The end result was me taking a massive detour (see map below). Anyhere, I got there eventually after a brisk stroll around the suburbs. Walking around IKEA without hearing any Scandinavian language being spoken was actually a little bit of a strange experience. Anyway, I found the things I wanted and headed back out again. This time quickly stumbling upon a bus service that went to Wembley Park, which in turn meant a quicker Metropolitan line train back to Old Street via Moorgate.
Enormous detour in green. Bus in blue. Walk to the Underground in purple.
Represent.
The one and only Wembley Stadium. I've seen Southampton FC win a cup final here once.
Ready to get back to base.
The awkward thing about spending so much more time walking than intended was the fact that I'd agreed to meet up with Ryan (mild-mannered Wisconsin guy) and Dalton (the legend) at Oxford Circus to check out the Lumiere festival. I ended up being a little late, but we saw some really cool stuff. I later returned on Saturday and Sunday evening to see the other stuff at Westminster Abbey and Kings Cross St Pancras, and made a little collage on instagram:
Random: Found the most epic toy ever, with an epic price tag to match.
On Saturday I went to my second floorball practice with the Sharks, this time near Clapham Junction, meaning I could tick the Overground off the list of lines I've used since getting here. Only the Piccadilly Line, DLR and Cable Car to go, for those keeping score at home. In the evening I ended up wandering along the Thames after I'd finished looking at the Lumiere installations. I found a really cool memorial raised in memory of the Battle of Britain which is well worth checking out next time you're in London. It's directly opposite the London Eye, between Embankment and Westminster Underground stations.
Not a part of Lumiere, but the Handyside Gardens in Kings Cross is a really nice place.
On Sunday I tried making "lapskaus" stew for the first time in my life. Didn't chop up the veggies into small enough pieces, and the skin on English sausages clearly disintegrate more easily than the stuff I'm used to; the sausages I'd sliced up just turned into a sloppy mess. Lesson learned, will make necessary adjustments next time. Stay tuned for my next entry, where I'll tell you all about my first week of lectures, and impoved lapskaus!
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