vacation – Page 2 – everydaysparks

Things wot I saw in London

Posted on September 19, 2012September 18, 2012 by Cate

Here are some more pics from London – this time, less of the touristy postcards & more of the EverydaySparks.

Firstly, Wimpy Bar. I thought the name was funny and there was a certain sense of irony that the wimpy bar had closed. Then a man sidled up to me while I was taking the photo and said that the Wimpy Bar used to be the McDonald’s of London, back in the day. (The day before McDonald’s, presumably.) He said there were still a few Wimpy Bars around the UK, but most had closed as they couldn’t keep up with the bigger burger chains. I nodded and smiled at him, because in my experience it’s a fine line between a helpful stranger and a crazed lunatic. He must have sensed my disbelief as he grabbed his jumper where there was some sort of logo and said, “I’m a tourist guide with [somewhere]”. Oh, alrighty then, must be true – thanks Wimpy trivia man.

And here’s a great – if a little slow – way for your wedding party to get around London. The driver appeared to be a little underwhelmed by the festivities, but am sure he perked up when the tipsy guests started singing Land of Hope and Glory on their way home from the reception…

It was actually Fashion Week in London and we passed quite a few wacky looking outfits, but I’m not sure if they were fashionistas or just crazy loons. I think this lady with her incredibly bright pink hair was just a London local going about her business on a sunny day. You go, girl.

And just a tip – if you’re going to St Paul’s Cathedral, pay heed to the signs that warn you about the climb to the viewing spots. Even though I didn’t wear my trusty running shoes The Pinkies, I thought I’d be fine to climb up the stairs to reach the top…but it was hard going and we decided that 2/3 of the way to the top would be fine for this visit. Here’s a photo of the view from there – feel free to use it to show your friends and relatives to save yourself the climb.

And finally, if you’re in London and you see these machines, don’t believe them – they’re quite misleading.

Travel sparks

Allo allo allo

Posted on September 18, 2012September 18, 2012 by Cate

Short and sweet – here are some photos of our day walking around London. My feet tell me that we walked around a lot of London, but it was such a lovely day that it seemed a shame to spend it underground. Here’s the next instalment of my London travel diary – promise there are no more of that scary Mary, Queen of Scots.

LondonWander1 — Part of Buckingham Palace. (I think.)

LondonWander2 — Near St James Park. (I think.)

LondonWander3 — Something something building.

LondonWander4 — Big Ben. Sure about that one.

LondonWander5 — Nice day, thanks London.

LondonWander6 — Lots of people about. Lots and lots.

LondonWander8 — Everyone dressed up for the Olympics.

LondonWander9 — Guess it was an olympic sport – ping pong tables were all over town. Even the hipsters were at it.

Travel sparks

Mary Queen of Scots, my roomie

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Cate

In London to visit my lovely friend Immy and I had booked a hotel online, which is always a bit of a gamble I guess. Turns out that it’s right across the road from the grounds (well, the back entrance) of Buckingham Palace, which is not a bad place to be. More photos of London wanders will follow, but this one is about my hotel room. On arrival, I was told that I’d been upgraded to a fancy ‘Royal Suite’…which, to be honest, was kind of wasted on me as I’m not a mad fan of the monarchy. But, whatevs, an upgrade is an upgrade and the promise of an exclusive VIP section, with swipe card access – “a hotel within a hotel” – sounded like I would finally be recognised as the Princess that I am inside.

RoyalHallway — The Hallway was like something out of the Titanic. Contrasted nicely with my Converse and cargo pants, I think.

RoyalRoom — Passed by rooms for Queen Elizabeth 1, some Dukes and other peeps before arriving at Mary’s room.

RoyalBed — Too much tartan is never enough, right?

Sparks in the wild

Deeper Water

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Cate

…is the name of my favourite Paul Kelly song, but that’s not what this short post is about. I first saw this on Bless This Stuff and thought it needed to be shared – it’s the hotel pool from the Holiday Inn, Shanghai. Yeah, whatevs, I hear you mumble – what can be so special about a hotel pool?

Well, this.

It’s a glass-bottom pool.

Hanging off the building.

At the 24th floor.

I checked and they also have a turndown service and deliver a free newspaper to your room each morning. No pets allowed.

Just don’t get confused and book the Shanghai Downtown Holiday Inn – they don’t seem to have a pool which makes their hotel seem, well, a bit crap in comparison.

In case you don’t believe me, or if you want to find out more, the original Bless This Stuff post is here and the hotel website is here.

Sparks in the wild, Sydney sparks

The Rats and Mice Show

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Cate

Every year, the Sydney Royal Easter Show is a big deal. It’s held at a huge (former Olympic) venue for a couple of weeks and bzillions of people and animals go along to experience country life – woodchopping, giant displays of fruit and vegetables, farm animals and Chiko Rolls. (If you’re not familiar with this bizarre Australian deep fried mystery, you can read more here.) There are hundreds of showbags for little kids and big kids, live music, carnival rides and all the fun of the fair.

But I’ve found a competition that I think should have top billing – I’m amazed that I never knew about it before today. I blame the marketers – too focussed on the rare breeds of alpacas and cows and dogs, instead of our smaller furry friends. The rats and mice. Yes, there is a whole competition for rodents.

Apparently, the Rat & Mouse Competition is a pet class that promotes public understanding of rats and mice within Agriculture and how we accept them in our community. Who knew that rats and mice were so misunderstood and felt so isolated in the farming community? Poor dears. For too long, they have been disregarded as pests, but really all they want is to fit in. I have images of the barn, with the ‘cool crowd’ of cows, sheep, pigs, horses and chickens chatting in the corner – then the rat and mouse come in, “Hey! Hey, guys! Over here! Yoo hoo! Guys! GUYS?” but no one will make beady eye contact.

Anyways, this competition is run by an organisation with the funniest name I’ve seen in a long time: The Australian Rodent Fanciers’ Society. Hmmmm. Bet you don’t see that listed under ‘memberships’ on many LinkedIn or online dating profiles. Sure, the name is pretty good, but it’s actually their website image that has become one of my all-time favourites. Rodents praying to a giant billboard? Sure, why not, Rodent Fanciers – it’s your Show!