Home, heart and wanderlust

Finally!!  A beautiful day in London and I'm feeling better after a few days of being under the weather.  Spent the day doing a bit of shopping, gardening (well mostly sitting in it!) and baked an apple tart .. very homey for me!!! Since the summer has decided to kick in for a few days we're planning a barbeque with the neighbours tomorrow .. got to make the most of it while it's here.. you never know how long it will last!!  


Watched a dvd tonight .. 'Due Date' .. a very funny film but set me thinking again about my road trip in North America next year. All those long seemingly unending highways crossing hundreds even thousands of miles of country. Gets my mind working overtime trying to figure out which route I will end up taking. 


My trip around Europe some years ago took the best part of three months. There were initially six of us - all friends from school.  We bought two old VW camper vans, stocked them up ready to leave London in mid July.  The night before we left, one of the vans was vandalised and set alight .. could have been a hindrance but undeterred we all piled in the one van, bought two tents and headed off across the English Channel to Calais.  We travelled leisurely through France, Spain and Portugal and crossed the sea to Morocco in North Africa for a couple of weeks. Our journey then took us back to Spain, South of France (almost forgot Monaco) and Italy where the van eventually died on us and we all split up and went our separate ways. Three of us stayed together and we bought train tickets back to England, stopping off in Austria, Germany (for the Oktoberfest) and Belgium - returning to London flat broke.  It was an unforgettable experience and I'm so glad I did it.


Did you know that the word 'wanderlust' originates from the German words wandern (to hike) and lust (desire)?  ..source Wikipedia.. well I don't plan on hiking much but there certainly is the desire, a craving for travelling, seeing new places, meeting interesting people. I won't ever be one of those people who sit there at the end of their life saying 'I wish I had done that!'

London can be beautiful even in the rain!

Up with the larks this morning to get myself down to the US Embassy at Grosvenor Square to queue with all the other hopefuls for an I-visa.  It was a dull, misty morning with a fine spray of light rain in the air.  The walk to the underground evoked a hint of nostalgia for me (I rarely use the tube unless I have to) as it reminded me of days gone by .. the grey skies, the aroma of fresh coffee emanating from the various cafes and the smell of cigarette smoke from people walking in front of me!  Some things never change!  The tube was surprisingly uncrowded .. perhaps the school holidays have kicked in and people are away.   Coming out of Bond Street Station it was so refreshing to see Oxford Street devoid of people bar the few going to work and the occasional tourist ambling down the street obviously excited to be here.
The line at the Embassy was not too bad and thankfully I sailed through the security checks ... at the end of the process my visa for work in the USA was approved!!  Yippee!!!!  First stop the US Open Tennis championships at Flushing Meadows at the end of August.  I am really looking forward to it .. at least the weather should be a whole lot better than it is here!

Feeling slightly elated as I left the embassy and as it was still relatively early and quiet, I strolled into Selfridges and had a look at the Bobbi Brown make up counter where they have some lovely new tortoise shell eye palettes in colours that would easily take you from late summer to autumn. There are two to choose from .. sand and bronze .. I went for the bronze as the colours are a little richer for warmer skin tones .. The palettes are double decked so no problems fitting it into your make up bag .. nice and compact and at £48 good value for money!


To see Bobbi's video on how these shades can work for you, go to ....
www.bobbibrown.co.uk/cms/learn/video/tortoise_collection.tmpl
I predict that this is going to be a new fave in my make up kit .. or better still perhaps I will keep it just for myself!!!

Lake Constance: Switzerland, Germany and Austria all in one day!!!

Karen B. is on the razzle again .. here's another little trip she has just done!!

Yet one more hen's party (Swiss German style) that I attended with a difference!  Location - Lake Constance which is situated in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.   The German city of Constance (and the lake) is off the beaten track but well worth a visit during summer.  My day started in the Swiss city of Kreuzlingen, just a walk across the border into the City of Constance where I and my eleven companions took an excursion boat (not the standard ferry) to the small German town of Meersburg.  We meandered through the cobbled streets of this medieval town up to the Hotel Weisshaar.  What awaited us there was a magnificent view of the lake from the terrace and fabulous freshly made cakes.  (You may just have to have another cheeky little slice of the plum crumble!)  


From there it was a short walk down to the thermal baths where you pay by the amount of time you wish to spend there but we decided our fingers would look like prunes if we stayed longer than 3 hours!  There is a lovely warm indoor pool which leads to an outside pool where you can relax while your body is massaged by jets along the wall .... all of this and a view of the lake as well!!  Blissful!!!  An important point to remember though - in Germany saunas are usually mixed sex and bathing suits are not worn ..... keep this in mind when in Europe.

Throughout the day we saw a zeppelin flying back and forth over the lake.  Flights are available and prices for 30 minutes start at Euros 200 but unfortunately we didn't have time ..... oh well .. maybe next time!

After our pampering it was back to Constance by boat for an aperitif and a bite to eat.  There are plenty of restaurants to choose from.  To end the day we had a tour of Constance by the Night Watchman.  (At one time the town of Constance had a bigger population than Berlin and Cologne.)  This walking tour takes 1½ hrs and is Euros 6.50 per person and it is taken by a local historian.  The night watchman was responsible for telling the time (before clocks) and getting people up in the morning (6am), putting out fires and was also the local policeman.  As this role was a lowly role he was not allowed to live in the city.  If he fell asleep during his watch the local towns people took a dim view of this and would kill him (as they did to a night watchman in Bern, Switzerland).  He was not allowed to do his rounds with people (unless he was collecting the dead) so took animals for company.  The most popular animal (or bird) was a goose as it appears to sense danger ahead of time.  There were lots of other little interesting stories and some explained how certain German phrases originated.  Unfortuantely this particular historian only spoke German but it gives you a taste of what is available on a cultural note in some European cities/towns for a very reasonable price .. and usually the guides are multilingual.

Train to Constance:

- from Zurich  http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en?OK#focus

- from Munich  http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml 

The Thermal Baths  http://www.meersburg-therme.de/
The Night Watchman http://www.konstanz.de/rathaus/medienportal/mitteilungen/00717/index.html

Zeppelin tours over Lake Constance http://zeppelintours.com/#/ways-to-go-flying/4522525175

Vintage inspiration

I would like to share a piece that was written by my friend and colleague Sharon for her blog friendsofbettie.blogspot.com a while ago. She runs the Vintage Hair Lounge in Southampton which specialises in vintage hairstyling and barbering.  If you are interested in brushing up (no pun intended) your hair skills they also run weekend courses in vintage hair styling for camera .. contact www.vintagehairlounge.com for more information.

"With new Besame stock on display at Vintage Hair Lounge this week, it's about time we told the story of the influence these beautiful vintage inspired cosmetics have had on the development of the Vintage Hair Lounge brand and vision.

Tinks Reding introduces Besame

Back in 2007, when I (Sharon Holloway) was a fellow Hackney resident with tv and film make-up artist Tinks Reding we often shared our thoughts of the future, and over a drink one day Tinks enthused about developing a professional make-up store with a glamorous vintage feel. Besame, she told me, was the brand leader of vintage make-up products, and she'd seen it in the States and fallen in love with it. She was determined to bring it to the UK. I listened intently, went home, and googled the Besame website. I too fell in love with the brand, but no matter how hard I tried, including pacing up and down through Selfridges who were rumoured UK stockists, I couldn't find a single Besame product anywhere in London to actually look at."

Subsequently Sharon went on to import and supply this wonderful brand to the UK and now uses it extensively for photo shoots and films as well as selling it to the public at the salon.

For product information go to www.besamecosmetics.com

Plans heating up for August!

Shopping in Milan

Summer is in full swing (well kind of) and as August is fast approaching I'm fixing my travel plans already .. I also had some great news today regarding more travel but I'll let you know that all in good time!!  In a few weeks I'm heading to Lugano, Switzerland for a long weekend and throwing in a girls shopping trip to Milan, Italy for the fun of it!  After a few hours pounding the pavements it's so great to sit at a sidewalk cafe with an espresso and later indulging in a glass or two of prosecco before dinner.  By then sadly, the end of the summer season will be in sight but the gorgeous new winter clothing collections will be in the stores.  It's a good time to go and grab those things that sell out quickly or that may never be available in your town. Last year I scored a Max Mara cube coat that I had seen online and coveted .. it wasn't even on display in the store but I asked if they had it and voila! tried on and bought in a nano second!  By the time winter had started it was out of stock everywhere, not to mention more than £200 more expensive in the UK!!!  It was my favorite coat last winter .. and I really needed it with the freezing weather we had!   This year I probably won't be so extravagant but you never know .. depends on what's out there!  But the highlight of my jaunt to Milan is visiting the make up shops .. namely Sephora and Kiko .. I can't wait to see what treasures lie in wait to fill my little shopping basket!  


http://www.sephora.com/
http://www.kikocosmetics.com/

On the road again .. just can't wait

Cape Hatteras

July is here and half the year has gone already .. just under a year to plan my US and Canada road trip which I am really excited about.  It's something I have wanted to do for ages and since I started talking about it seems a lot of people have the same idea!!  I guess it's a bit of a romantic notion .. inspired by Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' and films like 'Thelma and Louise'. I have had a taste of it before .. a few years ago departed from New York's Penn Station on the AmTrak to Washington and Philadelphia before meeting up with some friends and heading down the freeway to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was August, very hot but of course we had air con in the car.  We sang along to songs we knew on the radio ... I remember cruising along past small farms selling fruit and veg on the roadside .. and staying in a motel for the night.  Four of us in one large room but it was clean and it was a place to rest up.  
A couple of years prior to that I traveled with 5 friends in a VW camper van around Europe and Morocco for 3 months .. but that's a story for another time! 

Road to Las Vegas

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions of great places to go I would appreciate the input .. nothing is set in stone yet. Searching for something a bit different. (I have done LA to Vegas and then down through Joshua Tree and Palm Springs.) I'm really looking forward to recreating the Thelma and Louise style story, minus the guns, robbery and the cowboy, well ... maybe the cowboy can come along!!  But only if he looks like Brad Pitt!!  Oh, and of course won't be hurtling over any canyons!!!!

Friday fizz and scrumptious cupcakes

Not exactly travel related but it's the end of the week again and time for a little Friday fizzy water (courtesy of our lovely hair designer Charley Mcewan) when the show is done!  Working in a windowless make up room is not always conducive to the feel good factor but we had an extra little surprise today that went down a treat with us.  We had a visit from Mariama who brought with her a box of the most delicious cupcakes for us to devour!!   She runs a company called 'Cute as a Cupcake' which specialises in creating original designs on a super light sponge with a wonderfully smooth 'melt in your mouth' frosting.  Who says they look too good to eat?  We had no trouble!!!

Bags & Eating in Amsterdam, Netherlands (from guest blogger Karen B)

Over the weekend I was in Amsterdam for a friend's Hen party and I wanted to share something a little different with you rather than the usual sight seeing in Amsterdam eg canal boat, Van Gogh museum, red light district etc.  On the Friday night we went to the Supperclub, 8 mins walk from Dam Square for dinner .. not having heard of this before I was expecting a standard restaurant.  I was pleasantly surprised as this was not the case.  Our group of 11 was greeted at reception by a man wearing full "Woodstock Festival 1969" clothing (he did actually attend Woodstock at the ripe old age of 14).  I just loved his kaftan and the foliage around his neck (it grew throughout the night!).  We were informed that there was no smoking inside however, there was a separate room downstairs where you can smoke what you like. (Of course, this is Amsterdam!)
Instead of tables there are 2 large banks of lounging beds to sit on .. both have you facing into the centre of the room.  The waitress asked if anyone had any allergies, took note then proceeded to bring out the food, 5 courses in all.  When I ask what's on the menu I was told to just wait and see it's a surprise.  The food definitely aroused your senses and being with a bunch of Italians it was important for us to understand what was in these creations - food is always a point of discussion!  And yes, I can confirm that even though the food is not traditional and a little off beat it got the seal of approval from our group.  Throughout the evening house music was played (no MTV music on Friday and Saturday nights).  After the main meal there was a short show put on by two women, again something outside of the box.

Later in the evening we were asked to pay and leave the room while they prepared it for part 2.  A bar opened downstairs and at a later stage we could go back up to the room with the beds for more house music.  A little tip: when planning your outfit for the evening bear in mind that you have to take your shoes off when you sit on the bed.  So if you plan on spending time downstairs in the smoking room you have to put your shoes back on only to remove them again when you come back! (Perhaps this is where Tinks' flip flops would come into their own!!)

There is a flat charge of €70 per head for dinner (drinks excluded) Thursday to Sunday night, €65 on Monday to Wednesday night. No particular dress code as anything goes.  (www.supperclub.com)

On Saturday morning we all trotted off to the Museum of Bags & Purses.  It's housed in a distinctive canal house (former residence of the Mayor of Amsterdam) with fabulous big windows bringing in an incredible amount of light to these narrow, but long terraced houses.  The exhibition itself is a history of lady's bags from the middle ages to the present day.  It leaves you wanting to make a special trip to Paris to scour the streets in search of antique shops in the hope of finding your own unique bag!  There is also a cafe and two period rooms with painted ceilings and gorgeous wallpaper - a must see before you leave the building.  Back at the entrance/exit there is a small shop selling lots of things that you would probably like to bring home to your girl friends.

Unfortunately we didn't have time but you can contact the museum (English spoken) and arrange to attend a make and design your own bag workshop or arrange a day just for your friends.  There are four types of bags you can make and the cost starts from €30 - €46.50 ... it takes from 1 - 2 1/2 hrs and it's all under the supervision of their creative instructors. 

The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm (wheelchair accessible) and the entrance fee for adults is €7.50.  It is only approx 15 minutes walk from Dam Square. (www.museumofbagsandpurses.com)
Tram # 9 from Amsterdam Central Station can also be taken to the stop Rembrandtplein.  Tram tickets are €2.60 (valid for 1 hr) and can be purchased on board, remember to validate the ticket as you leave the tram (found on the doors).  I was surprised to see that there were plenty of middle aged men at the museum too so it is not just for the girls!

Tripping the light fantastic .. Stonehenge in midsummer

Almost the longest day of the year - midsummer or summer solstice - (well, we haven't had much of a summer yet!) but having the opportunity to go to Stonehenge at this time of the year seemed like too good a chance to pass up.   My friend's 14 year old twin boys were visiting from Los Angeles and they expressed a wish to go so we took a day trip with our driver/guide and headed out of London .. first stop Bath for a quick look around the centre and a tour around the ancient Roman Baths and museum.  This really is worthwhile - the history is fascinating - get there early to avoid the tourist coaches! 
Check out their website for information www.romanbaths.co.uk
Next time I venture out in that direction I am definitely going to make time and experience the new Thermae Bath Spa for a special treat!  http://www.thermaebathspa.com/


After a late lunch we were back on the road in the pouring rain en route for Salisbury Plain where the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge is situated.  Luckily on our arrival the rain had eased off and the clouds developed a more dramatic backdrop for this amazing sight.  The only way I can describe being there is 'awesome' and I would highly recommend a visit .. it's only a couple of hours drive outside of London.  You would probably want to spend at least an hour there .. there's nothing else in the immediate vicinity .. and not much in the way of refreshments although there is a small cafe, but you could always include it in a day trip to Salisbury or Avebury ... or do what I did .. head out to Bath or even Glastonbury and call in on your way back to London. 


For more information go to http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/ 
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-avebury

Lugano and Lake Como

A good friend of mine lives in Lugano, in the Italian part of Switzerland.  It is situated on the edge of Lake Lugano and is home to a number of historic buildings and museums.  It has acquired the nickname of 'The Monte Carlo of Switzerland" as a number of celebrities and successful athletes spend time there.  I have visited on a number of occasions .. it's a lovely relatively quiet city but there is plenty to see and do in the surrounding areas.  
One of my favourite day trips is to catch the train to Como in Italy (also a great place to explore) and board the ferry to Bellagio.   It is a beautiful town, with cobbled streets and villas and an abundance of shops and places to eat.  The ferry ride itself is very relaxing and the views are spectacular .. stunning alpine scenery and gorgeous Italian villas on the lake's shore and beyond - if you get a feeling of deja vu it's probably because you've seen it all before in a James Bond movie!
And if you are feeling adventurous and decide you want to go a bit further afield, you could always hop back on the train and spend some time in Milan - do some shopping or go to dinner and stay overnight .. it's less than an hour away.  
For info on Lake Como and ferries http://www.lakecomopages.com

I'll be going back late August so will share some more of the area with you then!