Tag: UK

UK Flashback 2023!

The Memories, come flashing back!

The vivid details, the signages, The bustling streets, the hop on and hop off buses,

The Lego store, Leicester Square and Times Square coming together in my memory!

The M&M World! Piccadilly Circle written faintly!

And the huge square, Trafalgar Square with the lion roaring.

The London Bridge! All that meets the London eye!

The erratic weather changing, like mood swings for humans in the city!

Brexit has happened from the last time we visited,

Still trying to figure things out here! 

UK! LONDON! Seems …

Can’t get over it it’s been a decade since I visited London!

The memories seem crystal clear, walking up the bridge and witnessing the Thames…

Felt like a Lord! After taking them through the cricket ring that has so much history in the sport and St.John Woods Brownish, Beige rooftops and homes with a little redness never felt the same again!

Walking through the dining room and changing room of the Lord’s Stadium was a Kodak tour in so many ways! The sport that I couldn’t breathe & sleep without in childhood is a distant reality in my adulthood!

The Marketspace CAMDEN! IN Yellowish brown BOLD Font, was an interesting space of shops and cafes!

The London Tube and the Big Red Bus! Through Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Notting Hill!

The Tourist’s ness was rubbing on our shoulders, Afternoon tea and scones at Claridge’s was one splurge we did on our trip!

Oh! The now famous Pret A Manager that has India sipping and eating was one of our hangout spots after we strolled through Oxford Street!

Oh! We passed through Covent Garden which years later became a hub for Contemporary interiors and places to eat! Like the BKC In Mumbai.

London, The UK! Hadn’t seemed to have changed much! But, what had changed was it had become expensive to live and holiday here! Transport fares had doubled, and the pricing of basic goods & services too had doubled. And on the other side, Ireland was thriving with tourism, and had seemed a better bet for the UK Locals to move there! Irish Cream was a nice country with beautiful bookstores and odd-looking people with colourful hair. The Vibe & energy in Ireland felt more for youngsters and youth. With Good food options and not just 90 minutes by Air from London City Ireland indeed became a good option for UK residents to shift.

Galway & Cork were two small towns, each having their charm & differences.

The Bars were hangout spots to enjoy the Guinness Beer or have a cup of Irish coffee.

A pizzeria in Galway was also not just in Ireland but had been accoladed with the 16th best pizzeria in Europe in 2022 and 37th best in the world in 2022.

Well! Ireland is also well known for Bailey’s liqueur – A popular coffee-based alcohol and Butlers chocolates. A bar of chocolate that melts away!

And last but not least the Jameson whiskey outlet – The Secret ingredient behind the Irish Coffee.

The last highlight, An 18th-century Century Church that was restored over seven years in the late nineties until mid two thousands was opened in 2005 and still has the rustiness and architecture of the 18th Century.
Information:

Ireland 

Cities: Galway, Cork, Dublin and Belfast. 

Enter through Dublin and travel through trains to the other cities.

 Stay: 

Ashkings Hotel Dublin

Buy a leap card from the station. You could use this across public transport (Trams, Trains, Buses)

Million$Quartet Musical !!

One Afternoon,I am told by one of my colleagues.

Today,I have to go and watch the “Million Dollar Quartet” Musical.I had to keep myself content Not because,I knew I was going for a spectacular show! But the experience of witnessing a musical show And As the show concluded.

I was a totally a fan of the entire cast who performed the       

“Million Dollar Quartet”   a recording of an impromptu  jam session involving (Elvis Presley) Played by Rhys Whitfield ,(Jerry Lee Lewis) played by  Martin Kaye who is simply magical with not only his fingers But as a performer too   ,(Carl Perkins) played by Matt Wycliffe was electrifying with the guitar    and (Johnny Cash) played by Robbie Durham  made on December 4 ,1956 at the Sun Records Studio in Memphis,Tennessee  

 The recording was first released in Europe in 1981 as The Million Dollar Quartet with 17 tracks. 

Peter Duncan   Played by Sam Philips the legendary record producer – the man who brought the 4 recording stars together to create music history.

Established performer Carl Perkins was to record songs with a new performer, Jerry Lee Lewis. Elvis Presley stops by the studio along with his girlfriend, a singer named Dyanne (at the real session, Elvis’s girlfriend was a dancer, Marilyn Evans—now Riehl).Johnny Cash had stopped by to talk to recording impresario Sam Philips. They soon have a jam session together. Philips attempts to re-sign Johnny Cash to a new contract, unaware he has already signed with Columbia Records  Typically, as a member from the Quartet enters for the first time, he sings a verse of one of his most famous songs, followed by an onstage freeze of all actors. During this time Sam Philips relates to the audience how he first discovered the boy, and a brief, few line scene of that moment occurs between Philips and the musician, followed by Sam Phillips asking the boy to play something for him, which is the next verse of the song, and everyone unfreezes.

London Trip!!!

The London was the most awaited Trip ,there Is surely something about London that drives you crazy ,but the transport connectivity of the buses,trains and the tube drove me crazy since It Is  planned so well that you can just find your way back home ,the only city that came to my mind after seeing there transport facilities was Mumbai since the Mumbai Local “Lifeline of  Mumbai where millions travel by every day .Only If the population could be controlled a bit the railways services could be enjoyed a bit more and if the roads could be better the buses could be enjoyed too .

And the second thing the weather its humidity just kills .

back to London ,the places in London too reminded me about one of my favourite games  during my childhood days and is still my favourite the monopoly that had mayfair ,park lane ,piccadilly circus to name just a few ,every time I  went to any place I would well remember the colour of  the cards .

London are known for the “Gora”whites but you could hardly see any there were mostly blacks for a moment I got confused whether I am in the UK or in a caribbean Island , no I am not being racist here but I am just speaking about an interesting observation .

Also There were hardly any places for the fish & Chips , only Pizza the Italian cuisine has taken over with so many Italian Restaurants.

Overall the Trip was amazing !!! Hope to visit Again soon .