Love actually is all around in Edinburgh.: Christmas Trip to London and Oxford (Part 1)

London, here I come again!!!
(Part 1)

21 December 2008 (Sunday)

Took a 4.5-hour train to London's King's Cross at Edinburgh Waverley station in the morning. The train ride was good - passing through Newcastle, Darlington and York before heading south. Jen, my friend in London, picked me up at the station and we had a Chinese meal with her Japanese friend in a Hong Kong-style restaurant in China Town. I missed HK food for so long - as far as I know, there are no good and cheap HK restaurants near my place in Edinburgh (except one called HK Yum Yum diner which I haven't tried!) I had fried rice noodles (ho fan) with prawns and eggs! :) Back to Jen's place in East London on the tube. One more thing: I bought OYSTER (something like Octopus in HK but less useful! :P)

Newcastle

22 December (Monday)

After living in Edinburgh for 3 months, I'm not very used to public transport (Don't laugh!). I haven't used much public transport in Edinburgh (no train, no MTR, no taxi, bus for a few times only!) I walk all around the city! The London underground map was sooo complicated for me...and as Jen said, I was so slow especially at finding exits or transit stations! We went to Science Museum (my first time! You can spend two or three days inside the museum exploring new and interesting things!), British Museum (managed to get in before it's closed! I love mummies!) and had a Chinese meal in a Shanghaiese noodle shop! :)

Christmas market near South Kensington tube station

Mummification at British Museum

Science Museum

GROMIT!!!

Entrance of British Museum

23 December (Tuesday)

My scholarly trip to Oxford to visit Tree!!! Setting off at Paddington (Paddington bear - Please take care of this bear! :P) for the one-hour train ride! Oxford was a bit gloomy and cold on that day - it looks more beautiful in the summer time! No picnic, no intruding a lovely tea party, unlike last time! Instead, we went to Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant ( http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/oxford : fresh, quality dishes that are quickly produced - from the website). I love Italian food (pasta, pizza and desserts!!!) I ordered a prawn linguine and it tasted good! But the two pasta dishes ordered by Jen and Tree - ravaoli and pesto tagliatelle - they looked good, but VERY salty (I tried the tagliatelle...and it was!)...although Jamie Oliver is promoting healthy food in the UK's schools....we're not sure if his chefs used too much of natural sea salt in the dishes!!! (Tree said "natural salt is still salt!!!) The pannacotta dessert was very good though! :)

After lunch, we paid a visit to Tree's humble residence in Kellogg's College (which is a rather new college, originally for part-time students only). Tree's house has 12 other housemates...and he told us a lot of racist & sexist jokes! Hahahahaha! Not very good to share the stories here! His room is much bigger than mine...and he has two beds (while I had to buy an airbed for my guests!)...and a nicer and bigger bathroom!

We caught a train back to London for the musical Billy Elliot...but then we might have caught the wrong one...it took us more than 2 hours to go back to the city...and we had to change once or twice to Victoria station...and we missed the first half hour of the musical...:( Speaking of the musical, it was brilliant!!! Billy was really so brilliant...I was totally impressed by his dance (especially tap dancing!) I like both the film and the musical, but they're quite different! (Well, I think I still like the film more - one of my favourite British films!)