Tuesday 18 February 2014

Pop to Paris - Day 1 : FURTHER AFIELD


Paris is always a good idea.” 



― Audrey Hepburn


Exactly Audrey, exactly. It may always be a good idea but it doesn't always have to be expensive. If you're a Londoner getting to Paris is easy and cheap! I recently did a weekend in Gay Paree for a grand total of £215 and, considering we travelled to a-whole-nother-country, that is a total bargain, especially when you see what we managed to pack in. There's quite a lot to tell you so I'll split this bad boy into two posts.

So here you go gang, a step-by-step to 'doing Paris' on a shoestring....

Firstly, we got a brilliant deal on Eurostar tickets and I'll let you know a little secret - all tickets are at their absolute cheapest on the day that they go on sale and this is exactly 15 weeks in advance. So work out when you want to go and have your finger hovering over the Book button 15 weeks before. Simple! This means you'll be able to get a return ticket for £69 - even at peak times. Snazzy. And it gets better - if you book as a large group (we were a ten) you can get the group rate of £63! Cracking stuff. C'est parfait! 

So after work on the Friday we all skipped out of our respective offices, floppy hats and fluffy coats in tow, and gathered at St Pancras station - which in itself is an experience. The architecture is just beautiful and it houses the longest champagne bar in Europe. A glass of bubbles starts at £13 so if you're feeling a little flush why not kick off your trip off with some fizz?




We however smuggled a small haul of prosecco onto the train so had our fair share of fizz, as well as every snack imaginable....



The journey takes just over two hours and suddenly you're in Paris. The train glides into Gare du Nord....it's very Railway Children, 'daddy, my daddy!'-esque with the train steam et al. We purposely booked a hostel close to the station so that we could dump our bags quickly and head out for a Parisian beverage.



For those of you that haven't stayed in a hostel before - they're basically a very basic hotel for when you don't intend to do much sleeping but need a base for a quick snooze and a shower. We decided to get a ten bed dorm room, y'know boarding school style. It was simple, clean and fantastically located. We dropped our bags and headed to the bar to plan the following day...

Saturday

After a breakfast of granola, natural yoghurt, apricot jam smothered baguettes and orange juice we headed off to Sacré Coeur in the Monmartre district of the city. It was a brisk 15 minute walk up to this beautiful spot, including a lot of steps but it's so worth the view.





And it's from here that we got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower - and my gosh is it huge! I couldn't believe my eyes. It is so, so much bigger than any other building in the city. With that little taste of what was to come we headed off into the centre of the city. We decided to walk and it took about half an hour. Winding down through the streets we wondered past lovely fruit shops, bakeries, butchers and even a theatre!

Look! There it is!


  


We found a lovely little coffee place called L'entracte right opposite the Palaise Garnier (the Paris equivalent of our Royal Opera House), on Rue Auber, for a pit stop. Coffee is a delicacy in France and there are a million different versions but most of them come in espresso size. I plumped for a cafe noisette and it gave me that little zap of mid-morning energy a proper tourist needs! 





With the caffeine zipping through us we walked the last little bit to the Louvre so got the posing underway.




We of course were feeling really rather peckish by now, especially after all that jumping, so off for some lunch we went! We completely lucked out and stumbled across La Cooperative where we all ordered some form of cheese to refuel for the afternoon. It was such a sweet little place and the waiters were very patient (and a little flirty, wink wink!) as I attempted to order in French and pretended to understand when they explained the specials. Nod and smile guys, nod and smile!

Once every morsel was devoured we skipped off to le Jardin des Tuileries which is a beautiful public garden that runs along the side of the river from the Louvre. At the end it joins with the Avenue des Champs-Elysees which is famous for it's luxury shops but there was only one that we were aiming for and that was Laduree - the famous macaroon shop! Now, there is a queue to get in but it really is worth it! Waiting to be served is an experience in itself, this is true, luxury Parisian baking. We bought a box together and I went for a Rose one - my god was it scrummy! I can still taste it now! If you want to try one but don't have the time to pop over to France there are three little Laduree shops in London, but shhhhh!









We than skipped down the rest of the Champs-Elysees to pose cheesily in front L'Arc de Triomphe. By this point we were all utterly pooped so we hopped onto the metro (just like the tube but cheaper more spacious!) and headed back to the hostel. 

 
For dinner, on the recommendation of a friend, we were booked into Le Point Zero - now it's a not the kind of place you go if you want a 'truly French experience' but we were the only English people in there and the food was absolutely fantastic. We of course started the meal with a round of cocktails (gin, lemon and basil - phwoar) and a lot of baked camembert.



It's a really lively place and people from other tables kept popping over to say hi and one person even gave us the business card for their blog! We had such a laugh with everyone in there - as we left some of the other patrons were trying out their English 'Bye bye! See you soon! Catch you later!' and the waiters were ringing the bell behind the bar - utterly hilarious!
 
We were then led through the streets by Catriona to a secret speakeasy style club that was hidden down a rickety old spiral staircase behind an old, unmarked black door. I wouldn't usually suggest knocking on unmarked doors in unfamiliar cities but go on, this ones brilliant! It's called Le Ballroom du Boeuf and you'll find it at 58 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. They have quite a strict clothing policy on the door so make sure you're dressed up. Here's a sneaky little blog about it from when it first opened. We arrived just before eleven and managed to grab a table from which we partied the night away.....










Day 2 to follow! Bisous, xxx


Monday 3 February 2014

All the world's a stage, What to see this month - Part III : LOCAL LOVES

Hello lovely London lovers! As promised, here is your monthly 'oh my god, you HAVE to see this show' list of suggestions from me and I've got three corkers - a wonderful West End transfer, a Downton delight and some Savoy sparkle.  

MORROW'S MONTHLY MUSINGS!

GHOSTS
  

Ghosts, by Henrik Ibsen, is utterly heartbreaking. But it is so brilliantly heartbreaking that it’s been getting spectacular 5* reviews! It is the story of Helene, a long suffering wife, newly widowed, whose son returns from many years of travelling only to ask his mother to assist his suicide. Helene is played by the fabulous Lesley Manville who recently won Best Actress at the Critic’s Circle Awards for her performance. She truly grabs your heart and gives it an almighty squeeze. Helene has spent her life protecting her son Osvald from his philandering father but even now that he has gone Osvald is not safe. 

Osvald is played by Jack Lowden who I have had a huge talent-crush since I saw him in Chariots of Fire at the Hampstead Theatre – he is bloody brilliant. He goes from swaggering, opinionated lathario to helpless child within an hour and at no point do you question this transition. His commitment to the role, especially in his final scene, is completely blub-worthy. 

So, as you can see, this isn’t the cheeriest of evenings in the West End but it’s ‘proper theatre’ at it’s best – an hour and thirty minutes straight through this is a massive whack of of it. The Trafalgar Studios is wonderfully intimate, you honestly feel as if you are intruding on the sitting room in which the play is set. I won’t spoil the ending for you but the final scene is so horribly private that it almost feels like you shouldn’t applaud, that you shouldn’t break into that moment.  

It really is brilliant stuff and you should get yourselves over there before it ends! And with it being only 90 minutes long you can head out for dinner after.... ;)  

WHAT: Ghosts
WHERE: Trafalgar Studio 1, 14 Whitehall
WHO: This is a serious play for serious play lovers - go if you want to see a classic or if you want to see some truly fantastic acting
TUBE: Charing Cross or Embankment (remember the Northern Line is closed at the latter until November)
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: On until Saturday 22nd March 


THE ONLY WAY IS DOWNTON 



This should could not be more different than Ghosts, even though it is housed under the same roof – it is ridiculously silly and unreservedly raucous. If there is even the smallest Downton fan in you it really is a must-see. 

Downton is in trouble; Lord Grantham has yet again lost the family fortune but there is a wedding to pay for. How will he keep this from the family? Who is getting married to who? And how can Downton be saved?? 

Now the character list for this is fairly lengthy so bear with me...you will see Lord Grantham, Carson, Bates, Lady Mary, Thomas, Mrs Hughes, Cora, Daisy, Mrs Patmore, the Dowager Countess, Branson, Molesley, O’Brien, Cousin Matthew and Alfred. But that’s not it. You also meet Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Mel & Sue,  Alan Carr, Tom Daley, Rylan, the X Factor Judges, Dermot O’Leary, Alexander Armstrong, Bruno Tonioli, Andy Murray, Boris Becker and John McEnroe....to name but a few.  

And here’s the impressive bit – all of those characters are played by ONE MAN. Yes, impressionist virtuoso, Luke Kempner plays every single one of them! Not only are his impressions spot on, the speed at which he switches between them is incredible. 

It is completely and utterly hilarious – my face ached from laughing. I won’t tell you what actually happens but that character list alone should get you to grab a ticket! 

Here’s a little sneak preview of those Downton delights from Luke’s Radio 2 appearance.... 

 

WHAT: The Only Way is Downton
WHERE: Trafalgar Studio 2, 14 Whitehall
WHO: Downton fans, big and small.
TUBE: Charing Cross or Embankment (remember the Northern Line is closed at the latter
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: On until Saturday 22nd February


DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS


Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the film starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, is coming to the West End! I'ts about to open in Manchester, pop to Aylesbury for a little bit, then jazz-hand its way into the Savoy Theatre – and it’s going to be fab.

I haven’t seen a full run just yet but was lucky enough to go along to the press launch at Alford House recently and it’s shaping up to be a great show. It is set in the French Riviera and revolves around ‘Laurence’ and ‘Freddy’, two professional con men, who are competing for the biggest swindle of the season. 


Starring Robert Lindsay (Laurence), Rufus Hound (Freddy), Samantha Bond and Katherine Kingsley it’s your all-singing, all-dancing go-to for a dazzling night in the West End. Robert and Rufus effortlessly bounce off of each other, having you laughing your socks of within minutes. As does Katherine in her dippy blondeness. And Samantha? She’s such a Bond Girl through and through, you just can’t stop watching her!

The show is opening at the Savoy Theatre at the end of March so why not book yourself in and before you head to the theatre pop into the Savoy Hotel next door for a thoroughly decadent cocktail in the Beaufort Bar?
 


WHAT: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
WHERE: Savoy Theatre, Strand
WHO: Any and everyone really!
TUBE: Charing Cross or Covent Garden
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: The first performance is Monday 10th March and the show will be there for the foreseeable future - hurrah!