Oh yes, they do have their fair share of the typical stuff, but London has a breed of graffiti they can call their own. I am no historian, but Banksy has a distinctive stenciling technique that has taken on.
Banksy is an artist in the city that pretty much stays underground and I believe that has made the appearance of one of his projects even more exciting to the masses. When wondering the city, I take delight when I encounter such a piece.
The first one I recall was on my very first day in London, on Cross Street very near my current flat. It was a very cute pug dog that drew my attention because of how good it was and I was shocked when I went by again and it was painted over. Almost felt like it was an illusion all along (... the dog that drew me to Islington ... buahhh). After that I began seeing random pieces that all had a very similar style, usually off on their own, and certainly considered beauty, not destruction.
Cross St.
Primrose Hill
There is a more famous piece on Essex Road, also just a couple blocks from my flat (the one with the kids and flag above). The "are you looking at me?" man is now on Cross Street, but doesn't feel to me like the same artist. When wondering Primrose Hill I saw the one with the guy with his dog (very similar style to the first one I saw).
I can't say for sure that these are all Banksy, and even more curious is while wondering through Paris I saw this one with the cat that caught my eye as well. While looking at the wiki link (above) for Blanksy it says that he styles himself after Blek le Rat, a Parisian graffiti artist. Just may be!!
"Niether God, nor master, nor tasty fried food treat"
So, if one were to travel to London from a foreign land, visit one of the well know major department stores and happen to see the "Foods of America" section this is what they would find. You know, kind of like the "International" section of Dominick's where you find black beans, rice, and bamboo shoots.
I'll let you draw your own conclusions, as I am sure they will be varied. Feel free to use the comment section.
P.S. check out the price on those Lucky Charms! That's $12 bucks!
Got a little getaway this weekend - two nights in the Alps ski town Kitzbuhel. Kitz is known amongst those in the know (not me) as an upscale ski resort area, with a quaint downtown, very daring slopes, and expensive hotels. Some of you may recall the name from past Olympics, tucked in between the rugged mountains in the area of Tirol.
A friend of mine had a work gathering there this week and the option to stay the weekend, so we wisely took advantage of it. "See the Alps" is now checked off my list. I was pretty blown away by the first sight of the mountains outside the Innsbruck airport, and the hour train was a beautiful, peaceful ride..
I didn't ski - I don't have the gear and actually like the bones in my legs to be straight, so I went just for the site-seeing. Friday night we went out for dinner and cocktails in town, Saturday covered the sites, and then made the return journey Sunday. Our B&B was darling, run by a very traditional Austrian couple. Quality DNA. They served us a nice breakfast each morning made up of cheese, cold cuts, bread, yogurt, and coffee. The view from our room was stunning, overlooking the mountainside, and on day one two hot air balloons floated by while lying in bed.
After breakfast we went for a walk into town by way of a winter trail through the forest and around a lake. The air was so fresh and the sky so blue. We passed over a small river running over multi-colored stones, looked so crystal clear I wanted to drink it! Though a bit chilly, it was so still out that in the sun you felt warm. The weather was perfect.
After shopping in town a bit, we both mustered up the courage to ride up one o f the gondolas to the top of the mountain. This was no small feat. The pictures here do not even come close to doing justice to how high up this thing really went. Scary! And after the double espresso I had at Meinl Kaffee the heart was pounding! We did survive and once at the top sat down for a little lunch with the panoramic views in the sun. I ordered a traditional meat and cheese platter, complete with horseradish (that I mistakenly thought was cheese and put a big scoop in my mouth) and a shot of schnapps. So that's how they keep warm! Tasty.
Back at the bottom, we did a bit more wondering around town, took a rest, and then headed out for a traditional Austrian dinner. Stroganof was the plate, served with spatzl (small dough things) on the side. Tasty. Shannon had pancake soup!
In the morning we took our time eating breakfast and then hit the road for the taxi/train/bus/plane/train/tube/bus ride home. The view on the plane flying out of Innsbruck was amazing. It is hard to comprehend that a scene like that is actually real. It was a great trip.
Dear Madrid, you are winning me over. From your azul skies, to your stark white facades, your green parks, salty ham, smoky Riojas, all rolled in cheese and crusty bread ... oh, and not a disappointing shopping spree yet.
To top it all off, the center of your Plaza Mayor offers a refuge from the elements, that even on a chilly February afternoon, was toasty enough to shed the layers and fulfill just a bit of the longing inside that yearns for sun on my shoulders. With an amazing paella to boot. Thank you ... oh, especially for having that rabbit fur vest I have been visiting at 60% off. Love you!
Though he officially landed in the U.K. January 8th, I wanted to make sure I had proper photos only after he had some time to get over the jet lag and get accustomed to his new home. Things went just fine - at least the part I witnessed.
For those of you who haven't had the privilege of moving a pet to the U.K. there is a crazy amount of process you need to go through, starting 7-8 months in advance of the move.
There is the microchipping, then the rabies shot, then the blood test to prove he had a rabies shot, which requires a certificate from the University of Kansas. Then, all of this information must be gathered and entered into an official government form by a certified veterinarian, which then must be signed by the USDA in Des Plaines, IL. Then, 6 months of waiting (for me, for him it was more like 6 months at Grandma's house getting all the goodies you want).
Finally, two weeks before departure you book a ticket with one of only two certified airlines allowed to transport pets into the U.K. The cage needs to be precisely measured to pre-set multiplicative factors to your pet's dimensions, and he must be given a flea and tick treatment no more or less than 24 hours before flight time, again by a certified vet that must enter all this batch information into the now sacred form.
The day of the flight they need to arrive in the cargo area four hours prior to takeoff, where he is succumbed to some pretty intense screening. All went well - we passed. So, off he went, to what I am sure was some pretty scary circumstances, until about 14 hours later when I picked him up outside of Heathrow airport.
All in all, he really didn't seemed to rattled. However, in the cab on the way home, he was struggling to keep his eyes open and his head up ... poor guy, he did so good! Now, my little buddy is happy in his new home, that is so quiet and warm! And, he has his Mom with him again - 14 years and still going strong.
