So f*cking late - London

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Well - almost. I sure have had one trip I haven't told you about this year, but since almost everybody is having Christmas of, I'm posting it now: Christmas Shopping in London.

I'm sorry there haven't been much travelling lately, but I've been a bit busy. You see, I'm planning a much greater journey these days, and I can tell you this it involves Italy, but for now, I've gotten one last trip this year and I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going back to London! - 7. december

“We’re late! We’re late! We’re so fucking late!” I yelled as I took of all my clothes to get into a beige dress and a smoking-jacket. I quickly pulled my hair up in a ponytail and started spraying it with hairspray. I turned to Lina who was still not in her dress. “I know,” she said. “It’s all my fault.”

“Rubbish.”

    Before we knew it we were on our way downstairs again, this time in stilettos and with nice dresses. I had a look at my phone. “It starts in 5 minutes! We’re gonna be so late!” I said while balancing on the pavement with my already tired after-a-day-of-walking feet. “We should just take off our shoes and run,” I said, wishing we could.

“Let’s do it.”

     So we took of our heels and we ran, all the way up Belgrave road, which by the way was the wrong road, and laid the usual 15 minute walk to Apollo Victoria behind us in 4 and just when we had gotten inside, the doors closed behind us and the moment we sat down the theatre got dark. The musical was about to start.

-Mari Clementine

Waffles and flats - Brussels

So yesterday I learned a couple of things:
1. Belgian waffles are really yummy.
2. The shops and museums here close waaaay to early (6 – 7 pm)
3. Don’t wear high heels if you’re not staying only in New Street.

I can’t say we did much progress with being cultural yesterday either, breakfast-coffee at Starbucks, chocolate tasting, Belgian Waffles at Grand Place and dinner at McDonalds. Well, we’re broke travelers, what can you expect?
    I did some more shopping and we were going to the chocolate museum, but as I now know it’s closing at 16.30. Who goes to a museum at 16.30 when the shops close at 18? I’m starting to sound shopaholic, probably because even though I write that I go shopping every day I haven’t really been buying that much. Well, well…

     It’s our last day in Brussels and lesson learned – no high heels. I rather wear flats because all of a sudden you’re walking a street that looks like this:

Mari Clémentine

An angel told me Rome is no place for High Heels...

"This is Rome, Johanna. Here troublesome people will be killed!"  -Gerlod in Pope Joan

Well, that movie took place 1500 years ago and Rome certainly have changed since then even though it may not feel that way when you walk the Ponte sant’Angelo and see the castle in front of you and St. Peter’s Basilica to your left.   

    When we first landed in Rome yesterday the sun kissed my skin and I was happy to be back, but after a while, a very short while, I was in need of a cold shower at the hotel. Luckily Ciampino airport where we landed wasn’t far from the city.

“Bella! Flowers for you!” No, no flowers for me, I thought and went straight on past the man who wanted to sell me a rose or five. Rome may have changed a bit since the 800’s but it has not at all changed since I was here in 2010. The weather is nice, at 12 o’clock the best thing to do is go inside and take a shower, new and old still go perfect together and the salesmen still scream after tourists. Not to forget, Rome is still no place for high heels as many streets are covered in cobblestone.

    That evening we decided to go to Castle Sant’Angelo. We live not far away at an excellent four star hotel that we found on sale at Booking.com. It’s called Cicerone Hotel and is only a 5-10 minute walk from Sant’Angelo.

       It was a beautiful view in the evening and we found a market right outside were we spent some hours just wandering around watching people, the stuff they wanted to sell us and the most beautiful bridge in Rome: Ponte sant’Angelo where 10 angels look down at you, each one holding an instrument from the Passion.

Well, my siesta is over and it’s time to explore more, just remember ladies: Rome is no place for high heels.     

Mari Clémentine