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A very English evening with EnglishTown #ETFilmNight

August 7, 2015
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Last week I went to a different kind of event. It wasn’t a beauty launch or an exhibition opening like I very often go to, but an event to celebrate British culture and meet other London expats, all courtesy of English Town. Everyone there was foreign! And you know what to say when you see a lot of foreign people… “coming here, appreciating our culture, enjoying our food“… and that’s exactly what we did.

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I had a really nice time – I finally met Erin and Jasmin in person, after following them on Instagram for a while – and it was a lovely time with my bestie Lili. We had food: started with coronation chicken and some kartoffelsalat (potato salad, which, for some reason I like saying it in German). There is a funny story about the origin of the coronation chicken recipe and it doesn’t have anything to do with a very popular TV soap. It was so called because it was created for the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. You live and learn.

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London

9 Things to Make Life Less Boring if You’re in London this Summer #MakeLifeLessBoring

August 2, 2015
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It was Samuel Johnson who once said something along the lines of “if you’re tired of London, you are tired of life” – he had a point, there’s always something happening in London but sometimes the problem is choosing what to do. I’ve picked a few activities to do this Summer in the city, that are slightly more off the beaten track. I’m making my life less boring and adding all of these to my never ending list of things to do, so enjoy! Let me know if you’d like to come along to any of them!

Trampolins, lots of them – Up for a bouncy time? at Oxygen Freejumping you can forget about being an adult and just jump. jump, jump! Bring a group of friends and bounce around a room filled with trampolins from wall to wall. I usually say that nothing ever happens in West London, but that seems to be changing, fortunately!

The Alternative London Tour – If you’re a fan of street art and would really like to get into more detail about the artists, get on your feet (or your bike) and explore the art and history of Brick Lane and the Shoreditch area.

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities – Being a fan of oddities, I have already gone through the book Viktor Wynd’s Cabinet of Wonders. Much to my surprise, I found out about the museum when I visited the Last Tuesday Society for an entirely different event but had no time to go see the Museum. It is now on my to do list, as this is the country’s only curiosity museum. Filled with taxidermy and other curiosities, it’s definitely a must see and on the way out stop for a cocktail at the bar.

Try out new restaurants and bars – I am terrible with these things and tend to go to the places I’ve already been introduced to. I am making a point of trying out new restaurants in London and there’s always deals available at any time, all over the city.

The Hunterian Museum – This is probably not for the faint of heart, as a medical science museum that exhibits hundreds of human specimens. Real ones. the collection was started in 1799 when the government bought a collection to be used by the College of Surgeons. Be prepared to trip on the occasional goth while you’re there.

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Photo Walks – One of my ongoing objectives is to improve my photography and the best way to do it, is to go out and use the camera in different situations. London is a perfect place for this, as there is so much variety of architecture, neighbourhoods and people. I just need to decide where to go.

The Cinema Museum – A small but charming museum, that’s been recommended by several friends. I want to go there and take loads of photos, as it hosts a comprehensive collection of cinema related objects, from old programmes, cinema fittings and equipment. Check the website before you go as you may have to pre-book your visit.

Fashion and Textile Museum – This one isn’t exactly a secret but as it’s a little bit out of the way in Bermondsey, it’s not as well known as many other museums in London. As you know I am interested in Fashion and textiles in general, I can’t believe I haven’t been to this place yet!

This post has been sponsored by Groupon.

Buzzoole

art, Lifestyle, London

Best of July – in life and on the internet

July 31, 2015
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The exploration of London continues, now that it’s been a year that I’ve moved here. A year already! This one time, I headed down to Hackney with my friend Didrik for a lecture at The Last Tuesday Society. We ended up going for dinner at a Brazilian restaurant I didn’t know and is now one of my favourites. It’s called Raizes, it’s located in Hackney Road and worth a visit for feijoada and rodizio. After dinner I realised there was a lot of graffiti in the area, a lot of it cat related. Heaven!

One of the things I finally managed to do this month was to finally go and see the Savage Beauty exhibition, showcasing the genius and talent that was Alexander McQueen. There are no words to describe it, after all, that is the purpose of going there and seeing it for yourself. Although I don’t like every single of his collections, there are some that are absolutely breathtaking. His vision was precise and peculiar, his inspirations varied but translated into his own personal voice. Again, this is another reminder that looking at Fashion and clothes from a mere utilitarian perspective is a fairly limited way of seeing it. These are clothes that are not there to be worn but admired as pieces of art. The exhibition closes its doors at the end of July (the 2nd of August to be more precise) so it might be a little bit late to urge everyone to go there but let me end this by stating that once again (the David Bowie exhibition was another good example of this) the V&A did an excellent job. Bravo!

What else have I been up to? Quite a bit as you may have noticed if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter… Find a few more varied nuggets after the jump!

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art, London

London – ArtHome, a different kind of stARTup

July 20, 2015
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ArtHome.London is a new concept, putting ART in the London startup scene (see what I did there?). Last week I visited their headquarters/gallery based in Bethnal Green in London and was well impressed with the project.And what is it, you might be asking?  ArtHome.London, as also mentioned on Wired Magazine, Tech City News and Mashable, brings a revolutionary concept to the London art market. Basically in the spirit of shared economy and making life easier for Londoners and their ever shrinking living spaces, this company offers a monthly subscription service for art you can hang on your wall. It’s that simple, you pay a monthly fee and you can change the painting in your living room as often as you want. Sometimes the simple ideas can be the best!

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London

London – Picnic at Richmond Park

July 8, 2015
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Last Saturday and before I headed down to the 4th of July celebration, I joined a few friends and we went down to Richmond Park, to have a picnic, hangout and see that part of London. I have blogged a little bit about Richmond before, when I visited the Petersham Cellars and Nurseries. I still have the same impression  – it doesn’t feel like London anymore! It’s like being back in the countryside for me.

It took us a while to get to Richmond – all of us live either in East or West London, but it was well worth the trek. the easiest way to get there is by taking the train or the Overground and then a bus, either the 271 or 64.

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