London Baby!

The end of April saw us take a weekend trip down to London, a chance to meet up with friends old and new, enjoy the vibe of the city and attend a very special event that we had been building towards for a fair few weeks!

The Friday was our travel day making the best use of Uber and a direct train into London St Pancras which only takes about an hour and a half from where we live. Although when we boarded the train it was very packed and at one point it looked like we would be standing all the way. Thankfully after a couple of stops we were able to grab a couple of seats, and because a fellow passenger saw our predicament of trying to find seats near each other, they moved so that we could sit together!

The next stage of our journey gave us chance to get our steps in for the day as we walked from St Pancras to our hotel in Shoreditch; a 50 minute walk...with 2 cases...in unseasonably warm April weather. So before we set off we needed coffee and a sweet treat, and EL&N was the perfect choice with a gorgeous piece of Dubai cheesecake to share!

Making our way across London

We found our hotel with ease, grabbed our room keys and found our 'home' for the next three nights.

Our home for a few nights

Once we had sorted our stuff it was time to find some food, and after a quick scan on Google maps we found an Honest Burger close by which, from previous experience, we knew would suit us perfectly. Halloumi fries, burgers and onion rings for the win! 

Back at the hotel and I had nails to paint ahead of the event we were attending the following evening.

Our Saturday started slowly followed by the very important task of finding breakfast! Google maps is our go-to when looking for good restaurants and today did not disappoint. We found a place called Lantana offering food with an Australian vibe and we enjoyed their take on a full English breakfast and an amazing avocado on toast. 

Full English Aussie style

Avocado on toast!

We then took a walk around the local area and realised that we were in the 'City of London' area which meant it was very quiet with hardly anywhere open, thankfully we did manage to find somewhere for a coffee before returning to the hotel and formulating a plan for the day. We needed to work out where we were going for the event, what time we needed to be there as well as factoring in time to get ready and making sure we had something to eat as we knew once we were at the event food would not be an option!

With a plan in mind we headed out to a restaurant called Meat Up in Hoxton Square where we had the most amazing burgers and steak frites! And it definitely set us up for the evening ahead. 

Back at the hotel it was time to get glammed up and then take a walk over to the event located at Simon Drakes House of Magic. It was a lovely evening and although we had a case of 'stuff' to take with us we opted to walk the three miles and avoid just sitting in traffic and paying for  the privilege! 

Getting our steps in!

The event was hosted by our very good friend, the always delightful Miss Kim. It had been her idea to use the event for the official launch of Simon's art book. Over the past six years he has been quietly producing artwork under a pseudonym which has generated over 60 pieces (and counting) of art along with a healthy social media following. 

All the artwork is produced digitally, is highly detailed, is strictly 'adults only content' and can take many, many hours to complete. But the benefit of creating digitally has meant that wherever we go Simon can take his 'easel and paint' with him from train journeys to vacation time to sleepy coffee shops. As his portfolio began to grow we realised that we needed a medium in which to display the artwork rather than relying on our phones and social media accounts and so the idea of producing a physical art book was created. Drawing inspiration from the 'Taschen' art books in his collection Simon set about creating the book taking care to encapsulate the art and their meaning, resulting in a book of 43 images and more. We were then able to print a short limited edition run of 20 hardcover editions.

Books prepped and ready to launch

We spent the evening chatting with some lovely people, introducing them to Simon's art and by the end of the evening we had sold 3 books. Not knowing what to expect when we decided to put the book together and take the plunge into self publishing, we were both pleased, and surprised, with the reception it garnered. 

At around midnight we began the walk back to the hotel; time to reflect on the evening and enjoy the relative calm of the city in the early hours of the morning. 

Looks like we picked a busy weekend to be in London!

Once back at the hotel and still feeling awake despite the hour we decided to push the button to launch the book online and ensure that social media posts were all set for the morning.

We awoke to messages from both Australia and New Zealand asking if we could ship there...when setting up the online store we had focused on the UK, the US and Europe not expecting to get interest from further afield. We quickly jumped online and created shipping options for down under and by the end of the day we had orders placed for both Australia and New Zealand and a third for the US!

With the admin tasks of the day completed we headed out to enjoy a very bright and sunny day in London exploring the sights and sounds of Shoreditch and Spitalfields. At lunchtime we met Miss Kim and our new friend 'The Barnoness' (who was wearing the most amazing latex skirt!) for lunch at a pub called The Gun just across from Spitalfields Market where we enjoyed a traditional Sunday roast beef. 

After a couple of hours we said our goodbyes and explored the local area before finding a spot for a coffee. After such a wonderful and filling lunch we decided to stop by a Marks & Spencer food hall and pick up some nibbles to have back at the hotel that evening.

Monday was our day of travelling home and we decided that there was no rush and to just take a steady approach to the day. One thing we have discovered being retired is the benefit of making the time our own with no longer a need to be running to a schedule unless it's one we create for ourselves. So once we were ready to check-out of the hotel we grabbed our bags and made our way back to Lantana for another amazing breakfast.

We walked to St Pancras and remarked on how busy it seemed and then we spotted lots of people wearing medals and walking rather delicately which was when we made the realisation that the previous day had been the London Marathon so consequently today was travel day for a lot of those who had taken part. 

We checked the train time home and decided that we had time for another visit to EL&N for coffee and cake before heading to our platform with time to spare. 

As our tickets had no seat assignments we made sure to be at the platform, and the front of the queue, to give ourselves the best chance of finding seats. Sure enough once the gates to the platform opened it was a mad dash to get those precious seats but thankfully by walking a little further towards the front of the train we walked onto a fairly empty carriage and snagged a couple of seats together. It became apparent very quickly that the train was very, very busy and we guessed that was a direct impact of the marathon weekend and likely the reason why no seats had been allocated. The journey home was uneventful with the exception of the train travelling slower than normal so we did end up getting to our home station 22 minutes late (claim for the delay made and compensation a few days later received).

A fun and productive weekend!

And home!

Back Home...

So after the fun and games of the preceding couple of days we were home and getting back into our normal routine. But I had a job to do...I had money to claim back from Eurostar for not only the costs involved getting us home but also the delay we had experienced when travelling to Amsterdam!

So where to start? 

Well, as it was we actually had a pretty busy first day back; Simon had an eye appointment, we had a delivery due and I had a hairdressers appointment. We managed to fit everything in around a walk to a local cafe for a late breakfast and while out and about I caught up on some social media posts. I decided to make an Instagram post about our 'interesting' journey home and tagged Eurostar in the caption and thought no more of it.

Whilst sat at the hairdressers having my hair colour reinvigorated I received a notification; Eurostar had commented on my post asking me to 'DM' them...which I dutifully did! This started a conversation in which they asked for details of what had happened. They then opened up a case number and gave me an email address with which to communicate. Perhaps this would avoid me having to search their website for the correct forms to complete in order to claim back all the extra expenses involved with getting home...only time would tell.

I'd discovered on their website that any reasonable hotel and food expenses, within set limits per room/night and meal, would be covered. Looking at what we'd spent everything fell within those limits and so I was hopeful that we would be able to get a full refund. The only question mark was the cost of the train tickets home as we'd sorted these ourselves rather than waiting for Eurostar to organise (as we'd been led to believe).

I dutifully crafted an email cataloguing all the various travel events and expenses and hit the send button. 

The following day I received an email from Eurostar but this was not in response to my email this one was evidently their response to the cancelling of the train home. They offered a full refund of the original tickets plus an e-voucher to the same value. The e-voucher was received straight away. But I had to request the refund by accessing my account and choosing the refund option...mmm...that would be the option that didn't exist no matter what I tried. I did try to reply to this email but received no response, which I presume was because this was a standard email sent to everyone affected. 

It also clarified why we'd had so much trouble with communication at the time of making our way home. Eurostar's computer system had recorded our tickets as being 'used' because we had boarded a train that had departed on time. But what the system didn't 'know' was that the full journey had not been completed which meant it could not automate a refund or response at the time. Unfortunately for us the staff on duty cannot have appreciated this and hence their instructions of 'you'll have an email within the hour' was never going to come true!

Then I waited...

Nine days later I decided to send another email and was once again left waiting...

Three days after that I decided to try another approach and jumped on my Instagram messages to see if anyone could tell me what was happening or at least what timescales we were talking. The following day I received a response to apologise for the delay and that a new agent was taking over my case as the original agent was 'absent'. And within 90 minutes I had an email confirming that all payments and compensations, including a full refund of the tickets home, would be paid as soon as possible!

Amazingly 24 days after getting home all the promised refunds and compensation payments had been received.

Whether this process would have happened so quickly using 'official' channels who knows, but it does go to show how sometimes a social media post can often have a positive impact, and in this case likely saved me from a lot of form filling!

Now we just need an excuse to use the vouchers we were given!!

Home We Go...

After a wonderful few days of exploring a city we have come to love, it was time to pack our bags and head home. Our Eurostar home was scheduled for 2.40pm which meant we needed to be at Centraal Station around 1.25pm for when check-in opened. But this did mean we could take our time checking out of the hotel and taking the walk over to the station.

The day was bright and sunny and probably the warmest day of our visit; in fact on the walk over to the station we needed to stop to remove gloves, hats and scarf and stow them away in our backpacks.

Beautifully sunny day

We arrived at the station a little after noon which meant we had plenty of time to shop for snacks for the journey home as well as enjoy a Starbucks looking out across the water. There was a group of people making some sort of video which involved a phone attached to an advertising board that was obviously ringing and waiting for innocent passersby to stop and pick it up…no idea what it was all about but it was intriguing to watch from afar!

The time came to move and we found our way to the UK Eurostar Terminal and we began the check-in process. Tickets checked - easy. Queue for security - slow, shuffle, stop, shuffle until we could finally get our bags through screening only to then join another queue but this time for border control. It appeared that getting through Dutch border control was rather slow and steady which impacted the speed at which the security screening could work. The Dutch officials wanted to know how long we’d been in the country, then we had to do a finger scan and I had to remove my glasses so they could check I was in fact me! The next border control was UK operated and that was super quick and fuss free!

Thankfully once through to the departure lounge we were able to grab a couple of seats and a couple of coffees while we waited to be called to our train. In fact by 2.29pm we were on the train and all ready for our 2.40pm departure and all was looking well.

All ready for the journey home...or so we thought!

At 3.58pm as we headed towards Antwerp we received a text and email to advise that the train would be delayed ‘due to an accident involving a person on the tracks’!! We stopped at Antwerp station and we waited, and we waited. 

Waiting for information...

There were no more emails or texts and we had no idea of what was happening. Eventually there was an announcement to say that the train would have to go back to Amsterdam Centraal with a plan that we would be able to board a new train which would be able to make the journey. We arrived back at Amsterdam at 5.30pm with instructions to leave the train but to stay on the platform and wait for our new train. Even the display boards on the platform clearly stated that an extra train was due at 6.30pm +30 minutes, which then got updated to +40 minutes…but at least we would get a train home…right?

And that was when the ‘fun and games’ started! We stood on the platform for about 10 or 15 minutes before what appeared to be some random security guys who came along and told us that we needed to leave the platform and head to the UK Eurostar Terminal as there was no train coming! So dutifully we all did as we were told and made our way to the terminal. I think the assumption was that we would have to wait for a much later train but no…over a very crowded space on the concourse outside the terminal entry a Eurostar employee attempted to tell a train full of very confused people that there was no train taking us home and that we would get an email within the hour to let us know what would be happening.

Trying to work out what was happening!

Now, we hadn’t been able to hear what she had said so we had to wait for those at the front of the crowd to move so we could shuffle forward and try and figure out what was happening. In the end most of the information fed to us was from other passengers who’d been able to hear what had been said or who’d actually managed to talk to someone. To say there was some confusion would have been an understatement. We, at this point, had no idea of when our train home would be or whether Eurostar were going to provide any assistance overnight. As we were trying to figure out what best to do we started to hear other passengers talk about getting their passports 'unstamped'...realisation then hit that because we'd passed through UK border control on departing we were technically in the Netherlands illegally! We were so glad that we had hung around trying to figure out what was happening as we were then able to join a queue to get our passports 'unstamped' - basically a cross put through the appropriate stamp (ours was actually done by the same Dutch border control officer we'd seen earlier in the day and she remembered us!!). But goodness knows how many other passengers failed to realise this and went off into the night with incorrectly stamped passports and all the potential confusion that may have followed!

As we started to leave the terminal we could see some passengers queuing at a desk waiting to see Eurostar staff, others were just leaving, some had their passports 'unstamped', others didn't and it was all rather overwhelming and confusing. I managed to ask a member of staff about getting a train home and whether I had to book a new train myself and he said 'yes', but then another passenger told me that we would get an email in the next hour and there would be a link to do that. We got the distinct impression that no-one really knew what exactly was happening.

We made our way to the main concourse area and found a place to sit down and gather our thoughts with my focus being what are we going to do overnight?...we need a hotel room...we need it close to the station as we had no idea what time our train home would be. I was pretty sure that there was a hotel next door to the station and quickly fired up Google Maps and sure enough I was right. I quickly jumped onto Ibis hotels website and booked a room - boom we were sorted for the night. 

Quickly booking a hotel for the night!

While doing that we had a conversation with an older couple who were trying to get home to Australia; they'd already had their flight home changed because of the conflict in Iran that had just started so they needed to be in London that night. They were looking at getting a flight to Brussels and then onto London! So for all the hassle the events were causing us we recognised that an extra night in Amsterdam and the stress of getting home a day late was nothing in comparison to what other people were experiencing.  

We then had a quick walk next door to the hotel to get checked in and find our room; it was a tad on the small side and quite basic for the price we'd paid; suffice to say we won't be booking an Ibis hotel anytime soon. 

Room for the night!

But we now had the dilemma of finding food for the evening, so we decided to go where we knew we would get something enjoyable and tasty; Burgermeester. 

Mmmmm burgers and fries

With a good burger inside us we nipped into the Albert Heijn opposite the restaurant and bought some treats and bottled water for back at the hotel. By the time we walked back to the hotel it was getting close to 10pm and we'd still not received any communication from Eurostar so we thought we would stop by the train station and the Eurostar departures area just in case there were any staff still on duty who could help us...but no! Back at the hotel we made the decision to book ourselves tickets home for the following day; we figured this way we would know exactly what we were doing, we would have our pick of train times and if by some miracle we woke up to a communication from Eurostar we could cancel the tickets. So £231 spent to secure two tickets on the 10.40am train home.

On the plus side we did manage 13205 steps!

The following morning we were up and checked out of the room by 8am. 

Stunning view from our room!

We made our way to the Eurostar terminal on the off chance that there would be staff that we could talk to...but once again, no! Oh well, Starbucks for breakfast it was. 

Glamorous Starbucks brekkie

We also made use of the Albert Heijn To Go store within the station and bought sandwiches and snacks for the train home (making sure we had more than we had the previous day...just in case!!). It was then a case of deja vu as we made our way through security and border control and once again found a spot with charging, acquired some coffee and waited for our train home. 

While we waited I made best use of the time to plan the next stage of our journey. We had rail tickets from London to our home station that had been issued for a specific train yesterday! But I'd discovered there's a reciprocal arrangement between rail providers in the event of missed trains due to delays beyond the control of the passenger. I was able to WhatsApp with East Midlands Trains who confirmed that our tickets would be honoured and told me exactly what to do upon arrival at St Pancras. 

We boarded the train with ease and despite having seats opposite each other we were able to swap with another passenger and actually sit next to each other. 

Here we go again....all crossed.

The train left just a few minutes late at 10.45am and arrived in London just after 2pm. We then found Eurostar customer services and explained the situation regarding our delay and our onward train home. They then printed out our Eurostar tickets and stamped them as evidence of the delay and confirmed that we would be able to use any East Midlands Train home. Looking at the departures board we could see a train home at 3.31pm which gave us plenty of time to grab a Starbucks before heading to the departure platform ahead of time. Once the platform opened we were at the front of the queue which gave us plenty of time to explain the situation and get let through onto the platform and board the train. We managed to find a couple of unreserved seats together and we settled in for our journey home. 

London, St Pancras at last.

And after a quick Uber ride from the station we were home! A day later than planned but we were home! And very quickly back to reality as we were faced with needing a grocery shop and sorting laundry!!

Oh and only 6355 steps today.

Next time we will chat all things Eurostar and money!!

Amsterdam - Into the City

The next part of our trip saw us venture into the heart of the city, to revisit the familiar, explore the new and re-connect with a good friend.

We made the most of the hotel breakfast, as limited as it was, before checking out and ordering an Uber into the city centre. As events had unfolded we'd arranged to meet our friend Magdalena late morning and grabbing an Uber meant we could get close to our meeting point and as on time as we could manage.

Our drop off was perfect and only required a short walk with our case and backpacks. 

Made it into the heart of the city

Thankfully we were able to leave our bags at Magdalena's store while we enjoyed lunch at a nearby Korean BBQ restaurant. The advantage of hooking up with a friend meant finding the best places to eat!

A couple of hours later we left the company of Magdalena to take a walk to our next hotel and check-in. Now we always try to get the best deal on hotels and this can sometimes mean finding one off the main path, which we don't mind as it helps us to get our steps in for the day! And this time was no exception; we had picked the Hampton by Hilton which was to the east of the city centre and about a 30 minute walk…well it would have been had we (okay me!) been able to read Google maps correctly! We eventually found our way there and despite arriving about 30 minutes before the 3pm check-in time our room was ready which meant we could get ourselves all sorted and settled in.

Later on we took a walk back into the city centre and discovered the way we should have walked earlier and it was way easier, quicker and much more direct! Oh and it started to rain…and it was windy…so by the time we met up with Magdalena once again we were a little on the soggy side. We took a walk through the city to the gay district to have drinks (okay black coffee for us because that's how we roll!) with Magdalena and some of her friends as well as meeting her wife for the first time. And despite the rain we were able to sit outside and stay surprisingly dry and warm.

A slightly damp Chinatown

As we said our goodbyes and ventured off in search of food we realised we knew where in the city we were and more importantly that meant we knew we were close to one of our favourite restaurants; Burgermeester! A great little find if you like good quality burgers and if, like us, you like to change things up a little by swapping the bread for salad. Their Beef Royale is fantastic and their truffle fries are a must have indulgence! Very yummy and very satisfying.

Beef Royale at Burgermeester

Thankfully by the time we finished our meal the rain had subsided which meant the rather long walk back to the hotel wasn't too bad at all! A day of 21,500 steps!

The following day we woke to a grey and overcast day and with no real agenda other than to enjoy the city at our own pace.

The hotel breakfast fuelled us before we headed out towards the museum district of the city in the rain and the wind! Along the way we spotted a cafe called ‘The School of Life’ which belonged to the YouTube channel of the same name, a channel we were very familiar with. So it felt only right having stumbled across it, and not even realising it existed, that we stop for coffee and banana bread. 

Having dried out and warmed up a little we headed back out and made our way to the Stedelijk museum. This was our first time visiting this museum and our timing was perfect as they had a new exhibition by the Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf; his works captured Amsterdam through the decades, with works that have been considered provocative and daring...there were some beautiful and interesting pieces in a display that led you through the museum.

Erwin Olaf Exhibit

Exploring more of Stedelijk Museum

As we headed back into the centre of the city we made best use of our navigational skills and Google maps! When exploring cities we have discovered a great way to discover more about where you are is to fire up Google maps, pick a destination and follow the directions…it might be in search of a coffee or a shop or a place of interest but not only does it get you to your destination you also get to see parts of a city you might not have otherwise seen. Today's target was Uniqlo! We don't have many of these shops in the UK and they are known for occasionally selling Disney themed clothes…which for me is a ‘must check and see'...unfortunately on this occasion there was nothing there to tempt me.

As the afternoon marched on, and not having eaten since breakfast we decided we were in need of food and amazingly Simon not only realised where in the city we were but more importantly he remembered a restaurant we'd eaten at during our first visit two years earlier. So Nader Steakhouse it was and we met the owner, Boris, once more who was just as lovely as he was the first time we'd dined there.

Our next little wander saw us head for a Dr Martens store as I'd fallen in love with the pair of boots that our friend Magdalena had worn the previous day and I hadn't seen before. Upon investigation the boots were also available in the UK and for basically the same price so I think they may go on my 'I'd really like to have' list. 

Our walk back to the hotel that evening saw us stop at Boerejongens to pick up some 'special' red velvet cake as well as some evening snacks from the close by Albert Heijn. 

Red Velvet Cake

Amsterdam at night

Oh and today's step count was another 21,000!

The following day was much brighter with clear blue skies, although it was still a little on the chilly side. Today we had another museum we wanted to visit but this time we headed out to the NDSM-Werf area across the River IJ by taking the free ferry located behind Centraal Station.

The ferry runs continuously and there is normally only a few minutes wait for the next one to arrive. The journey across the water only takes around ten minutes or so and provides some interesting sights along the way. Our destination when arriving was the Straat Museum; a museum located within one of the old shipbuilding units that now houses some amazing pieces of street art and graffiti. This is so worth a visit to experience these pieces of art up close and personal and see the scale at which they have been created. 

This was our second visit and it still captivated us as much as our first time. One word of warning though as this is situated inside an old shipbuilding space there is no heating so visiting at this time of year it wasn’t the warmest, but they do have a very lovely cafe where we could warm up with a coffee. 

View from above after coffee

After we’d taken the ferry back over to the city we decided to go in search of some food and found another of our favourite places; Bakers & Roasters. We made best use of their all day brunch menu and enjoyed their Kiwi Breakfast which was scrummy. 

Bakers & Roaster Kiwi Breakfast

Despite feeling very full we headed off in search of chocolate and specifically Puccini chocolate; again another discovery from previous trips to the city. Their shops smell absolutely amazing and the quality of their chocolate is just divine. Suffice to say a variety of chocolate was purchased, some for us to enjoy and some for our kids back home! 

Amazing array of chocolates that smell scrumptious

The rest of the day saw us meandering around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds and racking up 23,000 steps!

Hat had to go on as it turned a tad chilly as we walked back to the hotel.

For our final full day in the city we headed out from the hotel in the direction of ‘illy Caffe’ near to Centraal Station and somewhere where we knew we would get a very nice cup of coffee…in fact we had three coffees…an Americano each and for Simon a Caffe Viennese, an espresso with a generous amount of sweetened whipped cream!

Just around the corner from there is the 'Sexmuseum' so we decided to stop by and see what it had to offer. And while some of it was a little on the tacky and cheesy side if you take the time to look properly and take in the displays there is a great history there to be discovered. You just have to get past the giggles of twenty-somethings who’ve probably had a drink or two or a little ‘something else’!!

Sexmuseum

As we ventured forth to explore more of the city we once again found ourselves at yet another restaurant that we’d had the pleasure of dining at before; Eggs Benaddicted where we enjoyed another late brunch!

Roast beef & eggs = yummy!

Once refuelled we headed back out into the city for more of an explore and this time decided to try and find an art gallery by the artist Tim Cantor; can't actually remember the reason behind finding this gallery, but I do remember that me and Google maps are not a good combination and our route to find the gallery became rather convoluted but at least we saw more of the city and got even more steps in! Oh and we did find the gallery which, although small, had some lovely pieces.

The remainder of the day was more wandering, buying more ‘special cake’ (hoping for their salted caramel but it was not to be), drinking coffee and more steps as we headed back to the hotel for our final night before travelling home…

…or was it??

Oh and steps for the day were a mere 28,300!!