April 2019 Archives

Street artist Phlegm has been painting walls in London for the past several years, though it has been a little while since he last visited London from his home town of Sheffield to paint. The most recent work by the artist was painted toward the end of last year in Ion Square and is called "Hydra Towers", featuring the artist's black and white characters emerging from tall towers where bird cages sit on top.

The artwork takes pride of place on the tall building at Ion Square, which is near Columbia Road and just off Hackney Road and replaces a mural by Alex Senna from early 2017.

The artwork is a beautiful piece that uses the existing features of the building, such as the windows and door, and incorporates them into the artwork. Below, you can see a close-up of the main tower, which uses the main windows scaling up the building. This tower also has a door at the bottom, which has been painted and incorporated into the design to look like an old wooden door. It has been beautifully done.

To see this piece, head over to Ion Square off of Hackney Road. It is still in excellent shape, although it is a hard-to-photograph piece because it is such a large scale with other buildings around. 

Some additional artwork by Phlegm in this blog can be seen on the following pages:

Newcastle Street Art
New Mural by Phlegm on Old Street
Phlegm's Mural on Hanbury Street
Phlegm and ROA Street Art at South Bank
Baroque the Streets: Dulwich Street Art
Street Art: Phlegm

At the end of March, I visited Chiltern Open Air Museum for their special opening day weekend for the year. The opening weekend included a special day with people dressed up in World War I uniforms and discussions about various aspects of the war, including a show of items used or discovered in the trenches. It also celebrated the new Nissen Hut, a special makeshift building used by the army and reconstructed at the museum. On this weekend, the museum was open by donations.

The Chiltern Open Air Museum is actually a folk museum, showing several buildings from different periods in time. The buildings had to be removed for some reason, and many were due to be demolished, but they were donated by the museum and have lived on to explain their story and their history. This is a really nice idea because it helps to keep them alive and to learn about how people lived and worked in the past, and the way that people did live and work in the past (in the times when the buildings were used) is very different to how we live and work today.

In addition to the buildings themselves, there are other items that help them come to life. These include farm equipment, interior furnishings, gardens, and animals. Some of the buildings have live demos or have places where visitors can participate in workshops. There are so many buildings, but I have included a selection of them below. Not all of them are open to the public, but you can go inside many of them.

Northolt Barn: This Tudor barn is a listed building that was moved in the 1980s because new housing had been built around it, and vandals had set it on fire a few times. The barn was built in 1595 (inscribed by the doorway) and used for storing hay as hay fields were common in this area in the 16th and 17th centuries to supply London's horses with food.

Sewell Nissen Hut: These Nissen Huts were used by the army in World War 1 and could also be used as temporary housing. The huts were constructed with metal and wood and only took about 1.5 hours to set up. They were briefing rooms. It's unclear what this one was used for, but it was donated by Sewell farm, where it was set up; it had also previously been moved from another location.

Amersham Prefab: After World War 2, many people had to live in temporary accommodation because of the destruction. Over 160,000 of these prefabs were created; they were meant to be used for only ten years, but some were used well until the 1970s. This prefab was owned by a family, and it has been used as a filming location. The prefab is very small, and I would have really disliked living in it.

Leagrave Cottages: This building was constructed as a barn in the 1700s before it was then converted into a house and given an additional floor. One side of the cottage has been set up to appear as it had in the 1920s based on descriptions by the family that lived in it at the time. The other side has been constructed as the 18th century. This is a listed building that was due to be demolished in 1980 because it did not suit modern living; it was donated to the musuem. One side of the cottage is set up as a cobbler's shop. It has an outhouse in the back.

Skippings Barn: This is a traditional Chilterns barn from the 18th century. A loft was added later with a staircase, but it was originally a threshing barn before it was used for other purposes. It was saved from being torn down and donated to the musuem in 1993 and constructed the following year. The barn is used for weddings.

Thame Vicarage: This prefabricated building was made in 1896, and it was used for church activities but quickly outgrew them. The building was auctioned and moved in 1913 to be used as an auction house; later it was re-constructed at the museum in 1990. The building has been set up as a Victorian schoolhouse with Victorian chalkboards.

Haddenham Croft Cottage: This cottage was built in the 1830s using a special local earth called wychert. It was due to be demolished in the 1970s because it did not pass as a livable building any longer. One of the rooms has been left unfinished to show the technique of building using straw and earth for the walls.

Henton Tin Chapel: This is a prefabricated church that is nicknamed "the tin chapel" even though it is made of iron, not tin. The chapel was built in 1886 and then removed in 1993 and then moved and reconstruced between 1994-1997, and it was also a filming location. Services were held in the chapel until 1973, but it also has a new lease of life at the museum and is a site for weddings.

Gartson Forge: This forge was constructed in the 1950s and was used as a forge by the same family until 1926. It was donated to the museum in the early 1980s and has also been used as a filming location. The building has a lot of interesting information inside it, such as a collection of different horse shoes throughout the years.

Arborfield Barn: Arborfield Barn dates to the 1500s. The barn is a cruck barn, meaning that wooden pegs were used to hold it together. It has featured many times in films and television and was most recently used in "Mary Queen of Scots" where the queens meet. The barn shows different types of thatching on the roof. It was also built on flint foundations to prevent the wood from getting wet and rotting.

Iron Age House: This roundhouse is a reconstruction circa 50AD, at a time when the Romans occupied the country. Flint and chalk has been used for the floor, which was copied from actual roundhouses (remains). It has been used as a filming location. It shows the fire pit location, beds, pottery, and other details that would have been used in these times.

High Wycombe Toll House: The toll house dates from 1826. It is a small house but was lived in by a family of five. The building had hoped to have been reconstructed in 1974 at its original location, but a car accident destroyed the front room, and the museum saved it from being demolished by moving it. It is firnished for the 1860s.

There are many other buildings on site with additional information and the tearooms (above). The building below was from a barn that had collapsed, and it is now being used to test different types of daubing (plaster for walls).

There is also a well pump and well house.

One of the largest areas is the Chilterns Farm, showcasing a lot of different farm equipment and buildings, such as a granary and barn with equipment. It also included showing various equipment for vegetables, such as turnip picking and also ploughing, seeding, and so on.

However, one of the most profitable businesses that the Chilterns were known for was cherries. The cherry trees were so tall, so they needed tall ladders like the one in the barn above. The Chilterns is not known for cherries any longer, though. The USA and France are now.

Caversham Public Convenience: On the way out, these local toilets were moved and are still in operation. You do not need to pay, though, even though the coin machine is still attached to the doors (see below). And I also saw the green caravan on display, which is not related to the public toilets.

That concludes my visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum and the day out. 

For the past couple of years now, the media has been telling us that a Lego Brick Bar pop-up will be coming to London. Well, at some point last year, tickets were finally released for the four-day event. The location was unknown at the time of booking, and it wasn't revealed until a couple of weeks ago. The secret location was Oval Space in East London. We were promised over a million bricks with furniture and other items being made out of bricks as well as brick-inspired food and drinks. I am a big fan of Lego, so I booked tickets for myself and the bloke on the first available slot on Saturday (11:00am). We were asked to be twenty minutes early, and they were just opening the venue and sorting out the gating and ticketing. So, we waited around in the cold and windy outdoors.

Just a note that this pop-up is called "Brick Bar" and does not reference the famous plastic toy brick company, Lego, although it was obviously inspired by Lego. But, I don't think Lego would allow a toy to be associated with a drinking pop-up bar with colourful names for the ball pit and DJ table. The plastic bricks were the off-brand Chinese imports and not Lego bricks. There were also large bricks, Lego brick heads, and a few flashing blocks to sit on. But, not all of the furniture has been made of plastic bricks. So, there was no mention of "Lego", but it was obviously implied.

I saw one person wearing a Lego Batman costume. A few people brought their kids, and I noticed that they seemed to be having a better time throughout the duration.

A LOT of people had tickets for the 11:00am slot, so my first stop was to the food queue to get food, doughnuts and then to the bar to get a drink. 

A selection of burgers (known as "brick burgers") were available. These were made with fresh ingredients. Chicken, beef, and vegetarian were included. They also had chips. Now, from the promotional material, I expected these to be plastic brick-inspired. The sandwiches were, though the chips were not, and I think it could have been fairly easy to cut chips like bricks. The sandwiches were made of plain coloured bread. To make them look brick-shaped, the circles were cut out of an extra slice of bread and placed on top. Now, my problem is that the bread fell apart easily, so they were extremely messy to eat, and they did not provide wet wipes. So, how many people went from eating to handling bricks?

One seller was selling doughnuts, and one of these flavours was inspired by Lego. One square one was made to look like a Lego head. 

And, finally, that brings me to the Brick Bar bar. Not all drinks were served in a mock plastic brick plastic mug. Only alcohol was served in them, so if you just wanted a soft drink, you were out of luck and could not have it in the plastic brick mug. The soft drinks were emptied into a smaller plastic cup, and the remainder of the contents of the can was thrown out. I wanted the plastic brick mug, and thus I had to order a gin and tonic (the options were limited). This came with one small shot of gin and an extra small can of tonic water as a mixer. That was it! This was cheap and stingy giving out these tiny drinks in such a large glass and at expensive prices; the prices were more expensive than going to one of the nearby bars and buying the same thing. Also, I didn't care to be drinking alcohol and drinking such a small amount with my food.

A DJ at a table called "shitting bricks" was cranking out tunes, and she did a good job keeping the music flowing, and a man was calling out different activities (which I will discuss later). There was a giant throne with a few Lego costumes on the floor and a ping pong table that had been covered with bricks. There was a water fountain made out of Lego glued on to the side, but it was broken, and water was spilling over the floor. There was also a ball pit in the corner called "balls deep". And, I will remind you that there were a few kids at the venue, and they seemed to be having a better time and were hanging out in the ball pit. Someone had a baby in the ball pit. As soon as small children or babies go into a ball pit, that puts it off for me. Ball pits are very unhygenic places. I'm not saying that I don't like children or babies; I just know that these young humans do not really have any control over bodily fluids and tend to expel a lot of fluids.

So, I mentioned the man calling out different activities. Well, there were not many activities to go around. In the hour that I visited, only two activities for prizes were conducted. The first activity was to find ten gold-painted bricks were hidden around the different collections of plastic bricks. Well, great, but that means only one team can look for all ten bricks and convince others who may have found the gold bricks that they wanted the prize. The announcer announced that a couple took off to look immediately for the gold bricks. (I was standing in the queue at the bar and had my food to eat then, but this put me off even attempting to look.) Then, another activity was to build a flying object in ten minutes, but the announcer again highlighted that someone was already building a plane, so they got a head start. Again, I was eating by then and couldn't do anything, but had also been put off that someone had already made progress before the countdown. 

Now, after eating, I thought that I'd take a look around at the creations on the walls and also make my own creation. However, the room was a huge room, but the issue is that there were only three big boxes of plastic bricks, and everyone was crowded around them as many of them were in corners of the room and not easy to access, so getting to them was not possible. The whole middle of the room was virtually empty with people crowded along the walls. There were three or four small "tables" made with Lego in the middle of the room with about ten of the glowing bricks. There was not nearly enough places to sit or create Lego. Also, a lot of Lego bricks were scattered on the floor.

Overall, the event was disappointing, and unfortunately the bloke and I were not the only ones to feel that way. I expected more brick creations (furniture, the whole bar, etc), and they should have had more activities for prizes or at least someone with more charisma announcing. This event should have been so much better as they could have done so much more and organised it in a much better way. For example, little things like changing the layout and having more brick containers and tables and seating around the area for building and more props. Overall, I give this a 1 out of 5 stars. This is one of the most disappointing events that I have ever been to, and I spent over 140.00 on the entry fee and the food.

No Make No Life is a monthly beauty subscription box that sends between eight and nine Japanese and Korean beauty items. The subscription box comes with a small magazine that contains information on the items in the box, tips, horoscopes, and contests. This is my third No Make No Life beauty box, and April's box is the "Spa Night" box. The products in this box will help subscribers to relax and pamper yourself. Read below to see what I received in April's No Make No Life box.

Morning Surprise Hand Cream in 'Monroe Peach': Subscribers could receive one of three different scents of hand cream, including the Marilyn Monroe peach scent or another called "Princess Snail". The hand lotion contains shea butter, olive oil, and snail extract. It is a lightly-scented perfume formula and absorbs into the skin without feeling heavy or greasy. 

Berrisom Peking Opera Sheet Mask in 'Pearl + Arbutin': Subscribers of the April box will receive a sheet mask inspired by Chinese opera. The options are a queen mask (red wine and adenosine) or a king mask for peral and arbutin. The king mask will hydrate and treat blemishes, and the queen one specialises in skin hydration and elasticity. I received the king mask.

The Saem Water Candy Lip Tint in 'Apple': One of five different flavour options are provided in April's box to subscribers. These are lightweight water-based moisturising tints with fruity scents, such as apple, strawberry, cherry. I received the apple one.

Ariul Stress Relieving Purefull Cleansing Wipes: These are citrus-scented wipes that remove your make-up at the end of the long day; they are perfect if you're on the go, and they also help to moisturise skin.

Lucky Wink Foot Scrub Sponge: This is an exfoliating sponge for feet. It promises to pamper feet and cure cracked and dry heels. The sponge is soft and doesn't harm skin and softer on it than pumice stones.

House-shaped Make-up Sponges: The angles of these small sponges make them easier to use and also helps to save product and help create your make-up look. Apparently, they are big in Japan at the moment.

To-Plan Shea Butter Body Lotion: The shea butter formula helps to moisturise and keep the skin hydrated. The scent is a shea butter scent, and the formula is light-wearing and absorbed without feeling heavy or greasy.

Konnyaku Face Sponge: This sponge feels very strange and is a little bit damp! It's actually made out of asian potato, which has fine fibers that are gentle. It helps to exfoliate and massage skin as well as removing dirt from pores. 

The hottest day of the year in Britain so far was on Easter Sunday. After eating Easter Sunday lunch at a country pub in the Chilterns, I ended up going to the 90-year old Bekonscot Model Village and Railway near Beconsfield, Buckinghamshire for the afternoon. As it was the hottest day of the year and an Easter Sunday, many others had the same idea. There was a special Easter event taking place with an Easter egg hunt in the model village, and a lot of families were locating the clues to answer the questions on the trail. Unfortunately, my camera battery died, so I wasn't able to take any photographs and had to use my phone.

Bekonscot Model Village and Railway is the oldest model village in the world, and it was created in the 1920s. At one time, over fifty model villages existed in Britain, but only a few of these exist today. (I have previously visited Corfe Castle Model Village (Dorset, England) and Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds.) Much of the model village dates from the 1930s, and some of the buildings have been moved from other locations.

The name Bekonscot is an amalgamation of Beconsfield and Ascot, two locations where the creator of the village (Roland Callingham) lived. This model village inspired so many others, but this one is a fictional one whereas the Bourton-on-the-Water one and the Corfe Castle ones mimic the village that they exist in, at least in part. Some of the buildings, however, are modelled after existing buildings. Everywhere you look in the model village, you see something new, and some of the models move. 

In addition to the model village, visitors can take a short ride near the model village on a small train. I've included my photographs of the model vilalge below, but there's just so much that you cannot begin to see it all. The whole site takes up 2 acres. The attraction attracts over 140,000 visitors each year, and apparently, 15,615,000 visitors have seen the model village since it opened in 1929. The model village is 90 years old!

If you enjoy looking at Model Villages, check out the following posts on this blog:

A Visit to Corfe Castle Model Village (Dorset, England)
Bourton-on-the-Warer Model Village
Legoland Model Village

Historical-fiction rap/pop musical "Hamilton" has been in London since the end of 2016. It is a play that I have been wanting to see since I heard about it coming to London, but I had other commitments at that time, and my life was up in the air a bit then. It turns out that the tickets for the show sell out very quickly. It's also the most expensive play that I have ever been to for the standard three-hour (roughly) running time; "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" was also expensive but has a longer running time.

The show has had much success in America and has won many awards and produced a great soundtrack with its own fanbase. The historical fiction performance was inspired by American founding father Alexander Hamilton. It is historical fiction because elements of the story are true, but there's also some artistic license involved to help aid the story. After all this time and a failure to book tickets or win lottery tickets, I was near the theatre a couple of hours before the matinée performance and managed to get a ticket.

For anyone who has gone to school in America, we learned about Alexander Hamilton and the famous duel with Aaron Burr. The play tells this story (which is partially fictional and not a true biography) and music/lyrics written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The cast offers extreme diversity and open-ness and ignoring race; George Washington and Aaron Burr were both played by a person of a different race. This story-telling and casting was refreshing. 

The theatre applauded the end of the show, and many people that I overheard on the way out all agreed that it was amazing. I was actually impressed (and often wondered before seeing the play) how a historical play such as this could gather so much attention. But it has, and I must say that it did not disappoint. I was impressed.

Chocolate can inspire beautiful design. Not only can the chocolates themselves be beautiful, but the packaging can also be beautiful. Chocolate is an indulgent product, and there is a lot of it for sale, which has over-saturated the shelf in the supermarket. So, the products need to stand out. However, if you have your own chocolate shop, then that means that your brand also needs to stand out. Creating a delicious product is only part of the struggle. You need to make people try the product first, and the way to do this is to create a good brand.

I visited chocolate shop Melt in Notting Hill last week. On my way to the shop, which is about a fifteen-minute walk from the station, I saw a few people carrying bags for the shop. They immediately caught my eye because they look simple but stylish. I love the white bag with the simple font, embossed in gold with gold appearing to melt down from the top of the bag. I don't have the best photograph of the bags, but you can see the one above and also a detail below.

In the run up to Easter and spring, Melt have created their own style of chocolate. Easter is all about chocolate, so they created a few unique products that really stand out. Also, some of their chocolate is vegan, so they have something for everyone including a chocolate egg for £85.00, eggs for £30.00, and then several smaller offerings for lesser amounts. The strawberry Easter egg and acorn Easter egg are totally unique, combinging the egg shape with other items that are the same shape. The blue artistic egg is the most expensive, and there are many other options for a lot less, and they come in different colours and flavours too.

I love this time of year because the Easter products are so fun to look at, and I always see something that looks amazing. I've seen a lot of other amazing chocolates in the shops, but Melt's are my favourite this year. Also, their chocolate is amazing, and their hot chocolate is one of the best that I have had in London. So, I totally recommend paying this shop a visit if you love good quality chocolate.

I've previously covered some other good chocolate designs on these posts:

Easter Product Designs at Lush and Hotel Chocolat
Packaging: Artisan du Chocolat 
More Delicious Chocolate Packaging

Spring has arrived with the Easter holiday and four wonderful days of warm weather and sunshine. If this is a taste of what summer has to bring, then I am happy. Normally, the times off end up having rain and a wash-out, and the last couple of months has been cold and gloomy. Now, the weather has finally warmed up and brightened up. I've been doing some spring cleaning and enjoying the weather with a glass of bubbly while I arrange my music collection in the garden. This is one task that I started a little over a month ago when I had some time.

Also, other good news here. I started a new job last week. The last six months have been particularly tough. In February, I learned that the previous place had to let people go, including my immediate team, because the client changed their plans on short notice. Then, on my last day, it was a double whammy with my grandfather dying. I have actually felt very depressed over this time. I've had some let-downs. 

For the first time since I have been contracting, I found it difficult to get the next gig because of Brexit and budgets for the new financial year. My new job is only fifteen work days, though, but I'm hoping for an extension or for one of the other interested ones to come through in case there isn't an extension. So, my life is still very much up in the air. It is not what I wanted for this year after a particularly busy and hard past few years (especially the last two). I am just hoping for the best, and it is all out of my control.

I've also not felt like updating my blog too much recently and felt that I've lacked direction in it a little bit. I hope that that is only temporary. I think getting out more will help because I did feel really refreshed after a long weekend in Belgium, but I really needed a few more days off.

Due to the popularity of Peggy Porschen's pink Belgravia cafe on Elizabeth Street, a second branch was opened in mid-March on King's Road in Chelsea. The new branch offers a little more seating and the usual selection of cakes, cupcakes, biscuits, and hot drinks all with seasonal themes. The pink cafe on the corner of King's Road is decorated for Easter with a giant Easter wreath, decorated with flowers and eggs, birds, and rabbits.

Peggy Porschen opened its branch on Elizabeth Street in 2010, though the owner has been working on designing cakes since 2003. Their beautifully-designed cakes and pastries has been a firm favourite of celebrities, royalty, and visitors who flock to the pretty cafe to take photographs to upload onto social media.

I last visited Peggy Porschen near Christmas (read about that here: A Christmas Visit to Peggy Porschen Bakery), so it was nice to see what was on offer for Easter and spring in their brand new cafe. I opted for the hot chocolate, which arrived with a bunny design, and a pot of Earl Grey tea.

I also had one of the bunny cupcakes, and they also have a design with a tulip or carrot for Easter.

The bunny cupcake is strawberry, rhubarb, and custard flavour. This tasted good with the Earl Grey tea. Overall, I was actually very impressed with this choice of cake as it had a good flavour without being too sweet, and it was also light and not too filling. If you're in this area of London, you need to check it out. It should hopefully not be as busy as their flagship Belgravia cafe; I went at lunch time during the week and got a seat straight away, and it was not too busy. If you do want to check it out, go to 219 King's Road in Chelsea, London SW3 5EJ. 

London-based street artist Zabou has been busy this year creating new murals. I managed to photograph the most recent ones for this year. The largest mural painted and the most recent one is "The Glitch (Clockwork Orange)" on the Village Underground wall off of Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch. This mural seems to tie in with the re-release of the cult film, which was banned in the UK for many years.

For the past few years, Zabou has been painting the wall at the start of Broadway Market. This was updated earlier in the year as a tribute to David Bowie.

Previously, the same wall was painted with a tribute to Mexican artist "Frida", which was previously painted on this same wall. I never got to see the finished piece last year, so the below photograph is from Zabou's InstaGram account. In addition, the photograph next to it is also from her account because it had been completely painted over in less than a week. The work is "Born to Paint" and features what I assume is a self-portrait of the artist in street art mask gear. This piece was located on Brick Lane.

Also near Broadway Market is a new mural on a shutter dedicated to Sherlock Holmes, using the portrayal of the character by Benedict Cumberbatch. This short series reboot of the famous detective books to television has launched Cumberbatch's career and made Sherlock Holmes popular again.

For more information and to see more work from Zabou on this blog, please look at the following links:

Zabou "The Shining" and Refresh of Salvador Dali in Spitalfields
Villana and Zabou Collaborate on Amy Winehouse Street Art
Zabou paints Sid Vicious from 'The Sex Pistols'
Zabou Paints Freda #2 at Broadway Market
Zabou Paints Salvador Dali on Commercial Road
Koeone and Zabou Collaborate
"Keep Out!" Street Art by Zabou
Zabou's 'Cabinet of Curiosity' Street Art
Leake Street Tunnels Street Art, Spring 2016
Recent Street Art by Zabou
Street Art: Zabou

Glossybox is a make-up, beauty, and skin-care subscription box that sends up to five sample products monthly; sometimes, a couple of the products are full-sized. This month is April, so the box theme this month is "Fruity or Floral", and subscribers would receive either a fruity box or a floral box design. I received the fruity box design, which I am really happy about as it was my first choice, but floral sounds okay too. The products in the boxes will either have a fruity or floral fragrance. So, what have I received in the fruity April box?

Jeanne Arthes "You're One in A Melon" Eau De Parfum: This perfume was produced by Jeanne Arthes, and it is bottled in a cute bottle matching the illustrations on the box. It's a fresh and fruity scent but doesn't smell like melon but is a bend of different fruits. I love the fragrance. It's also a great travel-sized bottle, so I will be saving this for travel.

Hair Vitamins by Hairflick: These blue raspberry flavoured vitamins promise to support healthy hair growth. Two of them a day promise better locks of hair and also suggest they improve skin and nails as well. The product is vegan, so it doesn't contain gelatin, and there is one week's worth of vitamins in the sample. I'm curious to try these to see if they do have any affect.

DrBotanicals Pomegranate Superfood Regenerating Sleeping Mask: This sleep mask promises to moisturise and regenerate skin while you sleep.

Dr. Pawpaw Hot Pink Balm: This product can be applied to cheeks or lips, though it's probably made more for the lips. It is slightly tinted in order to add colour, and it contains pawpaw extract to help nourish skin.

Original Source Apple and Melon Shower Gel: This is a body wash or shower gel that smells fresh and fruity. The shower gel promises to clean and moisturise skin.

Palmers Natural Fusions Chia Seed & Argan Oil Hair Mask: This is a deeply nourishing hair mask that contains chia seeds and argan oil, both of which help to rejuvenate and protect dull hair.  

So, this month's box contained more body, hair and bath products and did not contain any make-up. This may not be the best for some people, but I am happy to try the products, though I have a small hoard of shower gels and did not particularly need a new one, but this sounds like a good summer/spring scent.

This is my last post on my long weekend break to Belgium toward the end of March. During my visit, I stayed in Bruges and explored the city, and I also took a day trip to nearby Ghent. Overall, I had two and a half days (three nights) in Belgium. So, where did I stay while I was in Bruges sight-seeing? I stayed at Huis 't Schaep, which translates to "House of the Sheep". I'll tell you a bit more about it, but first, check out my room with this wonderful four poster bed.

So, if you're interested to see what I got up to in Bruges, you can read my post A Day and a Half in Bruges, Belgium, and if you're interested in what I did in Ghent, you can read my post Half a Day in Ghent, Belgium. But, if you want to read more about the guesthouse Huis 't Schaep (which partially dates to medieval ages), then continue reading.

The guesthouse today is located in the centre of Bruges; it is only about a ten-minute walk to the main square. The guesthouse is listed and has so much history. It actually used to be two houses, but these separate houses have been combined into one. One of the houses was built in medieval times, and the other part was built in the 1600s. They belonged to the Coucke family; the medieval house was their home, and the newer building was their workshop. The Coucke family made stained glass windows and tiles. The kilns for the stained glass were outside the workshop and are still in situ, though I think they belong to another building now.

Original stained glass artwork, tiles, wood carvings, and some revealed wall paintings are in situ. Before the House of the Sheep was used as a guesthouse in its current form, it used to be an inn in the 1800s, with spaces for horses and carriages to pull up in front of the old medieval part of the house (where the breakfast room is now). 

In addition to the bedrooms, visitors can enjoy some time in an open lounge, which has been decorated beautifully and includes fantastic fireplace tiles and carvings. This room leads onto an outside balcony where visitors can sit and enjoy the outside. Here you will find some books and information about Bruges and a refridgerator with an "honesty bar" (alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks).

The attention to detail is fantastic with original stained glass and beautiful details when you look at every corner.

I didn't get a good photograph, but when you come in the large door of Huis 't Schaep from the street, you enter into the inner courtyard between the two buildings and see a grand staircase and beautiful carvings. This entrance hall is made to impress and would have impressed many who had come to the family looking to have some artwork created. There are a couple of pictures on the walls depicting the original drawing contracts that the family had made.

I stayed in the Rembrandt room, and it is actually more than just a bedroom but probably best described more as a boutique suite. On the right-hand side is the spacious bedroom with the four poster bed. The bed even has a mechanism to lift the head half or leg half to aid in comfort while sleeping or lying in bed. Originally, these rooms were where the drawings and workings of the stained glass would have taken place, and bits of paint have been stripped back from the fireplace to reveal parts of the beautiful design underneath.

In the middle of the hallway is a separate toilet room and a bath room opposite with a large tiled shower, bath tub, and two sinks. 

On the left-hand side of the door when entering the room is a separate lounge with a small television, books, coffee station, desk, and a beautiful fireplace with carvings. I watched a little bit of television while I wrote some postcards and read up about the things to do in the area. It was nice to have a separate room to sit and do this while the bloke slept in the other room.

Breakfast each day was held downstairs in a beautiful room with a tiled fireplace, carvings, and a collection of art and stained glass. Our host presented us with several options, such as the traditional Belgian cold meats and cheese with bread, a selection of pastries, yoghurt, fresh fruit, and an option of egg (omelette with salmon/bacon). Fresh juice was on offer, and we started the day each day full and with plenty of energy to sight-see.

The host was very kind and knowledgeable on Bruges and helped us make reservations for dinner at some of the best restaurants in the city. He also told us the best shops to buy chocolate and gave us other tips based on what we wanted to see while we were visiting the city. He was a wealth of knowledge and very helpful to make us feel welcome and get the most out of our time in the area, and we had the most perfect and stress-free experience here.

House of the Sheep (Huis 't Schaep) was perfect for a short break to explore Bruges, and as it's right in the centre, it is perfect for visiting a few shops or sights or heading out for a bite to eat with several really great restaurants around. I did not have a bad meal in Belgium. I would recommend staying here if you're visiting the city. (Note that this post is based on my experience, and I was not asked by the guesthouse to write a review. These views are my own.)

I visited Ghent (a good-sized city in Belgium known for its university) for a little over half a day toward the end of March. I was staying in Bruges, and Ghent is about thirty minutes away by train with a ten-minute tram journey to get to the centre of Bruges, so I had limited time here. This post has photographs of my trip, including some of the places to visit and things to do in Ghent. I had just about enough time to do everything I wanted, but I wouldn't have minded a couple more hours here.

Unfortunately, the weather on the day was overcast. This day was meant to have the best weather, but it ended up with the worst weather in the two and a half days of the trip; there was full sun on the other day and a half that I was in Belgium. I think that Ghent would have looked much better in the sunshine. So, what did I get up to for the four/five hours that I was in Ghent?

St. Michael's Bridge: After arriving by tram in front of St. Nicholas' Church (pictured above), I walked over St. Michael's Bridge. This is a picturesque view over the three towers of Ghent: the church of St. Nicholas, St. Bavo, and the bell tower.

Graslei and Korenlei: These two streets are situated along the canal on both sides of the bank and are a nice walk along to enjoy the historical buildings. These are very old streets with medieval buildings. It's a picturesque area of Ghent. (I think the best view is from the canal.)

Canal Tour: One of the tasks that I wanted to do in Ghent was to do a guided tour on the canal via boat. When I finally arrived along the canals in Ghent and was exporing this beautiful area, there was a boat ready to begin a tour, so I went on the tour. The boat ride lasted 45 minutes. Exploring Ghent, Belgium By Canal Boat

The Castle: Gravensteen Castle (Ghent Castle) is one of the main attractions in Ghent and one of the attractions that I was most looking forward to visiting. I spent a little over an hour exploring the castle, and you can read a lot more about my visit here: A Visit to Gravensteen Castle, Ghent (Belgium Castle of the Counts)

Patershol: This area of Ghent is located to the east of the castle. It is an area of cafes and bars and narrow streets. It is a picturesque area worth a little walk down a couple of the cobblestone streets. If I had had more time, I would have had a drink in one of the bars here as they looked like traditional Belgian bars. I didn't see many horse-drawn carriages like there were in Bruges, but I did see one going up and down the main street in this area. The back streets are much more picturesque.

Kornmarket: The main market square in Ghent is worth a wander with all the shops and picturesque buildings. There are some nice views from the castle leading down and a warehouse along the canal where you can get some food; it looks like an old medieval hall. There are also a couple of bars along the canal here, and I would have liked to have had a drink in one. I could have explored a lot more of this area, but I was rushed.

Souvinirs: Ghent is primarily a working and university city, and it is much larger than Bruges. There are souvenir shops, but there are not as many; I did not see many chocolate shops like I saw in Bruges. Most of the tourist shops sold mass-manufactured items instead of chocolate/lace and other local specialities. Kornmarkt had a couple of speciality shops, and the main squares were a good bet too. I found a wonderful coin and stamp shop and a souvenir shop right outside St. Nicholas' church.

One of the traditional items are the cuberdons; they are hard to describe, but they are similar to but much better than American gumdrops. I'm not a fan of gumdrops, but I loved cuberdons. These were for sale by a street vendor out of a wooden cart, and I was mesmerised by the quaint little cart and the items themselves, but the bloke was angry that I had stopped to look. I wanted to buy a couple here but was rushed away. If you do visit Ghent, I recommend them. I did manage to find some mass-produced ones in Bruges and bought a couple on my last day and had them when I got back to England, and they were delicious. They are melt-in-your-mouth flavoursome jellies. There were a couple shops here that also intrigued me but the bloke was angry at me wanting to look around, so the visit was rushed.

Graffiti Street (Werregarenstraat): This alleyway between two main streets is covered with spray paint. It is colourful, but there's not really any notable street art here. It appears to be sprayed over frequently. It's a good backdrop for photographs, and there were a lot of people on this street doing just that.

Courthouse: Like Bruges, the court house in the main square next to the bell tower can be visited, but it is not open on weekends, so I did not get to visit it. I would have visited it if it had been open because it looks fascinating inside from the photographs I saw in my guide book.

St. Bavos Cathedral: This cathedral can be visited. I did go inside, but I thought that it looks prettier on the outside because it does not have much stained glass as this was destroyed. However, the cathedral is the location of the famous Jan Van Eyck painting "Ghent Altarpiece" ("Adoration of the Mystic Lamb"). I believe that the main square in which the cathedral sits would be a place to hang out in better weather.

Lunch at Poule & Poulette: Poule and Poulette is located on Kornmarkt and serves chicken. We had a very late lunch here before heading back to Bruges. Beer and chicken are on the menu, and I ordered the half of a chicken that was set on fire when it was brought to the table. This chicken was delicious, but then I did not eat a bad meal in Belgium.

Ghent Bell Tower: Before I left Ghent, I visited the bell tower and went to the top to see the views over the city. This did not take very long because there is an elevator/lift most of the way up, and I don't care much for heights, so it was a pretty quick trip for me. The top is open except a very narrow one-person walkway around the tower. You can see photographs and read more about it here: A Climb Up Ghent Bell Tower (Ghent, Belgium).

That covers me visit to Ghent in Belgium, and I hope you enjoyed the photographs of this beautiful city. I just wish that I had had another hour or two here.

On a recent trip to Ghent, Belgium, I climbed the bell tower. Actually, there is a lift at the bell tower in Ghent, and you just need to walk up a couple of stories before you have the option to use the lift. I took the lift up and then walked the stairs down. On the way up (or down), you can see a selection of bells, including the main bell and drum that makes the chimes. 

The bell tower in Ghent is one of three towers that the city is known for. St Bavo's cathedral is the first tower, and the tower on the other side is St. Nichloas' Church. A large dragon sits on top of the bell tower to protect the city of Ghent.

The belfry of Ghent is a world heritage UNESCO site. It included a safe to keep important documents in the 1400s. The dragon has sat on top of the belltower since 1377. A replica of the dragon is on display in one of the rooms.

Until 1442, the St. Nichloas' Church was the main watchtower. It was important for people to watch over the city to spot fires and other dangers.

From the top of the bell tower, the views over Ghent were amazing. 

The bell tower was one of my favourite attractions of Ghent, so I recommend a visit if you are ever in the city.  

A trip to Ghent in Belgium is not complete without a visit to Gravensteen Castle, which is translated from Dutch as "Castle of the Counts". The castle was built on the banks of the river Lys in 1180 and was the residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. After this time, it was used as a court, prison, mint, and cotton factory. In 1903, the restoration work of the castle was completed, and it is now a museum. Prior to 1180, the castle was a motte and bailey wooden one, but it was replaced with this stone one in 1180.

The castle was built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace. 

The castle was actually due to be demolished, but luckily it found a new lease of life as a romantic ruin and was opened to the public in the late 1800s. It was the centrepiece for the Ghent World Fair of 1913.

A visit to the castle today takes about two hours. Visitors can take an audio guide to hear witty commentary by a comedian about the castle history, though some of this is just fluffy talk and I would have preferred a little more history and facts about the castle.

Overall, the castle has been restored very well with rooms and buildings that can be visited. Some of the rooms contain swords and armour.

One thing to do is to climb the castle keep (tower) for the wonderful views over Ghent. 

The tour then continues through various rooms.

And ends with a visit to see the dungeon and hear some of the horror death stories from the medieval days and how people were punished. 

Then, a walk along the walls was made to view the tower before returning the audio guides.

I peeked at the bottom of the castle keep and saw a boat and what looks like part of the canal.

Have you ever visited Gravensteen Castle? 

At the end of March, I visited the city of Ghent in Belgium for a day trip. We had had perfect weather the previous day in Bruges, and the weather was meant to be even better on this day, but it ended up staying cloudy. The sun makes a world of difference, but at least we did not get rained on during our day trip to Ghent. The first thing we did after we navigated our way to use the trams to get to the centre of Ghent from the station was to do a boat tour. We were down by the picturesque canal anyway, so it made sense to get it out of the way as there was a boat filling up.

The driver of the boat and tour guide had to speak the tour in five different langauges including Flemish, French, German, and English. So, the speaking was done very quickly for each langauge. We were shown the main seafront with the old medieval buildings, many of which are now restaurants. The Kornmarkt has the post office with the clock tower, which apparently was modelled after London's Big Ben. One of the buildings on the seafront is the canal workman's guild, which got rich off tolling the canals. Another building was the granary to store in grain for the population of the city, which thrived during the medieval times. I am sure that the guide mentioned other bits of information about the buildings, but I cannot remember them.

The first bridge is St. Michael's Bridge, with the cathedral of the same name shown here on the right. To the left of the bridge, visitors can get a glimpse of the three towers in a row: the belfry, St. Nicholas' church, and St. Bavo's Cathedral. This is a symbol of Ghent and is carved on St. Michael's Bridge.

Near St. Michael's Bridge is a piece of street art created after the film produced and directed by George Clooney, "The Monument's Men". A painting is featured in the film by Van Eyck called "The Mystic Lamb/Ghent Altarpiece" is used extensively in the film. This painting is located in Ghent. I am sure that I have seen this film, but it did not really stick with me. The best photo I took of the artwork was actually from the bridge and not from the canal with people's heads in my way.

The most attractive part of the canal is along Korenlei and Graslei, which are two roads along the canal just south of the castle and comprised of cobbled stone streets and medieval buildings. 

A little further along, the canal branched and we explored one part before turning around to explore the other part of the canal. Some of the buildings backing onto the canal are pubs and restaurants.

Another impressive and stunning view for us was the castle of Ghent (also known as Gent Gravensteen), positioned along the bank of the canal. 

We passed monastaries, a bridge with some interesting sculptures of Charles V's life, and gallery, and part of the old city walls. Then, we finally came to the end, which was the exit port of Ghent.

This exit of the canal would connect with the sea. That is as far as we could go.

The guide had to be quiet on the way back as we passed through the affluent areas of Ghent because they had complained about the tour boats making too much noise. I suppose that they compromised by giving the discussion on the way down and had to be quiet on the way back.

And on the way back, we were shown the smallest jail cell under one of the bridges.

That concludes the boat tour. The boat tours start from Graslei or Korenlei and last fourty-five minutes. They do cover several languages. The cloudy weather was a pity because Ghent looks much nicer in the sun.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Fait Maison for a late lunch. I'd previously been in the area and noticed the beautiful flowers in the shape of a heart and the tables outside with flowers and teacups. Fait Maison is a French restaurant with a twist using middle eastern flavours and cuisine. They have a large selection of pastries and also serve afternoon tea. The design is inspired by vintage French with beautiful floral displays.

I had the penne salsa rose for lunch. This is a pasta dish with chicken and sautéed mushrooms in a tomato sauce. The dish was very good but a little bit too large for a lunch dish. I would have preferred it to be half the size as it was and have more chicken in it. However, it was very tasty.

The flowers and decor is beautiful though, don't you think?

And these pastries look amazing.

And, I had the coconut and pistachio cake and the chocolate heart cake. They tasted as amazing as they look, but the clear winner for me was the coconut and pistachio cake. I also had hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was okay, but it wasn't very rich.

I hope to visit Fait Maison again so that I can try their afternoon tea.

I finally got to visit Bruges, Belgium for a long weekend toward the end of March. Bruges has been on my list of places to visit for awhile, so I finally got to go. It was a quick visit over a long weekend, but the weather was clear and sunny for the majority of it. In the end, I had about a day in a half in Bruges. This post has photographs of my trip, including some of the places to visit and things to do in Bruges. 

The Befort (Bell Tower): First up, we have the bell tower. I have previously covered this here: A Morning Climb Up Bruges' Bell Tower. I recommend visiting early in the morning and on a weekday to avoid the long queues of other visitors. On the way up are bells and information about the mechanics of the bells. The highlight is the amazing view from the top.

Chocolate, souvinirs, and lace: Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it attracts many tourists. Because of this, there are many shops selling souvinirs and chocolate. Lace is another popular item for sale, and it can be found in some specialist shops as well as tourist shops. Chocolate shops are virtually everywhere in Bruges, but many of them are not too great. A few of them are chains, such as Neuhaus and Godiva. Neuhaus mass produces chocolates, and these are also sold at the airport. The best shops that I found for really good chocolate are "The Chocolate Line" and "Dumon". Both of these chocolate shops are located in Simon Stevin square to the west of the main market square. "The Chocolate Line" has a little factory where you can see chocolate-making products and chocolates being taken out of moulds. I tried some of the other chocolate from other shops, but it did not live up to expectations.

Cuberdons are jelly triangular items, which you can see the multiple colours of in the foreground of one of the below photographs. They are traditionally a Ghent product, but many of the sweet shops in Bruges sell them. The traditional flavour is raspberry, but there are many other flavours. They do not last long, but they are very much like an American gumdrop (which I am sure was inspired by them or made by Belgians who moved to America) but fresher/sweeter and not as chewy.  

Speculoos are a type of biscuit or cookie that tastes similar to gingerbread. It is similar to shortbread but sweeter and can be sandwiched with cream. They are also popular in the Netherlands. A good shop selling cookies or biscuits is "Juliette Biscuit Shop" on Wollestraat, the road that runs south from the south-eastern part of the main market square.

Burg Square, Town Hall and courthouse: Burg square is a picturesque square just to the east of the main market square. There are a few notable buildings here, along with the Alleyway of the Blind Donkey, which leads to the fishmarket under the archway underneath the medieval buildings. The Church of the Sacred Blood is also on this square in the corner. All are worth a visit.

The Town Hall is a beautiful building with a large room upstairs that can be visited. This massive room is decorated beautifully with stained glass windows, wall paintings, wood carvings and tiles. Visitors can pick up an information page about the different artwork on the walls and read it.

Next door, the building on the left of the square, is the courthouse. The courthouse has a beautiful room with a marble fireplace and wooden carvings.

The Church of the Sacred Blood is a beautiful but rather small church. Its claim to fame is the relic that holds what is claimed to be the blood of Jesus from when he died on the cross. People come from all over to see the relic, and they have it out on display at certain times. One of these times was when I happened to visit the church. A priest was guarding the relic, which contained what looked like blood encased in glass.    

The Fishmarket: The fishmarket is a covered market with granite tables that used to hold fish for sale. A few of these tables now have tourist goods for sale, but there is only one fish seller who remains to sell fresh fish.

Church of Our Lady Bruges: The large cathedral was under renovation when I visited, so I did not get to go inside. However, it is an imposing structure that I managed to get a couple of nice photographs of. Inside the church is a sculpture of Modonna and child by Micheangelo. However, I did not get to see this as the cathedral is under renovations. 

Market Square: The main market square is probably the most photographed and busiest place in Bruges. The Belfort (bell tower) dominates the skyline around the area, so there are several great photographs from the side streets leading to the market square. It is easy to take so many photographs.

One of the other monuments in the square is the statue in the middle.

Historium: The Historium Bruges is one of the museums to visit in the city. It transports you back in time during the medieval ages in Bruges. In this building, you can see a view of the market square also also have a drink in the bar on the first floor while enjoying the view.

Horses: The market square is also the place where visitors can hire a horse and cart to take them around the city of Bruges. The tour by horse and cart is guided with the guide giving out some information about the city during a half-hour dash around with a stop half-way to allow the horse a snack and a drink and a photograph opportunity.

Ice Cream: If you do fancy an ice cream, try Da Vinci ice cream in Bruges. It's not as good as what you can get in Italy, but it was a decent ice cream. I had pistachio. 

Waffles: Waffles are a Belgian treat, and you can buy waffles-on-a-stick with a variety of toppings to be made fresh or pre-made to take away in a small box. These are made to be taken home as souvinirs. Also, a lot of street vendors sell waffles, and I got one of these from a kiosk in front of the train station in Bruges. It was delicious. I dislike the "waffles" they have in the UK, and the ones in Belgian were a little closer to what I am used to in the USA instead of being too sugary/sweet. I also visited Lizzie's Waffles (Lizzie's Wafels (Lizzie's Waffles) in Bruges, Belgium).

Minnewaterpark: A lovely park and viewpoint just south of the city is Minnewaterpark. It has a lake and the canals running through it ans a lot of swans.

Jan van Eyck statue: A statue for the artist and famous Bruges resident Jan van Eyck is located near the canal in the northeastern part of Bruges.

Canal Boat Rides: The canal boats can be boarded at five places along the canal in the centre of the city, and they all cover the same parts of the canal. For more information, see my post here: A Canal Boat Tour of Bruges.

Lover's Bridge: Bruges' smallest bridge is certainly a place for tourists to get photographs, as I found out. It is located not too far from the Groeingemuseum (art gallery).

Groeingemuseum: This art museum contains paintings by Flemish artists, such as Jan Van Eyck. The below is one of the famous paintings by the artist in the gallery. It's a small gallery packed with quite a few nice pieces of artwork.

Small Streets: Also, visiting any city is worth just getting lost down side streets and seeing what can be discovered behind the corners. Sometimes you find a nice shop or a nice view.

What I ate in Bruges (besides what I've covered already): I did not have a bad meal in Belgium. Due to flight delays, I arrived in the evening and in time for dinner. We were given recommendations. The first place we went to was Mojo, south of the Fishmarket. This was a restaurant in a pub. I had red wine chicken, followed by chocolate mousse. Smoked leek and cod soup was provided on the house as a starter. On the first night in Bruges, we went to Poules Moules, which specialises in mussels. I had the soup to start, followed by roast chicken, which had a delicious flavour. I also tried the chocolate mousse, and it was better here than the previous night. Late on one other evening, I went to Ellis Gourmet Burger. I ordered a chicken burger, and again, it has a great flavour and the bread was light and tasted fresh. For desserts, ice cream is also a specialty, and one sundae is common on a lot of the members and translates to "White Lady". It is a vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce.

That concludes my day and a half in Bruges. I hope that you have found it useful. Let me know if I have missed anything that you experienced that you really enjoyed when you visited the city.

Italian street art sculpture duo Urban Solid have recently been to London and pasted up a couple of new pieces from their new work "Human Beings Are Connected". The new sculptures feature human brains with a wifi bar above them, as if they are transmitting a signal. These new pieces were placed up in late January, but they have not lasted too long as they got chipping damage on them quite soon after being placed up.

The street art is located on Sclater Street and in Star Yard off Brick Lane. I enjoy seeing new work by these artists and wish they had placed a few more pieces around, including replacing their often-photographed figures on the wall on Brick Lane. But, it appears that that phase of their work has been completed.

In addition, I spotted the below piece located off the top of Brick Lane (north of Bethnal Green Road), which I must have missed before. These sculptures were placed a couple of years ago ahead of one of their shows. It's very chipped as it appears that someone has tried to remove it.

For previous posts about Urban Solid on this blog, visit:

Urban Solid Sculptural Invasion
Street Art: Urban Solid
Urban Solid duo put up new London Street Art Installations