O Romeo Romeo Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?

The last time I'd been to a ballet was ages ago in Saint Petersburg. Way too long. 

Therefore, I went to see the Romeo & Juliet Ballet in the London Coliseum. It was a very last-minute decision, but we managed to get some fairly cheap tickets for some good seats. 

The amazing cast.

The Coliseum

I took my glasses out on town that night.

I loved every single moment of the night. The ballet went on for three hours, with intervals. The Coliseum's interior added even more sparkle to the entire performance and all the spectators were dressed up for the event. It felt like one of those classic nights you shouldn't miss out on. 

A few things which definitely caught my attention:


The Outfits. 
The Ballet Dancer's Bodies. 
The perfect timing of the orchestra, following every single move on stage. 

Anyway, ballet seems to be quite the trend these days. How excited are you about this?

I already love this movie so much! If I make it to the première, I'll definitely say hello to Natalie & Mila. 


Somehow I regret I ever gave up on jazz-ballet when I was still a kid. Ballet just seems awfully exciting when you get older. Maybe something to pick up again? 


Yeah, right.

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Don't think so gigolo

With Christmas around the corner, you might soon have some extra free time to enjoy, or at least you are going to treat yourself to some of that in between studying or working...it's Christmas after all, right? 

In case you want to watch a lovely movie, here's an idea...Happy Go Lucky, the story of a young woman with an unbelievable charismatic persona, trying to make everyone happy, while she's trying to figure out what it means to grow up. She finds love in the end, of course. 

A movie worth watching, not only because it was shot in the wonderful city of London...

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Getting into London Town

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Waking up in London

8.30 AM. 

After going out, sleeping in is tempting. Very tempting. But, it's London baby, so move it! 

With a little headache, Borough Market was the place to wake up this morning. Leaving my house without breakfast and only 2£ in my pocket for a coffee, I was all set. 

Being told Borough Market is one of the best food markets, my expectations were sky-high. I wanted to be there early to avoid the tourists and see the stall-holders in a cheery mood (trust me, don't go half-way, they get grumpy). 

To be honest, it wasn't great, it was beyond amazing! 

The Londoners are quite keen on going to markets to taste all the food, so in the context of integration, I completely went for it...

De Gustibus, claimed by
many to make the best bread in the world.

Florentines. Sugar-Sweet Madness.

With such an invitation, it's
hard to go the other way.

Cheese & sausages. The good kind.

The usual cakes were also having their little moment.

Hummus and other exotic things.

Neil's Yard Dairy, walhalla for the cheese-lovers.

Fresh of the field.

These pieces of sweetness, are the devil in disguise.

For some a delight, for others a bad bite.
But typically London.

So, yes, I think you could say it was an impressive market. The area was great and there were lots of small shops and cosy places nearby, in walking distance from the Thames and the Tate, a great start of the day. 

So what did I do with my two pounds? 

I had a 1£-coffee and bought myself a little box of raspberries with the other pound. Money well spent. But, I did obviously taste a lot of very good food, from amazing granola to white-truffle honey on home-made bread...that's how I like my healthy breakfast! 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Days of white

As I write these words, there's practically nothing left of the snow on these pictures. The Siberian Ice-Age passed by, temperatures are rising and the melting has begun. 

It was fun while it lasted, but I've already seen many happy-faced English girls without pants again. In London, that's a good sign.

The snowy conditions, from inside.

Nothing better than
color-coordinating your shoes to the snow!

Snow-filled sky.

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

And they lived happily ever after

Once upon a time...

There was a prince who fell in love with an upper-middle class girl. By now I think you all know what's going on, unless you spend your days looking for treasures under your bed...Kate Middleton is the happy bride-to-be in the Royal Wedding that will take place on the 29th of April, the lucky girl charmed her way into Prince William's heart. 

Well done lady, well done! I guess many girls out there (and boys) have been tearing their hear out over the news, but as far as I'm concerned...I AM HAPPY FOR THEM! 

Not really able to look that far in the future, but I guess I'll be in London. To avoid the masses, I would appreciate a personal invitation, so I might pass by that little Abbey on Parliament Square to ask for more details regarding the guestlist. 

Anyway, hooray! Good news for London Tourism! 

I guess it's only a matter of time before we'll start talking about what's obviously the most important thing in this entire romantic event: THE WEDDING DRESS! Can't wait for the media to go all crazy on that subject. 

Who do you think the lucky designer will be? 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Vintage Hopping

Although London is still known as one of the most expensive European cities, nothing should hold you back from making an effort to keep things cheap. For example, go for vintage! 

All over London, you've got vintage stores. However, be skeptic and non-easily pleased...go for quality first while still keeping in mind the fact you should be able to get these things for a reasonable price. You can buy vintage in markets, in boutique shops (expensive) and in regular vintage shops...which you can literally find everywhere, from Chelsea to Hackney, the hunt is yours! 

I successfully went hunting for some vintage yesterday and I managed to find three great pieces! 

The Camel Duffel-Coat

The Jacket

The 5£-Shirt

Hop hop, shop shop! 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Miss Cookie

Last night, we headed over to one of London's best kept secrets, the Cellar Door, which used to be a public men's toilet...now converted into an underground bar with a maximum seating capacity of 60 people. Why? There was a CABARET! 

Not a traditional one though. It was a one-(wo)man show by the delightful Miss Cookie, a New York drag queen, who lives in London now and who loves to improvise, depending on the audience. Dirty songs, funny songs, tragic songs...everybody loved it. 

Not bad for a Monday night, I say. 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Juicy Business

Walking down Parkway, one of Camden's best boulevards for eating and drinking, I picked up a fresh carrot-ginger juice at...Juice. Cheap and fresh juices and an incredible friendly service, that will suggest you to have some ginger with your juice, just because 'it's good for you'. Offer accepted. 

Juice, Parkway

Juice's decoration

Happy with the juice

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Singing with the muppets!

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Going Deeper Underground

Seville was amazing. Not only did I have the best city-guide ever, but Seville also surprised me. Sophisticated, inspiring and totally relaxed, perfect ingredients for a great stay. The streets were full of beautiful people, very well dressed (or at least the ones I looked at). 

And then...the food. Our days went something like this: breakfast - walking - coffee - walking - tapas - walking - tapas - drinks - walking - tapas. Not that I can complain, but sometimes we went a little overboard, luckily we had a good excuse: best friends that reunite must simply make the most of everything...and so we did! 

The weather wasn't bad either...to be honest it was beyond amazing. We reached 30°C, in November. Crazy! Seville is definitely worth a visit. The atmosphere, the food, the things to visit, the little streets. Often called the frying pan of Europe and the city of tapas, I hope this post got you all warmed up to book your tickets!

Thank you guapa for the lovely week-end! 

Soaking up the sun in Alcazar

Tapas - wine - dessert (not ours)

Seville - you were amazing

But, London was calling. My timing in going back home was better than it was when I left for Seville. Although I left on time (so I thought), I apparently took the slow train, which stopped two or three times before finally arriving at London Stansted at 17.25. My gate was closing at 17.35!

This, my friends, was followed by what could be described as a movie scene. I took my trolley under my arm, ignored the tons of people waiting to pass the security (didn't even notice if someone was angry or not), ran to the gate (which was very far)...saw 'Final Call' next to my flight: panic! I arrived in the hall of my gate, to find yet another line. Ignored it as well. Apparently, the entire line was waiting to board the flight: WTF?! 

Coming back went very smooth. Upon arrival though, I thought it'd be a good idea to tear up my train ticket and throw it away. No control on the train (if you're from Belgium, you think like this) = no control ever. But, alas, there they were. 3 big security guys. The inevitable happened...I needed to collect all the pieces of my ticket and my receipt. Luckily it was the only thing in the litter, so no dirty things went down. But still, I felt weird. A few sad looks on the face and they let me through. I was the last person leaving Liverpool Station that night, London, I'm back! 

After a good night sleep, I woke up in very different conditions. There was nobody besides me in the room. No best friend's face to greet you and...the weather! Horrible. This was about to be a not so interesting day with a lot of chilling, groceries and laundry. 

I wanted to get back in the groove of things, so I decided to do something new that night! I met up with Emeline and Taku to go the Old Vic Tunnels, to attend a very unusual theatre night, performed by Platform: an inspiring group of people who dedicated their free time to bring you a very pleasant evening. Plus, it was FREE! 

The night was amazing and so unexpected. A play about love in London and all the facets of this crazy city, in an amazing setting: overground tunnels! And there it was...I FELT AT HOME! The attendees were all Londonders and I felt one of them. 

A night to be called a true success, followed by a lovely (Spanish) wine in a local pub. I hope some pictures might give an impression, but the feeling I got that night...can't be explained. I was back home and I felt happy. London. I love you! 

Wise words. Platform presentation book. 

Tube-scene

Marriage in the tunnel

This says it all. 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

The Little Guide to Goodness

Sometimes I think about writing a pocket-book about London. Things could get busy this way, but as you know, you can always catch up on sleep in your grave. 

So here, a little start to London's hidden treasures. I was so excited to find this one...kind of stumbled into it, when I was looking for a late-night juice before heading back home on my loyal bus, the 29. 

It's a restaurant, it doesn't look like a restaurant, it even looks goddamned ugly from outside, but never judge a book by its cover...in the back of a shop, there's a little tiny restaurant: serving Japanese & Korean food, and by the looks of the costumers, it's a very well-kept secret in London. I'm not gonna give away this secret though, it will appear in my upcoming book ;)

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

The City

Quiet times are hard to find in this city. But when you do, you start to think. After a packed week-end, a Sunday night can sometimes bring exactly what you need. 

Recently I was advised to visit some other places in England, take the train and discover the nature. It didn't really spark a fire. I started to think why. Maybe it's because of what I'm often told...am I truly a city-boy? 

I think it's the appetite for life that makes me love cities so much. I cried after leaving New York, I feel like Paris is my second home and each day in London is worth a novel.

Walking on the pavement here, makes me wish I could read people's minds. Every person walking around here has a reason to be in this city and will probably come from somewhere else than London. At a certain time in their life, they made a decision to move to this amazing place...to discover and to learn. To live. 

But, I am leaving the city quite soon. It's not exactly England -whereto will soon be revealed- but it does count nevertheless. I'm looking forward to leaving, as it will be the first time I'll be returning back 'home' to London as well. 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Mother & The City

7.00 a.m.: this was the time I woke up to pick up my mother at King's Cross. Damn early if you ask me, but it was definitely worth it! Arriving there, I found out there was a delay, I imagined myself sleeping some more, but then a very happy-faced mommy arrived! 

We had an amazing day, with a crazy breakfast at Ottolenghi, a visit to the Gagosian Britannia Museum, Portobello Rd in Notting Hill and finally, my neighborhood...Camden. 

Delicious Ottolenghi - Upper Street

Mother Twist

Mother on a bus...a rare sight

New hat - I LOVE IT

Note to self: you look ridiculous with the hat

Looks fun, was fun. That's why I think mother thought it would be a GREAT idea to miss her train, because, taking the train you were supposed to be on...is just so boring. We were perfectly on time at the station, had some sushi (because the timing was great)...and then it happened. The goodbye, which we're not good in, especially my mother, was a bit too fast and too sudden. So after her check-in, she dramatically leaned against some random pillar looking sad...only to see her train leave. 

Conquering the hearts of the people at Eurostar (who tried to stop the goddamned train - ever heard about that? - and tried to escort her to the train...but it was too late), she got a free ticket for the next day. 

I got a phone-call (very dramatic), when I was practically home, and successfully managed to get my mother on A BUS in London, through the phone...I have to say I was very proud of her. In the end, it was hilarious. A nice gin-tonic to drink away the stress, a good bath and a nice tea...and all was forgotten. 

Next day she successfully managed to take the train, on time, after a visit that took an unexpected turn. Unforgettable! 

Mom...I love you!

Crazy never hurt a soul

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

Primrose Hillabilly

The sweater and the hat weren't meant to be worn to stay at home though. London's weather has been AMAZING until now, and today was not an exception. A morning run alongside Regents Canal was the perfect start of the day. 

Mathilde came up with the plan to gather at Primrose Hill, just next to the London Zoo, overlooking the lovely city of London. Whenever I manage to get to these points of interest, where you get an overview of this overwhelming city, I just marvel away...

Rainbow

Means a bit of rain

But not for long though, as the sun crosses our path

London Love

BBC Tower / London Eye 

Gathering at Primrose 

Scones / 1 for each, because it's Sunday!

Places like Primrose Hill make me so happy to be in London and smile awkwardly when I think about the tuns of tourists gathering around the usual hotspots, missing out on all the hidden treasures London has to offer...but, haven't we all been there? The perfect week-end in London consists of a mixture of both, because, who doesn't love the trill of being surrounded by other fascinated eyes and open souls? 

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist

All the way to Broadway

London and its markets, it's quite a long story. From Portobello Road to Spitalfields, there's always a market to go to. Varying in its offer of course, from vintage clothes and accessories to organic food and flowers, each market has its own character, appealing to people depending on their mood. 

Today I made my way over to the Broadway Market in Hackney, where I met Emeline on Mare Street, after a great walk from the Hackney Central Overground Station through the London Fields. 

I like Hackney. A neighborhood that is upcoming, thanks to art and many innovative projects, saturated with art galleries and a crazy mix of all kinds of people. 

This market is all about food actually, there is a small corner where you might be able to find some nice vintage stuff, but I wouldn't recommend this market if that's your goal. 

The atmosphere is great, the food stalls are a feast for the eyes and the nice bars and shops in this street are certainly a big plus for the market. TIP: come late, you'll get discounts and free stuff! 

From cupcakes to sausages

Random vintage

When I say it's all about the food...this is the reason

SUN SUN SUN

Mirror mirror on the wall, bring me to the food stall

Probably the cutest one

XX // T.L. 

 Love - from, in and to - London. - The Londonist