Ivan and Jen do Europe

Ivan, Lil Dave and I went to get the tickets for Oliver! on May 19, 2010.

We went to Pret a Manger for lunch.  Lil Dave brought along a banana and honey sandwich to eat.  I got a delicious Chili King Prawn baguette.  Ivan got a prawn and avocado sandwich.  Ivan picked up an egg and smoked mackerel sandwich as well.  Ivan liked it, but I could taste the horseradish and it was a bit fishy for me. 

There was still time to waste.  We walked around and saw the new frozen yogurt place Snog.  The yogurt is organic and sugar-free.  Lil Dave got natural yogurt with two portions of bananas.  He thought it was very banana-y and tasted great.

Ivan and I shared a small natural and bittersweet chocolate swirl with raspberries and smart foods on top.  It was delicious!  The store has colored lights on the ceiling that blink in time to the music.  While we were eating, we heard cool spacey music playing.

We met up with Ivan’s parents at the Oliver! theater.  Ivan and I told them about the great frozen yogurt at Snog.  So, we went there.  I went to Cyber Candy next door to check out all the candy.  I ended up buying a box of Japanese strawberry gum.  

Ivan’s parents enjoyed the frozen yogurt.  One small size is enough for two people unless you’re really hungry for a cold snack.  I chewed on my new gum.  It tasted good, but the flavor only lasted for about 2 minutes.  It’s good for making bubbles though.

Oliver! plays at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane which is the oldest theatre in Britain.  It was time for Oliver! to start.  We saw lots of young school kids in the audience. The musical was really great.  It was a little hard to hear sometimes.  The cockney accents were a little hard to understand.  I had to pay close attention.  The musical was dark and violent.  I don’t think it’s really appropriate for young kid that were in the audience. 

We all walked to Whole Foods.  Lil Dave picked up some organic bananas.  Ivan’s mum bought a few things. 

Ivan, Lil Dave, me and Ivan’s parents walked to Bistro 1 for dinner.  There was a good deal for 2 or 3 course meals.  Everybody decided to get the 2 courses.  I had the bistro meze and the chicken penne arriabatta.  Ivan got the salmon and avocado salad and vegetarian moussaka.  Lil Dave decided to get a banana salad and a banana gyro.  The food was excellent.  It was great day out with Ivan’s parents.

We hopped on a train.  Ivan really wanted to see Billy Elliott, but unfortunately it was sold out.  So, we got back on the train.

We saw the play Bedroom Farce.  It was a bit funny in the first part.  The second part of the story wasn’t as good.  It wasn’t as farcical as it could have been. 

Ivan met up with his friend Tom on the morning of May 18, 2010.  I got to sleep in a bit.  

I met Ivan at the Stratford train station.  Lil Dave stayed in Stratford to study for an upcoming Math test.  We went to Central London.  Ivan got the tickets for the musical Sweet Charity that we’d be seeing later.

We went to Satsuma for dinner.  Ivan had the chicken soba noodles while I had the king prawn & fish cake soba noodles.  It was a very tasty meal.

Ivan and I went to the musical Sweet Charity.  The lead Tamzin Outhwaite was sick so there was a stand-in.  The stand-in was excellent.  She didn’t mess up once.  The story is about a girl who a bit of a push-over and always falls for the wrong men.  It’s a really great musical.  The acting and the dancing was top notch.

Ivan, Lil Dave and I had Nando’s for lunch in Stratford on May 17, 2010. Ivan and I each had a peri peri chicken breast pita with pineapple.  We shared a nice red pepper dip.  I didn’t eat too much since I was still feeling sick.  Lil Dave had a banana sandwich with mild peri peri sauce.

We took a train to South Bank.  We would be going on a speed boat tour with London RIB Voyages. 

The lady gave Ivan and me jackets and life vests.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have monkey-sized jackets.  Lil Dave did put on a life vest though.  He doesn’t like water very much. 

Our group consisted of 8 people and 1 monkey.  I put on some goggles so my eyeglasses wouldn’t get wet.  The tour guide was a blonde lady.  She told us that we’d be going really fast on the River Thames.  Then, later on she would talk about the history of the river.

The speed boat went super fast.  Lil Dave had to hold to me otherwise he might have flown away.  The river was a little choppy today.  So, sometimes the boat jumped a little.  It was really fun going so fast.  The guide even played James Bond music while we were zooming along on the river.

We learned lots of interesting stuff about the River Thames.  It wasn’t good being a pirate.  If you got caught, they chained you in the river and you had to endure three tides.  Of course, if you were a privateer – you could do the same as a pirate, but you’d have to give some of your earnings to the Queen.  I also heard that River Thames is the cleanest river in Europe.  We all had a great time on our speed boat tour.

We went to Primark on Oxford Street.  Considering it’s a Monday, I thought Primark wouldn’t be as busy.  I was wrong.  It was still busy just not AS busy. It was still a mile long wait for the Ladies Changing Room.  Why is it that there’s always a long line for changing rooms and bathrooms if you’re a woman?  It’s just annoying.  They really need to make more changing rooms and bathroom stalls for women.  We returned a few things and I bought a couple things.

We went to Boots next.  I was coughing so I needed some chesty cough medicine.

That night, we had dinner at Koya.  It’s a new Udon restaurant.  You can get cold Udon noodles with hot broth or hot Udon noodles with hot broth.  Ivan got the hot Udon noodles with mackarel in a hot broth. 

I got hot Udon noodles with chicken and vegetables.  I thought it was good.  I had to add soy sauce and chili powder though.  I think the chili powder cleared my sinuses a little.  Lil Dave had Udon noodles with bananas.  He thought it tasted a bit odd.  I don’t think bananas are good in a soup.  Ivan thought the Udon noodle soup was just okay.  He prefers Udon noodles in a stir fry.

We stopped at Slug and Lettuce.  Ivan and I each had a glass of red wine.  Lil Dave got a banana juice.

Ivan, Lil Dave and I went to Leicester Square Theatre for The Magic Underground show.  It was presented by Christian Lee and Jerry Sadowitz.  Jerry Sadowtiz is a really awesome magician according to Ivan.  But, he’s very rude and weird.  Ivan thinks everybody in the audience was hoping he would show up.  The show was located in the very small basement.  There was probably about 25 people in the audience.

The first half of the show was good.  There was magic and also some comedy.  The magicians used people in the audience to help them out with their magic tricks.

There was an interval.  At the first half, they said Jerry might actually show up in the second half. 

The second half got worse.  Most of the magic wasn’t as good.  One funny part was when Wes Zaharuk pulled me out of the audience.  Wes put me behind him and I was playing his arms while he hid his behind his back.  I pulled gum out of his pocket.  I had to put the gum in his mouth.  I thought that since my arms are short and I’m very short that I wasn’t getting it anywhere near his mouth.  Ivan told me later that I was sticking the gum in his eye. I knew it didn’t feel right!  Then, he put the chewed gum (yes, his saliva and all!) and put it in my hand.  Gross!  The next part, I had to peel a banana.  Not an easy feat without seeing it.  Then, I had to feed it to him.  Ivan told me later that I was getting the banana right in his eye.  The banana broke off and fell to the ground.  The audience seemed to love it.  I went back to my seat.  The magician asked if I wanted to keep the banana as a souvenir.  I said yes and gave the remainder of the banana to Lil Dave.  He was such a happy monkey.

There was a young guy named Oliver who went on.  He did a trick word for word (even the same joke) as the magician Bill Malone.  It’s the Sam the Bellhop trick created by Bill.  He messed up twice doing the trick but he did finish it all the way through.  Next, he did a coin trick.  Well, he attempted to do it.  Then, he said No that won’t work.  I think because of the angle.  Then, Oliver just gave up and sat back down.  Pretty sad really.  He was so nervous.

The show was okay.  Jerry Sadowitz didn’t show up which I didn’t think he would.  Ivan could do better magic tricks than most of those magicians.  It’s sad to think that London doesn’t have better magicians. 

Ivan and I checked out of the Marriott Hotel on May 16, 2010.

We had lunch at La Tasca.

We got a variety of tapas:  chicken skewers, salmon, large potato bravas and a salad with apples and manchego cheese.  The food was great as usual.  Lil Dave enjoyed two plates of fried bananas.

I wasn’t feeling so good.  I think it’s allergies and a cold as well.  We took the train to Stratford.  We would be staying at Neal’s (Ivan’s brother) flat while he’s away in Cuba.  It was raining outside.  Stratford is a bit of a rough neighborhood.  I guess it could be worse.  It could be Jakarta, where it’s smelly and dirty.

It rained all day.  We wished it would stop, but it didn’t let up.  We chilled in Neal’s nice flat and used the internet.

Ivan thought we should catch a movie.  Neal told him recently that Four Lions was funny.  Lil Dave wanted to see Space Chimps 2, but it’s not out yet.  He decided to stay and watch Space Chimps on the computer.

Ivan and I walked to the theatre.  We had about 30 minutes before the movie started.  The restaurants around the theatre weren’t very exciting.

The Chinese buffet we ate at was pretty bland.  It was expensive as well at £11.95 per person.

We watched the British movie Four Lions.  It’s about four suicide bombers.  It was very funny.  Best movie we’ve seen this year.  If you get a chance, go see it!

- Four Lions movie poster image from IMP Awards.

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Ivan and I got sandwiches at Kruger on May 15, 2010.  We took a train into the city.  We went to Primark on Oxford Street.  Primark is a clothing store filled with really cheap clothes, shoes, towels, jewelry and purses.  This location is huge.  It was soo crowded in the store. I don’t shopping already, but it’s even worse when there’s tons of people there as well.  We’ll be headed to an event later called La Belle Epoque.  At the event, you must wear fashionable clothes that are French.  So, we were in search of fancy clothes.  Ivan helped me pick out cool chic clothes.  I wish they had a store like Primark in the USA.  I would have an awesome wardrobe. 

We took the train again.  Ivan took us to get a double chocolate chunk cookie at Ben’s cookies.  It was really delicious!  Lil Dave got a slice of tasty banana bread from a stall nearby.

We went to Starbucks.  We used the internet for awhile. 

It was time to get back to the hotel so we hopped on a train.  We picked up some sushi at Wasabi.  We started getting ready for our event. Lil Dave was happy to have the hotel room to himself.  He loves to jump on the bed and watch monkey cartoons on the tv.

Ivan and I took the train to Shoreditch.  I thought we looked really good in our French clothes.  I was a little cold since I was wearing a dress with knee high socks.

We got to the La Belle Epoque event. 

There was tons of people dressed up in French clothes.  It was great!  I was greeted by one of the staff who was all decked out with a top hat and fancy dress.

I grabbed a table on the second floor.  Ivan ordered us Absinthe at the bar.  A lady and a guy came near the table.  The lady asked if I was having a good time.  I said yes, but I just got here.  She told me there was Absinthe at the bar.  I asked if it she had any and if it tasted good.  She said I can’t drink because I have to hang upside down.  I said Oh no, maybe later on then.  I didn’t know she was one of the acrobats.  The staff were all mingling with the crowd and starting conversations. 

There was lots of acrobatics going on.  It was on rope, scarves and ring. 

They didn’t even use a safety.  The acrobats weren’t up very high – but the concrete floor probably wouldn’t feel soft if they fell.  It always makes me a little nervous watching acrobatics do their thing.  Sure, it’s amazing, but I’m scared they might fall off.  One of the acrobats looked like a grandma and she looked like a man.  Maybe it was an older man dressed up as a woman.

A band came on called The Divetones.  They played lots of great music like rock and blues.  I really liked the horns.  We danced to the cool music.

Can Can dancers did a few minutes of dancing for the audience.  Although, it should have been longer.

A room in the back had a lady doing free face painting.  I got my face painted.  I wanted something different than the other girls.  I asked to put colors of my necklace and something rockstar.  It turned out really awesome!

A DJ came on, but he wasn’t really good.  He was horrible at mixing and playing all the wrong music for a party.  Nobody was really dancing.

We left the event.  We wanted to do more dancing.  Ivan thought we should check out Carwash.  It was only few minutes away. 

It was good thing we were dressed up.  Everybody in the club was wearing clothes from the 70′s, 80′s or a weird costume.  I saw 2 guys in prison suits and a MC Hammer look-a-like. 

The DJ played awesome music with hits from the 70′s, 80′s and the present.  We danced for a long time.  I love to dance and let the music move me.

We left the club and went searching for a mini-cab.  Ivan went to a place to order one. 

The cab drove so fast.  I was scared he was going to hit a car.  Thankfully, we got back to the hotel with no injuries.

Ivan and I took a train from Southend to London on May 14, 2010.   We reached the Marriott Hotel in West India Quay.  We couldn’t check in yet.  So, we stored our bags with the bell desk.  We were both really tired.  Our sleep schedules have been messed up lately.  We’ve been sleeping way too much.  So, we’re trying to get back on a normal sleeping schedule.

We jumped on the train headed to Soho.  We met Ivan’s brother Neal.  Then, we walked to an Asian restaurant called Inamo.  Neal has been before and thought the food was amazing.  The table-top is computerized.  The menu is accessed from a circle touch pad.  You can also order right from your table top.  Very cool!  You can change the background, play games and see a webcam of the chef.  We ordered salmon and avocado ceviche, mushroom toban yaki, sushi, black cod and silky crispy tofu.  The food was excellent.  It was great to catch up with Neal before he heads off to Cuba in a few days.

We walked around London with Neal for awhile.  Ivan thought we should go to the hotel for some rest.  Neal was thinking about going to a movie, but decided he was tired as well.

Ivan and I took a much needed 3 hour nap.

We took the train to South Bank.  It was time to get a bite to eat.  Ivan thought Giraffe looked good.  We ordered the vegetarian chili, white bean and garlic soup, peri peri chicken and a salad with pumpkin, edamame, sunflower seeds and mandarin oranges.  Our waiter had a funky mohawk.  He kept smiling at me which was a bit weird.  I’m not sure if he fancied me or he was just a happy guy.  The chicken was the best dish.  The peri peri sauce was so delicious!  It was a good meal. 

Next, we went to the Time Out Freak show at the Udderbelly.  It’s an upside down purple cow.  I’m not sure who thought of it but it’s cool to me since I like cows.  So, we picked front row seats but off to the side.  We didn’t want to get picked on during the show.

The host, Miss Behave, was a cool tattooed lady who was wearing a tight, red latex dress.  She reminded me of my friend Taylor.  She was definitely freaky.  She put a rose through her tongue piercing hole and twisted it.  Ouch, I bet that hurt!

I was expecting the show to be freakier than it actually was.  I’ve seen Jim Rose Circus and there’s lots of freaks in that show.  There was a doctor telling us funny medical things like people who don’t like people hearing them go to the bathroom.  He was a bit funny, but if he went on anymore it probably would have bored us to death.  But, then he could just resuscitate us back to good health. 

There was a pretty lady singing a Nirvana song and then a sing-along with the audience.  I guess it pays to be pretty because the crowd seemed to like it. 

We also saw a magician, a singing Hitler look-a-like who was very funny, a guy with arms half the normal size and no thumbs, and a hilarious, rude gay comedian from San Francisco. 

I think the silliest part was when one gu took off all his clothes and then put a firecracker up his ass and lit it.  Lovely!  The show was definitely entertaining, different, fun and a little freaky.

Hello everybody! It’s Jen here. I’ll be writing about our travels through Europe. It’s me, Ivan and our monkey Lil Dave. We spent 8 days in Southend, England trying to get used the time change and the weather. We thought it would be a lot warmer. But, unfortunately it’s been cold and mostly overcast. Lil Dave was thinking about writing the blog – but he is doing summer school for Math on the internet. So, he’s here for the bananas and the adventures. Of course, I’ll be making sure he does his homework. Enjoy the blog!