Pizza Express

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As I mentioned yesterday, I celebrated my birthday at Pizza Express. I thought it was about time then to give my review of this restaurant.

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Pizza Express is a lovely restaurant chain that is located all over London. I celebrated my birthday in Putney, but you can also find the restaurant in the famous shopping centre Westfield, Notting Hill and close to the British Museum. These are only a few of the many places where you can find this restaurant.

It is a very popular restaurant and the menu offers several different options. There is something for everyone and the pizza is exceptionally good. With a thin crust you can choose from quite a few varieties when it comes to pizza but they also have a fine selection of pasta and salads. One starter that seems to be highly popular among my friends is the dough balls. The garlic bread with mozzarella is also very tasty, and they are both perfect to share.

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The prices are also not bad. It is quite affordable and it is plenty of food for the money. Pizza Express is the perfect place to celebrate your birthday, have fun with friends, to spend time with your family and even have a romantic evening. I absolutely recommend this restaurant and I hope you’ll enjoy it too if you ever decide to eat there.

The Royal Wedding

I feel extremely lucky to be living in London these days. Next to being a beautiful city, there is always something happening. Of course this week it was something rather special going on; the royal wedding. Prince William would finally marry his beloved Kate.

Kjell Steinar and I decided to go to Central on Thursday to have a look at the decorations for the wedding. We ended up having a great time, looking at all the people from every corner of our world. It was so nice to see that so many people were excited about the wedding. We saw several people who had brought their tents and were ready to spend the night on the street so that they were able to have a good view the next day. Many of them were dressed up and counting down the hours until Kate and William would say their I do’s.

The atmosphere was amazing. By walking in the streets you could feel that something big was about to happen. The camera crew was already in place the day before the big day and you could feel the excitement of the people. When we got back home we found out that Kate and William had been in the church when we were outside. Oh how I wish they would have come outside and said hi to us.

On Friday was the big day. London was like a ghost town. Hardy anyone was outside. I have lived here for nearly three years and I have never seen the streets more empty. But the minute you got close to Westminster you could hear people shouting with anticipation. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in one place, it was insane.

I am very glad that Kjell Steinar and I decided to go to Central on the day of the wedding, even though we didn’t see much. We saw Kate and William drive from the church but only for a brief moment as it all happened very fast. But we were there and we celebrated their wedding with a frappuccino from Starbucks. Funnily enough we were not the only ones with that thought. While we were at Starbucks we saw two nicely dressed men who bought a coffee. They had been to the wedding and came straight from the church to Starbucks. They had the program from the church with them, which is why we knew where they came from.

I think it is important to remember that even though Kate and William are royalty, they are still people. This was a big and special day for them and the people who were lucky to be invited. They all might just be craving a Starbucks like the rest of us every now and then. 

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T.G.I. Friday’s

 

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Since it is Friday I thought it was suitable to come with a restaurant recommendation, and the perfect place to eat on a Friday is T.G.I. Friday’s on Leicester Square. It’s in the name, so it can’t be wrong.

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When my parents are visiting T.G.I. Friday’s is always a restaurant where we end up having dinner. It has something for everyone and it’s the perfect place to bring the kids. As my brothers are still quite young it is important to find the good places where kids are welcome, and T.G.I. Friday’s truly is one such place.

T.G.I. Friday’s is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining, with over 1000 restaurants in over 51 countries. It is safe to say that this is a popular restaurant chain where the food is good and affordable. The menu is large with many different entrees so choose from. Friday’s is also known for its alcoholic beverages and their famous ‘ultimate’ drinks, and you will find a great selection of several different cocktails, wines and beers.

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Like I said, their menu is large, but my personal favourite have to be their BBQ spare ribs. It comes in two different sizes and it’s even on the children’s menu. My brother, who’s 10, loves the ribs and he can’t get enough of it. Friday’s also have fajitas, sandwiches, steak, burgers and so much more. You are guaranteed to find something you like.

I really like this restaurant. The food is good, affordable and the service has always been good. The only negative issue I have is that the music is too loud. So bring your friends and family and have an excellent time while enjoying a good meal, because thank goodness it’s Friday. We all deserve it after a hard week.

Angus Steak House

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A good steak can be difficult to find, especially if you don’t know where to look. Angus Steak House in London has, in my opinion, the best steak in town. This restaurant chain is everywhere in central London, you can’t miss it.

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Steaks are usually a bit pricy but if the meat is good then you feel like it is worth it anyway. At least I do. There is nothing worse then to eat out and you’re sitting there feeling like the food is an utter failure. I have been to Angus Steak House a few times and I have always been satisfied. The steak is cooked to perfection. As this is a tad pricy restaurant it is a shame that you have to pay for fries and other side orders but if you are looking for quality meat then I believe this is the place. We all deserve to spoil ourselves every now and then.

Like I said, Angus Steak House is everywhere in central London, especially around Piccadilly, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. It is a very popular restaurant so there might be some waiting time. I would absolutely eat there again; I have some very good memories from a dinner date with my boyfriend there. My parents had dinner here when they were visiting a couple of weeks ago and they had nothing but good words to say about this place. So enjoy a classy night out in London, starting with a great meal at Angus Steak House.  

Tate Modern & Millennium Bridge

Kjell Steinar and I decided to experience something new about London yesterday and we ended up at Tate Modern, a modern art gallery that is the most-visited art gallery in the world. About 4.7 million people visits it every year where they can observe the famous art dating back to the early 1900’s with their own eyes.

We travelled on the Central Line on the London Underground in order to get to Tate Modern and came to find that the closest tube stop was St. Paul’s. It is then only a short walk to the gallery and you get to cross the famous Millennium Bridge. Entry is free except for major exhibitions and it is open every day.

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I honestly have to admit that I don’t really know much about art, so I didn’t know what to look for in the gallery and how to take it all in. Kjell Steinar and I were walking around for a while and the only artist we had heard of was Picasso. He had a few paintings there on level three that were interesting; Nude, green leaves and bust and the three dancers are a couple of the paintings that were there. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the gallery so I’m afraid I don’t have any personal photos to show for, but the photo I have here is from Google.

Like I said, I don’t know much about art so it wasn’t really that interesting for me to visit Tate Modern. But there were a lot of people there and as it is a very popular I’m assuming it is a very good and interesting gallery for people who know art. So if you’re an art person then I would recommend visiting Tate Modern.

Millennium Bridge is right next to Tate Modern and it is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames. The bridge was opened in 2000 but closed again after a few days. People who were walking on this bridge said that they felt some uncomfortable swaying motion and the bridge was closed for another two years while modifications were made to eliminate the wobbly entirely. The nickname for this bridge is now Wobbly Bridge.

Monument

My aunt and her boyfriend came to London last week and I was so excited to finally be able to spend some time with her here. Kjell Steinar and I had been talking about visiting Monument and I was thrilled that my aunt wanted to join us.

Monument is a monument to the Great Fire of London that happened in 1666. It is 61 metres tall and it is placed in the area of where the fire that devastated the city started. It is very easy to get there on the London Underground as the closest tube stop is called Monument on the District and Circle Line. It is also only a short walk away from Tower Bridge.

You can actually climb the staircase to the top of the Monument for £3 and you will experience a fantastic view of London. It is open every day from 9.30-17.30. To reach the top of the Monument you have to climb 311 steps on a winding staircase and when you get downstairs again you will receive a diploma for being able to walk up and down. I thought this was so fun and I think that they should consider giving out diplomas to the people who are walking the stairs up the Eiffel Tower in Paris too.

I really enjoyed visiting the Monument; it was something different than what I would consider a typical tourist attraction in London. The view was wonderful and the attraction itself was not pricy at all. I would absolutely recommend visiting this place and the area itself is also a beautiful place in London. I’m so glad my aunt wanted to experience this and after our little visit Kjell Steinar and I introduced them to Nando’s and I was so pleased to hear that they liked it.

Stonehenge

 

On Friday I said that Kjell Steinar and I were going to go on a little adventure on Saturday but I did not want to reveal where we were going. Well, we visited the infamous Stonehenge. This is something I have wanted to do for so long and I am so glad that I have finally been there.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire and it was built more than 5000 years ago. To this very day no one really knows for sure how or why it was built in the first place. There were originally 30 upright stones but today only 17 of these still stands. They are a bit over 2 meters tall and each stone weight over 50 tons. This monument is very impressing with its astonishing scale and the construction itself. It is one of England’s most popular sights as the original purpose of it is a mystery.

There are a few different theories about what Stonehenge used to be. Some claims that it served as a burial ground as cremated remains have been found on the site. Others claim that it was built as a speculator place of worship as the stones are aligned almost perfectly with the sunrise on the summer solstice. People have been speculating about these stones for centuries and its purpose really can be all from human sacrifice to astronomy.

It truly was the mystery around these stones that caught my attention many years ago and now that I have been there I really can’t understand why someone would build this in the middle of nowhere and like that. I bet I am not the only one in this world with questions about this sight as it truly is a mystery. It really is only heavy stones out on a field where its purpose is unknown and the whole surroundings are a big mystery. I can understand why Stonehenge draw over 800 000 visitors each year and I am so thrilled that I have been there.

This is a picture of how it used to look like.

Kjell Steinar and I booked a tour of Stonehenge through Golden Tours and I really recommend doing this if you’re ever in London. It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to drive from Victoria Station and then you have one hour to truly experience this mystery. Audio guides are handed out where you will learn about the surroundings and hear about the many theories that are out there about this place. This is a wonder I would not want to miss out on.

Tower Bridge Exhibition

When my parents were here we decided that it could be fun to visit Tower Bridge and actually go inside and fully experience this icon. My dad had already been inside the bridge but that was years ago so when he asked if we wanted to join him on this tour I was not hard to ask.

In order to get to the bridge you can take the District or Circle Line on the London Underground. The closest stop is Tower Hill and there are actually signs guiding you in the right direction. You can’t miss it and the bridge truly is magnificent.

The exhibition has two different opening hours: Summer opening hours, which is April-September, it is open from 10.00-18.30. Last admission is 17.30. Winter opening hours are 9.30-18-00 where last admission is 17.00 and this is from October-March. The prices are £7 for adults, £3 for children (where children under the age of 5 is free) and family tickets are £11. Very affordable and I thought it was absolutely worth it.

The exhibition starts with an elevator ride up the bridge where you are met with a video of how this bridge was built and the history behind it. It is only a short film and when it is finished you are free to walk on your own and enjoy the stunning views of London from the high level walkways. There are also several posters on this walkway where you can learn more about this historical icon and also other famous bridges across the world.

After taking in the beautiful view the journey continues down to the engine rooms where you will learn about the inner workings of the bridge and also see some of the engines used. It is absolutely amazing to think that they built this in the late 1800’s and that it took 8 years to build. It is now one of the most famous icons of London and a visit to this exhibition is both fun and educational.

Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted?

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London is a big city and there are actually three airports to travel to. The question is which airport should you use when travel to and from London?

I have learned a few tricks after living in London for over two and a half years when it comes to travelling and the most obvious choices are not always the easiest or the cheapest. It used to be a direct flight from Stansted to my hometown in Norway, Trondheim, but it took ages for me to actually get to the airport from my flat. I live in south-west London and it would take me over two hours just to get to Stansted. And it wasn’t very economical. One bus, London Underground to Liverpool Station and then the Stansted Express. If I were to buy a return ticket for the Stansted Express, as so many tourists do, I would be paying over £30 on my way to Stansted. And the time I was using was almost the time my flight would use back home.

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It is almost the same with going to and from Gatwick. I would have to take a bus, London Underground to Victoria Station and then the Gatwick Express. Here again I would also be using more than £30 put it is a little less time consuming as Gatwick is closer to central London than Stansted, but still expensive. I just realised that it is actually easier for me to take the train rather than the express from Gatwick, but I was surprised to find out that it was not so much cheaper. But then again, when I first arrive to Gatwick it is a direct flight home.

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Heathrow is without a doubt the easiest airport to get to from central London. The Piccadilly Line on the London Underground takes you directly to the airport, and from Piccadilly it takes about 40 minutes, more or less. When I went home for Christmas last year my boyfriend and I booked tickets from another airline so we could travel from Heathrow. There is no direct flight to Trondheim so we would have to go to Oslo first, but it cost about the same as it would have if we had travelled from Gatwick and we didn’t really use much more time. And it was so much easier and more economical to fly from Heathrow. At least for us.

I think a lot of people are most concerned about what the airfares are costing and not really thinking about how to get from the airport and to central. I know I didn’t think much of it at first, but I have come to find that if I spend a little bit more on my plane ticket then I might be saving money on other transportations. Of course, sometimes it is easier and cheapest to go to Stansted or Gatwick. I simply wanted to share my travel experiences and hopefully give some travellers a few tips.

London Underground to Heathrow

Gatwick Express

Stansted Express

Hare & Tortoise

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My best friend Johanne turned 25 yesterday and she celebrated her birthday by inviting some good friends out to dinner. The restaurant of her choice was Hare & Tortoise and I thought it was about time for another restaurant review, because this place is amazing!

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Hare & Tortoise is a pan-Asian restaurant where the menu is mostly Japanese where also Chinese and Malaysian items are thrown in. There are several places in London where you can find this restaurant; Putney (where we were having dinner yesterday), Kensington, Ealing, Bloomsbury and Blackfriars.

I believe this is mainly a sushi restaurant and I honestly have to admit that I am not a sushi person. But Johanne and her boyfriend Joachim are and as I have understood from them the sushi is amazing here. And I trust them so if they say so then it is without a doubt true. But there is also food for us non-sushi eaters, such as chicken chow mein, roast duck, beef chilli in black bean sauce and grilled chicken ramen. They also have some vegetarian dishes. Their food is cheap, tastes great and you’ll leave the restaurant feeling full and satisfied. The only thing I would say is slightly negative is the service. It is not the best but I would definitely go back for the food. We all left with a big smile on our faces yesterday and I recommend this restaurant if you’re ever in London. Perfect for families, birthday parties and dates.

Happy birthday again, my lovely Johanne!

What to see in London

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Ever since I started this blog in September 2010 I have written quite a lot about what I have seen in London. Over the past months my boyfriend and I have been walking around London taking in this city and really tried to experience it. I then thought it was about time to make a proper list of everything I have written about so far over what to see in London. So if you’re planning to visit this amazing city or you’re looking for some new tourist ideas then I hope this is helpful. Simply click on the link to see my personal reviews of the sightseeing, restaurants and musicals. I will come with an update later when I have written some more about what to see in this fantastic city.

SIGHTSEEING

♥ British Museum

♥ Camden Market

♥ Dickens House Museum

♥ London Eye

♥ Chinatown

♥ iPilot at Westfield

♥ Kingston

♥ London Dungeon

♥ London Underground

♥ London Zoo

♥ Secret bars

♥ Shopping

♥ Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

RESTAURANTS

♥ Bella Italia

♥ GBK

♥ Hard Rock Cafe

♥ Nando’s

♥ Preto Brazilian Restaurant

MUSICALS

♥ Chicago

♥ Dirty Dancing

♥ Lion King

♥ Thriller Live

♥ We Will Rock You

London Zoo

I have lived in London for two and a half years now and I absolutely love it. London has so much to offer for everyone in all ages. As my mentors I have my two adorable little brothers to show for. My family comes to London to visit me each year and we always have a great time. Last time they visited me was about a year ago and I decided that I wanted to spend some time with my brothers alone. And the perfect place to go then was the London Zoo!

I love to going the Zoo, I always end up having a great time, but last year I wanted to bring the ultimate Zoo person; Miss Johanne. My brothers adore her and I was thrilled when she said she wanted to join us.

It is very easy to get to the zoo here in London. You take the Northern Line on the London Underground to Camden Town and walk to the left. There are then signs to follow and it takes about 15 minutes or so to walk to the zoo from the tube station.

Once in the zoo you have several hours of fun ahead of you. London Zoo is actually the world’s oldest scientific zoo whereas today it houses a collection of 755 species of animals, with 15 104 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the UK. You are guaranteed to have fun.

I imagine that a lot of people has seen the Harry Potter films, and remembers in the first one the scene where the Dudley’s and Harry are in the zoo in the reptile house. That scene was actually filmed in the reptile house. Next to finding snakes and cobras here you’ll see tortoises of different kinds, fishes and Komodo dragon to mention a few.

The zoo itself is very nice. They have tried to recreate the animals’ natural environments, which give a better lifestyle for the animals. It was a lot of fun walking around, looking at the different animals. We especially had a lot of fun looking at the warthogs. They are actually really cute. We also saw lions, penguins, monkeys, butterflies, lama, gorilla, giraffe and so much more. It is the perfect place to spend some time with your family and kids of all ages are guaranteed to have fun. There are also several shops were you can buy souvenirs and a couple of cafes where you can eat good food before continuing the journey through the animal kingdom.

General information:

The zoo is opened everyday from 10-16. During holidays, such as Easter, they extend their opening hours so if you’re planning on visiting I advise you to check first to be sure just how long they are open.

Entry cost depends on what season you’re visiting the zoo, but it is around £17 for adults and £13 for children. Summer is naturally the most expensive time of the year.

For more information visit http://www.zsl.org/

Nando's

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There are many restaurants in London and sometimes it can be hard to choose which one to have your dinner at when you have been walking around all day. One restaurant that is very popular for the Londoners are Nando’s Chicken Restaurant.

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Nando’s are famous for their legendary, Portuguese flame grilled Peri-Peri Chicken. It will guarantee spice up your taste buds but the beauty of this is that you can choose just how spicy you want your food. There are five choices deciding how spicy you want your food: plain, lemon & herb or mango & lime, medium, hot and extra hot. If you are a bit unsure of how spicy you want it then I recommend medium. It is a little spicy but not too much and if you want to tickle your taste buds even more then you can simply add more hot sauce that is available in the restaurant.

My personal favourite here is the chicken breast filet in pita with chips on the side with their famous peri-peri salt. And fizzy drinks are bottomless so you can fill up your glass as many times as you want if it becomes too spicy for you.

Nando’s are to be found so many places in London, such as Westfield Shopping Centre, Covent Garden, Soho and Glasshouse Street which is a side street from Regent Street.  They also have a children’s menu. It is not an expensive restaurant but you will walk away feeling full and satisfied. So if you like chicken then Nando’s is the restaurant to visit when in London.

Other restaurants worth visiting in London:

♥ GBK

♥ Bella Italia

♥ Preto

Click on them for my personal reviews

Camden Market

On Saturday Kjell Steinar and I decided to walk around in London. It has been too long since we’ve done that and we determined that Camden Market was the place to go this time.

It is very easy to get to Camden. All you have to do is take the Northern Line on the London Underground to Camden Town and then you’re there. You simply cannot miss all the people and the market itself.

Camden Market is one of London’s most popular attractions and on a Saturday it is hard to miss. It is opened seven days a week and completely mobbed in the weekends, so if you have the chance to visit the market on any other day during your visit I would recommend that.

For me, Camden Market was kind of like a little gothic society but filled with colours of all kinds. It is open-air and indoor markets, each with its own distinctive flavour, line of street shops, bars and restaurants. You can find practically anything here, t-shirts, purses, sunglasses, paintings and all kinds of tourist-oriented tat. With many fast-food stalls from around the world, you can spend hours here shopping, taking in the culture and have a good time. On a sunny day it is actually a gorgeous place to be as you can have your lunch near the canal or take a boat ride on it. It is understandable why this place is so popular.

Next to all of this you will find many tattoo and piercing shops in this area. I believe that is why I felt it is kind of a gothic place, but looking aside from that you can get some fantastic bargains here. For those of you who are looking for t-shirts a bit out of the ordinary then this is the place. They are also cheaper then the ones you’ll find in typical tourist shops around London.

I would recommend going to Camden Market if you have time when visiting London and if you want to spend some time not walking up and down Oxford Street. London has so much to offer and we ended up having a great few hours here. We didn’t eat anything here as we had already planned on having dinner at the famous Hard Rock Café. But the next time I will definitely try something as the food smelled amazing.