Quiet Weekend

I had a very nice weekend - started out with dinner at Admiral Cordrington with Rachel, Dave and her parents. The latest discovery is that they have a retractable roof over the dining room which was great for such a beautiful night.

Saturday I woke up early to go to Portobello Market - I got fresh fruit and veggies from the local market and of course couldn't walk away without treating myself to a new necklace ;)Saturday evening, I had a potluck dinner with Mark, Maria and David - some friends from work who also live in my building. I brought Ellen's famous bean salad and my orzo dish from my greek-themed birthday picnic from years ago. Maria cooked her famous ribs with a secret family sauce that I am going to have to pry from her because it was so tasty and Mark cooked baked ziti and chicken.

Sunday I took a walk through Battersea Park, which is just over the Thames River. It's a great park with a huge variety of things to see - today, I walked through sub-tropical gardens (yes, in London) and could have imagined I was in Fairchild Gardens in Miami! Next time, I will definitely check out the Peace Pagoda...

More pictures available!

See more of our pictures by clicking http://picasaweb.google.com/sherrilender

Adult Slides

One of the most frustrating things about London - tube shut downs! The subway system has just 2 tunnels, so in order to maintain the tracks there are engineering works every now and then of entire tube lines. This weekend they closed the District and Circle lines, which threw a wrench into our plan to go to the Tate Modern. We ended up taking a bus and getting the front seats on the second story - which is a great way to see the city for a couple of pounds!

We walked from St. Paul's Cathedral over the Millenium Footbridge (first new bridge built in London in over one hundred years!) to the Tate Modern for the last day of an exhibit at the Tate Modern called the Test Site. This is a picture off their site:

Our trusty local guide Dave has taken 4 trips over so we figured that was a big enough endorsement for us to take a chance. We hopped in line 40 minutes before tickets were distributed (and no, we were not even close to first in line).

Call it what you will, but these are just grown-up versions of the slides we all enjoyed growing up. The big difference is that they are 3 and 5 stories high!















The rest of the afternoon we walked along the Thames River, across to Covent Gardens and walked all the way to Vauxhall Station - in all about 4 miles. My feet felt like they were going to fall off, but we were on a mission: recently the New York Times wrote up a piece on the best Indian restaurants in London. The first one listed (before two with Michelin stars) is called Hot Stuff. Let's just say we were happy it was still light out, neighborhood was not quite like Chelsea! We finally made it, mouths watering down the street, only to find the gate down and no sign of life. Lesson learned: like the commercials say, call first - woops :)

"Jon - Get Out of Here!!!!!!!!!!"

Yes, we have a tendancy to hold on to the keys of flats in Nell Gwynn House after we've vacated. So we went by Flat #212 last night to grab a few items we forgot and a few we brought to the new flat by accident. We got home last night and realized that we never took any pictures documenting our small hideaway. We were too lazy to head down again, so we opted to go tonight.

We knocked on the door and opened the door when no one came - the apartment was still dark and we took one step in before seeing a suitcase lying in the middle of the living room. I screamed/whispered "Jon, get out of here!!" I don't think we've ever bolted away from anywhere that fast and we even ran up a flight of stairs, just in case.

Can you believe we actually walked into someone else's flat? My eyes were bugged out for at least an hour worrying about it.

Just Say No to Cow Brains

Way back when we were looking for a gym in the neighborhood, Jon and found this great place called KX just a block away. Anyway, it was a really impressive and beautiful gym, with a member's restaurant; essentially it's a country club with no golf course, but gym facilities instead. After learning that they were offering a discounted £800 initiation (because I work at Citi) and £6800 6-month membership, we moved on.

I joined LA Fitness, which at £89 is a steal and Jon's been borrowing my friend's pass while he is in the West Indies for the World Cup. After a good morning workout, we went to Baker & Spice, which gives Bouchon Bakery a run for it's money. Treats gallore and just a couple of blocks from our flat. This place is starting to feel like home.

Rachel and Dave came over for drinks so we could show off our new digs before dinner. They have an amazing apartment just 15 minutes walk away with a garden and 1 and 1/2 bathrooms - can you imagine a separate boys bathroom; the luxury of it all! Anyway, after we visited their place a few weeks ago and heard about their singular desire for a mini-garbage can for the bathroom and I put them out of their misery and picked one up a few weeks ago. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so excited for a gift, ever!!! :) Hopefully they are enjoying it!

Anyway, a few weeks ago New York Magazine did a feature article on NY vs. London, which Jon clearly read. We went to the restaurant in the picture and Jon and Dave were drooling over the giant pig another table ordered and only moaned for 5 minutes we put our feet down to ordering brains - hello mad cow disease?!

I love my thinkpad

Another lively day here in London, as Jon's brand new Dell fizzled and died. He sat on tech support with them for close to 5 hours during which time they convinced him to reformat the hard drive, which of course erased all his files. So terrible. Anyway, I conferenced into the call and haven't heard Jon get that fiesty in a while. After telling numerous managers about how he could build a computer better than they do (which we all know he can't), they agreed to a full refund.

Masha to the rescue with info/access to Thinkpads - so thanks! We are ordering a new and improved laptop this weekend!

Football, London-style

Not much to report on from my end, but Jon was lucky enough to go to a championship soccer errr football match with Dave this evening. They had amazing seats for the Tottenham vs. Seville match, which evidently was a big deal? Hehe - still learning to appreciate these things.

Happy Birthday to Bridget!!

Mattress Extravagnza

So we woke up this morning and decided to take another look at Flat #914 - after thinking it over, how could we pass up this space... Jon has a much nicer and defined space to work in and everything is, well, bigger.

I went back to work today and of course so did Jon, but with his New York hours he has to work quite late, so I ended up starting us off with a lot of packing (and unpacking) after I got home. The service elevator is only available in the morning, so we moved ourselves and our seven suitcases via the central elevator, which is not terribly far from flat #212, but almost a mile from #914 (ok, not really, but a city block?).

We finished unpacking just about everything and fall onto the bed with a thud. Jon looked at me like the world just fell in and said there was no way we could sleep on this lumpy mess for 5 more months. I should have known from the look in Jon's eye what was coming next. And now begins the mattress switching extravagnza.

Of course a wrinkle in the plan - we get to the elevator after much chuckling along the way and there is someone waiting for the elevator. Who actually goes out at 1am? I guess we have changed since we got married! Anyway, we tried to shove the mattress in with absolutely no luck. So we started running with the mattress back toward our apartment and the stairwell. A normal couple would just suck it up and sleep on the stupid thing, but clearly we are a bit different from most, because we spent the next hour running down 7 flights of stairs with the 914 mattress and running up 7 flights of stairs with the 212 mattress - which thankfully was a lot lighter. All I needed was my camoflague pants and Rueben screaming "Little Lender move those little f*ing legs" and I would have been back to Pure Power Bootcamp.

Prague - Day 5

Our last day in Prague was nice and relaxing. We meandered around the city, picked up a few trinkets for the Doumar kids and of course ate a bit more.

Our flight was in the evening so we had the full day to enjoy - with beautiful weather and sunshine. We took the tube home from Heathrow and walked into Nell Gwynn House with baited breathe - the moment of truth to see our new flat #914! Another New York area code, so our hopes are high. Anyway, we went up there and though it was huge, my hopes are dashed as it is not as updated as flat #212. Ahh, nothing can be perfect! After much discussion, we decided not to take the apartment, so we don't move anything over.

Prague - Day 4

Today we spent most of the day in the Mana Strana exploring the area by Prague Castle and Petrin Hill. The weather was gorgeous so it was a perfect day to walk around. We walked through the street of the Mala Stana which are extremely hilly and lead up to Prague Castle.

We made it to the castle grounds just in time to see the changing of the guards.

Later, we hiked up Petrin Hill and then Petrin Tower (which is a 1/5 model of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - maybe we'll see that soon!)....

From the top, there are beautiful vistas of Prague in every direction. It was a clear day and we got a lot of great pictures!

Heaven forbid we stop walking around, so we decided to recharge our batteries at Square, another Kampa Group restaurant by the Charles Bridge. We walked over to the streets of Mala Strana close to the bridge and after what seemed like forever found the most hidden site in Prague (not really, just hard for us): The Lennon Wall.

If you squint, you might be able to see where Jon left his mark for us.

Later, we found the Kafka Museum with this lovely statue in the front:


We were strolling home and we happened across the Wallenstein Gardens where we finally sat to take it all in. We found two lovely peacocks and this one was nice enough to provide a show for us while we were there.


We saved a very special restaurant close to the Charles Bridge for our last dinner: V Zatisi. Seriously in need of a diet after this trip because it has been one binge after the next - it is hard to say no with cuilinary experiences like these!

Prague - Day 3

We woke up really early today for our day trip to Terezin. We stopped off at a Bohemia Bagel close to the Charles Bridge (lesson learned: sometimes you can't copy an original). I booked our trip online through a tour, which is totally the opposite of how we like to roll, but for some things you do need an organized tour. We headed toward the meeting spot the Powder Gate by the Republic Square (which truth be told we scoped our yesterday during our marathon tour of the city - better safe than sorry, right?).

We signed in and got on the bus, and of course we got there 10 minutes early and there were only a few seats left. Two singles on the side or two together on the 4-seater in the back. We opted for the latter even though there was another couple already sitting in the back row. I quickly realized this was a mistake because they almost immediately started kissing REALLY LOUDLY. Lucky for us, they booked more people for the tour so we moved onto a larger bus :)

To give a bit of background on Terezin, it was built in the late 1700's as a fortress to protect Czechoslovakia from German invasion. Then, during World War II, the Nazi's converted it into a concentration camp which they used as propoganda to 'prove' to the Red Cross and others how fairly they were treating prisoners. In fact, of the nearly 150,000 people who lived in Terezin, only 17,000 survived the war.

We must have been very tired because we slept almost the whole ride to the camp. We visited a few museums describing life at Terezin before arriving at the concentration camp. The first focused on the 15,000 children that lived in the camp - it shared their art work and poetry. Another museum replicated a barracks and details the music and art of adult prisoners. Next, we visited the crematorium that was used after they ran out of room in the cemetary at Terezin. Today, the memorial for Terezin's prisoners is located in front of this eerie place.


We walked to the camp and had a guided tour by a local resident. Above is a picture of the main entrance which reads "work shall set you free." There is not a lot I can put into sufficiently horrific words to describe walking through a concentration camp. It was eerie and all too much to believe and we both left the tour quite shaken. Each room we entered was worse and harder to imagine.

First we visited a barrocks that held 100 men - each with 24 centimeters to sleep on. No mattress, one toilet for everyone. Just by this room there was another room for men on their way to dealth camps. Up to 60 men in one room with no mattresses or bed to speak of - they had to sleep standing up.

Below is a picture of the shave room the Nazis installed while sprucing Terezin up for the Red Cross Visit. The sinks were never attached to a water source and none of the prisoners even saw the inside of the room.

After we returned to Prague, we visited all the museums and sites in the Jewish Quarter. We visited the Old-New Synagogue, an old-fashioned synagogue where services still take place today. We also visited the Maisel Synagogue and the Pincas Synagogue which both have extensive exhibits and historical documents from the Jewish Community. Below are some shots of the Jewish Cemetary which has over 12,000 graves (12 layers deep) of Jews who lived in Prague through 1600's crammed into an obviously small space.

This is a picture of the beautiful windows in the Spanish Synagogue.

After a long day, we had a packed evening planned. First we went to a performance called Black Box which was a combination of mime, dance and acting rolled into one fun evening. After, we were quite tired and considered skipping dinner but that would never happen so we made our way through the Mala Strana to a restaurant called David. It was hands-down the best meal that we've had in years from start to finish. If you are ever in Prague, it is a must visit restaurant which exquisite food and a fabolous wine list.

Prague - Day 2

Jon is clearly still adjusting to the change in time (Prague is six hours ahead of NYC) because he woke up ready to attack the day at 6:00am. In my research on Prague, I read that the Charles Bridge is a beautiful place to watch the sun rise, so we showered and made our way over. While the rest of Prague was sleeping, Jon and I had the pleasure of walking across the Bridge with just a few errant tourists (admittedly most of them were in their 80's).




The architecture here is stunning - buildings have extravagantly detailed facades, painted beautiful colors and topped with red tile roofs. They just don't build like this back home! After wandering through some of the desolate streets, I decided maybe we shouldn't be wandering around a sleepy Central European city with a big camera around my neck. So we wandered back to Mala Strada, which is the less commercial side of town where our hotel is; it is a nice quiet neighborhood with all the small winding streets you would expect to see in a classically European city.

Last week at dinner, Dave mentioned his favorite breakfast spot in Prague is Bohemia Bagel. Yes, again with the American food (I promise we'll get adapted to the local culture soon). But this place was great. All you can drink coffee which is a necessity after waking up at 6am, a hearty meal and an eccentric old man accompanies by two adorable golden retrievers.

After all this early morning activity, we were zonked, so we took a half hour schlew ;) Eventually, we got up and made our way to the famous astronomical clock - just in time for the noon 'show,' if you can call it that.

We walked around the Easter Market - a lot of booths set up with Czech souvenirs - hand painted eggs and wooden toys. Of course, no holiday market would be complete without unhealthy foods, so we tried a local specialty called T which is basically roasted dough rolled in cinnamon, sugar and nuts - so finally we are trying some of the local delicacies.

We spend the rest of the day wandering around the city - seven hours of walking in all... down Pariska Street with all the international designers, walked to Bakeshop Praha in hopes of some treats, only to be disappointed and left with nothing; the New Town including Wenceslas Square and another Easter Market. The sausage stands actually piqued our interest, but we restrained ourselves from being total pigs (no pun intended).

Instead, we returned to the Old Town Square for lunch and sat down at an outdoor cafe. After realizing that the menu noted prices outside were 60% higher outside (no, that is no a typo), we opted to eat indoors ;) And had a delicious meal - Jon had a local specialty- goulash and I had a chicken kebab... not so local but good nontheless.

We made our way back to the hotel at 6:30 and after a much deserved nap, we went to Barock for dinner. Nice trendy pan-asian restaurant. We had spring rolls and tiger prawns to start followed by red curry beef for Jon and a lamb steak easter special for me - definitely a fun spot, though not just for beautiful women as the website suggested so Jon may have been a teensy dissappointed ;)

Jon asked the waitress for the local hotspots, so after dinner we searched out one of the spots she recommended. Not sure if she misunderstood or thought we were in search of a skeevy local joint, but after sitting down at the bar for 30 seconds, we looked at each other and booked it out of there! Instead, we strolled through the Old Town Square in search of some dessert. It's customary in Prague to seat yourself, but Jon decided to ask at the dessert spot anyway and the angry Czech woman kept telling him to go next door. Hmmm, very confusing. We decided to ignore her and sat down, ordered some mediocre Strawberry Yogurt Cake and Apple Strudel (no we are not depriving ourselves this weekend). Basically, this evening, we decided that service here is similar to London; waitstaff don't expect great tips, so they don't work for them either.

Prague - Day 1

Jon arrived in London early this morning, took the tube to our place in Chelsea only to turn around to the airport an hour later. We got through security much faster than we expected given that it is a 4 day weekend here (Easter holiday). We had horrible seats on the plane - 25e and 25f - last row window and middle - plus a smelly guy next to us who kept pushing me with his elbow. I got so annoyed, I had to ask him to stop and he replied "why don't you ask for the manager?" On a plane?? Whatever.

We took a Cedaz mini-van from the airport to the Mandarin Oriental after the driver had a blast chanting "Mandarin, Mandarin, Mandarin" (pronounced Mandareeeeen) for everyone to hear where we were staying. We thought it would be a van that took everyone staying at particular hotels to their destinations, but instead we got on the van and found four other travellers in the same van off to other destinations. I was not happy, especially when the driver stopped at the second terminal to try to get more passengers, but at least in the end we were dropped off first.

We arrived at the hotel, which is a converted monestary, and got an extensive tour from a woman working the front desk - very stange and uncomfortable seeming and we later learned she was a trainee, which probably explained that.

Our room was great - yes, I said great! No complaints. I got all my special requests and the room was very spacious with a large bathroom.

Jon decided to get ready for dinner and tried to take a shower but couldn't figure out how to use the overhead shower so we called housekeeping for help and instead of explaining it over the phone, they sent someone over to help. I was in the bedroom while the man showed Jon how to work the shower and all I heard was Jon saying "Do you want a towel?" The poor man got soaking wet from showing Jon the overhead shower...

We made all our bookings for dinner from London, thanks in big part to Dave who guided us through the in's and out's of Prague (note to everyone visiting Europe: I'm trying to convince Dave Pitluck to publish Dave's Guides to Europe - he always knows where to go, so when in doubt call him :) ). Tonight we were off to Cowboy's, part of the Kampa Group of restaurants.

We were a little surprised by how many restaurant groups exist in Prague, I figured that was a more New York/London thing... Anyway, it was quite a hike up to the restaurant and thank goodness I wasn't wearing higher heels. I learned quickly that Prague is a city for flats - it is not only hilly, but cobblestone streets abound. Anyway, Cowboy's is a in a great space - all exposed brick with beautiful archways and high ceilings. It was a totally American joint, complete with cowhide seats...Jon got some great ribs and I got a rib eye steak - not the most Czech way to start out our trip, but definitely yummy. And thus starts the theme of this trip - gastonomy extravagnza, with all worries for healthy diets thrown out the door.