London, Hampstead Heath & St Dunstans

Post-exam adventure: days 5 & 6 (the final chapter)

Like Bath, London is not an unfamiliar town to me. I've lost track of how many times I've ventured here, but there's always something new about the city so it is worth coming back to quite often. For the last couple of days, I've undergone an intense period of solo travelling. It was therefore why I decided to switch it up a bit and visit some friends during my first day in the country's capital.

Hampstead Heath

Delicious cakes from BB Bakery

Frisbee fun

Travelling alone is fun, but it's equally nice to have some company at times (in my opinion anyway).

I don't know if you've paid attention to the UK weather forecast recently but the weather was definitely a bit on and off on Friday. From sun to snow then to rain and back, it honestly felt like we were experiencing all four seasons in one day. Luckily for me, when I did need to head out, the sun was also out. It was therefore why I managed to enjoy a long and peaceful walk with company around the entire Hampstead Heath. I consequently rewarded myself with a filling dinner and a long-awaited chat with a different friend in the evening after all that exercise.

Main motivation behind the park stroll

Dinner with the friend

I forgot to mention that we had some cakes before we headed onto the heath. If you're ever in Covent Garden, you should definitely head to BB Bakery in Chandos place. It serves the most beautiful and scrumptious cakes, biscuits and other desserts I've ever had. I think that they also serve afternoon tea on a special double decker bus and Thames Riverside boat -- totally worth trying out if you're lucky enough to secure a spot!

The view from London Bridge

Pumpkin ravioli at Strada

London Bridge

After being accompanied for the entire day on Friday, Saturday was my day to roam around freely by myself. It began with a long stroll around Monument towards St Dunstans (a very nice little park that is worth a visit if you're ever in need of killing time on a sunny day), which then progressed across London Bridge towards Waterloo for a lovely lunch at Strada. Thereafter it was off to shopping around Kensington before 4pm suddenly crept up and I had to leave. It was back up to my uni accommodation shortly after that.

I've been welcomed 

Going around St Dunstans

Oh boo hoo, this completes the final leg of my grand 6 day getaway.

St Dunstans

Monument

The Shard from St Dunstans

St Dunstans

It's sad when things come to an end but, as the saying goes, with every ending comes a brand new beginning - let the travels for 2016 by The Amateur Anthropologist FINALLY begin.

The floral wheelbarrow

Lady Betty afternoon tea (York)

An absolute MUST

Whenever I head to York, I always manage to squeeze in some time for a quick stop at Bettys, the famed tea room. It’s generally for the same reason (i.e. buying a delicious Fat Rascal which, truth be told, is always on my “favorite things” list). However, two months ago, I went to the elegant café located at St Helen’s Square with a much more celebratory purpose. 

Fat rascals, fondant fancies and other yummy treats

I mean, honestly. Celebrating the end to three long years at university HAD to include cake and tea in my opinion.

Summer pastels and chocolate ladybirds

And since it was such a momentous occasion, we decided to go for the extra special and irresistible Lady Betty Afternoon Tea set. Packed with savory and sweet treats, this newly crafted menu offered a truly delicious and eclectic selection. A dish that my entire family and I definitely all enjoyed was the prawn cocktail. Pairing this with a Marie Rose sauce on top of a creamy and fresh avocado purée made the little appetizer absolutely heavenly (and obviously scrumptious). And for t­hose that are unable to eat seafood for dietary reasons, fret not. A vegetarian option, made with dainty tomato cubes, can be ordered instead.

And of course, the other savory starters were also winners.

I enjoyed having the traditional tea, scone and sandwich setup; I think it’s an absolute delight to have a classical touch to any sort of afternoon tea. However, our meal was not without a couple of elegant surprises. From lavender infused scones to a delicate Chine Rose Petal tea, our culinary experience could not have been any more sumptuous.

Well, that’s what I thought until I saw the miniature cakes - truly exquisite and, obviously, delicious.

I think it’s hard to pick a favorite from the sweet treats that graced our table. However, if I really had to choose, it’d definitely have to be the pink macaron. I know they say that it’s not good to judge a book by its cover, but honestly, this macaron was undeniably just as good on the inside as it was on the outside, both in taste and looks. 

With friendly service and so much delicious food, it’s no wonder that my trip to Bettys ultimately inspired myself to draw a quick fashion illustration on my laptop as seen below (hope you guys like it!).

Inspired by Lady Betty, drawn by me

If it’s a 5 star afternoon tea in an elegant, luxurious and friendly evnrionment you’re looking for, you’ll definitely feel satisfied with the Lady Betty menu.

Singapore

Weekend getaway

The title normally means castle hunting or museum visiting when I'm in England. However, when in Asia, it's translated to having fun in a foreign land that's not too far away from home. And given the limited timeframe (i.e. Saturday and half of Sunday only) for travelling, Singapore appeared to fit the bill (and around my work schedule) perfectly.

It wasn't long after the screening of "Inside Out" that our plane descended gracefully onto the little metropolis's runway.

(Memorable) surpirses through spontaneity

Planning what to do during a trip is an absolute must for me. It honestly makes life easier and less hectic. On this occasion though, this action seemed completely inappropriate. Instead, I decided to go with my gut feeling for once (or rather with the results of a quick "eeny, meeny, miny, mo" on the tourist guide from the hotel's concierge) when choosing my first destination. That initially landed me at Marina Bay Sands, where cash splurging comes in two unique forms (i.e. shopping or playing at the casino). The shops weren't that spectacular to me (only because we have the same brands at home), but the interior definitely was.

Honeslty, just LOOK at my photos if you don't believe me.

 

 

One place I did enjoy was the Superheroes cafe (especially their rainbow cake --> truly a winner). I like the idea of combining fiction with food, as you get a story to go with your meal. It's absolutely worth the very, VERY long wait in queue!

Thank you spontaneity for bringing me to Marina Bay Sands - 'twas a perfect way to start my Singaporean adventure.

Animation: East & West

No trip is ever complete without a museum visit. The ArtScience museum (aka. the large lotus flower building) was the first one I headed to. There I guided myself through an inspiring movie exhibition by Dreamworks Animation. The models and art created for films like Shrek & Kung Fu Panda were all captivating, but what I became wonderstruck by was the amount of pictures the creators had to draw in order to produce just a single minute of an animation. The phrase "hardwork pays off" is definitely appropriate here in my opinion.

Another form of animation I enjoy is Japanese anime. I wouldn't call myself an overly obsessed fan, but I have been interested in anime ever since my younger years. It's no wonder I sub-consciously found myself headed towards the annual Toy, Game and Comic Convention. If I had to describe the main features of the showcase through a list, I would say that there was cosplay, manga, Sailor Moon figurines, cosplay, plush toys from Japan, fan art, cosplay, guest speakers, card trading and did I mention, COSPLAY?

 

       

  

 

The anime convention wasn't on my original itinerary, but it was surely a good choice! I then spent the evening wandering down Orchard Road, feeling content with my day and bedazzled by all the glittering lights.

 

Lucky last

It's hard saving the best till last at times, mainly because it's so unbelievably tempting to have immediately. However, if you can wait, it does make things seem much more memorable. And that's what happened with my day at Universal Studios. Despite the sweltering heat, I managed to go on a couple of rides and take lots of photos.

 

 

Here they are, FYI:

 

 

  

Clearly, I have an obsession with movie merch:

 

And obviously, I HAD to take a picture of the Fluffy Unicorn from Despicable Me (it was indeed incredibly "fluffy").

Oh yes and I had food, lots of it. Apologies for the lack of foodie pics (hunger made me forget to take my camera out).

 

 

 

I also captured many quirky sights on my Canon camera. Examples include...

 

 

 

  

This little fella here was particularly cute:

  

Last thoughts

Clearly I haven't even scraped the surface of Singapore's touristy sites (there's many more amazing highlights to see, believe me). Just walking around Sentosa was already enough fun for a day. But my weekend getaway is definitely something I will cherish for a very long time...

Well, long enough until I decide to head back for even grander adventures.

Like taking a spontaneous trip to Singapore :)