Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Germany and the loosing stuff curse
hey ya's
So, just back from Germany and for the most part, had a wonderful time! Snow, quaint Christmas markets, lots of 'old buildings', and even a trip over to Holland - but will fill you in on live prior to that first...
Everything has been pretty dandy, working between 2-4 days a week at the cafe, which is an alright place to work and the regulars are all pretty groovy. And the squat is still going strong, did I mention we have the central heating on now? mmm, cosy. Especially as it seemed to get friggin freezing over night, now experiencing cold, crisp but clear days getting down to 0 degrees most nights, not much above 8 in the days. About 20 of us now living happily in the centre, painting to brighten the place up and opening the space up to use - we have a circus skills night every Tuesday for juggling, diablo, trapease and stuff - very cool to watch and I'm trying to learn some tricks! And also had a film night the other week in our very own movie theatre - in the hall with a projector and comfy couches, bar at the back and music to the small hours (actually thats usual most nights of the week!) went really well.
But had a really bad run with loosing things recently - lost my cell phone at the guy fawkes bon fire - knew it was under the leaves somewhere but just couldn't find it! So went out and got a new one.. only to have it nicked at a party 5 days later! (it was another cool bike courier party, great time except for someone goin' round stealing peoples phones, I wasn't the only one) At least I can order a new SIM card and my number stays the same. Hope to have another one soon, lets hope it stays with me a bit longer this time.
Then, when I was in Germany managed to loose my wallet! It was in my hand 2 minutes away from Amy's place but then no where to be seen afterwards - real mystery and very frustrating! So lost my cards and ID etc (and Torrances hand he drew for me :( irreplaceable) but not too much cash. On top of all that I also lost one of my favourite pair of gloves too. I really am shedding all personal possessions away at an alarming rate.
Apart from all that, Germany was fantastic! Had to get up at 2am to catch my 6am flight on Thursday though - then a 2 1/2 hour bus ride into Cologne to sightsee for the day - very grand Cathedral and plenty of very old churches to look at, also lots of Christmas markets scattered around the place - they are all in generic wooden booths linked together with signs saying what they sell above them. Lots of foodie ones - tried a fried potato pancake with apple sauce first off. Also the amazing smell of roasted nuts, lots of waffles and chocolate things and the like. Many more are arts and crafts and Christmas decorations - nice to look around but pricey... the best and most frequent stall is probably the Gluehwein - hot spiced red wine - everyone stands round drinking from tacky boot shaped mugs or similar, Germans and tourists alike. Lovely on a cold German afternoon. Also found the lego shop in Cologne - with pick and mix lego pieces! Very neat and took me back a few years.
Caught the train to Aachen and meet Amy (cousin for those not in the loop) and back to her very central but compact flat to stay for 4 nights. The next day we awoke to a big surprise - snow! a good layer had blanketed the city overnight, making it all even more picturesque but REALLY cold! Thankfully I had thermals and a big coat with me. Didn't stop us with our plans though, headed south to Bonn (eventually, after a blockage on the tracks and having to catch a replacement bus service) to check out the house where Beethoven was born and grew up, and several big museums and art galleries, with some very old Roman stuff and some very new contemporary stuff.
The following day we stayed in Aachen, saw the cathedral - not as big and impressive as Cologne but beautiful mosaics on the ceiling. But there was still plenty of snow around and my shoes leaked and it was just too darn cold to be outside so we stayed indoors and ate warm food mostly (and I tried out Printen, the Aachen specialty and trademark food - its NOT gingerbread but similar, comes in a thin block and is hard and condensed, spicey and fruity and very tasty).
Sunday we decided to pop over to Holland for the day! Aachen is right on the boarder and you just hop on a bus, drive 20 minutes or so and you very uneventfully arrive in the Netherlands, couldn't get my head around it! Went to check out Maarstrich, the biggest city close by. And unlike in Germany, everything was open on a Sunday so that was handy. Lovely old town divided by a river. After a warm meal indoors saw *more* old churches and walls, even some deer and goats in a strange city park thing. Then spotted St Nickolaus out with a band of Black Peters (a marching band painted in black face paint and costumes) I played the fascinated tourist and took some snaps. These parts of Europe really do do Christmas well, everywhere is decorated with lights and wreaths, all very charming, I guess the fact that it is actually winter and snowy helps with the authenticity factor too! Looked round their Christmas market, but it was getting all very formulaic by then, did try a real Dutch donut (bollen) though, then caught the bus home.
Bit of a drama coming home on Monday - missed a train connection due to a late platform change I didn't understand, which ment I missed the airport shuttle we had ordered, so in a small, quiet train station, the phone was out of order and had to walk in the rain into the town to call Amy and ask her to rebook a seat for me, didn't get hold of her though, so was a bit panicky (remember no wallet or phone), but luckily a taxi had arrived at the station and the guy spoke English and ordered the shuttle for me! Yay! Luck finally worked in my favour. So got to the airport OK and finally home sweet home in the early hours of the morning... not before stressing out Amy and folks back home - sorry I didn't get in touch to let ya's know I was safe and sound! And ta for trying to sort out my whereabouts etc sorry again!
So, all in all a great trip away to Germany, thanks a million Amy for putting me up, showing me the sights and lending me some cash! (and did take some photos but on a disposable camera so sorry can't share them with you all).
Right, realise I have gone on and on and on, will try and write less more frequently I think...
Hope you are all great and enjoying the summer and being on holiday from uni if in fact you are, goodluck with the madness that is pre Christmas and hugs all round aye.
claire
So, just back from Germany and for the most part, had a wonderful time! Snow, quaint Christmas markets, lots of 'old buildings', and even a trip over to Holland - but will fill you in on live prior to that first...
Everything has been pretty dandy, working between 2-4 days a week at the cafe, which is an alright place to work and the regulars are all pretty groovy. And the squat is still going strong, did I mention we have the central heating on now? mmm, cosy. Especially as it seemed to get friggin freezing over night, now experiencing cold, crisp but clear days getting down to 0 degrees most nights, not much above 8 in the days. About 20 of us now living happily in the centre, painting to brighten the place up and opening the space up to use - we have a circus skills night every Tuesday for juggling, diablo, trapease and stuff - very cool to watch and I'm trying to learn some tricks! And also had a film night the other week in our very own movie theatre - in the hall with a projector and comfy couches, bar at the back and music to the small hours (actually thats usual most nights of the week!) went really well.
But had a really bad run with loosing things recently - lost my cell phone at the guy fawkes bon fire - knew it was under the leaves somewhere but just couldn't find it! So went out and got a new one.. only to have it nicked at a party 5 days later! (it was another cool bike courier party, great time except for someone goin' round stealing peoples phones, I wasn't the only one) At least I can order a new SIM card and my number stays the same. Hope to have another one soon, lets hope it stays with me a bit longer this time.
Then, when I was in Germany managed to loose my wallet! It was in my hand 2 minutes away from Amy's place but then no where to be seen afterwards - real mystery and very frustrating! So lost my cards and ID etc (and Torrances hand he drew for me :( irreplaceable) but not too much cash. On top of all that I also lost one of my favourite pair of gloves too. I really am shedding all personal possessions away at an alarming rate.
Apart from all that, Germany was fantastic! Had to get up at 2am to catch my 6am flight on Thursday though - then a 2 1/2 hour bus ride into Cologne to sightsee for the day - very grand Cathedral and plenty of very old churches to look at, also lots of Christmas markets scattered around the place - they are all in generic wooden booths linked together with signs saying what they sell above them. Lots of foodie ones - tried a fried potato pancake with apple sauce first off. Also the amazing smell of roasted nuts, lots of waffles and chocolate things and the like. Many more are arts and crafts and Christmas decorations - nice to look around but pricey... the best and most frequent stall is probably the Gluehwein - hot spiced red wine - everyone stands round drinking from tacky boot shaped mugs or similar, Germans and tourists alike. Lovely on a cold German afternoon. Also found the lego shop in Cologne - with pick and mix lego pieces! Very neat and took me back a few years.
Caught the train to Aachen and meet Amy (cousin for those not in the loop) and back to her very central but compact flat to stay for 4 nights. The next day we awoke to a big surprise - snow! a good layer had blanketed the city overnight, making it all even more picturesque but REALLY cold! Thankfully I had thermals and a big coat with me. Didn't stop us with our plans though, headed south to Bonn (eventually, after a blockage on the tracks and having to catch a replacement bus service) to check out the house where Beethoven was born and grew up, and several big museums and art galleries, with some very old Roman stuff and some very new contemporary stuff.
The following day we stayed in Aachen, saw the cathedral - not as big and impressive as Cologne but beautiful mosaics on the ceiling. But there was still plenty of snow around and my shoes leaked and it was just too darn cold to be outside so we stayed indoors and ate warm food mostly (and I tried out Printen, the Aachen specialty and trademark food - its NOT gingerbread but similar, comes in a thin block and is hard and condensed, spicey and fruity and very tasty).
Sunday we decided to pop over to Holland for the day! Aachen is right on the boarder and you just hop on a bus, drive 20 minutes or so and you very uneventfully arrive in the Netherlands, couldn't get my head around it! Went to check out Maarstrich, the biggest city close by. And unlike in Germany, everything was open on a Sunday so that was handy. Lovely old town divided by a river. After a warm meal indoors saw *more* old churches and walls, even some deer and goats in a strange city park thing. Then spotted St Nickolaus out with a band of Black Peters (a marching band painted in black face paint and costumes) I played the fascinated tourist and took some snaps. These parts of Europe really do do Christmas well, everywhere is decorated with lights and wreaths, all very charming, I guess the fact that it is actually winter and snowy helps with the authenticity factor too! Looked round their Christmas market, but it was getting all very formulaic by then, did try a real Dutch donut (bollen) though, then caught the bus home.
Bit of a drama coming home on Monday - missed a train connection due to a late platform change I didn't understand, which ment I missed the airport shuttle we had ordered, so in a small, quiet train station, the phone was out of order and had to walk in the rain into the town to call Amy and ask her to rebook a seat for me, didn't get hold of her though, so was a bit panicky (remember no wallet or phone), but luckily a taxi had arrived at the station and the guy spoke English and ordered the shuttle for me! Yay! Luck finally worked in my favour. So got to the airport OK and finally home sweet home in the early hours of the morning... not before stressing out Amy and folks back home - sorry I didn't get in touch to let ya's know I was safe and sound! And ta for trying to sort out my whereabouts etc sorry again!
So, all in all a great trip away to Germany, thanks a million Amy for putting me up, showing me the sights and lending me some cash! (and did take some photos but on a disposable camera so sorry can't share them with you all).
Right, realise I have gone on and on and on, will try and write less more frequently I think...
Hope you are all great and enjoying the summer and being on holiday from uni if in fact you are, goodluck with the madness that is pre Christmas and hugs all round aye.
claire
Monday, November 14, 2005
Finally photos!
Hey!
So thanks to Nelly who passed on her Mayo/Ireland photos and Jess whose camera I borrowed to take some London pic's I can finally show you some stuff I've been up to!
The first bunch are of lovely Ireland, and the Rossport Solidarity Camp crew... then photos of inside and outside the squat where I now live, and a few shots of the neighbourhood too, but they are a bit mixed up sorry! In several lots as can only do a certain amount at a time :)
The disco after the grassroots gathering and workshops at a local pub
The Camp - estury behind The Compound we blockaded and the sentry box
the pier we went swimming from
Belle painting in the tentmore photos...
The sentry box blockading the Shell compound - and the local Garda (police) - and a Italian sign ready for immigrant workers!
One of the benders in the bog
Inside the tent, the kitchen
Mari washing dishes in the bog
Mari, Me and Gwylem by the fire
One of the many signs in the neighbourhood
My newish hair
Estrella in the hall/movie theatre/trapease room
Chrisp Street Market (just down the road)
The corridor of the squat.. roomy huh
View of Canary Wharf from outside
Close up of my decorated walls, coutesy of Ronnie
My room
Robin Hood Estate block down the road
Opposite Canary Wharf - Poplar
Canary Wharf again... ewePhotos of stuff!
Canary Wharf right on our doorstep
The Docklands Light Railway - free train!
More horrible Carany Wharf
Bread in the skip - going shopping
Sobo Cafe - where I work
Tower Bridge, cycle over it to get to/from work
St Matthias Centre - home sweet home
Critical Mass bike ride by Big Ben
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
job, parties, bikes and Brighton
hey ya lovelies
haven't written anything for ages, kinda neglected the ol' blog for a bit but now that we have the internet at the squat (hurrah for wireless broadband and unsuspecting neighbours) I really have no excuse!
Life is going really groovy, home is feeling more like home, all good at the squat only annoyance being the local gang of kids who like to cause a bit of trouble when they are bored. But the people are wicked and love living there (not just cos its free!). Been cycling round East London and getting to know the local second hand shops and cheap tofu places! Its really not all that big and scary once you have been here for a bit.
Have a job again, at a trendy little cafe near tower bridge (get to cycle over it on my way to and from work, very cool) just part time so still looking into other projects and job opportunities. They make good coffee (ie it actually looks and tastes good) and have a tradition of kiwi and aussie staff, also lots of customers with familiar sounding accents which is nice. So yeah, good to be working and earning some dosh.
Still living the socialite lifestyle, been to some great gigs and parties, a few in the infamous Hackney which were wicked - then cycled home along the canal in the morning haze.. and a Halloween party last night which was a real mission but thorough worth it! If there's not something to go out for then there are always people at home, there are decks in the lounge to muck about on and am keeping the East Side Revoluntionary Card Playing Posse spirit alive and well with many late night games of cards.. :)
Have caught up with some NZ mates too - Gina was over here briefly on her way back home and Juliet has been over for dinner too, she is moving close by so that will be nice (some of you will know who I'm talkin about, they're chch folks anyways!)
Also hung out with my Big Green Gathering buddie Renee at the weekend, shes lovely and only works 5mins from my cafe so can come visit.
There was another huge critical mass last Friday, big cos the police are trying to crack down on it and make it illegal without known organisers, so 1,500 cyclists took to the streets of central london again, stopping for the spontaneous boogie at convenient spots like Oxford Circus and Westminster! Lots of fun, no trouble and a good time had by all.
hmmmm, I've started to go along to London Rising Tide meetings and getting involved with climate change stuff with them, they are focussing on the Shell pipeline in Ireland too so somthing I'm passionate about.
Only trip out of the city since I arrived was a day trip to Brighton a few weeks ago taking advantage of a friends free train ticket.. so saw the sea which was a main reason to go, really miss it stuck in London and the smelly Thames just ain't the same, though I gotta say, the chch Brighton is waaay better in my humble and unbiased opinion!
Have just booked to go visit my cousin Amy in Germany at the end of the month, can't believe I've been away for 7 months and haven't left the UK yet! So going to change all that and go over for a long weekend. The ridiculously cheap (1 penny) flights come with ridiculously early/late flight times but hey! Looking forward to getting away and having a mini adventure and taste of Europe.
A flattie has a digital camera I can borrow too, so going to take some photos of the squat and the neighbourhood, sights of London etc and put them up here shortly - so stay tuned OK!?
And finally - we are getting mail now so please feel free to send me real life letters!!
The address is:
St Matthias Centre
Bullivant Street
Poplar
London E14 0ER
Well, as always I will end with the cliche but very true line that I miss everyone heaps and always thinking about what you are all up to - goodluck for those with uni exams and yipee for coming into summer etc hope you are all having a wonderful time and love ya lots xxx
haven't written anything for ages, kinda neglected the ol' blog for a bit but now that we have the internet at the squat (hurrah for wireless broadband and unsuspecting neighbours) I really have no excuse!
Life is going really groovy, home is feeling more like home, all good at the squat only annoyance being the local gang of kids who like to cause a bit of trouble when they are bored. But the people are wicked and love living there (not just cos its free!). Been cycling round East London and getting to know the local second hand shops and cheap tofu places! Its really not all that big and scary once you have been here for a bit.
Have a job again, at a trendy little cafe near tower bridge (get to cycle over it on my way to and from work, very cool) just part time so still looking into other projects and job opportunities. They make good coffee (ie it actually looks and tastes good) and have a tradition of kiwi and aussie staff, also lots of customers with familiar sounding accents which is nice. So yeah, good to be working and earning some dosh.
Still living the socialite lifestyle, been to some great gigs and parties, a few in the infamous Hackney which were wicked - then cycled home along the canal in the morning haze.. and a Halloween party last night which was a real mission but thorough worth it! If there's not something to go out for then there are always people at home, there are decks in the lounge to muck about on and am keeping the East Side Revoluntionary Card Playing Posse spirit alive and well with many late night games of cards.. :)
Have caught up with some NZ mates too - Gina was over here briefly on her way back home and Juliet has been over for dinner too, she is moving close by so that will be nice (some of you will know who I'm talkin about, they're chch folks anyways!)
Also hung out with my Big Green Gathering buddie Renee at the weekend, shes lovely and only works 5mins from my cafe so can come visit.
There was another huge critical mass last Friday, big cos the police are trying to crack down on it and make it illegal without known organisers, so 1,500 cyclists took to the streets of central london again, stopping for the spontaneous boogie at convenient spots like Oxford Circus and Westminster! Lots of fun, no trouble and a good time had by all.
hmmmm, I've started to go along to London Rising Tide meetings and getting involved with climate change stuff with them, they are focussing on the Shell pipeline in Ireland too so somthing I'm passionate about.
Only trip out of the city since I arrived was a day trip to Brighton a few weeks ago taking advantage of a friends free train ticket.. so saw the sea which was a main reason to go, really miss it stuck in London and the smelly Thames just ain't the same, though I gotta say, the chch Brighton is waaay better in my humble and unbiased opinion!
Have just booked to go visit my cousin Amy in Germany at the end of the month, can't believe I've been away for 7 months and haven't left the UK yet! So going to change all that and go over for a long weekend. The ridiculously cheap (1 penny) flights come with ridiculously early/late flight times but hey! Looking forward to getting away and having a mini adventure and taste of Europe.
A flattie has a digital camera I can borrow too, so going to take some photos of the squat and the neighbourhood, sights of London etc and put them up here shortly - so stay tuned OK!?
And finally - we are getting mail now so please feel free to send me real life letters!!
The address is:
St Matthias Centre
Bullivant Street
Poplar
London E14 0ER
Well, as always I will end with the cliche but very true line that I miss everyone heaps and always thinking about what you are all up to - goodluck for those with uni exams and yipee for coming into summer etc hope you are all having a wonderful time and love ya lots xxx
