travelswithalice

September 13, 2015

Markets, musicals, cabarets, and circus acts

Spontaneity and a thirst for adventure are great companions on any trip; and Stuart and I are great ones for unplanned holidays. But the total absence of any direction for this particular holiday amazes even me.

I guess you can say we're chasing the sun. Or maybe just escaping the cold. Also, we're just going where our fancy takes us. By the seat of our pants kind of thing.

I'm into markets these days. And cabarets, and circus acts. I keep missing out on museums, art galleries, lectures, and other cultural endeavors. With a few exceptions.

The story so far:

MILAN.

Milan is our usual entry point to Europe.

We shopped a little, ate a lot, had a bit of wine- no, a lot...

LONDON.

We did manage to see La Bayadere at the Coliseum and Hamlet at the Barbican, two of the hottest tickets in London this summer. Admittedly, Hamlet was more about Benedict Cumberbatch and the shocking retooling of the play than about Shakespeare.

After years of avoiding musicals- the last one I enjoyed was Into the Woods which I saw here while it was still in previews- we went to see two relatively new ones: Memphis and Beautiful. I was not thrilled with the first one; loved the second. Stuart enjoyed both.

There were meals in pubs and bistros, the fabulous Borough Market, and a tentative stab at the famously rowdy Notting Hill Carnival. There were no gourmet tastings in celebrated restaurants.

No art galleries or museums. Only the Tate Modern, briefly. In fact, we couldn't get away quick enough. Not our kind of art.

And no lectures. One notable exception: Stuart's lecture. He gave a keynote speech at University of Essex on Big Data Applications for Anti Money Laundering. He of course got rave reviews but none from me as I only got to hear it in previews.

Family thing: Flowers to Mum, All Saints in Theydon Garnon.

MADRID.

No Prado, no Thyssen. Lots of markets though:- San Miguel, San Anton, La Paz, Platea.

Two noteworthy restaurants- Goya (superb) and El Paraguas (not).

Shopping and partying in the elegant Salamanca district.

News flash: "Refugees Welcome " banner at the Ayuntamiento.

BACK TO LONDON.

A birthday treat from Lorna & Tom: dinner at RSJ Bistro and superbly entertaining, deliciously low Black Cat Cabaret at Southbank Centre.

Family thing: Tea with Uncle John and Auntie Pat, Buckhurst Hill. This is Bertie, their baby.

News flash: Jeremy Corbyn wins as leader of the opposition; celebrates at Sanctuary House, the pub next door to our hotel. View from our bedroom window: