Shoe Heaven, Harrods.

I can't imagine any fashionista visiting London and NOT going to Harrods. Let's just accept it as a fact and never return to this matter. Because Harrods is one of the biggest and oldest department stores in Europe with history dating back to 19th century. It has a few distinguishing points like the building, first ever escalator, food hall, shoe heaven etc. that make Harrods to stand out among all other department stores. Lately they renovated shoe department and named it Shoe Heaven. That is  the story I want to tell.

It's been more than 6 months that I left London the last time and missed shopping there very much. That is why when I went to Knightsbridge (the part of London where Harrods is) the music playing in my head was the following song from famous TV series:

The reason is because you actually feel like a leading female character from a movie or TV show at the moment where she decides to go shopping and change her life :) So in this case background music is necessary. I was going to buy a bag, a pink bag to be precise. Apparently I hadn't had one  till then (can you imagine?). After browsing the ground floor AND the lower ground floor I found what I wanted but decided to look through shoe department before taking what I came for. Just in case asked a sales assistant which floor shoe department is on and got this answer: 'You mean Shoe Heaven? On the 5th'. I thought it was only words until I got there. They changed it completely that I couldn't even recognise. It actually was a shoe heaven for any woman that ever laid eyes on designer shoes. I was wandering in the Heaven and admiring the latest collections presented there. Departments got bigger, wider, brighter. Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik had these fake departments where you can see shoes and suppose that it is the boutique, but when you ask for your size they tell you to go further. You feel like you are being teased and invited to see more of these feet candy by trick. I headed straight to Manolo Blahnik and it was like finding a treasure among other gems. You reach the short stairs and they lead you to the attics with the world of Manolo. Then during your fitting process (everything happens so naturally that you have no idea how you ended up here) sales assistant tells you that 2 days ago the master himself was there and signed shoes... Couple minutes later you find yourself paying for the black satin jewelled Nadira pumps and trying to realise that pink bag is gone now... Long story short: after the Shoe Heaven I choose shoes to the bag I actually came for.

All the brands presented at Shoe Heaven

St. Dunstan-in-the-East

London is all about exploring. Every street, every maze, every garden, every lane, every square of it is worthy. You never know what may expect you when you turn around the corner. And sometimes google helps you to turn the right corner to find something amazing. 

A couple of years ago my cousin Nigar showed me a hidden place in The City of London that she found on the internet. For years we have shared with her our two big loves: London and New York. So exploring them over the wild web of worldwide is our hobby. So I was postponing visiting the oasis in the centre of a city where concrete jungle intertwine with historical Tower Hill, but my last visit to London made me to go there. 

Generally Tower Hill area of London is very interesting. On the one hand you see a historical castle with mesmerising view of Tower Bridge and on the other hand there is financial centre of the city with its modern architecture. And between these buildings surrounding Tower Hill, right on the north bank of Thames River you can find St. Dunstan Church in the East (don't mix it up with the one on the West, they are two different churches). Here is its brief history:

And now the Church itself... I was amazed to see this place exist in real life. It feels like you are on a set of a movie or in Wonderland itself. It's unbelievable how such a garden can be located in the middle of a megapolis. The place magically brings piece to you. These are winter views of the church that I took on December the 5th, now imagine its beauty in summer when everything is green. 

The Glamour of Italian Fashion Exhibition

            London is one of the most fashionable cities in the world. It is undeniable. So there are a lot fashion exhibitions taking place here such as Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition, Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 Exhibition or The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014 Exhibition I attended a few weeks ago. It is held in The Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the most beautiful places in London in my opinion. The exhibition perfectly showcased the path of italian fashion of small ateliers becoming leading couture geniuses in the world. How 'Made in Italy' started to add value to the product. There were amazing dresses by very famous designers, people could watch short documentaries about fashion shows of 40's and 50's. It was very interesting to walk there and feel the evolution of the fashion in general. They don't allow to take photos in there, but I'm known for being sneaky in such things ;) That is why I managed to take some pictures, so I could share them with you...

the fairytale about a girl and the city she fell in love with

           Saying goodbye is always hard. No matter it is a person or a place you lived for a while. And not JUST lived, you have fallen in love with a city from the first sight. No, not even that. I loved London long before I visited. First you just hear about that amazing place, then you get introduced to it through pictures and information and you like it. Then you start to dream about getting there. Mostly it is a matter of time, because when you like something for real, you will achieve it despite of everything holds you back. So the day we met with my 'city crush' was in 2011 just for a couple of weeks, but that was it. I knew I will come back to it, and I did... 
           Soon I will leave London and it breaks my heart on some level. No one wants to stay apart from something they love. But I'm going back home, the place I belong. Before I leave this city there are places I haven't been to even though also wanted to visit. London Eye is one of those tourist attractions that you never pay attention to when you stay in London for awhile. Today I finally got there. It is worthy of those 40 minutes you spend queueing (UK - the country of never ending queues). Sharing a few photos I took today...

Kew Gardens

          London can be enjoyed. It should be. While walking in super-crowded places like Oxford Street, Regent Street, Picadilly Circus seeing all kind of difernet people and imagining their stories, what they are in rush for, which language they can speak or taking in peaceful atmosphere of silent parks like Kew Gardens. It's a botanic gardens with beautifully designed orangeries and different landscapes. I think the reason it was very silent when I visited because of a weekday, winter season and entry fee. But it is a perfect place to runaway from London crowd and still be in the city. If you want to spend a perfect day and hide from public you have to head there without a doubt. This whole place is like a scenery from a British period drama.

tree as 'goodbye' for the year

This time of the year internet is full of beautiful xmas tree photos from all over the world. This time I was noticing only creative ones (I'll save the background story of it for the better times). Let's see what I've collected :)

xmas tree by Laduree in a hotel in Paris

New York + London

          Even before visiting London I always thought there only can be one city that may have similiar spirit to it being exceptional and having so many dfferent cultures in it. And it is New York. It stays in my list of "dream cities'. Pretty much now it is alone there because London has a check mark in front of it...

          After living in New York for 7 years photographer Daniella Zalcman moves to London. It inspired her to create her kind of 'love letter to two beautiful cities' by the collection of double exposure photographs called 'New York + London' taken by iPhone4 . She shows us her vision of home combining lanscape and skyline of NYC and London. I fell in love with this idea and hope to do something similar if I visit NY one day.

Neal's Yard

This picture is very famous in the internet world. It's a small colorful yard in the centre of London called Neal's Yard. And my friends used to ask me if I've been there. So finally I decided to visit this place and take some photos...

The Berkeley. Caramel Room.

London. Knightsbridge. The Berkeley Hotel. Caramel Room. Where food and fashion meet. 

A tea room for fashionistas in a luxury hotel with the menu inspiried bu the latest fashion collections. It is just hard to explain. The idea is phenomenal. Its success is undeniable. And it is not easy at all to reserve a table in famous Carmel Room. 

Hyde Park in September

             I found out the perfect timing to enjoy London and Hyde Park. It's June and September. June when windy and gloomy weather is leaving and letting summer to come more and more every day. You begin to feel warmth of the sun, the green of the nature. And September when summer is not gone yet and autumn is trying to enter our lives out of nowhere. This time we enjoyed gloomy but warm September day celebrating our re-union with my girls, London buddies. We love London, our friendship was born here and it belongs to this amazing place. Had dinner at Serpentino cafe near the lake, boat trip was nice and funny, couldn't manage to make a video :) this bubble thing awakened a child inside of us and waffles with nutella plus mint tea was the best ending to this day. London is life itself, and it is a huge part of mine.

                       

Dirty Dancing. Movie and musical.

           80's romantic movies are considered the best. But the thing is you just need to forget about logic while watching, because the only thing that rules here is love. I like movies about dance and the most popular and unforgettable 80's dance movie without a doubt is Dirty Dancing :) It's a part of american pop culture with the whole genration on the other side of the ocean this movie is special for. There's a boy that can dance, really dance. And a girl which is full of hope in this world and has dreams about making a change. Of course they will meet and he will teach her how to dance. Oh, and they will fall in love with each other <3



           I've always loved reading a book and then watching a movie based on it. Now I had a chance to watch a movie and see its musical on stage. That's quiet impressive. Maybe first of all I love musicals(besides movies) and second of all there're talented performers out there. This musical was more about dancing rather than singing, I didn't expect that because I got used to big songs and great voices in musicals. But the only thing that was a little bit disappointing is the actor who played the main male character. Of course, no one can beat Patrick Swayze from the movie, but his problem was that he didn't act quite naturally. Other than that he is a very good dancer indeed. Everything else and especially dance performances were amazing. They tried to make everything like in the movie, the lift rehearsals ;) Additional funny moments were good and fit in. And the last scene... it was perfect!

They don't let take pictures during the show, so I can only share some from the movie.

'I heart London' or 'A Day Off'

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

— Samuel Johnson

London <3

What can I say? I love London...

Old Spitafields Market

You can live in London whole your life, but there will always be places that you haven't been to... My sunny Sunday was spent in Old Spitafields Market, an amazing place full of various goods from different eras....

Who Knew © P!NK

           Concerts are my favourite, because you can interact with the performer. It doesn't mean you're going to chat with him, but the process of delivering emotions is real. On the April 28th I went to P!NK's The Truth About Love show in London. It was held in O2 arena, one of the best venues in the world. P!NK heself is known as a talanted and charismatic singer. Admired her since school and remember listening to her album I'm Not Dead  for thousand times. Since then I'm her fan. Luckily I have Seva, my groupmate from ASOA, who loves P!NK too and we decided to go to the concert together. She traveled from Southampton specially for this event.

           The show was entertaining, P!NK literally was flying over the viewers and singin at the same time. Dance, set list, videos... Amazing. Moreover, she was incredibely friendly with her fans and personally accepted all the gifts,cards and flowers they gave her. She sang her new songs form The Truth About Love album and the old ones, such as U + Ur Hand, So What, Who Knew etc., which made everyone very happy.We didn't have the best seasts, but she was so energetic, never let enyone felt abandoned. And we are talking about 20,000 people. Her impressive acrobatic moves in the air during the show were seen from everywhere.

frozen spring

             London is the perfect place to explore and find little things that make you happy. Today after a lovely talk in Laduree Covent Garden with my friend Farida (the result of which will be posted on her blog soon) we decided to take a walk in that area, that we adore. Tiny streets with surprises on every corner awaiting for you are mesmerising. Your inner explorer wakes up and forces you to find new places. SNOG Pure Frozen Yogurt shop was a godsend for us. It's a colorful place where you can find frozen yogurt in seasonal flavours with lots of toppings such as cookies, chocolate, cornflakes, berries, fruits. Staff is smiling and it makes you feel more comfortable. The shop is decorated in a way that purchase becomes a little holiday and reminds of ice-cream happiness from childhood. Tasting frozen yogurt gave us a scent of summer that especially missed in UK, while your home country is warm and so dear when you are away.

My order: Classic size frozen yogurt in flavor of  Calamansi with chocolate hearts and strawberries

sunny day of mine

Eveyone knows that sunny days in London are rare, so everyone here tries to go outside whenever the sun honours this city with its presence in any way. Today was one of those days, when I left my two hard-working friends in study room (sorry, guyz) and went to beautiful St. James Park in the neighbourhood of Buckingham Palace with my friend Turan. Beautful London and its parks... where you can walk around, sit on a grass for hours chatting or just enjoying the weather in silence. 

Love is in the air <3

 

Bath, UK. part 2

part 1

After sightseeing in Bath I headed to the Jane Austen Centre, which situated on 40 Gay Street, Queen Square. You enter the Centre and purchase a ticket for a tour.

You wait on the 1st floor in a nice waiting room, while you can watch video about Jane Austen Festival and other events held by the Centre.

First part of the tour is basically a little lecture about the writer, her family, connection to Bath and its effect on her novels. It is presented by a lovely lady in Regency era costume. Then you go downstairs and look through details about Jane Austen's life and the period she lived in Bath.

There are also some costumes to try on.

Leave a note for the Centre in the visitor’s book.

And try to write with a dip pen as Jane Austen wrote her all novels...

After the tour ends in the souvenir shop you find a lot of interesting books, rare old editions of Jane Austen novels, tea sets, letter writing sets, pens  etc.

 

There is a Regency Tea Room on the second floor of the building with cozy interior.  Waitresses are friendly and smiling, wearing regency era costumes. The menu of the Tea Room consists of different teas named after Jane Austen and her characters, champagne, desserts and sandwiches. All these make you feel like a lady drinking an afternoon tea back in time.

 My purchases from the souvenir shop: The Jane Austen Pocket Bible (a book with facts abour her life and novels), Pride and Prejudice comic book (I find it really funny) and pin badges with favourite male characters :)

            That is how your journey with Jane Austen Centre ends. But wandering in the city riminds you of the novels and the period all the time. The next tourist attraction I visited was Roman Baths. Wikipedia will tell you facts more than I can ;) I'll just show you...

This is where the water comes from

And of course a basin full of coins. Couldn't pass by this without throwing a coin :)

                 At 5 o'clock I said goodby to Bath and took a train back to London. Only positive and beautiful feelings are left after the trip. Just wanted to share them. Hope you enjoyed it as I did :)

             P.S. As every good moment in a movie comes with a good soundtrack, every trip has its background music, that sets the mood. For this one I chose Duffy and an amazing duet by 2 male vocals that make your girly heart melt: Michael Buble and Blake Shelton.
             Duffy is a British singer with unique voice that captivated my mind from the first time I heard her songs. Her album Endlessly is one of my favourites. 2 songs that I love most: My Boy and Too Hurt to Dance.

              And the duo... My obsession with Buble songs is a whole another blog post)) but this duet with Blake Shelton(a country singer) hasn't even recorded in a studio. They sang this song separately on their own, but for a concert in honour of the author of the hit they performed it together and I fell in love with this version immideatly, because you can enjoy their different voices and versions of the song at the same time. I listened to it several times on my way to Bath and back. For you to judge...