QUATCH WATCH

February 8, 2011

South Kensington

No trip to London is complete without a visit to Harrods!

At the top of the fabulous Egyptian staircase.

Q pondering over what treats to get in the Food Hall.

Q trying out the iconic Harrods bag. I ended up buying a different one.

Q in the Victoria and Albert Museum. This museum was excellent! And, it was another freebie in the city. The collection was a bit random, but the sheer volume of it was really impressive.

Inside the courtyard.

Q taking a breather in the Renaissance Gallery.

We then ventured to the Natural History Museum, which was just down the road from the V and A.

Q at the dinosaurs exhibit.

Q checking out the elephants on display.

Q being attacked by a hippo!!! Don't worry, he escaped safely.

The building itself, especially the Central Hall, was quite beautiful. I snapped a bunch of photos of the architecture before heading to dinner with a friend.

February 5, 2011

Windsor and Mayfair

On Day 3 of our trip, we decided to venture to the 'burbs. We caught an early train to Windsor from Paddington Station.

Q at Windsor Castle.

The State Apartments were closed for cleaning. We knew this beforehand, but wanted to visit the castle regardless. The photo above is of Queen Mary's Dolls' House. We also visited the Drawings Gallery on site, which had a few Leonardo's on display.

Q looking at St. George's Chapel. This is where Prince Charles and Camilla got married.

Windsor itself is a cute little town. We browsed through the shops and had afternoon tea.

We took the train back to March Arch to stroll through Hyde Park.

The Serpentine.

We then explored Mayfair where there's lots of upscale shops. This is the Burlington Arcade. For dinner, we grabbed some food on the go from Fortnum & Mason.

Q resting after a long day.

February 3, 2011

Happy Chinese New Year!

新年快樂! 恭喜發財!

January 31, 2011

Day at the Museums

On Day 2 in London, Q and I went to two world-class museums. In the morning, we visited The British Museum. This is probably the best museum I've ever been to. And, it was free!

Q on top of the Reading Room in the Great Court.

Q trying to see what the Greek busts are looking at.

Q checking out the Lewis chessmen, probably the most famous chess set in the world.

Q giving a giant Egyptian statue a pat on the head.

After the British Museum, we stumbled upon Chinatown, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and a SIM card for my cell phone.

We then visited The National Gallery. We saw many famous paintings by Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Degas, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Rubens, Rembrandt, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, and Bellini. Whew, that's a lot of artists! There's over 2,300 paintings in the collection. And, it was free! Unfortunately photography was prohibited inside.

Q in Trafalgar Square, just before it started to rain.

Cream tea at the National Dining Rooms was delicious. The jam was so good, I bought a jar for my mum and dad.

January 29, 2011

Vanilla Bean Pudding

Vanilla Bean Pudding
2 2/3 cups whole milk, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1 large egg

Bring 2 cups of the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. While it is heating, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla bean in the bottom of a medium, heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup of whole milk, a little at a time so lumps do not form, then whisk in the egg. Once the milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking the whole time.

Return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly. Once it comes to a simmer, cook the cornstarch and egg fully for one minute. Divide pudding among 6 dishes. Chill in the refrigerator until full set. Makes 6 half-cup servings.

Source: Smitten Kitchen

I had a craving for pudding and rushed making it. Don't be like me. I should have watched the milk, and later on the pudding, on the stove more closely and whisked the ingredients continuously. Also, I could have done away with less sugar. At least my pudding was happy to see me! I will most likely try this recipe again when I'm not in a hungry state.

January 27, 2011

London: Day I, Part II

Day I in London was a long one, but we accomplished a lot! In the afternoon, we visited the Tower of London.

We joined the last Yeoman Warden tour of the day. I highly recommend it! It's included with admission, and lasts about 45 minutes. The photo above is of the White Tower. Apparently it was built to strike fear and submission into the unruly citizens of London!

This is the Jewel House, a.k.a. the home of the Crown Jewels. I don't think I've seen so much bling in one room before!

Q thoroughly enjoyed the Tower of London. He was all smiles!

After walking on the East Wall, Q was eager to walk across the Tower Bridge.

By the time we got there, the sun had set.

And the river view was beautiful!

The Tate Modern museum was a short walk away. On Saturdays, the museum is open until 10 p.m.

This painting was trippy. There were a few likes these. I had to leave the room after a while because my eyes were going all wonky.

Q admiring the art.

January 25, 2011

London: Day I, Part I

Q and I took an overnight flight to London. We napped the whole way and arrived at Gatwick Airport at 5 o'clock in the morning.

We hopped on a train to Kings Cross. Our bed and breakfast was literally a five minute walk away from the station. After dropping off our luggage and eating a hearty English breakfast, we headed for...

...Westminster Abbey! This place was really impressive. So much history!

After making a quick visit to the Churchill War Rooms, Q and I strolled by Big Ben, the Parliament Buildings, and 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister was away on holiday). We then walked along the Mall to Buckingham Palace to snap this perfect pic of Q.

We missed the Changing of the Guard but did see this soldier marching. Q gave a little wave but the soldier stayed in character. He probably was wondering what on earth Q is. Many people think he's a monkey.

Day I, Part II to come!