Does it feel better than love?

Here are some pictures of one of my last trips to London about a month ago.

Pics 1-6: Once again, I had a blast. I waited too long to book cheap Eurostar tickets, so I came over by bus instead. The 7.5 hour trip turned into a 10 hour trip after the bus got stuck in Calais, so Alan was already off to work when I eventually arrived. Thom and Alex were home, we had some pizza and then went to Yacht Rock at the Social, a club night entirely dedicated to the yacht rock genre (Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Journey...). I don't think it'd ever be possible to have a similar night in Belgium. Honestly - one of the best parties I've ever been to.
Pics 7-9: These were taken in the V&A museum, where I went to check out the temporary architecture exhibition that was running. Young architects were challenged to present their idea of what "a space" could and/or should look like. These were two of my favourites.
Pics 10-11: Elise and Emma were on a citytrip in London and of course we had to meet up. During day time we went for a drink and some shopping, we got back together in the evening (joined by Alan) for some good times in the Lock Tavern.
Pic 12: Alan and his special iPhone skills on the terras of a pub in Cambridge.

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I'm a landslide, don't you know?

Things are getting so exciting. If everything goes as planned I'm moving to London in less than a month (6th of September). Charlotte, a girl I met whilst partying in the Make Up Club in Ghent, will be joining me. I'm looking for a job, she will be studying English for a year before trying to get into fashion school. I'm going to Stockholm tomorrow, but very short after that we're both going to London to do some house hunting, as time is running out. It's weird - I've been thinking about moving to London for such a long time, but it always felt like something that was still ages away. And now it's finally happening.

I do think the timing is right, though. I've been saving up some money so I don't have to start stressing immediately if I don't find a job right away. I've met loads of lovely friends in London during the last three years, so I don't have to worry about feeling lonely. I've found a sweet flatmate (Charlotte). I've got a wonderful boyfriend in London - we've been together for 6 months now and I'm thrilled that we won't be living 200 miles apart anymore. I feel ready to do something different from what I've been doing so far. And I know things won't always be easy and at times I'll probably wish I'd never left, but I really, really want to do this. Now.

It's like I'm watching the A4 paper taking over the guillotine

... and I was invited by Sony music (the label) to join them to London for a blitz visit.

Sony is busy promoting upcoming talent Hurts (very eighties inspired, rather bombastic, but very catchy electro pop), who were playing the NME Radar Tour in London that night. Hence they invited me and 3 other journalists (Tom, Hannes and Erna) to join them and write something about the band on our websites or magazines. We'd only be there for 16 hours, but how could I say no to a trip to my favourite city?

(pictures by Erna Janssens, except for pics 1/6/9 which are by me)

All of us got a lovely, huge room in the St. Pancreas Novotel. Here's me in the bathroom showing off my new favourite dress (I was initially looking for an Unknown Pleasures t-shirts, but this is so much better).














Koko, the place to be that night.













The line-up: Darwin Deez (support), Everything Everything (headliner 1) and Hurts (headliner 2).













Koko's balcony, with Tom, me and Hannes in the middle of the picture.













Hannes, one of my travel companions.




















We missed out on Darwin Deez (except for the two last songs) because of the delicious burger & beer we had before heading to Koko, but Everything Everything totally made up for it. If you haven't heard of these very talented Mancunians, check out their song 'My KZ, UR BF' (or any other song by them, really).















Hurts, the band we made the trip for in first place. They're are quite interesting with their full-on eighties sound and über-dramatic podium presence - not completely my thing, but they sure know who to write a decent song and there's definitely a big audience waiting for them.

After the gig, we went to the VIP bar for some drinks and chatting before heading back to the hotel. Sabine (from the record label) and fellow travellers Erna and Hannes went to bed early, but Tom and I decided to make the most of our stay in London. We didn't really think of the early closing pubs in London, though. When the hotel bar turned out be closing as well, we nevertheless resumed our search for beer in the streets of London. We prevailed in the end!

Just let me be here, I won't tell anyone

...I went back to London in the beginning of April, back to the same couchsurfing hosts where I stayed at in February...

One of them, Alan, has been my boyfriend ever since. We already had something going on when I left in February, but now it's official! He is super amazing and despite the long distance between us, it feels like I'm finally in a healthy, non-destructive relationship. Totally weird, but totally fantastic as well.

So yes, I obviously had a great time in London. Alan and I went record shopping in Notting Hill, he showed me around in Hampstead (his favourite part of London - even though it looks French and the English don't like France very much - where we had some really delicious crêpes), treated me to a gig by Mt. Eerie at the Scala and taught me how to play bar billiards (not very surprisingly, he was heaps better than me - but surprisingly, I did manage to beat Alex, one of Alan's house mates!).

Alex and I playing bar billiards, but both failing in beating Alan.

We also spent a couple of days on the countryside in Essex - one night in Landermere (where Alan grew up), one night in Alan's father's house in Harwich. Especially Landermere was exceptionally beautiful. It's a shame I've barely taken any pictures, but I've been so busy enjoying myself that I haven't even thought of taking pics most of the time.

Alan having fun with an axe

Christmas TV (London 5-6)

It's okay that I pray that you will miss your flight
And have to stay with me another night (Slow Club)

As I was leaving London on Saturday around noon, I wanted to make the most out of my Friday. In the morning I made use of another one of Alan's tips, which was the John Soane museum. Soane was this architecture spending his money on a fantastic collection of art from all ages - Egyptian, Roman, medieval, absolutely everything. The location of the museum is the house the man used to live in, so you can imagine it's absolutely one of a kind. And not too overcrowded with tourists so far!

In the afternoon I met up with Alan in Berwick Street to do some cd shopping. Alan showed me some great second hand shops and we both ended up buying heaps of cd's for very little money. Afterwards, we went for a drink with a friend of Alan's. When his friend had to leave, Alan and I went to some more record shops and for another drink. We decided to 'race' back home - I would take the tube and do the rest of the road by foot, he would do the entire trip on his bicycle. Despite my cursing when I had to wait for a tube for 6 minutes (since when does anyone have to wait 6 fucking minutes for a tube in London??) and my pretty impressive sprint on high heels, Alan beat me with 4 minutes.

When I managed to start breathing normally again, Alan, Christina and I discussed wether to go to the Garage (Islington) or not. The Rifles were supposed to play an acoustic gig, but they cancelled and we weren't particularly excited about seeing The Twang or any of the new bands that were on. On the other hand, Rob was djing, which should've been pretty good. Christina seemed to be quite fond of going, until she suddenly got really tired. Eventually, she fell asleep. Alan and I left the room quietly, enjoyed some spirits in the kitchen, and then withdrew to his room. Alan works for the Guardian, which leaves him with heaps of double cd copies, and he invited me to pick out some albums for myself. We were laying on his bed, listening to music (including a selfmade christmas cd - I can't believe someone else shares my love for christmas songs!) for hours and hours and hours, and getting all cuddly.

The next day I had to leave around noon. Christina prepared us a fantastic brunch, but then it was time to say goodbye. Of course I got all teary-eyed when I hugged Christina, Nikos and Alex, but it got even worse when Alan walked me to the tube station and the tears started flowing heavily. It took us at least 15 minutes to say goodbye and I almost missed my Eurostar, but in the end, I was on my way back to Belgium. I felt sort of lost back here, but I'm going back to London soon (well, soonish, as uni prevents me from leaving before the start of the Easter holidays) and I'm quite excited already!

Alex's farm

Christina

Alan

Alan and one of the beer glasses he ordered for his new "bar", covered in stickers

me, covered in stickers as well

and again

Here I lie far from close enough to you (London 3-4)

Wednesday morning I took the bus to Camden. I had a fantastic banana milkshake in a place called Inhabition. I'd read about it on that 'Secret London' Facebook group (yes, it's not that secret anymore, really) and I can only agree with their enthusiasm. After finishing my drink and having a chat with the lovely woman who worked there, I walked around the stables market and took some pictures.

In the afternoon I took up Alan's advice to go to the National Portrait Gallery near Leicester Square. I don't really know why I hadn't been there before, as it is a great collection of 18/19/20th century paintings and modern photography. Quite touristy, of course, but worth the visit anyway!

Back home I found Alex and Alan cleaning up their living room, transforming their closet in a bar (right side of the closet) and a eh, farm for Alex (left side), consisting of a plastic horse and a stone duck. Alex prepared us some delicious pasta, but had to leave shortly after. I stayed in with Alan, who introduced me to his favourite blogger Momus (who sadly quit blogging earlier this week) and Momus's music and lyrics. I usually tend to go out quite a lot when I'm London, but I must say I've really enjoyed my cosy nights in with Alan. Shortly after midnight, we were joined by Christina, an Austrian girl who'd be my fellow couch surfer from that night on. She turned out to be a very nice girl with a delightful sense of humour.

The day after, I met up with Rob. After doing some shopping on Oxford Street, I told Rob I wanted to look for a toy animal. Rob was quite surprised, but after telling him about Alex's farm, he was happy to help me find a suiting addition to the farm. We went to a children's shop and found a lovely cow. Afterwards, Rob and I went for a drink or two, three before I returned home. Alex was pleasantly surprised when he received the cow.

When everyone was back home (me, Alex, Alan, Nikos and his girlfriend Abi; only Christina was away, she was attending a couch surfing 'drawing' event), we took off for a pub quiz. I was quite excited as Alan had taught me everything one should know about British pubs, including the tradition of the pub quiz. I'd never been to one before, so this was my chance! Unfortunately, the quiz was cancelled, so we ended up just having drinks for a while. Alan had to go to work that night, Nikos and Abi went to their room, and Alex, Christina (who got back by then) and I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm and chatted about Belgian and Austrian music for hours and hours.

Tell me how do I feel (London 1-2)

So here I am, back from London. I received my (really good) exam results yesterday, but I haven't got plenty of time to stand still and enjoy the glory, because today is the start of the new semester. Before I leave for my first course of the term, I'd like to share some of my latest UK trip with you guys.

I arrived in London on the last Saturday of January, quite tired because I went out in Ghent the night before and only got about half an hour of sleep, quite nervous because I was going couch surfing for the first time in my life. But first of all, I met up with Jim, who by coincidence was in London that weekend to visit his parents. We went for a drink and a chat, and then he was kind enough to escort me all the way to Alan's (my host) place and carry my suitcase. I said goodbye to Jim and Alan (still dirty from playing football :)) welcomed me into his house. He turned out to be a very charming 24-year old English guy, sharing a place with two other lads (Alex and Nikos). He was absolutely lovely and I felt at home in no time.

The boys had some friends over, and Nikos prepared supper for all of us. Afterwards, all of them took of to see Real Estate. I didn't have a ticket, but we met up after the gig to go out together. There aren't many things I like better than British indie nights, so you can imagine I had a great time (even though the dj didn't play my request, Blue Monday by New Order).

Despite having practically no sleep (again), Alan and I woke up early (Alex decided to have no sleep at all instead) to watch the Australian Open finals. As a UK citizen, he of course had to support Andy Murray, but I was relieved to hear he also admires Roger Federer, who won the match (or what had you really thought? :p).

In the afternoon I hopped on the tube and went shopping on Brick Lane. I absolutely love Brick Lane on Sundays, with its cosy markets and the lively atmosphere. Plus, they have the most amazing vintage shops. I found myself a lovely flowered dress and could go back to the house feeling satisfied. Alan cooked me a typical English meal and we spent the rest of the evening watching YouTube videos of drunk ministers (hello, Michel Daerden). :) I went to sleep around midnight as I had to get up early the day after to catch my coach to Liverpool in Victoria.

...to be continued...

A gorgeous building I had to pass each time I walked from Alan's place to the tube station.

Brick Lane.

London part 6

And so we've arrived on my last day in London. I spent the morning on my own (Mathi and Lenny took the coach back to Belgium very early) and made a little trip to Covent Garden (I've passed your greetings, Bart!) as I was dying to see how they would have decorated it for Christmas (I am a sucker for Christmas decorations). There's a lot of picture material so you can judge yourself.

After having a great tagliatelli carbonara, I met up with Rob. We took the tube to South Kensington where he could finally show me the Natural History museum he had been telling me about for a long time. He seemed to be quite into the dinosaurs exhibits and considering my own enthusiasm for the dinosaur museum in Brussels, he said I should definitely see it. The museum was absolutely worth the visit, even if it was just for the amazing building. The architecture was fenomenal, on the inside and outside. But of course I enjoyed the dinosaurs just as much. :) Mine and Rob's favourite was the huge whale, though! We had a drink at the museum, then made a walk through Hyde Park. A part of Hyde Park was now renamed to 'Winter Wonderland', an extremely tacky but - that's the Christmas freak in me again! - also very cosy christmas market/ fair. Unfortunately there wasn't too much time left before I had to leave, so we took the tube to Liverpool Street and had one more drink and a very nice chat in the Ten Bells (Jack The Ripper pub :)). Then I headed back to Brick Lane to pick up my luggage, met up with Eloise at Liverpool Station to hand her the keys and say goodbye, then got to St. Pancras for my Eurostar. The end - but hopefully not for long!

The shop on the left ('Duke of Uke') was the cosiest ukelele shop you can possibly imagine. One night a week, they even give ukelele classes. :)

Covent Garden.

Natural History museum/the whale!

Rob and the wonderful architecture of the museum.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

Goodbye Brick Lane.

London parts 4 and 5

My fourth day in London was a rather quiet one. I had stayed over at Rebecca's (she lives in Hackney and honestly, I've never seen a flat as huge and gorgeous as hers) and returned to Brick Lane in the morning. That's where we (Eloise, Lenny, Mathi and I) spent most of the day, strolling through the countless vintage shops and markets. I bought a pair of lace gloves and some second hand books. Late afternoon, we went to the Old Blue Last again for a drink. Later on, we met up with Rebecca and had dinner in a Mexican restaurant. We made sure to get back home in time for the X Factor show, especially for Rebecca who is quite into Jedward, the exentric twins. :) I can't believe how quickly I became hooked myself. My favourite contestant, however, is this young lad called Joe McElderry. What a voice! We were planning on going out after X Factor, but it was raining so hard that we didn't feel like doing so anymore. Rebecca went off because she was going to a birthday party, the rest of us stayed in. We watched a charity music event and a documentary on Britpop, drank the cava I had brought from Belgium and had a lovely night after all.

The day after, I met up with Jonathan (my host on my previous London trip) at Tate Modern. He's got a membership card so he took me to the paid exhibitions for free. :) I especially enjoyed the Pop Life exhibit on Andy Warhol and other pop art icons. But it was even better to see Jonathan again after such a long time. We had a cup of tea and a piece of pie in the member's cafetaria, then took the tube to Putney, where he lives nowadays. I couldn't stay very long, but it was good to catch up. Back on Brick Lane, I met with Eloise, Lenny, Mathi and Rebecca. We went to a cinema in Whitechapel to watch New Moon, which turned out to be a very crappy movie.