DORA NOT SO EXPLORER: March 2015

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Week X - London - UK

IMAX - Waterloo

Southern Train from New Cross Gate to London Bridge

Brick Lane

Saturday in Camden Town - London - UK

Today a friend and I decided to find something to eat in Camden Market. After having a look aroung Greenich, Brick Lane, Covent Garden and a few other markets around London, I can say that Camden is certainly bizarre. I've never seen so many different people in one place together. The stores range from goth vampiristic dresses to comic books, Bob Marley hats to Indian cushions. Like many of the food makets there are food stands from pretty much every country in the world, but it was pretty crowded.

But I have to say that a particular store made the experience trully alternative. When you leave Camden Town Statio, walk towards Camden Lock. Right next to it is the Stable Market. There, right next to the entrance, is a store called Cyberdog (it's pretty easy to find it - there are two huge metal statues in front of it). There was actually a line to get into the store, and after waiting for a couple of minutes, we finally went in. It was just out of this world. It looked like I went into one of those sci-fi futuristic movies - where everyone has neon clothes and weird hair cuts. Loud eletronic music was been played through the speakers, while girls in leather underwear danced next to robots in water tanks. It was like rave meets alien spaceship. There were glow in the dark shirts, dresses with lights on the front, avatar glasses, Tron Legacy gym tights and baby clothes with bright skulls. There was lots of leather and pretty much every color that could shine in black light. If that was not surprising enough, there is a whole floor dedicated to people over 18, which is essentially a Sex Shop. A sex shop with probably the weirdest langerie you can find, and edible panties, and handcuffs, and collars, and huge vibrators; while this girl danced aroung a pole. Yep. All of that in Camden Town. It was quite bizarre and hilarious, but soooo worth it. (If you guys want to check it here is their website - http://shop.cyberdog.net/)

Sweet Chicken with Fried Noodles

Varsity Series - Rugby - KCL X UCL - London - UK

This past friday a friend and I decided to attend the classic rugby game between King's College London and the University College London, played at Allianz Park (home of the Saracens). For those of you not familiar with the transportation system in London, the stadium is Zone 4, almost at the end of the Northern Line. Considering the fact we had classes until 6PM at the Strand Campus - right next to the Waterloo Bridge (on the northern side of the river), it was quite a race to get there, and a very long one. We had to run to Charing Cross and take the tube north towards Edgware, to Hendon Central Station. There we were supposed to take the 113 bus the the stadium, but it was taking too long and we decided it was best just to walk there. The neighborhood around the stadium is a residential area, which means that on a Friday night, it was quite and pretty dark. We had to walk almost half an hour and we still ended up at the back entrance. In the end everything worked out and we got there on time (even though I tripped in front of the guards and flew about three meters - sober - they certainly found that hilarious).

The game had all of the excitment expected. People with their cheeks painted in red lipstick, lots of beer and thick hot fries (chips) been passed around and loud music blasting through the speakers. We sang and cheered for almost two hours and everyone from King's was pretty happy to finally win the game by scoring a try in the end. The score was 13-10 to King's College London, and the crowd migrated to the after party to celebrate it.

As we know, if there is something that the English are, it's efficient. They had organized free buses to take everyone back to the tube station - in this case Mill Hill East. Not the best choice, but at least we didn't have to walk all the way there. Still, since it was the end of the line, we had to wait almost fifteen minutes for the train, and it only took us to Finchley Central, which is one station away. There we had to wait for another train, to take us down south, back to central London. Let's just say that if it took us one hour to get to the Stadium, it took me over two hours to get back home. But I was pretty drunk and happy. There were some crazy girls in the tube, trying to write KCL on their foreheads. As a joke one of them wrote UCL on the other. The girls were so drunk that after she screamed at them to fix it back to KCL, she ended up with PRICK right on her face. I'd never talked to them in my life, but by the time we got to Finchley Central we were all laughing on the floor.

It was quite an experience.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Kevin Spacey is Clarence Darrow - London -- UK

Yesterday I went to see the lastest play at The Old Vic Theatre, featuring the amazing Kevin Spacey, and I believe I can say he is extraordinary, probably more so live than in my late nights watching House of Cards.

Well, you see, it all started a couple of months ago, when my cousin texted me saying she had been waiting for two hours to get the tickets to Clarence Darrow, and that if I had any dreams of seeing it, I'd better run there. But it was a friday and I had classes until 6pm. So it was around 6:30 when I arrived at the Old Vic. It was empty. Feeling sad, I stood in the queue a bit lost, wondering if there still any tickets left. One of the guys called me, and said that there were only front row seats, and the ones farther in the back. They were all pretty expensive. That's when I remembered I was under 25, information, which I promptly informed the guy. And he was like - oh! That's so much easier! We have front row seats. Do mind if Kevin Spacey interacta with you?. It took me a few seconds to understand what he was saying, and like the crazy person that I am, I answered no. So that's how I got front a front row seat for only 12 pounds (if you are under 25, please take the opportunity to go see some amazing plays there at a bargain!).

The play itself was out of this world. It was set in a square stage, while the audience sat around it. The front row seats, like mine, were so low, I was almost sitting on the floor, but my feet stretched touched the stage. And Kevin Spacey, well, many times during the exceptional performance, he was standing withing touching distance of me. He actually made eye contact a few times, and I am not saying it as a foolish fan. He actually made eye contact and asked me a question. He shook my hand. His sweat feel on me. And I was literally star struck. Not only because I was so close, but because he is an amazing actor. The play itself portrays a sad reality, the hard times and the hard men that fought to change it. Fought to change inequality, racism, exploitation. We could feel the pain and the glory, while the character feels it. It strikes, however, the perfect balance between deep considerations from a "history that repeats itself", and comic commentaries that bring laughter to the 2 hour performance.

If there were any tickets left I would be tempted to watch it again.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Sunday in Brick Lane - London - UK

Today I went to Brick Lane Market (through the Overground) to have a look around and maybe find something to eat. The market isn't located in one of the prettiest neighborhoods I've been to (especially after the amazing day I had in Greenwich yesterday), but it was a very interesting experience. As expected on a Sunday, the streets were packed with people - both local and tourists - checking the different stores that ranged from antiques to leather products, and lining up for the famous and quite cheap salt beef bagel (beigel) - a 24 hour, 7 days a week store right in the main street. Since it was a Sunday, the streets were lined with food stands from pretty much every place in the world. It was a bit like international fairs back in my high school. There was Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian, Italian, Mexican, Turkish, Arab and even Ethiopian. So many different options and smells that you don't really know if you are that hungry or if you want to try everything. I had a go at the Rib Man bun with the juicy barbecue sauce. I actually ordered the small one, which was huge. The size of the bread doesn't change in the bigger sizes, there is just crazy amounts of probably one of the best ribs I havr ever had. I actually told my boyfriend that I would take him there and we would order the big one, just for the extra meat. Who needs bread when you have pork ribs with spicy barbecue sauce.