Bruges x 2 and still loving it

Interconnector sent me to Bruges again for another week. This time it was wet and cold. I decided to stay on over the weekend and Noel made his way over from London. He arrived at 11:30pm and off we went club hopping. I think we managed to visit 6 clubs throughout the 3 hour session. The music was….how do you say it….’Eurotrash’. Trance, dance, happy hardcore playing over cheesy 1980’s pop songs. We also noticed that not many people drink in clubs. Picture 200 partygoers jammed in a small room and we would get served without waiting. Everyone was also drinking coke and fanta. I’m not sure if it’s because we are dealing with a global recession but it was just weird to see a room full of people and only a small handful drinking.

The next day was painful. We managed to get a lot of sights done over the weekend. We hiked up 366 steps in Belfry tower to view Bruges from above, went on the city bus tour, took a canal cruise, visited the basilica of the holy blood and walked everywhere and anyway in the city.

The smoking ban laws do not apply to small restaurants and bars in Belgium. It is actually quite revolting sitting in a small boutique bar and all of a sudden, someone decides to light up a cigarette. Since the bars are not very well ventilated, the smoke just lingers and drifts around the room. Yuck!
Updated photos from Bruges can be viewed here

Belfry Tower – 3.9 MB

Sam




View from above








Burg Square and Belfry








Canal cruise

Green Bristol

4 weeks has flown by and Eileen wanted to visit Bristol since we didn't get a chance during our last trip. Bristol is a very artistic and modern city. We walked on the Clifton suspension bridge. This bridge was completed in 1864 but took 35 years to complete; from design to construction. Bristol is also one of the greenest cities in England; the view from above is somewhat breathtaking.

What I have also noticed about Bristol is that the girls here are relatively short and attractive. Now when I say short, I don’t mean 4ft tubby and with double chins. Was actually quite funny as I am not used to seeing eye to eye with another female.

I am up in Norwich again this week for work. It is always good to get away from the hustle and bustle of London. My boss is a Bristish-Nigerian who enjoys a lot of Banter so this definitely makes my trip more enjoyable. We have been staying in North Walsham which is about 45mins out from Norwich central. Picture a ghost town with hoodlums and girls with no front teeth. I have also been told that this region is still quite racist. Okay, maybe racist is not very PC, let’s say they are more culturally oblivious. I thought the weird looks were because I was in a suit in farmland but I guess it’s a mixture of both. I get back to London on Friday night then I’m off to Bruges, Belgium for a week.

Eileen got her visa extension declined due to an error in the bank statements; for that reason, we have postponed Portugal and Poland. In a way, I kinda preferred this as living out of hotels for 2 weeks makes you appreciate your home (bed, crap shower, homemade food). Eileen’s partner Noel will be joining me for a weekend in Bruges; I can see a messy weekend ahead.

Its late and the hotel smells of cats (I’m allergic to cats!)

Sam




Typical Saturday night








Suspension Bridge









Famous Banksy graffiti

Roman Bath

Eileen, Jen and I spent last weekend in Bath. It is a small town 15mins by train out of Bristol and known for its thermal spas, stonehenge and history of Romans and Georgians. Although we did not get to check out the Stonehenge, we did spend a lot of time taking tours around the town.
Since it was Valentines Day, the town was busier than usual with guys treating their partners for a romantic weekend.

The Roman Baths were spectacular! Obviously it is no longer operational but the museum did their best to preserve what’s left and provided models & computer graphics to better describe the ancient grounds.
If the baths are around today, it would only be to accommodate to the rich and famous. The range of different pampering approaches really gave you a better understanding of how the Romans unwind.

We also took a dip in the thermal spas which was overrated. The steam rooms were very relaxing; 4 rooms each with a different scent. I got an ear infection from the baths which left me deaf for 2 weeks. I’m off to Krakow, Poland in 4 weeks and probably Bruges again in 3 weeks. Yes it is a hard life when work sends you to Europe. Only about 6 more months before I move to Paris.
Bath gallery can be viewed here

Bath - 4.5 MB

au revoir

Sam






Bath Abbey









Main Bath








Wishing Well (Spa)








Royal Crescent

Quiet January and Waitangi Day Pub Crawl

Sorry to the 3 people that actually read this blog; I’m fat and lazy to give updates. January has been very low key, I managed to detox for 22 days without drinking a single drop of alcohol. It was probably the hardest time in my life.
It snowed in London last week. It was the biggest snowfall in 18 years. London is so dependant on its public transport system that the whole city came to a halt. Buses were not running, tubes were down and even the overland was having difficulties. No one was able to get to work and for the few that actually got to work, they had to leave or they wouldn’t have been able to make it home.

McLaren and Walker were down in London last weekend and it was perfectly timed as the 2009 Waitangi Day Pub Crawl was about to kick off. We arrived in Notting Hill Gate at 11:00am and cracked open uor first beer. Due to the sheer madness, it was virtually impossible to get into any pubs. There were people everywhere causing havoc to London; traffic came to a standstill!
People were dressed up and having a good time. There were people dressed as the iconic bumble bee, sheep’s, cricket and rugby teams. Streets were getting blocked off to play a bit of cricket and rugby balls were getting kicked around without care of their surroundings. Tumeke!

I did not get to see the haka as it was totally packed at Westminster Square. That’s all for now. I’m off to Bath/Bristol this weekend so will hopefully be able to take some nice photos.
Google won't allow me to upload video's to my web album so I had to upload to their version of youtube.
Waitangi Day gallery can be viewed here

Snow in London – 4.8 MB
Waitangi Day Part 1 – 4.9 MB
Waitangi Day Part 2 – 4.5 MB
Waitangi Day Part 3 – 4.8 MB

Sam




Rubbish Snowman








Weirdos








McLaren and Walker








Quiet space

Newcastle NYE 2008

The first time I met Matt McLaren and Sam Walker was at Lynchy’s party on New Years Eve 2007. They have since moved back to Guisborough, England and invited me to join them in Newcastle for a New Years Eve party. On the way to Newcastle, we stopped by the Angel of the North; this angel like steel statue was 20 metres tall with wingspan of 54 metres! It was monstrous!
During our visit in Newcastle, we checked out an exhibition by Yoko Ono, Gateshead Millennium Bridge and a few pubs before arriving at the party. It was quite a good turnout with around 50 party goers. Half of us slept there so there were bodies everywhere; kitchen, floors and wardrobe. Good times.

During my stay in Guisborough, we travelled to Whitby; the town that drew inspiration to Bram Stoker for Dracula. It is also where Captain James Cook’s began training as a seaman. Whitby is also famous for its Fish & Chips; some say it’s the best in the Country. People were queuing in freezing temperatures (-3 °C) just to taste England’s finest. We also went into the Dracula haunted house, played pirate mini golf, purchased a Lucky Luck and climbed 199 steps to see Whitby Abbey; founded in 657 AD. On the way back to Guisborough, we stopped in at the Lion Inn; sitting 1325 feet above sea level with spectacular views and the closet store was 20 miles away. The earthy, warm feeling of this place was remarkable. What a day it has been.

The next day, I got to visit what’s left of the Guisborough Priory then went to Riverside Stadium to watch Middlesbrough F.C vs. Barrow A.F.C. The atmosphere and game was exciting with 2 players basically being carried off in body bags; score 2-1 to boro. That night, we decided to paint the town red and absord as much of Middlesbrough as I can. We arrived at a night club called ‘The Arena’. After paying for entrance and coat checks, Walker decided to call the bouncer a ‘Nob Head’. So of course she got thrown out, McLaren then tried to intervene and he too got thrown out. Me, well I was still checking in my coat and didn’t even get to see what the club looked like as I sympathetically left with them. We drank the night away at a Walkabout and ate a Parmo at 2am. Parmo is a Northern dish; it is basically crumbed chicken, covered with bechamel sauce then topped with cheddar cheese. These are capable to give anyone a chronic heart attack, but I loved it!

My 5th and final day was spent sleeping in till 12pm, having another lunch feast at Walker’s parents place and meeting their extended family. I also got to meet Sam’s sister Andrea, McLaren told me that she used to be a page 3 model, but oh boy does she have huge hands. Guisborough is a great place to visit with scenery and heritage. It is also close to other towns in the North-East region that is a must to visit if you are in this area. Although is can be passive at times, you will appreciate the serenity.
Newcastle gallery here
Guisborough gallery here
Whitby gallery here

Guisborough Priory - 4.5 MB
X Factor Contestants - 5.1 MB

Sam




Jumping Jacks








Pre-drinks








Walker & McLaren








Pass the parcel








New Years Feast








Guisborough Priory








Riverside Stadium








199 steps








Cod & Chips








Built specially for me








Beers at Lion Inn








Parmo aka Heart Attack

Christmas in Grenoble, France

The trip started off on the wrong foot. Out flight was delayed for 7 hours, the airport was hot & stuffy and the smell of body odour was atrocious. The flight time from London to Grenoble was 1hr 10mins and the transfer to Les 2 Alpes was 2hrs!
Anyway, we arrived at 2am on Sunday morning and decided to go for a walk to check out the sites.

Les 2 Alpes is a ski resort in the French Isère County. The village sits at 1650m with lifts running to 3600m. My first day snowboarding was absolutely rubbish. The amount of face plants was uncountable. The next morning, I had never felt so much pain in my life. Every muscle and bone was aching, sprained wrists, whiplash, hamstring crams and more. My sister Eileen even managed to crack a rib and had to spend €400 on medical expenses.

My daily timetable would consist of 3 hours of snowboarding school, 5 hours charging down the mountain freeriding and then 8 hours of drinking to sooth the pain. After the 3rd day, I was engaging in blue runs that take 25 mins from top to bottom. I now have high regards for snowboarders; their sheer physical strength and stamina. Flying back to London was also a nightmare. Out flight was again delayed but this time only for 3 hours. France totally kicks ass, although Grenoble technically isn’t France since everyone spoke English. It gave me a taste of the Language and atmosphere; I am definitely looking forward to moving there in 2009.
Grenoble gallery can be viewed here

Smell the Cheese – 8.2 MB

Sam






Glimpse of the Village









mmm Cheese








Christmas Lunch








escargot








3200m booyah

Race of Champions, Wembly Stadium

I attended the Race of Champions with Noel and Gillies on Sunday. All the big names like Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Sebastien Loeb were competing. Lewis Hamilton also gave the audience a show in his McLaren F1. It was all show and no go since it was unable to get any traction. There was also stunts performed in a TVR, Evo 10, BMW Road Bike and motorcross bikes.
Sebastien Loeb ended up winning the overall competition, defeating David Coulthard in the finals. It was also the coldest night ever in London. All I was wearing were jeans and a hoddie; definitely experienced some shrinkage.
This last few days has been painful, coughing and sneezing.

On the good side, I have purchased all my snowboarding clothing for France and even a set of walkie talkies to communicate to others when I am carving up the powder. But seriously, I’m crap so have signed up for snowboarding lessons. I figured, since I’m going to be there for 6 days; may as well try to get good at it.
Race of Champions gallery can be viewed here

Race + Stall - 6.8 MB
McLaren F1 doing burnouts – 1.8 MB
Flying Motorbikes - 4.8 MB

Sam




Ford Focus WRC








KTM X-bow








Dune Buggy








McLaren F1









2 Wheel Evo 10

Interconnector Christmas Party

When the invites came around, the theme for the Christmas Party was 'Black and White'. It even stated 'wear anything as long as it is black or white'. So I went out and bought a nice black shirt along with a white fashion tie. I walked into the restaurant full of confidence. Little did I know that their interpretation of 'Black and White' actually meant black tie!

There I was, standing there, sleeves rolled up, unbuttoned collar with a flimsy tie. I felt like the Mona Lisa:

a) I looked good
b) Everyone was staring at me.

Every guy in the room was in a dinner suit and there I was, casual Joe sipping champange while trying not to make eye contact with the big bosses. The night ended at 1am as I was completely hammered, this is mainly due to the fact that I was mixing champagne, gin & tonic, beers, red wine, white wine and of course tequila.

2 more weeks before I'm off to France, woohoo

Funny Dancing - 3.4 MB

Sam




Pissed








Even more pissed

Icy Reykjavik

We arrived at the cabin hotel; Reykjavik, Iceland at 2am Saturday morning. It was -3 degrees and gustily like Wellington. The crisp air was refreshing and at the same time, ear numbing.
Icelandic water is known to be the best in the world as it does not contain additives such as chlorine and is free of contaminants and heavy metals.

We spent Saturday on the Golden Circle Tour. It is a journey around the outer region of Reykjavik. You can also purchase a CD with audio commentary of each location. During the tour, we visited waterfalls, geysirs, a crater and a historic village that has been excavated to uncover its political history. On Saturday night, we went on a Northern Lights Tour but unfortunately the sighting was very faint and impossible to take a photo of.

We indulged in a relaxation session at the blue lagoon. The sulphuric milky is a great treatment for the skin. After 4 hours, it was time to head back to the cabin. Although we did visit the Hallgrimur’s Church, it was covered with scaffolding around the front exterior but inside was amazing as expected. Above the entrance was a pipe organ with 5275 pipes. By now, time was running out but we managed to see the Perlan and Government House.

Reykjavik is an amazing City with so much history. For all that are planning on visiting, I recommend you stay for at least 4 days.
Photos from Reykjavik can be viewed here

Sam





Kerio Crater







Look, waterfall








There she blows








Sunset








Blue Lagooon

Top Gear Live = Lame

I attended the MPH Motor show last weekend mainly because the crew from Top Gear were performing a live show. The cars at the show were no where near as cool as the cars from the British Motor Show. A lot of Audi R8’s were on display, it’s not very appealing when you see 20 bog standard R8’s in one room. There was however a Koenigsegg that was full carbon fibre which I thought was pretty mint. The live performance was so crap that the wiggles would have been better to watch. Yes, of course they would have had to rehearse it a few times so they don’t stand there with nothing to say but during the 4 day event, they performed 4 sessions a day; that’s 16 sessions of the same crap. How can they possibly class this as live if they are doing the same act each time? Just for icing on the cake, this show is also performed in other parts of the world! Shocking init? They should have called it ‘Top Gear in Theatre’
MPH Motor Show gallery can be viewed here

Anywho, after the show we went to a pretentious club that screams ‘I am a wanker’. If it wasn’t for the birthday party, it would definitely have been a ‘My phone died and couldn’t get hold of you’. More alcohol abuse to end the night.

Top Gear Stunts - 5.9 MB

Sam




Carbon Koenigsegg








RX7 off FnF Toyko Drift








Car Football