Saturday, June 11- Night of the Green Goblin!

Saturday, June 11

Naked Bike Riders & Night of the Green Goblin!

Missed the trouping of the colours and apparently Colin Firth was there. I'm glad we got to sleep in and watch the troup & the Queen on the tele. Much better view and more comfortable from our soft beds!

But... of course we did make it to the Naked Bike Ride 2011

in Hyde Park! I love the brits.

Then we went to Harrods and it was really a nightmare. The last time I went, every little department area was virtually empty and you could see across the way and enjoy viewing their displays and such. Since it was a Saturday I guess everyone was out and about and it was cramped, noisey, and an explosion of chaos.

We did love HMV however. Giant music shop. Ryan and I played these portal games and Lisa and I looked through all the DVD's we couldn't buy due to Regent Codes. Ed got really excited when he found the whole sci-fi section filled with the old Doctor Who's!

Bryan Ferry!

Doctor Who Section!

The current tops in pops- Hugh Laurie, Liza, J-Lo, Rhianna, Kasabian, N-Dubz, Adele, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, The Kills, La Roux, & Kate Bush

All the great english comedians: Jimmy Carr, Lee Mack, Russell Brand, Frankie Boyle, Bill Bailey, Ricky Gervais, The Boosh, Eddie Izzard, & Rob Brydon.

We sat outside in front of TOP SHOP eating turkish delights and saw a lady get hit by a car. She kinda just bounced off the front (it wasn't going very fast) and the man she was with yelled at the car, helped her up, took a photo with his phone of the license plate and everyone was on their way. Weird

We ate dinner in the Horse's stables in Camden Town.

Afterwards we drank a guiness and baileys at the World's End while they played Queen's "Under Pressure" and some other punk songs over the loud speaker.

Everyone went on home and we stayed and played in Camden for the night! We bought a few bottles of Green Goblin from Sansbury's all under 5lbs. Way cheaper than the pub! We parked ourselves outside a bar on a bench and were drinking and chit chatting when some locals sat with us.

They were something. Apparently the lady had 5 kids with this guy all under 15 years of age. Then we saw a whole group dressed as all sorts of characters pass by. I ran up to them and asked where they were headed and they said, "the electric ballroom"! So we headed on over there only to discover the line was hella long and a large bachelorette party with inflatable toys. We went into another pub that was playing the Clash's "Should I Stay or should I go" and met an irish bachelor party.

By the end of the night we made friends with many pub bouncers & astounded local brits with our texan twang and miraculously made it back home on the tube before it shut down at 11:30pm. I love Camden and it's costume wearing brits late night!

Wednesday, June 8- Planet Called Camden

Wednesday, June 8

"A Planet Called Camden"

We rolled out of bed at 9am and got to Camden Town by 11am. Used no maps and it took us NO time at all to get to Camden! We just hopped on the tube, went through two stops (Tuffnell - Kentish Town - Camden Town). We made our way out of the tube and discovered on that literally when you walk out of the tube station it’s right there on the right!

Oh man… the pictures on google of Camden Market are amazing but nothing compared to it in actuality! They only scratched the surface of what’s there hidden beyond the shops on Camden’s High Street. The first shop we went into I bought some pocket watches and a flask while the Rolling Stones were playing in the background. Then in the next market door had rows and rows of clothes and they were playing Flight of the Conchords, “Ginger Balls”.

All the shops go DEEP back and once you pass Camden Locke (only 200 feet down the road) there’s a line of Vespa seats facing the lock and all these exotic kiosks serving cheap and yummy food! We didn’t get to stay there long but I did find a shop that sells my Chelsea Boots and Joan Jett Leather Jackets (I shall return!)

Camden Locke

Lunch on the Locke for 5lbs while sitting on vespas.

After that we went to class at 1pm (by memory!) and the author of the book, Andrew Crisell, reviewed us on his book. As normal and English as he looked, he was a riot. His book is boring but he is far from it! His daughter spoke to us about working for BBC News and Newsround on Cbeebies.

Went to dinner after that. We can not decide in large groups. Nor can we find enough seating for all of us. One word to describe London, Compact. We all split up trying to find pubs that serve food and can fit all 15 of us. Impossible and everyone is afraid to speak up because they’d be deciding for the whole group and there’s always an objection. So Lisa, Chase, and I ate at The George while Sterling and Steven had a drink down at the pub.

Then we went to the taping of “Quote or Unquote” at the BBC for Radio 3. When the panel rolled out I was disappointed that they were all much older and no one I recognized. They introduced their names and when the man at the very end of the panel started talking in his VERY distinct Irish / sing songy accent I had the biggest “Ahh-ha” Moment! It was that foreign comedian I saw years back on Comedy Central Presents who performed in a purple suit! No wonder I could never remember his name- Ardal O'hanlon. He looks much different now. Back then he was pale with dark brown hair and now he’s tan with orange hair and it must have been 10 years ago that show aired! Also he played the Brannigan, the cat man in the episode of Doctor Who titled, “Gridlock”! He was funny and he said his grand mother was the most quotable person he knows. Every time she went to the toilet she said, ‘She’s giving her sentiments to parliament”. Haha

There were two tappings and the first one I was dozing off and doing the blinkity eye dance.

After the show we all got on the Northern line and us Tuffnells got of at our stop and headed home in the twighlight. The sun doesn’t even full set til after 10pm.

We got our baths (a bath with a corded shower head), looked up Ardal, watched parts of The Big Fat Quiz show with the best of Noel Fielding and Russell Brand’s parts, introduced Lisa to The Hitcher (comedic character- cockney geezer who rapes ands murders and taught the Ripper everything he knows—while sporting a polo mint as his “solo polo” vision who loves to eat eels) performed by the duo The Mighty Boosh.

Ardal O'hanlon

Watch Ardal (here)