Waterloo
Couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Waterloo
Knowing my fate is to be with you
Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo
Finally facing my Waterloo

Abba, “Waterloo”

See it, say it, sorted!

We had some birthdays to celebrate. A good reason for a quick hop to see our kids in London. Wizz Air has a great connection between Vienna and London Gatwick.

We saw the tickets availability, we said we want to go there, so, as they say every other minute in London transport: “See it, say it, sorted.” (Elected to the most annoying spot in the UK, we understand).

Anyway, we sorted our tickets and there we were.

No, we won´t write guide number 12.439.611 on what to do in London! We just tell you briefly about three events we enjoyed which you may consider for the next time you are in London. And if you wonder, no, we did not make it to Waterloo-Station this time, but we made it to Abba.

Playing Cricket

We though it is impossible to love English culture without having a clue of Cricket. And playing a game is always better than just watching a game!

Hence, we booked a private lesson (2 hours) at Lord´s Indoor Cricket Center (Lord´s Cricket Ground, St John´s Wood Rd, London NW8 (QN) in the holy grounds of the MCC, the Marylebone Cricket Club. For everyone who does not know (as we did not), this is the center of the Cricket world. Literally! What St. Andrews is for golfers, the MCC is for cricketers.

They were so welcoming! With Mark we got one of the most experienced Cricket coaches who took care of us bloody beginners.

Not only did we hear funny stories about cricket, we also learnt the basics of the rules and playing the game. Most of all, we learned that Cricket is not only a sport but also a great social experience. Two hours later we all were Cricket fans. Millions around the world play cricket and we got a real sense of the beauty and the spirit of the game.

And to top the Cricket lesson further, Mark gave us a private tour through the most famous Cricket stadium in the world!

We were sweating and exhausted, but what an extraordinary experience! Thanks Lord´s Team and Mark to make that afternoon unforgettable for all of us!

We can only recommend experiencing a bit of Cricket yourselves. Whenever you go to London, book a two hour session in Lord´s Indoor Cricket Center, you won´t regret it!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Every year, London´s Natural History Museum hosts the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” exhibition. We cannot show you pictures in this blog for copyright reasons, but it is really worth going to see amazing artworks by fantastic photographers. It is also great to see that there is a category for young photographers. What an eye some kids have for the beauty of nature, and which skills to hold such moments in photos!

Abbaphonic

On Tuesday night we enjoyed Abba. Not the virtual “Abba Voyage” (also great!) but a real “classical” concert of Abba songs performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In the amazing setting of the Royal Albert Hall, featuring West End vocalists Abbie Osmon and Emma Kershaw and with Mel Giedroyc as extraordinary presenter we had a real Abba party, entertaining an audience of all ages. Everybody was dancing and shaking, an incredible atmosphere! Well, its Abba at the end, what could go wrong!

Highlights, surrounded by great food!

These were the three highlights of our trip. But it would not be us if that trip would not have been accompanied by great food. Excellent Persian (Hafes, 5 Hereford Rd, London W2 4AB), Italian (Franco Manca, 91 Old Brompton Rd., South Kensington, London SW7 3LD), Thai (Poppy´s Thai Eatery, 78 Genthorne Rd, London W6 0LR) and our all time favourite Indian “Punjab” in Covent Garden (80 Neal St, London WC2H 9PA) made sure we would not starve!

Next week Maldives?

London is always great for a short visit! But next week our first real challenge in the All You Can Fly-year awaits us: trying to get Wizz Air All You Can Fly-tickets to the Maldives! Will we make it? Well, stay tuned, we will keep you posted!