Weekend Trippers

My favorite part of being in London has been blogger meetups. Between Caitlin and Aisha, I’ve seen a ton of London I’d never have otherwise known. Last Sunday, however, I journeyed up into the frigid north to visit someone I’d been wanting to meet in person for such a long time — Jess @ Almost Over Now.

This was my first “big girl” train trip. No quick jaunt to Brighton with friends. This time, I was set for a 3 hour train ride by myself. What if I missed my stop? What if I got on the wrong train?

Maybe it was my nervousness that sparked my bitchfight with a lady in the Information Centre queue. Wait, never mind, she was just a rude bitch who thought the queue sprouted out of her ass. Whatevs. I drawled something slightly rude (for me) and got my question answered. You do not argue with the angry drawl.

The train ride was fine. I read, snacked a bit, oggled the cute guy in the opposite row, and wished the seats reclined. I got off at Durham (and not Darlington) safe and sound. I saw Jess the same moment she saw me and I scrambled through the turnstile. Blogger buddies, together at last!

My quaint abode

After stashing my bag in my hotel, Jess whisked me off to the cathedral. I’m an American and used to megachurches, not cathedrals, so I was appropriately gobstruck. Especially when I saw the part where parts of Harry Potter were filmed. I also committed utter blogger fail by leaving my camera’s memory card in my laptop, so all the gorgeous Durham pics are courtesy of Jess.

Meeting up with Jess was one of my all-time favorite afternoons in Britain. Here’s a few things we have in common:

• A love of Marlowe
• A love of Shakespeare’s most underrated play, Titus Andronicus
• A crush on Jason Isaacs (hello Luscious Mantoy…uh, I mean Lucius  Malfoy)
• Punkish fashion (Jess has awesome taste in jackets and totes)
• Hayao Miyazaki
• Two dozen other awesome movies (Shawshank Redemption, Titus…)

I don’t claim to be normal, so I have no idea what normal “first time meeting you” convos go like, but I had a smashing time chatting about Marlowe’s awesomeness, the mingling of plays with common culture, the popularity of Shakespeare over Marlowe…can I just say how lovely it was to discuss literature with someone? It’s a subject I hold dear but very few people I’m around much ever care to discuss it. Mind yoga!

My favorite part of our meetup was tucking into a café with coffee and tea and just chatting. About life, blogging, pop culture, you name it, we probably got to it. But as with any lovely conversation, time sneaks by and flies away.

Though it was a bit too late for a castle tour, Jess showed me more of Durham, including some gorgeous paths and vistas.

We parted ways back at my hotel, and I was sad I’d only be here for one night. Thanks Jess, for such a magical afternoon!

That evening, I had a hankering for Indian food. Trouble is I didn’t know quite where the restaurant was. I could have eaten at the hotel restaurant or just found something nearby. But all good things are worth a bit of effort. Plus, I wanted naan and some rich, creamy type of curry, so a good walk would benefit me in more ways than one.

Durham by night

By a miracle I found it– the Spice Lounge. And it was delicious!

Ye olde Indian restaurant

The best was the Chicken Makhoni (the pinkish one). It was a bit like korma, but with the addition of mango. I swooned! I liked it so much I tried to snag the recipe. As I thought, it was pretty similar to korma recipes I’d seen, but with mango. I couldn’t write it down, but I remembered enough to track down a recipe copycat.

I think my waiter may have liked me. He gave me four breath-freshener chocolates with my bill and when I bumped into him outside he offered me a cigarette. Sorry sweetie, my lungs breathe air, sarcasm, and pot. That’s a crowded room as it is.

That morning I treated myself to an English breakfast.

Black pudding (basically blood sausage) is yummy. Sorry Sophia, I prefer it to soondae. English breakfasts are about the only savory breakky option I can handle, as the thought of a savory omelet in the morning makes me want to barf. I still snagged a croissant though. And a pain au chocolat. Yeah, complimentary breakfast additions beckon my inner fatass.

Once more I braved the train station and headed home for London. My trip was a bit less comfy than before, as my row partner was the kind who airlines debate charging two seats for. Perhaps a warning sent by the Universe?

Back to London…and back to my rough draft for journalism class due Wednesday which I hadn’t even started on. Ogvey.

A few other things to tweak my happy strings…

Seeing Chicago onstage. Some chick I know said I would hate it and that the movie is far better. This chickie is clearly not a musical theatre fan (Wicked doesn’t count). I loved it! My roommate and I got stall seats for 30 each. We had such a great view. Those dancers made me once more bemoan how I squandered my hot body, but God help me, when I get slender again, I’m treating it like the Ferrari I should have.

An Irish chap explaining matcha green tea ❤

Going to the Vitality Show. Aisha and I went to this, as Aisha had sussed out the cheapest way to go. Basically, it’s a expo for women, with seminars, samples, and discounted beauty, health, and fashion items. I bought a face mask cream for £1. I also got a hand massage, some random free goodies (including a roll of toilet paper, much needed at my flat), and got to laugh at the Shape-Ups stall.

The Houston Chronicle bought my IFE and royal wedding stories. I’ll post links when they are published! As work is often my raison d’être, this had me doing the happydance.

Getting really fucking sore at the gym. Squats and leg presses, baby. Pain is just weakness leaving your body. Better yet, it gave me a kick in the lady balls to do some yoga, which felt divine. Just 20 minutes, but baby steps.

This ad for the Natural History Museum:

Old favorites. I don’t care how lactose intolerant I get, there’s something so soul-pleasing about a bit bowl of Greek yogurt, fruit, nuts, and sprinkle of granola. And protein pancakes topped with chutney!

I haven’t made any spring break plans. I hope I end up going somewhere.