Crumbs to Crunch

I have to confess that I don't like art much. Frankly, staring at paintings in galleries bores me. However, art suddenly became a lot more interesting when I found myself sporting a green hard hat and matching high vis to ascend 60 feet's worth of scaffolding to get a closer look at Britain's largest painted ceiling. This huge piece of art is at the Painted Hall in the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London where Admiral Lord Nelson's body was laid in state in this grand hall after he died in the Battle of Trafalgar. The Painted Hall dates from the 18th century and is currently undergoing a huge conservation project. In order to raise funds, for a mere £10, I got to see the ceiling up close and learn about its fascinating history and the conservation process from an incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Wearing my hard hat, I felt like a modern day Indiana Jones, discovering tiny details that have never been ...

Spring has finally sprung and there is no better way of celebrating this glorious season than gazing at sakura in Japan.  I wasn't even planning to be in Japan for the cherry blossom season. Each area has such a narrow window for sakura that it was a wonderful surprise to be in Tokyo when the blossom was at its height. I had naively imagined myself writing haikus with blossom floating around me. In reality, about a million people and I crowded into Ueno Park to witness the event of the season! Surprisingly, it didn't matter that there were hoards of tourists and locals. In a bustling megacity like Tokyo, it was practically a miracle that we all managed to find a certain amount of peace, marvelling at this natural wonder. Many of the locals were picnicking under the blossom and their spread was incredible, from mouth watering noodle dishes to yakitori. I got very jealous and so headed towards the many food stalls in the park. I bought some Okonomiyaki which are ve...

Guest post by Read_and_dream The Southbank in London is good at fun and food. At the moment it's got a "Festival of love" going on, to celebrate the Same Sex Couple Act, and yesterday I unknowingly stumbled into this while heading for the food market. The festival involves fun installations, pop-ups and performances celebrating seven different kinds of love, from "agape" (the love of humanity) to "ludus" (flirting, playful affection) and will be on for the next two months. Among all this there lies the delightful-as-ever Real Food Market (open Fri-Sun), with an amazing range of street food and gourmet delicacies from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds...Indian, Italian, Egyptian, Ethiopian...you name it, it's there!    Studying near London as I do, I've visited the Real Food Market quite a few times before, (including one amazing time where I and one of the Crumbs to Crunch sisters literally sang for our supper...