Rui's trip back to London

I went to London 2 Fridays ago. We flew from Haneda to London. It took 11 hours on ANA. We had Paella for dinner. I saw Captain America , Hunger Games and more. 

We stayed in Hilton near the airport for 1 night, then we went to an apartment near my old school. After that  my mum went to see her old friend and me, my dad and my brother went to shopping in Brent Cross. We bought books, a school uniform for my school. 

In my best day I went to my old school and surprised all of my class. They were very  happy to see me. At school I played and watched a movie. I was very happy to see my friends again. After that We did barbecue with are class because it was end of year. I also had sleep over with my best friends. We went to a park and played football. 

We went to Harrods for some shopping but it was so so so boring ! Nandos was better. English food is rubbish compared to Japanese. 

I want to come back to London soon because my best friend is there. I enjoyed my trip a lot !

(Written by Rui on his cool iPad mini!)

Fish & chips

Image via Wikipedia

People often ask me what I miss about the UK, and a good podge out on steaming fish & chips is very high on my list. No plates or knives & forks - no table, not even in the house! Walking home on a cold night after a couple of pints in the pub. Enough salt to give my doctor a heart attack, and evaporating malt vinegar filling the air. Keep having to change hands because the newspaper wrapping is too hot...greasy fingers and just enough loose change for the last bus.

I am so hungry! OK, we can get "fish & chips" in some "English" or "Irish" pubs in Japan (Old Rock in Matsumoto for example) & I had some the weekend before last in Okayama. However, a cold plate, silver cutlery, a hint of salad, and a dollop of tartar sauce is not the same thing at all, and certainly not when you can count the chips and get bugger all change from Y1,000!

What is good fish & chips all about then? Well, apart from the obvious in the first paragraph, it involves things like responsible food sourcing, hygiene & staff training. Check out this article on Britain's best chippy.

Geographically there is an important point in the article too. Students of mine always come back from their three-day trip to 'England' (ie Harrods, Baker St & The British Museum) with complaints about the food. Of course it's rubbish - it's London. And if you went to a pub, the beer's flat and yugh as well. For a decent serving of fish and chips you have to go north, and the further north the better!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Lastly, how do you find a good chippy? Easy, look for the one with the longest queue. The waiting is worth it, the anticipation grows, your tummy rumbles...Enjoy!

Trip to Ireland and England

Last week I went to Ireland and England to visit my daughter.
First I went to Dublin where we enjoyed eating and sightseeing, and we saw some buskers on the street.

We stayed 3 nights at my daughter's house. We had a birthday party for my grandson there. I had lovely days!

Then we went to London for 3 days. We went to Harrods and bought some souvenirs. We also went to Hyde Park, The London Eye and Big Ben. The next day we went to Buckingham Palace, The British Museum, Saint Paul's Cathedral and Covent Garden.
We walked all day. But we enjoyed London.