The free newspapers are saying goodbye...

Next week one more free newspaper is saying goodbye to the streets of London. London Lite, from Associated Newspapers, is closing its door after three years of life. The paper was born in August 2006 and it was the first evening paper distributed in the capital for free. Its main competitor, News International's The London Paper, has already closed its doors.

What does that mean then? That means that this global economic downturn is still alive and well and is still killing jobs in the media industry. That also means we will miss our catch up reading in the Tube or bus journeys.

All is not lost though. Evening Standard is now free and distributed to a larger number of people daily. We don't know how this story will ends but I hope other free papers will come to keep competition alive as the reader is the most benefited with this market battle. The only question is "is there space for many free publications in the market?" Apparently no.

Breaking news

Really excited, waiting for the Olympic games announcement!!!! Rio or Madrid? Fingers crossed!

Tasting Spain in Knightsbridge

I went to a Spanish restaurant called L in Knightsbridge last week. There are great Spanish bars and restaurants in London and I’ve been to quite a few, but this one is really, really good.

If you want to relax, enjoy good food and feel at home, go to L. The staff is kind, the ambience relaxing, the food A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and it is a good value for money. I do recommend the “zarzuela de pescado” that I ate which was tasteful and rich. For desserts, we had a sample of four desserts (I think there were four) which was outstanding!

Go to L when you have a chance!!! Definitely planning to go back there for another terrific night out. More info: http://www.l-restaurant.co.uk

What a night!!!!

Went to ABBA concert at Hyde Park yesterday. After five years, finally went to a concert at the park on Saturday, as you know, and on the following day to see the ABBA tribute.

What a night! Even though it was extremely cold - at least for this Brazilian lady, I had loads of fun. When the Mamma Mia casting went to the stage, it was sensational. We danced and sang a lot. I danced, chatted with friends and ate the delicious food (kibbeh and sweets) from Maroush, my favourite Lebanese restaurant.

The best of the experience was going to a show and picnicking at the same time. This is something that London gives to us and this is great! I had a high-quality end of Sunday. Hope you had a good one as well.

Have a lovely week!!!!

Proms at night

Proms in the Park for the first time

We went to Proms in the Park yesterday at Hyde Park for the first time.

We prepared our picnic backpack and went to the show around 18h. The atmosphere was great, the place was full of people but with enough space for our picnic “table” and to dance with our friends.

The best performance for me was Katherine Jenkins singing Hallelujah. It was breathtaking. Loved as well when Barry Manilow song Copacabana, it was really fun. Just to give you an idea of how great it was, when we realized, it was already 22h.

I can summarise the event as a "must go" concert. I am already planning to go to the Proms next year.

Today will be the ABBA concert called Thank You For The Music... A Celebration Of The Music Of Abba at the same place where great artists will sing the best songs of ABBA. Write tomorrow to tell you how it was...

The weekend will be busy in London!!!!!

I am looking forward to go to these two amazing events that are taking place in the city this weekend: Proms in the Park and the ABBA show.

The first one will be a great experience as it is an orchestral classical music concert that happens during the summer every year in the UK. According to the wikipedia, the total number of concerts in 2009 will reach 100 for the first time. Uau!

The second event will be as great as the first one as we can enjoy ABBA songs sang by famous people such as Kylie Minogue and Chaka Khan. The event will be hosted by Chris Evans and broadcast live on Radio 2.

Will keep you informed on that. Really excited about going to these events. Think will be loads of fun as I am meeting lovely friends there. Try to tweet from there. Have a good end of Friday!

The countdown...

We went to The Sea Shell restaurant for the first time last month. The place was ranked as one of the Britain's top fish and chip restaurants and some of our friends have already said how the food was great. So we decided to go to taste the food and their fish and chips are DELICIOUS. I immediately fell in love and, naturally, planned to go back there again. However, one day we passed by the restaurant and it was closed. I could not believe...

The London Informer.co.uk (www.londoninformer.co.uk) has published a report that says the restaurant was gutted by fire and plans to open its door again in several months.

So, the dream is not over. The countdown has started and I am planning to be one of the first customers to be there on the first day they re open to celebrate it eating their delicious fish and chips. Find more info on www.seashellrestaurant.co.uk/

Yummy yummy

Found another option for good Chinese food in town.

Wing Tai restaurant, located in Cricklewood (395 Edgware Road), has a pleasant atmosphere and the food is really tasty. The highlight of the meal for me was the dessert: their toffee banana was yummy yummy.

If you want to visit this restaurant, they are open 7 days a week, from 11am to 11pm and the nearest tube station is Brent Cross.

Visiting Vietnam in London

Another good place to go: Mien Tay restaurant. With a great service, delicious food and good price, this restaurant in Kingland Road is a good finding. We went there with some friends and left the restaurant with a fantastic idea of what we can eat when visiting the country.

Have a look http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/reviews/13357.html and if you want to have a taste of Vietnam, I do recommend you go there whilst visiting London.

The Palace

One of the gardens...

Kitchen, but just one area.... It is huge!

The oldest grape wine

The Great vine at the Hampton Court Palace is considered the oldest grape vine in the world.

Royal for a day

After insisting a lot, my husband convinced me to visit the Hampton Court Palace (http://www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace). I was feeling quite tired on the weekend, but he said it would be a great fun and then we decided to go.

Originally constructed for a Cardinal, it was given to King Henry VIII in 1528. The Palace and its gardens are beautiful, and the food at the restaurant delicious. The adult ticket is £ 14.00. Will post more pictures.

Hot, hot, hot

This weekend has been lovely! The weather is great and it is quite hot!!! So, the parks in London are crowded and people are enjoying the weather playing sports, cycling and having great time. Let's enjoy Sunday and celebrate the sun and good weather.

Earnest, a great suprise!!!

Every year I go to see a play at the Open Air Theatre at Regent's Park. The theatre is so charming that it makes the experience unforgettable.

First of all, more than going to see a play, you have the chance to enjoy the good food and drinks they serve. Secondly, when you are sat at the theatre, you can see a play in two different moments: at the beginning of the evening when there is still natural light and when it is darker, when the lights from the stage give it a unique atmosphere.

I went to see The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s comedy, last night and it was spot on. The play is quite funny and relaxing, so you leave the theatre with the desire to go back the following day to watch it again.

The play will be showing till the end of the month. So, if you have never visited the theatre, try to go to see this play. It will be memorable. More information on http://openairtheatre.org/p13.html

High hills having a break

It was a busy day today. I was walking from one place to another, working hard... Decided then to give my feet a break - as you can see...

Beautiful day...

London today: sunny, hot and magical...

A dream comming true...

Cupcakes from Taste of London...

More on Taste....

Tasting everything....

The evening yesterday was a special one. I went - for the first time - to the Taste of London event. I was feeling as a child in a playground: high quality food gathered in the unique (and my favourite place) Regent's Park.

Only there I had the chance to go to amazing restaurants in London within two hours. I went to Mango Tree (three times), Theo Randall, Odette's (twice) and Le Gravoche. How unbelievable it was... Great food + good value for money = great experience.

Taste of London is taking place till tomorrow. If you want to know more about, go to http://www.tastefestivals.com/london/

SIM cards...

... In a vending machine.

When I went to Japan in 2005 , I saw noddles and ice cream vending machines and I was completely stunned. Four years later, "walking down the street", look what we stumbled across: a SIM card one.

Another day we saw an ice cream vending machine at the supermarket but never a noddles one. What a pity....

The Island

The Island is a book that I highly recommend. Written by Victoria Hilsop http://www.victoriahislop.com/island.html, this is a book that touches our hearts deeply. It made me cry a lot - I need to confess - but also gave me the chance to reflect on my parents and grandparents' life before having me. As summer is arriving and you might take some days off, go to a bookstore and buy this book.

I am reading The Return now, Victoria's second book. As soon as I finish it, will share my thoughts with you....

Sorryy.....

Didn't take the pictures I promissed and it is raining and cold again..... Sorryyyyy!!!!

Cycling again.....

Back to bike! I am going to take some pictures tomorrow and post to show you the sunny London!

Sun!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please come to stay!!!!!

Last weekend the sky was blue, people were playing at the parks and going for picnic. The summer atmosphere arrived once again. However, the rain arrived on Tuesday and the famous "typical" weather was back. Hopes of a sunny week melted down and umbrellas left the wardrobes and went back to the streets... once again.

Even though I went to Paris for the weekend, watched the news and saw that the weather was superb here in London and the sky was blue. Ah, this week promises to be a warm one….

This is the weather in London, the unpredictable within the predictable. But the point is that summer is arriving and hope the sun is comming to stay...

Roupa Nova in London! I know, I know I am late....

Yes, the "news" is "old", but Roupa Nova (http://www.roupanova.com.br), a Brazilian band, came to London last October to record their new album: Roupa Nova in London.

It was not late to catch up, buy the CD and listen to it when cycling to work. The result in my opinion: amazing arrangements!!!!

Reading City AM

Every day when I arrive at work I read a free regional newspaper in London called City AM. The column "Out of Office" is my favourite where I can find info on what is taking place in the city regarding concerts and exhibitions. The last information that I've got from there was the play Peter Pan play that will be in a theatre in Kensington Gardens. As the website says "the production will include a breathtaking 360-degree projected scenic design".

As I am going in July, you need to wait for a while to get my impressions. In the meantime, if you are planning to come around, get more info on it: http://www.visitlondon.com/peterpan/index.

The Orange man

Went to see an interesting film last Friday night. State of Play is a political thriller with Russel Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Brennan Brown. Who? Yes, Brennan Brown, the lead actor in the Orange ads.

When I saw him on the screen, I thought there was something wrong as my instict was to laugh in the middle of... I would say a "serious" scene. My surprise was that in seconds everyone in the theatre was laughing when he said his line... The sensation was that it was a funny Orange ad inside the film. My second thought: wow, how powerful ads are...

By the way, really good movie. I do recommend it!

Walking around

I was walking around and look what I’ve got: a Pierre Vivant’s Traffic Light Tree. I fell in love with this piece of art.

I took this picture from my blackberry when I was walking around the city and I wanted to share it with you...

I am baaackkk!

Yes, I am coming back after organising my time to blog...

As I said on my first post, I will write about my tips on restaurants I visited, places I enjoyed the most and experiences I have living in London.

One of the best experiences that I had in London was cycling during the summer. Even though it is not summer yet, I am going back Tuesday 4th May….

30 min from home to the boat + trip on the boat (contemplating the city from the Thames) + 3 min cycling to arrive at work. If you want to find more info on cycling in London, please go to: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/8966.aspx