And so early Saturday morning, Christine, Ryan, Sara and I took a taxi from East Croydon to Heathrow where we bid adue to them both and Sara and I placed our bags in kept luggage and headed to Lutton Airport. The bus ride cost us GBP 38 and the journey took us about 1 hour and 20 minutes. We got to there and the first thing on our minds was breakfast. We settled on Burger King, and then checked in and awaited the time for boarding. The EasyJet flight took about 2 hours, and was filled with a whole aray of people. There was a group of rowdy young people on a combined Hen-do, Stag-Do, families as well as Spanish people heading home. Before we knew it, the plane landed in Barcelona and we collected our baggage. We asked around and apparently there was a free shuttle bus service from the airport to our hotel. It took us a while, but we finally found the spot to wait. Vans came and went, but none for our hotel, and then a nice British tour agent suggested we call the Hotel to ask them to pick us up. After about 10 minutes, they arrived and we reached our hotel. It was a small place, near an industrial and residential area by the airport barely 10 minutes away. Hungry we searched for some food and found a spanish restaurant run by a chinese family. They had a Menu of the day, which included an appitizer, a main, 1 beer/wine and a desert for the grand total of Euro 9.50. We ate a fideua which is like a paella but uses vercimelli instead of rice. We also had some grilled fish and 2 beers plus a desert Yum. Tired we just headed back, end of Day 1.

Sara and I have officially left England and we are headed back home via Bahrain. As you can most likely tell, most of the post recently have been scheduled prior to our Spanish adventures We will blog about Barcelona once I am home, so stay tuned

The Tate Modern in London is Britain’s national museum of international modern art and is, with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives, and Tate Online, part of the group now known simply as Tate.

The galleries are housed in the former Bankside Power Station, which was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Battersea Power Station, and built in two stages between 1947 and 1963. The power station closed in 1981. The building was converted by architects Herzog & de Meuron and contractors Carillion, after which it stood at 99m tall. The history of the site as well as information about the conversion was the basis for a documentary made in 2008 titled Architects Herzog and de Meuron: Alchemy of Building & Tate Modern. The southern third of the building was retained by the French power company EDF Energy as an electrical substation (in 2006, the company released half of this holding).

Since the museum’s opening on 12 May 2000, it has become a destination for Londoners and tourists. Entry to collection displays and some temporary exhibitions is free.

While Nicky is at work, Sara has been exploring London’s art scene, and one of the must sees in this City is the Tate Morden, just across from St Paul’s via the Millenium bridge. It used to be a Power station after the world war, and its chimney was built so it was not taller than St Pauls. Today, its a morden art museum known for its interesting displays. Admission is usually free unless there is a special exhibition. Do check it out

Sausage and mash is an English/Irish dish made of potato and sausages, the latter of which may be one of a variety of flavoured sausage made of pork or beef with apple or tomato seasoning; or a Lincolnshire, or Cumberland sausage.

The dish is usually served with a rich onion gravy. Although sometimes stated that the term “bangers” has its origins in World War II, the term was actually in use at least as far back as 1919.
This dish may, even when cooked at home, be thought of as an example of pub grub - relatively quick and easy to make in large quantities as well as being tasty and satisfying. More up-market varieties, with exotic sausages, are sold in gastropubs, as well as less exotic alternatives being available in regular pubs.

On the last week in the office, my directors here decided to take Ryan and myself for a pub lunch, and when I looked at the menu, there was only one thing I had yet to try and that was Bangers and Mash. I have read about this, and though not as famous as Fish and Chips, I had to give it a go. It was not to bad actually. The bangers were juicy and rather tasty, the mash nice and hot, and it was served with Peas Another item checked off my list

Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London’s West End. Named after the Prince Regent (later George IV), John Nash is seen as the Architect behind the original Street but all his buildings with the exception of All Souls Church near the BBC were demolished. What you see today are buildings designed by Architects, in the “style of Nash”. Mistakenly thought to be as part of a ceremonial route from the Regent’s residence at Carlton House in St James’s to Regent’s Park, it was in fact the idea of John Fordyce, then Surveyor-General of the Dept of Woods and Forests (now The Crown Estate). Starting as Lower Regent Street at its intersection with Charles II Street and Waterloo Place, it runs north to Piccadilly Circus then becomes Regent Street by turning westward, and curves around in a quarter-circle until it is heading north once more. It then continues past Oxford Circus becoming Upper Regent Street and ends at its intersection with Langham Place, Cavendish Place and Mortimer Street.

A beautiful part of London which is a must of Shopperholics in London. Take the Oxford Circus tube station, which is on the Bakerloo, Victoria and Central line, and you will come out to the corner of Regent and Oxford. On this street you will find the famed Hamleys, once the biggest toy store in the world. A must go go Christmas shopping especially if you have little ones back home expecting a gift