Ok. See ya later London.

It has finally happened. Antoinette and James have finished their time in London. But before we head home we've decided to treat ourselves to a couple of months abroad in Europe and going on our first week of travel things have definitely changed since we left over two years ago.

Leaving London was a strange feeling, mostly because we are heading back for about a week before we fly home, but getting to the end is a really satisfying feeling. Reflecting on what we have accomplished and what is still to come we know this is the best thing we have ever done and will always remember our experience for what it was. Challenging, rewarding and worth every cent, penny, tear, argument and inconvenience.

Here are a few photos of what we have been up to in the last couple of months...

Where we lived

Who we lived with

This is where we went for a Scotch Masterclass with master blender Richard Patterson

Shakespeare's globe for Taming of The Shrew

Antoinette playing hide and seek on Queen of Hoxton's rooftop bar

James and Micky getting fish and chips in Victoria Park

Silent Disco shenanigans at the mighty zoo lates. A party with animals...and some wildlife too

Party Shard. The Shard's 'lazer' show. A little underwhelming yes?

Posing on our return 'home.' Returning to our convict prisoner roots at The Tower of London.

Chiselhurst Caves. A network of caves carved into the landscape over hundreds of years

The very start of our Fat Duck experience. Read about it more here 

The first of the last. The last coffees I made for the kitchen staff on my last day at Kaffeine

Out the front of the latest brunch spot in London. Free awesome coffee to take home too! Thanks Dan

We've been getting out a lot. As you can see and we still have heaps to show you. Stay tuned for more pictures of Italy, Croatia and drunken english ravers.

Lots of love,

Antoinette and James.

London 2012 - A different perspective.

We're both doing well and just focused on getting the most out of the next couple of months in London and abroad. James is still at Kaffeine, and will be until the end of his time in London, and Antoinette is still going wherever the agencies send her.

With only a few months left in this wonderfully demanding city there is so much we still want to do. Below is a snapshot, or a couple of them actually, about what we have been up to recently.

Antoinette posing in front of one of the gigantic green house's at Kew Gardens in West London.

Antoinette delirious with sunshine in front of Kew Palace.

A very green landscape. Such a lush garden and with the sun on our backs it was close to perfect.

Nap time on the tube.

Antoinette in the main hall at the Natural History museum.

A photo of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. One of the last clipper style ships to be built and used in the UK. They call this Summer? Look at the clouds!

A view towards the bar at Franks Campari Bar in South London. It was a breezy summers afternoon, but our flat mate said it perfectly. "Don't let London's weather dictate what you do."

The best bar snack ever? We think it comes pretty close. Sweet corn with a paprika and chilli butter.

The view from Frank's, which is atop a mostly dis-used car park, back towards London city. A pretty impressive skyline on a day like this.

On top of all this we have a lot to look forward to. Travel at the end of August starting in Venice and then onwards to Eastern Europe before heading back West slowly through Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and plenty more. 

The end is in sight, but before that we have a lot to get through over here. Work, James' birthday, Chessboxing, a whisky masterclass and a reservation at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant. A busy could of months indeed.

Just Another Sunday

Here is a little story bored of what we did on Sunday. It included afternoon tea at The Berkeley, going to see The Avengers at the movies, dinner in Chinatown and then back home. 

Wake up sleepy head 

All the tools for caffeination

The flats barristas hard at work 

Our day before us (voucher to The Berkeley afternoon tea)

Tag 

On the tube 

All rugged up

Out the front of The Berkeley

Sugar, Spice and all things nice 

Fancy tea and fancy things

All our delicious sweets based on the latest fashion

Fashion you can eat ...nonononon

Drinking tea 

Life in the fast line 

To the movies

Another sunny afternoon in Trafalgar Square 

Keeping up appearances 

In the cinemas 

All tired out and on our way home

The last couple of months: A picture tour

As suspected the blog has been a little stagnant for too long. 

We're going to try something a little different from now on. We'll give you more pictures, less text and more updates.

This is where James spends most of his days. Behind this beautiful espresso machine there is a lot of passion and the occasional tantrum when something doesn't do what it should.  

 This is the inside of Kaffeine. A great space when used for private functions as it was here for one of our crews last day before heading back to Tasmania.

 East London street art at its satirical best. Provocative, on point and a fair bit of artistic depth make up so much of the art that now occupies many walls around the Brick Lane and Shoreditch area.

 More great examples of London's thriving street art. The piece on the far left was actually created through a series of explosions placed to create this beautiful portrait. 

A great piece painted on the side of a great gallery space. This Union Jack was actually painted by a French artist.

An example of some more 'urban' style art in the area. This photo was taken at one of our favourite spots, a car park.

Carnaby street is typically one of London's busiest shopping areas and on Christmas day the street was completely deserted. It was a really nice feeling having a place like this to ourselves, even if it was only for a minute.

The start of Chuck's birthday morning celebrations. This was well and truly before the gargantuan drinking session that ensued.

Just a half hour train ride out of London lies the peaceful and serene neighbourhood of Richmond. A great day with some sunshine really made this feel like we were in another country, not just a tube ride away from the organised chaos that is London.

The view towards one of Petersham Nurseries' converted conservatories. We were lucky enough to have a booking at the Michelin Star Restaurant in the same nursery for lunch. 

On top of the mountain in Mayrhofen, Austria for Snowbombing 2012. Five days of boarding and partying really did take its toll, but James really got a handle on the basics and can't wait to go again in the near future.

Antoinette posing with her very 'feminine' board. Antoinette had a great couple of days on the mountain and made really good progress, broke one of her bindings and did a pretty good job of standing up while drinking booze at some serious altitude. 

Looking down the barrel of his first run. Maybe a red run on his third day wasn't such a good idea. 

How could we go into snow and not do this. Fun times indeed.

The street stage in the pouring rain with Krafty Kuts and Fatboy Slim. The music was ok, but it was a brilliant and unique experience getting soaked, having a few drinks and dancing the evening away.

A great sunny day on the top of the mountain. Austria really knows how to put on a show. More days like this would be greatly appreciated. We get the feeling we will be returning to Mayrhofen, but just for Snowboarding.

Antoinette thought it would be a good idea to pay an Austrian 100 euros to jump off the mountain and para-glide to the valley floor. She ended up a short walk from our accommodation and took some amazing shots of Mayrhofen that you can't get anywhere else.

The crew out the front of the oldest restaurant in the valley. Austrian food is hearty, meaty, cheesy and served in a very generous manner. Their beers are great and preservative free and their hospitality was always good. 

This is just some of what we have been up to so far in 2012. Stay tuned for more. 

Lots of love as always,

Antoinette and James.