Last updated: 27 June 2023
From the Roaming Required Archives. Here’s a flashback from the month that was June 2016.
June was anticipated to be a relatively quiet month for us but somehow we managed to squeeze a few things in.
Life in London has been a bit rocky this last few weeks. You may have heard Brexit on the news, which is the term coined for British exit of the European Union. The UK held a referendum and the people went to the polls with one question on their minds:
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the EU?
The results came through overnight and we woke to the news that 51.9% of the voting British public decided to leave the EU.
What does that mean?
At the time of writing, no one really knows what that means. No country has ever left the EU before so the what and how of achieving that unprecedented step are a complete mess. As a result, there is political instability, economic uncertainty and a sombre mood amongst the general public.
Stay tuned on this topic as there’s surely more to come.
The Highs
British foodies flock to Regents Park for a few days in June when the world famous, Taste of London festival comes to town. It’s like a Disneyland for Foodies as restaurants serve up mouth-watering small-plate dishes and cocktails. Awards are held and small businesses and start-ups showcase their products to buyers and the general public.
This year we were guests at a cooking class with Jeremy Pang from the famed School of Wok. Learning to Wok n Roll as Russ put it, it was a great experience learning to cook with induction.
Also at Taste of London, we were invited to attend Tasteology workshop which is a eat-through documentary that looked at the the history of food and how science plays a part in it. Some fascinating facts I took away were how colour of the plates influences what the food tastes like, or that heavy cutlery makes the meal feel more expensive.
What else?
We decided to spend a weekend at the beach because after-all, it is summer. We spent the weekend housesitting in Brighton on the southern coast of the UK where we babysat a miniature schnauzer named George.
Brighton also gave us the opportunity to experience the independent food scene. We joined up with the Very Independent Brighton food tour to discover the latest local food and the hot places to eat in town.
Bad timing meant our weekend in Brighton clashed with the huge parade in London for Queen’s birthday, Trooping the Colour so this year we went to the dress rehearsal the weekend prior rather than the actual parade.
The Lows
Brexit has put a metaphorical dark cloud over the city. On top of that, there’s been days of torrential rain which flooded many train stations which caused traffic chaos for about a week.
Theatre
If wandering through an overgrown centuries old cemetery at dusk doesn’t fill you with much glee, add some ethereal scantly clad aerial acrobats and suddenly you’re in immersive theatre. We went to Depart, the latest show by Australian Circus troupe, Circa.
I went to the Savoy Theatre in London to review Funny Girl.
London
Another opportunity to explore the disused Tube stations that lie abandoned under London presented itself. This time we explored Euston station from the ventilation shafts that sit above the tracks, to the labyrinth of maintenance passengers and controls that keep one of the worlds busiest public transport systems functioning.
Social media
Most popular image from our Instagram account in June was this black and white image of Tower Bridge which I shot while in the area for a training session for work. Not one of my usual angles but I think it turned out pretty well.
It’s a gloomy day in London, but the architecture of Tower Bridge always perks me up.
What’s coming up in July?
Well for our annual July trip we’re hiring a car and off to Poland. Starting and ending in Warsaw, we’re roadtripping the northern half of Poland in a circle. Some fascinating WWII relics to explore, and I’ll get my summer beach fix from the Baltic sea near Gdansk.
After Poland, I’m off to the largest travel blogging conference in Europe, TBEX. This year it will be held in Stockholm, Sweden. A part of the program is the opportunity to take day and multi day trips to explore other parts of Sweden. I’m off to Sigtuna, Swedens first town, and a multi day gastronomy trip through Skåne.
As always, feel free to drop us a comment and tell us what and where you’ll be this July.
Happy travels!
I\’m all about George. What a little sweetheart!
He’s very sweet. Favourite passtime was playing chase through the house.