Kentish Town

June 1, 2008

After we settled in to our place in Blackfriars (which is in the London city limits), we all crashed for like an hour until until the rest of my family arrived.

Then, off we went!

First stop: Kentish Town, 4pm-ish, London time

We went to this really cool deli called R.E.D. in Kentish Town, the neighborhood Jen and Ed will live in. They serve breakfast til 4pm, and they had smoked salmon in many of the menu items. YUM. Almost everything on the menu was organic.

Ed, Jenn, Louie

Bac Hung and Bac Oanh, Mother and Father of the Bride!

Brian and Christie (my cousins), Dylan and Joshua (Christie & Paul's cuties! :), Paul (Christie's husband)


About Kentish Town... There were tons of drunken Australians running around. (It's a Sunday thing, says Ed.) It was quite a party atmosphere, with people greeting each other with hugs as though they've known each other forever. It was a fun diversion to watch as we were eating. I didn't take any pics though, probably much to Lou's relief.


Travel guide for Asians:

Ed and Jenn mentioned that in the UK, there is no concept of doggie bags (or take-home boxes). If you request it, they kind of look at you funny and talk about "that table" as you walk out the door. No matter, as Dylan and Josh were NOT fans of the organic burger.





Next up: Ed and Jenn's house



Next we went to see Jenn and Ed's house in Kentish Town. Along the way, we saw a row of lollipop-flavored houses. (Looked-like, not sure about the taste!) Per Lou's analysis, the cars are all very flashy and all very green.

Now, THE HOUSE. The house is over 200 years old, and was Ed's childhood home. They are completely (you can see, completely) gutting it, and then renovating it. The house has four floors, and will be ready in October 2008. The house was not, as originally planned, ready for the family to share during Jenn and Ed's wedding week.

View from the back of the house. The nearest brick wall is the extension Ed and Jenn are building.

The front greeting room. You can see the really ornate crown molding at the ceiling and along the walls. Ed and Jenn plan to keep that detailing.

The look-out window view from the fourth floor. We can't remember what room this plans to be.

The view of the backyard from the house. As you can see, the kids were not allowed in the house, as the flooring was still somewhat shaky. The kids were NOT happy about it.