London and Antique Markets in the English Countryside

 My friend Laura (of Paris and Loire Valley post last spring) called to ask me if I would be interested in joining her and her in-laws to check out some huge antique shows in the countryside, a couple hours north of London. I say "uh, YES!" So, Laura flew from San Francisco and I came from Luxembourg and we managed the tube and met up in South Kensington to start our UK adventures. 

One of our first stops was this super great bookstore, where, shockingly, I met my design idol Neisha Crosland, who happened to just be shopping there too. I introduced myself as a designer and a huge fan and I pretty much made an ass of myself but hopefully she wasn't too annoyed. She was very nice and gave us a great list of cool designer-y places to see and things to do. 

Meeting her was a fantastic start of the trip-it truly was so exciting for me. 

Now, they say London is SO gray and cloudy and rainy but really, what I experienced was that every day we were there had a bit of sun. Luxembourg, on the other hand, will be gray for days and days and days, without any sun whatsoever. So, Londoners, don't complain about weather to anyone who lives in Luxembourg.  

Laura had the brilliant idea of getting some fish and chips at the local pub. Loved the list of very english-sounding desserts. Sponges, Treacle, Spotted Dick-doesn't get any more English than that. 

Such a cozy, classic vibe for our first meal in London. 

Fish and Chips and PEAS!!! Not mushy, but they were tasty. 

And as I said earlier, the sky cleared up and we had a beautiful dusk. 

After a day of London fun and good eating, we grabbed a train and headed up to Newark, land of gigantic antique shows. 

Laura got busy on some crocheting. 

And here are the wonderful Charles (aka Buzz, Laura's father-in-law) and his beautiful wife, Annaike. They picked us up at the train station and after a quick drop off at the cottage where we all stayed, brought us to the local pub, where we happily ate dinner, every night.

 Looking into the pub. It was like what I have seen in movies or on TV- cozy, lots of wood, regulars at the bar, every night- drinking but not getting drunk, people of all ages eating and hanging out together. I loved it. And the food was great- short menu of homemade dishes which changed daily. Lamb pie, etc. So good. 

Laura and her aunt Lila, a very talented Interior Designer, smart collector, 

and a really cool woman.

Our first show!

The cows next to the cottage where we stayed.

Our next show was a super huge one, and it was famous. Dealers from all over came to buy and sell. If you go to the Brimfield show in Massachusettes, chances are that many of the dealers there got their stuff at this show in Newark. There was EVERYTHING here, and in huge quantities. It was a bit overwhelming. But it was business as usual for Buzz and Annaike.

Buzz had his backpack, walking stick, and toasty warm clothes to keep him going all day long.

 And he was pretty psyched to be at the shows. 

This shot is of just one small section of the show. There were acres and acres of this, and buildings full of dealers and stuff for sale. It was incredible. 

We stoppe for a break and Laura friends of Buzz and Annaike, who were experts in antique silver, checked out the silver charm bracelet Laura bought at the smaller show the day before. They said she made a good purchase.

It was a good haul for Buzz. Lots of antique sporting equipment which is his specialty. 

After a long and cold day (unusually cold for April) we would head back to the house to warm up with some tea and a shower. 

And Buzz would unload all of his stuff and start packing it for shipment. 

 Some groovy wallpaper at one of the shows. 

Some cool jugs...

Always lots of colorful jewelry to be found. Cheap stuff, pricey stuff, something for everyone. 

Fancy a pretty blue bucket?

Or a silver thistle candlestick?

I wish I bought this. But at the time 5 pounds seemed like too much.

On this day Laura scored some small chairs and miscellaneous goodies.

Fearless right hand-side driver, Warren took us to a huge, beautiful, open to the public home called "Chatsworth". It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549. 

Here is the Duke and Dutchess of Devonshire, residents and owners of (actually, I'm not sure if they still officially "own") Chatsworth.

Here is Warren, quickly making friend with strangers, and I get the feeling he does that everywhere he goes. He's just a really likable guy.

Hard to believe people actually LIVE here. Yes, this is their home. Can you imagine? The family opened it to the public to help fund the maintenance. 

Then, back in London … after a fabulous few days of antiquing and taking in the sights Laura and I went back to London for a few days of city time.

This sign really IS helpful. Several times I really got startled by a car coming from the unexpected right direction.

And even though it was really still chilly, a few blossoming trees reminded us it was Spring.

And really, London was not as cloudy/gray as Luxembourg so I was quite fine with the weather. 

Berner Oberland, Switzerland February 2013

We met up with some friends from the US in Lauterbrunnen, in the Berner Oberland or Jungfrau area of Switzerland (not far form Interlaken and Grindewald). Lauterbrunnen is a tiny, beautiful village in the valley of major mountains and ski areas, with several waterfalls within the village borders. It was a fabulous place to set up a home base while we explored and skied the surrounding area. 

Our landlord had a clever way of keeping his hands warm while riding his motorcycle. And at night he draped a patchwork quilt over the entire bike. Not sure why, as it was under cover…? Maybe it needed to keep warm. 

Love the colorful, and well-designed money of Switzerland! American money is so bland looking. 

Of course we ate lots of Toblerone.

 Everyday we would take one of the trains to a ski mountain. It was always a favorite part of the day. The views were spectacular, the train made a calming tock-tock-tock sound and there was always some good people-watching. Plus, they had cool, old wooden ski carts attached the the back where you could put your gear. 

A particularly snowy and cold day, somewhere up top, with Dave looking a bit rough. 

Some typical scenery as you skied. Lots of barns along the trail, some with goats or sheep or cows in them. 

And our lovely "Swiss Decor" in the apartment. It all kind of cracked me up. 

Some highlights: the cuckoo clock...

… and a landscape print, and one of those cow bells...

… another landscape painting ...

 Every night was full of stories of how sore we were, how we were getting old, and how tomorrow we would take fewer runs. Sometimes a leg massage was in order, but it was always really painful, but funny. 

Dave on his way to his ski day. That's our chalet behind him. Not too shabby, eh?

The pretty glorious view from our apartment. 

I REALLY loved these chairs. SO MUCH. They were in the waiting area of one of the gondola lifts. I wanted all of them. And they had this cool mountain carving/insignia on them too. SO GREAT.

Oh, just some pretty skiing scenery for ya.

One fabulous thing about Switzerland is when you take a break you can things like this: a delicious cup of hot chocolate with a super cute reindeer cookie in it … 

… or grilled sausage with homemade potato salad and crusty bread.

Nice to have one of those rescue dogs around. Makes one feel that much safer.

Couldn't get enough of the edelweiss motifs. these light fixtures were pretty sweet if you ask me. 

The "china" that the lodge used. Nice. Nothing made in China there. 

Eidelweiss ashtray? Sure, why not?

Riding the train home. 

Yes, a Rucola-sponsored gondola. 

Nope, that view has not been photoshopped in- it really WAS that gorgeous, and we got to look at it the whole way down the trail. I think this was my favorite run of the week!