Moscow State Circus

Tuesday night we decided to head out to the Moscow State Circus. I wasn't too sure what to expect - I had this picture in my mind of huge arena seating and a massive stage. What we got was quite a small tent with a very small crowd. Not unpleasantly surprised, we took our seats. Being so small we found the venue quite cosy and had an amazing view.

Kickin' it with my Kiwi homeboys - Ministry of Sound & The Church

From the outset it was going to be a big weekend. Our friends from New Zealand were in London and ready to get rowdy! Damo & Ryan arrived on Friday afternoon and headed to Sarah and Shauns - finding themselves a nice comfy airbed to share* for the next couple of nights... cosy! They got their skirts on, did their makeup etc then made their way around to our place for a few drinks. Lots of reminescing, laughs, stories... just good times really. From this point on things get a little hazy. We jumped on a bus into Elephant and Castle and made our way to the iconic Ministry of Sound. MOS first opened in 1991 as a club dedicated to house music. It was hugely popular and has since is now probably more famous for their CD’s.

Greenwich & Thames Barrier

It has been an eventful weekend!

Friday night we met up with Damo and Ryan - friends from NZ - that are over here doing a bit of travelling. They were only in town for the night so we went out and had a few brews and did a bit of catching up. They are back in a few weeks time so have some big plans...

Saturday Rochelle and I decided to head to Greenwich, most famous for the Prime Meridian (Longitude 0). But it turns out there is a whole lot of other cool stuff in Greenwich too! First we checked out the Old Royal Naval College, which contains The Painted Hall. This is an amazing dining hall which is 'probably the finest dining hall in the Western world' according to these guys. The Navel College is right on the Thames and offers some great views of the city and the O2 Arena.

The Black Seeds rock London

I wasn't going to post blog about going to see a band - it doesn't really go with the travel theme, but i felt the performance warranted a mention. Don't worry, I will keep it short and sweet.

Friday night we went to see The Black Seeds (NZ dub band for those not in the know). They were frikken awesome! We had such a good night. Several elements contributed to the overall awesomeness:
- They played so well! Better than I expected. Nothing like these bands you hear on the radio that are completely manufactured, so when they get on stage they absolutely suck. These guys had real talent! They sounded even better than their digital recordings.
- The venue (Shepards Bush Empire) was really impressive. I don't know the history of it, but seems to be quite old, and really authentic. Maybe its just built to look that way? Either was, it pulls it off. The Empire has three tier's - unfortunately we were up top - but got in early so had a perfect, uninterrupted view.
- The atmosphere was awesome. So many kiwi's packed in to an amazing venue, all having an awesome time listening to some good kiwi tunes. There were plenty of "Kia Ora's" and "Chur Bros". Felt just like home.


From now until Christmas we are really full on! Three overseas trips, visitors, two gigs and moving into our new flat... Its all on! So I'll be sure to keep you all up to date.