Bond Girl For A Day Or Two

While our book club has covered many wonderful authors and correlating activities this year,

I have to say this James Bond study has been my favorite so far

It has been ridiculously fun!

Here's the lowdown...

Zipping through London along the River Thames

at a top speed of 35 knots,

this RIB boat ride had us grinning from ear to ear

with a few bugs in our teeth

Vowing to bring our kids next time,

this is the best way to see London from the water

via London RIB Voyages

We opted for the James Bond themed ride - Bond music included

Visit tucked-away Duke's Hotel in the heart of London

where Bond's author, Ian Fleming, enjoyed his martinis

and Sean Connery celebrated being cast as James Bond

(also a frequent Bond film location)

Offers afternoon tea and/or martinis concocted from a table-side cart

Celebrating 

'50 Vehicles. 50 Years.',

Beaulieu's National Motor Museum

 is exhibiting the creatively cool collection of

jetpacks, submarines, cars, motorcycles, and flying contraptions

featured in Bond films

(ends January 5, 2014)

A huge hit with my son

Worthy of a standing ovation, Richard Walker's enthusiasm rubbed off on all of us

as we learned the backstory of author Ian Fleming

and true accounts of spies operating in London during his time

A two hour guided walking tour by London Walks

We spied Eon Productions, the film production company producing James Bond film series

Shaken, not stirred...

Lastly, we strutted over to Jack's Lounge in London's Southwark district

for a cocktail class with some friendly competition within our group

Learning about bartender tools and how to properly shake a drink,

 we made yummy Passion Fruit Martinis and 

complicated Flaming Orange Cosmopolitans

Here's a few ideas we didn't get to...

Through Brit Movie Tours, 

visit Pinewood Studios where many Bond movies have been filmed

Imperial War Museum is hosting Horrible Histories: Spies

as a fun interactive exhibition in London for families

(on my 'must do' list) 

Be a stunt car driver for the day on a challenging specialized track

Give high speed parallel parking a try after you make a reverse spin

Offered by Top Gear's Paul Swift Precision Driving 

near Guildford, Milton Keynes, and Durham

(would be a total blast with my husband)

And there's more!

Find out more about Ian Fleming and Bond in my next post

:)

- photos by me -

More In Bond Series ::

Interview Of A Bond Girl
Fascinating World Of Ian Fleming

(an unsponsored post)

Interview Of A Bond Girl

This month our book club is reading Ian Fleming's 'Dr No' featuring James Bond

In fact, Cheltenham Literature Festival selected it for The Big Read last year

What better way to start the book study 

than lunch with a friend

who happened to be a Bond Girl?

photo courtesy of Vanessa Perroncel

Meet lovely Vanessa - a French model, actress, and mom

She appeared in the James Bond film 'Die Another Day' (2002)

starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry

source: Wikipedia

Here's her response to my questions 

over a yummy goat cheese salad :)

What was the process of being selected for the film?

Vanessa went to an invitation-only 'request casting' in London based on photos submitted by her agent. When she arrived, she was measured intensely - maybe for clothing, maybe to check proportions. Shortly thereafter, Vanessa received the phone call that she was chosen to be one of nine 'Ice Palace Girls' in the film 'Die Another Day'.

What it was like on set?

The Ice Palace scene was filmed in Pinewood Studios, just outside London. A car was sent to pick up Vanessa on filming days (and nights). The leading actors had their own trailers, and the Ice Palace Girls had a tent to retreat to. Over her 7 -10 days on set, there was a real buzz in the air. It was a lot of fun, and everyone was very nice. 

The set was quite cold, really beautiful and a bit surreal. They dressed Vanessa exquisitely in beautiful dresses, furs and shoes. Make up artists and hair stylists were always nearby for quick touch ups for all the actors. 

With filming there is always a lot of waiting. And you never know how much of your scene will make the final cut.

Ice Palace Set
Source: Emma's Bucket List

What does it mean to you to be a Bond Girl? 

Well, it looks good on the CV/resume, of course. And people are still impressed that she was in a Bond film, although to Vanessa it's no big deal and was a long time ago. But it still carries a wow factor for many. Now she's really focused on her future and raising her son. 

Thank you, Vanessa, for giving us a peek into the 'real' world of Bond!

Next post I'll uncover local locations

where you can feel like a Bond Girl for a day

:)

More In Bond Series ::

Bond Girl For A Day Or Two (local activities)
Fascinating World Of Ian Fleming

London's Changing Skyline

Yesterday I went into London and

- wow! -

was I shocked by all the construction of new skyscrapers

View from Waterloo Bridge yesterday

Here's the most notable additions...

1.

The City's Leadenhall Building, aka 'The Cheese Grater', 

has a distinct wedge shape

and is due for completion next year

artist drawing: Skyscraper News

2.

20 Fenchurch Street (below) has been in the news recently

for a glare so powerful that a sunscreen was erected 

to prevent car paint from blistering 

and pedestrians from getting burned 

The 'Walkie Talkie' building has an unusual top heavy design

and should be completed in 2014

'Walkie Talkie' in foreground
'Cheese Grater' in background

3.

Now standing as the tallest building in Western Europe,

The Shard successfully opened this year

If you haven't been in London for a while,

you'll be surprised by its evolving skyline

While I love old buildings with character, 

I appreciate the innovative design of this newest generation

which is replacing nondescript buildings of the past,

keeping London fresh and cutting edge :) 

What do you think?

Yea or nay
to a skyline change?

Hmm, I can't decide

- photos by me, unless otherwise noted -

Rooftop Tour Of Hampton Court

Hampton Court is best known as the grand palace of 

King Henry VIII

(the king with six wives)

and is situated just outside London

It is also famous for its 411 chimneys,

many of which I saw up close on a recent rooftop tour

During Tudor times, brick indicated power and wealth

Glass windows did too

King Henry VIII was very OTT in everything he did

There were two distinct building periods of the palace

The fancy chimneys belong to the Tudor times (1500s)

and the rectangular Baroque chimneys were designed
by Christopher Wren during King William III's reign (1690s)

The majority of Tudor chimneys were replaced during the Victorian era due to disrepair
And although it is rumored no two Tudor chimneys are alike,
our guides could not confirm

Ahh, a wonderful view of the River Thames and the parterre garden,

intended to be seen from above and to rival Versailles at the time

It was great to see this famous landmark from an unusual angle

and to drink in the spectacular sweeping vistas from the rooftop

Wish you could have been there!

- photos by me -

For tour, contact www.thehistoryguides.co.uk
(an unsponsored post)

Travel :: Slovenia

How was your summer?

Ours was fantastic

partly due to this completely 

(what seemed to me) random trip

- Slovenia -

I find some of the best experiences come in obscure packaging

And I also find that as we travel Europe, it is not the topography that is so striking

(often something similar in the US)

but the architecture

So loving this view...

Look at these adorable, traditional haystacks with so much personality :)

As you may remember, Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia until 1991

It didn't look or feel like it was a former Eastern Bloc country (although it was),

and Slovenia had the cleanliness and orderliness of their northern Austrian neighbors

We saw pizzerias in every village and

experienced the friendliness and warmth like their Italian neighbors to the west

Everyone we met spoke English, Italian, and Slovene

We traveled the northwest region of Slovenia through the Julian Alps,

which is a warmer section of the Alps due to the Mediterranean Sea being close-ish

As a result, delphiniums, cyclamen, and scabiosa grow wild in the forest

(I know!)

It's the perfect place for outdoor enthusiasts,

offering kayaking, rafting, paragliding, rock climbing, hiking,

zip lines, and even snow skiing in the winter

I'm dying to try river 'hydrospeeding' on specialized boards next time

As you can see, the water was an amazingly clear, sea-glass color

Although we ran out of time to do all we wanted to do, 

we did give 'canyoning' a try

which involved scrambling, climbing, 

sliding, jumping, rapelling (abseiling), and swimming

through narrow river canyons

Super fun, a little bit scary, and very wet!

And Lake Bohinj is where we would like to spend more time

on its beautiful tranquil waters

We found many delightful curiosities such as this homemade diving board...

(yes, we had to give it a try!)

...'open borders' between countries in this region thanks to the European Union

Not a person to be seen (although I'm sure video cameras were watching)...

Desolate border between Slovenia and Italy

& I'm always a sucker for a cow crossing photo op

One of our funniest moments was taking a wrong turn
which led us into a looong 5 mile tunnel

When we exited the tunnel, the sign said 'Willkommen'
for we had found ourselves in Austria

That was a surprise - talk about wrong turns!

How was your summer?

- photos by me -

(an unsponsored post)

My English Garden Fix

Having not visited a garden all summer,

yesterday my family and I headed out to Borde Hill Garden in West Sussex

with our little puppy, Millie, in tow

(her first big outing)

Described as 

'One of the country's truly great gardens' by Country Life Magazine,

I was thrilled to have the 17 acre garden to ourselves

thanks to the heavy rain

(which I insisted would subside any minute) (I was so wrong)

And although the garden was past its prime in September,

it was still stunning nonetheless

with its Elizabethan mansion in the background

(still occupied by the same family since 1893)

and The Italian Garden

- what a view -

The photo below was taken with my favorite camera lens app, Pro HDR

It creates depth in landscape shots, sometimes even better than my fancy camera

It takes two photos - one under-exposed and one over-exposed - and places 

one on top of the other to create a photograph like magic

My son recently told me about an app called 'Bump'

he'd read about in a recent spy-thriller novel

It's a clever app which allows you to transfer photos and other information

 from your smart phone to another device

just by bumping them together

The crazy thing works!

Any apps you've discovered recently?

So now with the heat on in the house for the first time in a while,

I wish you a wonderful week ahead 

:)

 - photos by me -

(an unsponsored post)

Last Weeks Of Summer

The great weather continues to hold in England

as summer dons her most beautiful dress

Views of

fields and majestic oak trees...

charming homes...

the nearby river...

& gardens in full bloom...

Getting into the back-to-school groove,

life is hopping around here

Soon to feel the calm...

How are you enjoying the last bit of summer?

- photos by me -