Big Hair...

 Clearly her hair got wilder throughout the day.

 She was obviously having fun.

 Here’s the look chosen for the article.

Although we’ll likely never see the actual magazine, we were sent a PDF of the article. Convenient that the title’s in English since the rest of the article is in Dutch.

A Hair Shoot...

It was convenient that Ashlynn was still out of school for half term when she was confirmed for a shoot in Alkmaar for a hairstylist writing a “How To...” article for a Dutch magazine for hairstylists.

Ashlynn rarely takes selfies, so I’m always thrilled when she sends me behind-the-scenes photos.

Ashlynn’s hair was changed throughout the day into a variety of styles. This shot was my favorite.

 These are nice sultry looks.

Three Days of Halloween...

Ashlynn and I arrived back from Norwich on Saturday morning and that evening she had a Halloween Party at Sara’s. She was torn what to wear, but after visiting several costume shops in Norwich, she decided to buy the cape and tights and to destroy an old dress to go as Little Red Riding Hood.

The following day was the Halloween Hash in Amsterdam, but as you can see, we were in the minority that dressed up.

Surprisingly enough, we fit in the construction coveralls that Ashlynn had bought on Brick Lane and we were able to borrow handcuffs from Ashlynn’s friend.

Of course, we didn’t run connected to each other, but it was fun to pretend we were going to.

Monday was actually Halloween, and when Veronica dressed up as a dead bride to party with her friends at the LCR. Blood seemed to be a popular theme with her friends.

Veronica and her flatmate Larry made an especially lovely twosome (hard to call Veronica gruesome when she’s always smiling).

Norwich Riverside Walk...

While the girls were on their field trip, I took a walk along the River Wensum, starting near the train station. It was great to see so many different parts of Norwich for the first time. 

This building is called Pulls Ferry and apparently it’s one of Norwich’s most famous landmarks dating back to the 15th century.

Per Veronica’s suggestion, I veered off of the Riverside Walk to head up to Kett’s Heights, one of Norwich’s best kept secrets. Historically, it is where Robert Kett and his 15,000 followers besieged the city in 1549 during the Norfolk Rebellion. Now this steep wooded hill has the remains of 19th century terrace gardens with great views of the city.

Once back down to the river, I came across the Cow Tower. Dating from 1399, it was one of the earliest purpose-built artillery towers in England.

 Just across from the Cow Tower was this tree full of birdhouses.

Whitefrairs Bridge

The St. James Mill was built in 1839 in an unsuccessful attempt to save the local textile trade. At times it was used for printing, making chocolate, and as a training factory for war veterans. Today it is a private office complex.

Eventually I made my way back into the city center, where I was amused to see Norwich City Hall, built in 1938, decorated for Halloween.

Back to Norwich...

Ashlynn was very excited about spending three nights at Veronica’s house; there was no space for me, so I stayed in a hotel near the train station.

 The girls had a lot of fun cooking together one night.

They met me in town a few times for some good vegan meals and shopping. We lucked out as there were three tickets left at the Norwich Theatre Royal for Beauty & the Beast Ballet, which was excellent.

Veronica was very excited that her professor allowed Ashlynn to go along on a field trip to a field.

That Friday evening, Ashlynn and I took the ferry back to Holland.

More Sky Garden...

As you can see, I couldn’t resist taking a lot of photos in the Sky Garden. Camilla had never been there, so it was even better that she and Beatrix were able to join me and Ashlynn.

Our timing was perfect as we got to see the sky turn pink as the sun set. The following morning, Ashlynn and I were off to Norwich to visit Veronica.

Sky Garden...

Later that afternoon we headed over to 20 Fenchurch Street, the 37-storey skyscraper nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie, where I’d booked free tickets to visit the Sky Garden which occupies the 34th to 37th storeys.

With 360° views of London, this section overlooking the Thames was an open terrace whereas other parts of the city were seen through windows. As you can see, the skies were definitely not clear that day...

 ...but we still enjoyed the views.

 I particularly enjoyed seeing an aerial view of London Tower.

The architecture and the plants of the Sky Garden were pretty cool as well. We grabbed drinks and cakes and managed to find seats next to the windows.

Visiting Camilla and Tristram...

It’s a bummer that we never managed to visit Camilla and Tristram while they lived in Beijing, but I was thrilled to see them once they moved to London. Although I failed to get any photos of Tristram, here is Camilla welcoming us into their lovely home in New Cross, a community in southeast London.

From their top floor, they have a view of the 95-storey skyscraper The Shard, and they should have a great view of the New Year’s Eve fireworks over the London Eye from the park next door. Camilla cooked us incredible vegan meals both nights. 

We visited the Horniman Museum with a large collection of stuffed animals and skeletons plus a small but very nice aquarium.  

Freya was out of town on a school trip, but Beatrix joined us as she was also on a half term break.

Exploring Shoreditch...

Ashlynn was thrilled to find a kiosk selling vegan pancakes, which were quite delicious.

We enjoyed visiting the UpMarket, a special food market and Old Spitalfields Market.

Afterwards, we went to a very cool street food market called The Pump to go to What the Pitta to get some vegan doner kebabs, which weren’t cheap but were delicious.

We then walked around Shoreditch some more where we saw lots more cool graffiti...

...before eventually picking up our suitcases from the hotel and catching a London Overground light rail to Camilla and Tristam’s house in southeast London where we spent two nights.