The House of The Trembling Madness

I am back home in York! On Saturday I got the train down from Newcastle, where I go to uni, because I have an 'independent study week'.  This basically means you are set loads of work to do on your own instead of going to lectures, but it also meant that I could come home!

Last night it was the first night of Illuminating York which is an annual light festival in York. Anyway, as well as wondering around looking at lit up buildings, my mum and I went into a pub called The House of Trembling Madness. I mean for starters doesn't it just have the best name ever!

The House of Trembling Madness has got to be one of the most atmospheric pubs in York. Situated along Stonegate in a medieval hall above a shop which specialises in beers from all over the world,  they serve micro-brews, beers and ales as well as some delicious food in generous portions. The decor is amazing with high ceilings, exposed beams, antique furniture and lots of candles.

When we arrived it was packed with people but luckily a couple were just leaving so we got their seats. We had to share a table and wait quite a while for the food to come, but when it did, boy was it worth it! We shared a dish called chorizo in scrumpy which I highly recommend!

Food and Drink: 5 stars | Service: 4 stars | Value: 5 stars | Atmosphere: 5 stars

Website: www.tremblingmadness.co.uk

Location: 48 Stonegate, York

Sorry for the really bad quality of the photos, in my defense it was dark and I took them on my phone. Not a good combination. For better photos visit their website.

This photo doesn't do the food any justice. It looked really good and when it came everyone else looked on with envy!

Have you ever been to a really atmospheric pub like this?

Linking up with Treat YoSelf Thursday

Selfridges window displays

We were on a bus on our way to the John Lewis exhibition when it stopped outside Selfridges. 

Me, 'ooh look at those window displays.' 

Mum, 'do you want to get off now so you can take some photos?' 

Mothers know us so well don't they! I am always stopping to take photos of window displays and the ones in Selfridges were worth the extra walk.

The window displays were part of their campaign, Meet the Makers, which profiled some of the makers of food products sold in their stores. I really liked this idea and thought that the displays were very eye catching. While I was there they gained a lot of interest from passers-by; I could see other people were stopping to look at the windows.

Meet the cheese maker: Gringer Dairy

Meet the cake artist: Scott Hove

Meet the coffee roaster: Origin Coffee

Meet the brewers: Camden Town Brewery

Meet the charcutiers:  Cannon and Cannon

Meet the meringue makers: Meringue Girls

Meet the bug-eating blogger: Girl meets Bug

Meet the mixologist: Mr Lyan

My favourite window was the Girl meets Bug one as I love how it's set up as an American Diner. 

Which is your favourite?

Travel Tuesday: The Best Gardens in Kyoto

A while ago I wrote a guest post for Claire who blogs over at Somewhere Beyond The Sea. In case you don't follow her blog (which you should do!) and therefore didn't see the post, I thought I would share it with you today. You can view the original post here. Japanese gardens are really beautiful and each one so unique. They are peaceful and walking around admiring the beauty is a great way to relax. Here are my five favourite Japanese gardens in Kyoto.

1. Shosei-en garden

I went to this garden just a few days before leaving Japan. It is only a 7 minute walk from Kyoto Station and yet when I went it was practically empty. Unfortunately there are some high rise buildings surrounding the garden but I liked the view of the empty, green garden with Kyoto Tower in the background.

2. Tofuki-ji temple

Temples in Japan have really beautiful gardens, some are small but the one at Tofuku-ji is pretty big. I went in autumn when all the leaves were amazing jewel colours. As it is one of the most famous places in Kyoto for autumn leaves there were hordes of Japanese tourists which I wrote more about in this post, however it was definitely worth it.

 

3. Aizu Governor’s Temple

Aizu was a samurai clan from Tohoku who were called to Kyoto to protect the Emperor (ironically they ended up fighting against the Emperor.) Anyway this was the temple where the Aizu Governor lived while Kyoto. The temple itself is very interesting and the garden is very traditional in its style with perfectly manicured lawns, bonsai and a teahouse.

 

4. Murin-an villa

This place is the definition of a hidden gem. Tucked away in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto near Nanzen-ji temple it has the added bonus of the Higashiyama hills in the background. Compared to other Japanese gardens this place has a slightly more western feel, with an open lawn scattered with wild flowers.

 

5. Shinsen-en garden

This is a very small garden but it is near Nijo castle so if you are in the area it is worth coming. Stand on the bright orange bridge and watch all the fish swimming around then walk up to the dragon boat. Out of all the gardens I have talked about this is the only one which is free.

Which of these gardens would you like to visit?
 

Linking up the Let's be Friends linkup

Life Lately

So, I haven't written a post for... well I've lost count. But anyway here's a bit of what I have been up to and I really will try to get back to posting regularly. That's not a promise though!

 

The Baltic- centre for contemporary art in Gateshead

 

Posters- you have to do something with all those promotional posters from bars and clubs 

Food- the Sunday roast me and my flat mates cooked

Tynemouth- my first day at uni consisted of a quiz, a teambuilding exercise decorating a banana, a trip to the beach, a sand sculpture competition, pub drinks bought by our tutor and finally fish and chips. Not bad eh!

As well as decorating a banana here is a pineapple spray painted white...

...and cucumber people!

 

So as you can see I have been very busy doing very studious things!