Minipost
Yesterday, Frenchie and I went to The Barbican Centre in London. I have never been here before, so I was quite curious to see, what this well-know performing arts centre in the city of London was all about. (Bonus-info: The Barbican is the largest of its kind in Europe)
The Barbican Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory. We were invited to the conservatory by Discover Madeira – and I was very excited about this, as the conservatory is quite a treasure trove of tropical plants and trees, birdlife and exotic fish
As you can see, the conservatory looks stunning in the evening! It truly was a magical experience!
There are over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees at The Barbican Centre conservatory! (Clever place to represent the beautiful island of Madeira, if you ask me!)
We had plenty of Portuguese food – but my favourite was the dessert!
– and authentic Madeira home baked Bolo Do Caco from Caco & Co (made of plain flour, baker’s yeast, sweet potato, water, salt and sugar) I know, it doesn’t sound very special, but trust me, when I say, that Frenchie and almost had a fight over them when we came home, as we both liked them so much. (My excuse was, that I was eating for two, so I should be allowed to have more than him!)
Being pregnant I was not allowed to try the traditional drink Poncha from Madeira (distilled alcohol made from sugar cane juice), but looking at Frenchies face, I could see, that he enjoyed it a lot! He claimed he felt a bit tipsy after just one drink (Maybe he had forgotten, that he had a few glasses of wine at the bar first!)
We had the most amazing Toboggan ride in a traditional basket sledge from Madeira (Got to love the power of virtual reality!)
The Toboggan dates back to early 19th century, when they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal. Now it is a very popular tourist attraction at Madeira
When it was announced, that there was a competition going on, I was completely determined – I wanted to win it, as Frenchie and I are looking for a lovely place to enjoy a baby-moon
This was my winning picture! (Or at least I thought so… But no! Someone else took the price. Oh well, we had lots of fun taking the pictures – and the hat was quite cool too!)
We took a last romantic walk around at the conservatory! I would love to see this place in daylight as well!
Bonus-info: You can enjoy Afternoon Tea at The Barbican Centre Conservatory with handmade cakes and savouries on selected Sundays each month. For more information take a look here
X Louise
I have been the The Barbican for a jazz concert and for a press day but not the conservatory. It looks amazing and makes you realise just how huge The Barbican actually is.
I would love to hear about your jazz concert? And YES, you are so right – the building is huge! I had trouble finding my way around haha! 🙂
X Louise
What did you think of the Brutalist architecture? I love the place but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Afternoon tea is on my list of things to do – the conservatory looks beautiful at night!
Hi Scarlett,
Honestly I found the building a bit dark and gloomy, but the conservatory is amazing! Yes, I am also up for the Afternoon Tea in such beautiful exotic surroundings!
X Louise
Amazing experience Louise
It sure was 🙂
X Louise
Oh! Wow! This is very exotic compared to when I had my graduation ceremony there. Looks like you had a fab time too! 🙂 x
Yes, we had a great time! The conservatory is truly magical in the evening 🙂
X Louise
It looks so pretty all lit up in the evening! P.S Your photo should definitely have won!
I agree… I should have won! hahahaha!
X Louise
Gahhhh it would’ve been nice to have met up with you there! I couldn’t go unfortunately as I was sick!
Would have loved to meet you there! So many showed up, but honestly I didn’t recognise half of them! It’s funny when you meet people in real life, is it not? 😀
X Louise
How fun =o) I love visiting conservatories and seeing all of the tropical plants on display
https://dreamofadventures.com/
Well, you have been to so many beautiful places with amazing wildlife and exotic plants, so why even go to a conservatory? 😀
X Louise
I’ve actually never been there but it does look fun and very pretty in the dark! I wouldn’t mind a trip to Madiera either! 🙂
It was my first time at the conservatory too! A shame I didn’t win the competition. Would have loved a trip to Madeira too 😀
X Louise
Wasn’t it such a beautiful place!? And it was lovely to finally meet you in person Louise! 🙂 Hopefully we’ll bump into each other at another event soon.