On the Couch @GeneratorHostels

Generator Road Trip NEW VIDEOS Launched!

2012-01-03T11:28:00.002Z

In the summer of 2011 Generator Hostels embarked on a film shoot, to make it fun we turned it into a Road Trip! Our aim was to invoke the social within our Hostels, too highlight wicked things to see in our locations and show everyone what fun can be had at a Generator Hostel!

We stared in Dublin on the 16th August where we visited Viking Splash Tours and the Guinness Storehouse with Generator guests Maximillian and Sina! In the Bar we met people from all over Europe who joined us for our Summer party.

We then sailed over to Germany, where we made for the Generator Berlin! Berlin has much to offer in the way of night life and fun, we met with Generator guests Forest and Lizzy and we chose to explore the Flea Markets, where we stumbled on a LIVE acoustic session! Meanwhile at the Hostel we mingled with two massive University groups and took part in Karoke and the Wii contest!

Stop three for us was our new hostel in Copenhagen! Visiting Copenhagen’s wonderful theme park Tivoli, Helena, myself and Malene were treated to pirate ships and roller rides! The Hostel hosted a Burn/Jaeger party where we met the amazing Mark Barber A.K.A ‘Magic Mark’

The final stop of the GHostels Road Trip ’11 was the Generator London! Our longest established Hostel opened in 1995 and Hosted a fantastic summer karaoke party! In the city we visited London’s Death Trap with long term Australian Generator guest Anna, where we were attacked, scared and met with many zombies!

We hope you enjoy the videos as much as we enjoyed making them, and that you too see the wickedly fun side of staying at a Generator Hostel and meeting loads of new friends from all over the world! Check out the behind the scenes photos on our official Facebook page!

It's Christmas time there's no need to be....BORED whoop whoop!

2011-11-30T17:26:00.001Z

Starting Tomorrow that’s Thursday 1^st December in the year 2011, Generator Hostels are launching their very own, really cool, totally funky and all round awe inspiring Advent calendar!

Its totally and utterly EXCLUSIVE to all our Facebook and twitter peeps as a massive, humongous, gigantic THANK YOU for all your support through 2011! Oh and you can also access it at GENERATORhostels.com!

Everyday you gain access to a new door on the advent calendar and will be faced with a surprise! Some days you’ll grab really cool Xmas facts, and other days you’ll receive massively funky special offers (sssssshhhhhhhhhh it’s a secret!)

Under 3 of the doors are 3 brand spanking NEW videos featuring some pretty crazy festive characters! Much like Marmite or Vegemite, if your Australian, you’ll either Love them or Hate them! We’re kind of hoping its Love, but hey you never know!

So all that’s left to say is…..ITS NEARLY CHRISTMAS and have fun counting down with the Generator Hostels crew!

Follow all the latest Advent Gossip on twitter using the #GHchristmas conversation!https://www.facebook.com/GENERATORhostels?sk=app_194653767287575

Yo,Yo,Yo my Christmas coffee shop fav’s this Winter!

2011-11-18T16:44:00.000Z

Christmas is fast approaching, and although, I still have my head vey much in the sand, I am starting to enjoy the delights of coffee shop festive treats! Mince pies, lattes, gingerbread people and a whole load of fake snow have fallen upon our most loved coffee shop retreats, so who really offers the best Christmas coffee?

No 1: Starbucks

Global giant Starbucks, sometimes looked upon as the evil money maker, has, as always, pulled out all the stops for its Christmas 2011 offering. Old favourites the Gingerbread latte and Eggnog latte are a welcome return, along with the Toffee Nut latte and this years newbie the Praline chocolate mocha. These drinks really do epitomise the American Christmas, all coming served with lashings of whipped cream and Nutmeg, they are sure to warm up even the dullest of wintery afternoons! Beware however, feeling Christmassy comes at a price! With an average 80p - £1 increase on a regular espresso based beverage they aren’t cheap but are guaranteed to turn you into a quivering Christmas fool!

My Top Tip: Go for the Gingerbread latte and the Ginger Loaf together! Nom nom nom

No 2: Baresso

In Denmark the Christmas fare is supplied by the one and only Barresso. Much like Starbucks they could be viewed as the cooperation but with their offerings of Christmas, or ‘Jul’ Lattes they have it sewn up! Unlike Starbucks these little treats just come with a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top, so not quite the total Christmas experience! Although I haven’t witnessed a Baresso Christmas myself, I am well informed from several Danish sources that walking into the coffee shop is rather Christmassy indeed!

My Top Tip: Go large, the coffee is delicious, so whatever you do make it BIG!

No 3: Balzac Coffee

Lets go to Hamburg! Although Hamburg is also filled with the famous Starbucks Siren, there is a little Gem known as Balzac Coffee! A small chain of roughly 55 spread across Hamburg their Christmas offerings come in the form of baked festive treats. On the top of the list is their exclusively baked Gingerbread man, only available at this special time of year!

My Top Tip: Get your festive treats to go and walk along the scenic streets of Hamburg’s Mӧnckerberg straße!

No 4: Café Ritazza

Should you find yourself, as I did 4 weeks ago, sat at Terminal 1 in Dublin airport, then you’ll be lucky enough to take advantage of the new Café Ritazza menu. The brand, who pride themselves on the finest espresso blends, have launched a selection of ne handcrafted beverages which are the key elements of their seasonal menu. Coffee’s include Caramel Macchiato, triple layered espressos and even Affogatto, literally meaning ‘drowned’ in Italian, this is ice cream served with Espresso poured over!

My Top Tip: By yourself some panettone to accompany your Italian espresso

No 5: Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger, great lunchtime hideaways for the sandwich aficionado! Many coffee shops will have inflated prices at Christmas to offset the NEW ingredients, not Pret! The great thing about these guys is that all of the Christmas lunch items donate part of the profit to charity so not only do you get enjoy your cranberry sauce sandwich but you also get to feel good and generous too!

My Top tip: Try the Mince Pies in December, they are always bliss

Cheesy Explodin' Mash...Give it a go!

2011-11-06T19:12:00.000Z

As the winter months start to set in, I’m always looking for new things to cook up in the kitchen. As someone who rarely likes to cook many of my favourites are suitable for the basic kitchens found in Hostel accommodation whilst travelling! Here is one of my all time ‘love it’ recipes! Enjoy!

Cheesy Exploding mash!

Feeds 1-2 people or 1 very hungry person!

Ingredients:

- 3 Large Potatoes

- Butter

- Paprika

- Chilli powder

- Cheddar Cheese

I find this little bad boy rather dandy in the winter months when its cold outside and you want to warm up!

Start by bringing a pan of water to the boil on the hob. Place your peeled potatoes into the water and boil for around about 20 min’s or until soft inside when pricked with a fork.

Next drain your potatoes and pop back on the heat, spoon in a nice big dollop of butter and stir into the potatoes over the heat. Be sure to take your time and let the potatoes soak up all the buttery delight!

Next take another big spoon of butter and pop it in and start to mash your potatoes. You can either use a potato masher or just use a fork and go for leather! Now you have a fluffy mash sprinkle in your paprika and chilli powder to taste! Better to add less and then keep adding for extra heat!

TIP: You can always add spice but you cant subtract!!

Now that your spices are in just keep mashing away until you have a creamy smooth and spiced mash! Some people like to eat straight away and enjoy the spicy kick that awaits them. I however prefer to pop on some cheese!

Simply grate your cheese over the top of your mash once plated up! Add cheese to taste!

That’s it, sit back and Dig in to your exploding Mash!

Looking for more adventurous recipes? Why not check out the hostelbookers.com 'Backpacker Recipe Guide' for more ideas!!

Dublin becomes an Art lovers Paradiso....

2011-10-13T18:49:00.000+01:00

Dublin Contemporary is an ambitious project incorporating artists from not only Ireland but internationally.

The event spanning the from 6^th September and elongating its way through out October, focuses on some key ideas and themes, and that is of the ‘Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change’ also set up is the ‘Office of Non Compliance’ which discusses the subject of change and that even change itself is forever changing.

I caught up with Revenue Executive Louise Lawlor at the Generator Hostel in Dublin, to discuss the event and what kind of impact she felt it would have on our guests:

Noodles “ So for all those budding Revenue executives out there, what does your job involve?”

Louise “ well I look at the occupancy for the Dublin Hostel, its all about making sure we get the right people into the right beds and that we’re consistently offering not only value for money, but Amazing Hostels in Amazing Locations” (Check out Generator Hostels Careers here)

Noodles “ Louise, so can you just briefly tell us a little bit about Dublin Contemporary”

Louise “Contemporary Dublin, is an original, exciting modern art exhibition which will certainly appeal to the masses. The main exhibition hall is made up of three floors which includes; paintings, video, sculpture and performance pieces by both Irish and International artists –there is literally something for everyone – even if you are not exactly an art connoisseur!!”

Noodles “ Do you think an exhibition of this nature will appeal to the Generator Dublin Guests?”

Louise “Since the exhibition opened on September 6^th our guests staying at Generator Dublin have described it as edgy, exciting, ambitious and excellent value for money”

Noodles “Thanks for taking the time to join me on the couch Louise!”

You can catch the Dublin Contemporary art festival until the end of October, check out www.dublincontemporary.com for full event details including Pop up art exhibitions, night time activities and much, much more!

The Great Generator Exchange

2011-10-04T16:55:00.000+01:00

When you think of exchanges, it brings memories flooding back of week long periods In France staying with a family you’ve never met! Pen pals, and summertime adventures in store and a somewhat daring opportunity to be free for a while!

I’m sure that’s exactly what receptionists JP and Martin were thinking when they swapped lives for a week! Jp is one of our newest recruits on the Generator Dublin reception team, and was posted at the Generator Berlin for a week of German fun and shenanigans to feed back to Dublin!

Across the ocean our receptionist Martin has been with us a fair while and was whisked off to Dublin for a week to share the love and his wealth of experience.

This is one of the first of many exchanges that will be happening as our brand expands and grows. Generator Hostels started humbly way back in 1995 and has since grown to its current 5 Hostel Status, now boasting brand new properties in Dublin, Copenhagen and Hamburg.

Guests staying with us will be treated to en-suite facilities, FREE communal Wi-Fi, awesome night life and of course budget accommodation!

JP and Martin got to grips with there new roles and quickly settled into life in a foreign country!

When I spoke to JP about his initial reaction to Berlin he said:

“Its visually very different to Dublin, and what I’m used to, but the one thing that seems to be obvious is that people all want to meet new people and experience travelling together”

JP’s right when he says this! I recently travelled around our Hostels while filming on the Generator Road Trip and I got such a strong sense of socialisation and of meeting new travellers from everyone. No matter what city I was in everyone wanted to mingle and get to know each other, it’s a really cool experience and great to be part of!

Martin also commented on the atmosphere saying:

“Although Dublin has a new edgier style to Generator Berlin the social impact of the hostel remains the same, its all about new friends and interaction”

The boys are now back in their own cities and settling back into life, I’m sure having learnt a great deal from their exchanges!

Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for more city events and hostel information coming up throughout October! We’ll be showing you the hottest things to see and do in our cities along with a handful of guest blogs and specials from Generator Hostels!

If you or any of your friends are interested in working for Generator Hostels check out our Careers Page for current vacancies!

Bye for now Guys

Noodles

Noodles’ Top 5 Techno bits ‘n’ Bobs right now!

2011-09-26T16:44:00.000+01:00

Yo yo! Okay I have decided after opening our WIN an iPhone competition on Facebook,(Click To Enter! Do it now!) that I’m gonna shout out my Favourite 5 little technologies right here! So in the opinion of Noodles here they are! Some of these are totally cool for SoLoMo (Social, Local, Mobile) Oh yes that’s right! Buzz words all round! Thank you David Rowan, Editor of Wired Magazine for that little beast!

1) Blackberry Bold 9900

The newest of the BlackBerry bold family is the 9900, it’s the first BlackBerry in a traditional format to feature a touch screen as well as a full QWERTY keyboard! Packing a mean punch with BlackBerrys new OS7 operating system, it boasts faster more accessible web browsing, which as we all know, has been BlackBerrys downfall on earlier models. It’s a single sheet of aluminium and the thinnest BlackBerry handset ever! Well worth a look if you’re a BB baby like myself!

2) Nintendo 3DS

This whopper is fun, fun, fun! Nintendo’s newest DS is 3D without glasses, motion sensitive and still slim enough to fit in your back pocket. Over the years Nintendo have been leaders on the gaming field, and this little beauty just upped the game again. Offering real 3D gaming for an in depth portable experience this is the ultimate in tube ride fun!

3) Mac OSX Lion

Those of you using Apple’s Mac products will fully appreciate the ease of using the Mac OS, and that just got even better with Lion! RAAWWWWWWR! The new OS features some pretty nifty updates including full screen Apps, Mission control, Launchpad and Airdrop! Airdrop, a fantastic idea, allows users to forward documents and work to another user wirelessly! Another update to the software means the multi touch gesture functionality on the mouse got more fun! Just when you thought it couldn’t get better it did! Check it out and you wont stop smiling!

4) iPhone 5

Although just at this stage a rumour this little number is what everybody in the world is waiting for right now! Dominating the technology market Apple have always been very shrewd when it came to releasing details! The latest rumours suggest iPhone 5 is set for an October launch, while other rumours say an iPhone 4s will be a budget release next to the top end i5! We’ll all just have to wait and see! Whatever iPhone you have why not check out the Generator App! (Ooops shameless plug!)

5) Facebook Timeline

Any of those watching this years F8 conference would know that it was excitement from start to finish! In particular the announcement of Timeline, your own personal life history right there in your profile! Timeline will offer users a fluid and adaptable profile space, which will chronicle the important and not so important parts of your life from beginning to now! Video, Imagery, status updates, app interaction all this integrated with the open graph makes for very pleasurable socialisation! Rolling out September 30^th, it will change Facebook, maybe not forever, but for a while!

Why Not Check out our Generator Hostels Travel app!

Nissan Leaves and European rallies…

2011-09-08T19:37:00.000+01:00

One Very cold and slightly wet morning at the Generator in London we met with Gordon Foat, who as part of the WAVE (World advanced vehicle expedition) will be rallying around Europe in an electric Nissan Leaf! He treated us to a little interview on Camera!

Forgive my train of thought, but my initial reaction was, a rally in electric cars, how slow! Well quite the contrary! I am advised by Gordon that the brand new Nissan Leaf will do a maximum speed of 120MPH and is freely available to purchase from Nissan, as the first Electric car for family consumption.

Gordon himself is somewhat of a star in the eco world, as founder of the online magazine Future Energies, he is readily involved in all manner of renewable energy and really thrashing out the benefits of such energies.

Generator Hostels have sponsored Gordon in his efforts to complete this drive through Europe so we were anxious to catch up with the man himself and see how he was feeling.

When we met Gordon he was already in a rally frame of mind, and we chatted with him about the details of the WAVE rally this year and future plans for 2012. 20 teams from varying countries around the world will drive across Europe in 15 days. With events being organised in over 30 cities to publicise the event, Gordon has no doubt that it will be a complete success.

The rally kicked off from Paris yesterday, and the drivers have another 14 days of electric filled fun until they reach their end destination of Prague! Driving with the vehicles will be the INOO TRUCK, this cleverly designed truck is a charging hub for the cars and also acts as the press and PR office whilst on road.

We are all inspired here by the concept and the passion from Green Motor Sport to spread the word about renewable energy. We wish Gordon, and indeed all of the other participants good luck with the rally and we look forward to welcoming back the Green Motor Sport team at the end of the rally.

Check out the pictures from when Gordon met us here!

Generator Hostels Road Trip Days Nine, Ten and Eleven!

2011-08-29T12:28:00.000+01:00

Day 9

After a blazing party in the Generator Copenhagen Bar on day eight, it was time to hit the sites of Copenhagen and take in the cities hottest attraction Tivoli!

Simple you may think….well not so much! Day nine saw the end of a pleasant car hire experience, when our people carrier ran out of Ad Blue! What is this I hear you cry, well, it’s a special formula that is injected into the engine to make your car more economic and lower its emissions! All well and good for the planet, but not for the time schedule, as we later found out, only a Seat dealer can inject this magic liquid! A couple of hours later we were back up and running!

We hooked up with a couple of my friends from Denmark and headed into Tivoli! It was definitely worth the wait. Imagine the beauty of an ancient Chinese civilization….now add rollercoasters! That’s Tivoli! Its magical character adds to an exciting and eclectic mix of rides and fairground fun, from dodgems to roller coasters! The highlight for me though was definitely the Pirate ship ride, I really felt like a proper Pirate!

A fantastic Day/Night and some amazing footage for the videos so keep yours eyes peeled for that!

Day 10

After a spectacular time at Tivoli it was back to the Generator Copenhagen for a little round up of the day, and time for me to catch up with another friend from the city! We got to chatting about Copenhagen lifestyle and things to see and do. Time flew by and before I knew it bed time had arrived as we had a 6am start to travel back through Europe heading for London!

Early mornings are not a strong suit of mine, but, after a long hot shower I was dressed and in the car! We were once again on the road in our economically friendly Vehicle and heading for Bruges as a Layover En-Route to London for the final leg of the film shoot.

When we arrived in Bruges, my head hit the pillow at 18:00 and I slept for 14 hours solid, it would appear the busy schedule of shooting and fun was beginning to catch up on me!

Day 11

The car was becoming our best friend at this point, we had honed the Air Conditioning to the perfect temperature and pressure and we had set the cruise control to the optimum travel speed. So we headed to Calais to get the Ferry over to Dover.

A busy ferry, and what is notably a bumpy crossing, made for an interesting trip across the channel from France. At only one and a half hours though it was manageable and no sea sickness reared its head!

Getting to Dover we had travelled by car just over 2000 miles in 11 days, and covered a vast space over Europe! We were now headed for the Generator London, where we would play host to the last two days of filming for the Generator Hostels Road Trip. We had a carnival party waiting for us and a busy 900 bed hostel

Chat soon guys

Noodles xx

Generator Hostels Road Trip – Days six, seven and eight!

2011-08-25T13:12:00.000+01:00

A great many things have happened on the Road Trip since we last spoke! For one thing we said goodbye to Forrest and Lizzie, and we left Germany!

Day 6:

Day six in Berlin was the big one, after breakfast we headed out on the free walking tour that leaves the hostel everyday! Taking in some of the finest sights in Berlin we were joined by numerous people from the Generator from all over the world! Dan from GASS productions strapped a camera to my chest, so there may be some cool footage of life through my eyes!

Later that night we met up with Forrest and Lizzie from filming on Day 5 and then it was off to the Generator Bar Berlin for Karaoke! Singers gathered in the bar to show off there best Karaoke skills! It wasn’t long before people were joining in the action! From Robbie Williams to Frank Sinatra, these guys were singing all the big ones! The night ended on a complete high, and just before bed I met a group of boys from Leeds in the UK and had a chat with them about life and love and all that’s in between!

Day 7:

We were on the road again, from Germany to Denmark! Taking the car and joining a ferry, we sailed to Denmark and drove up through to Copenhagen! Being on the open sea was so exciting! Standing on deck my mind wondered to times when Pirates ruled the open seas and Rum was like water! Alas it wasn’t long before I was on dry land again and we were speeding our way up to Copenhagen. Getting to Copenhagen was just as it was the last time, just surrounded by an aura of calm and tranquillity, one immediately relaxes into a Danish frame of mind! An early night for us and an early start on Day eight for a hostel shoot.

Day 8:

Rise and shine its Copenhagen time! I was anxious to get cracking and start to film this awesome hostel, but first there was a desperate need for some Joe! Being in Denmark gives me access to the remarkable taste of Joe and the Juice, the most seductive and trendy coffee money can buy here in Copenhagen! So I grabbed my Pink latte and then got the ball rolling on filming! Was a cracking day followed by the first ever party here at the Generator Copenhagen bar! Sponsored by Carlsberg and Burn the evening panned out to be a social mix of interactions and befriending. Drinks specials kept the tide rolling and good music kept the atmosphere pumping. We even had a magician in house who treated us to a little magic….pick a card any card…..is this your card…..WOW! We’ve all seen it done before, but there is something that just grabs you when its right their! Midnight hit and we called it a night, well at the Hostel anyway!

I’ll be in touch about Day 9, which is lining up to be a cracker J

Ciao

Noodles

Generator Hostel Road Trip – Day 5 Berlin City Shoot

2011-08-23T10:28:00.000+01:00

After a good nights sleep I was refreshed and ready to hit Berlin with the crew! We shot some cool stuff around the hostel in the morning and chatted to some of the guests during breakfast where we met our new friends Lizzie and Forrest! Randomly Lizzie turned out to be from the south West, an hour from my Hometown in Cornwall! Forrest was from Chicago in the United States and had some totally awesome stories to tell!

We decided to head out to the Flea Markets in Berlin, which are rumoured to be some of the most diverse and entertaining markets around Europe. We headed out to the largest of the Sunday markets, Floh Markt at Mauer Park. Walking in you wouldn’t think it any different to your average flea market, its only when you get to the heart of this market that you notice the subtle difference… its not just a flea market!

At the heart of the market lay a whole host of live music and sporting events like Basketball. The coolest thing was an open mic session, where literally, hundreds of people had gathered to sing and play their tunes. A sharing of inspiration followed with song and dance from all ages and all breeds! A particular highlight was a dancing Jack Russell who tangoed with a clown!

We took in several other flea markets during the course of the day, and many a Bratwurst, but non were quite as impressive or on the scale of Mauer Park.

Heading back to the Generator we all had a little rest and freshened up before the famous Wii night kicked off at the Generator Bar! A crowd of enthusiastic young things gathered for a head to head on Wii Bowl! The winner was crowned after an hours worth of raging fun and games!

Chatting to some groups of people staying with us, I got a real feel of what people thought of the hostel and where they were travelling. I met some really wicked folk, many of who will make it to the final videos so look out for that!

Now it’s Day 6 and its time for Karaoke! I’ll catch ya tomorrow!

Night Guys

Noodles

Generator Hostel Road Trip – Day 4– Dublin to Bruges!

2011-08-20T10:47:00.000+01:00

Its 21:40 hours on Day four of the Generator Hostel Road Trip and we are powering ourselves over to Calais in France on the Euro Tunnel!

We left Dublin this morning at 6:30am after another night shoot in the Generator Dublin bar.

We took a ferry from Dublin over to Holyhead in Wales to come back to Folkestone to catch the train! On the way over we learnt about Irish water and its 60 million year history pre dating the dinosaurs! Geo our photographer swears that after just one bottle of this water he can see through walls! Impressive!

We hit the sights of Dublin yesterday with Max and Sina two guests from the Hostel. Adventuring out onto the streets of Dublin with the Viking Splash Tours we got to see all the sights and the Canal Basin with our Viking tour guide. It’s a fantastic experience; we all got to wear Viking hats and raaaaaarrrrrrrrr at passers by! Look out for the hats in the Dublin video!

Later in the day we headed to the Guinness storehouse, which was absolutely amazing. The building is based around a Guinness Pint glass and is nicknamed the largest pint glass in the world! It spans over 7 floors and the Gravity 360 bar at the top of the building represents the head of the pint. It’s a wicked day out and you get to taste Guinness and learn how to pour your perfect Guinness J

I need to pop off now as the train has just stopped and we are officially in France baby! We stop over tonight-in Bruges and then hit the road tomorrow en route for Berlin! Gotta go now cause Dan, our driver and film crew, is starting the car and he looks well excited to be hear with the baguettes and the croissants!

Road Trip '11 - Day Two - Dublin film shoot!

2011-08-17T15:22:00.000+01:00

Spring chickens and black coffee greeted me this morning in the scenic surrounding of Ireland! Dublin, home of Guinness and Viking Splash tours is my base for the next 2 nights and boy am I psyched!

Day one of shooting in Dublin has been grand so far, little of Noodles showing you around to look forward to and a whole host of cool folk that I’ve been meeting!

Tomorrow during the day we are heading out with some of our guests to the Viking Splash tours at 10am and then off to the Guinness store house at 2pm for an hour of shooting there!

In the evening we are dressing up to celebrate the summer party here at the Generator Dublin Bar! We’ll be in the action with the film crew and I’ll be getting to know all the guests and having a grand old time with hem!

For now though I go in hunt of black coffee,this little soldier needs some more energy!

Follow the road trip on twitter with #GHostelroadtrip2011 and on our Facebook page!

Generator Road Trip '11

2011-08-15T17:08:00.000+01:00

There's nothing better than getting out onto the open road and feeling the wind through your hair!
What better way to do that, than on a Road Trip?!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a 14 day Road Trip for Generator Hostels!
I will be travelling through Europe to our amazing locations with a film crew and a photographer. We want to create AMAZING films in AMAZING locations! Highlighting all that our Hostels have to offer and the kind of cool stuff you can get up to in the cities!

This is about more than Great Hostels and budget accommodation, this is about the EXPERIENCE! Getting out and about in AMAZING LOCATIONS finding not only the biggest tourist attractions but also the quirky stuff that the guide books won't tell you!

I'm on a mission to show the world what to see and do in our locations, things that will make you POP with EXCITEMENT! Equally important will be the down time, showing that Generator Hostels has something for EVERYONE, parties, chill out time and above all NEW FRIENDS!

Each stop on the Road Trip has a specially planned party at each hostel, and we'll e getting in the mix with the film crew and inviting you guys to join in! We're gonna be looking for FUN, OUTRAGEOUS, travellers with a zest for excitement! If thats you and your in one of our locations make yourself known! Check out the FACEBOOK EVENT for dates! FOLLOW on TWITTER with #GHostelroadtrip2011

I'll be updating the BLOG on the road so check back here for all the latest Road Trip '11 Gossip and to see where we'll be next!

Noodles

Delving into our pasts....

2011-07-20T18:46:00.000+01:00

“I’m not sure any of this has a direct link to travel at all, but It’s nice, I find every now and again to delve into the past and learn about those people who have helped pave the way in our history. So today I give you Alexander Fleming!” – Noodles

I got to thinking, as I slurped, painfully, at my morning coffee at Generator Hostel London, about Penicillin, and just what did we do before anti -biotic and treatment for infection and the like. Much more scary a time without Facebook or twitter!

Well I got to reading and unearthed a few historical facts regards to treatment! Penicillin is a form of Anti-Biotic discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Fleming himself was a Scottish biologist and had a few years before discovered that antiseptic in the treatment of soldiers, mostly caused further damage to the wounds, which failed to build up the bodies natural immune defences after the application of and antiseptic.

"When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer” – Alexander Fleming 6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955

In 1943 there were rumors that Flemings discovery had saved the life of Sir Winston Churchill after he had fallen ill during World War II. It was later established that it was in fact an alternative treatment that was used, but because of its links back to Germany, who Britain were at war with, the press decided to use Britain’s Penicillin as the miraculous drug to save Churchill. Sir Winston Churchill's War Bunkers in London is one of the most visited attractions to this day and well worth a look if you want a historic journey into Britain at War.

After the early test stages of development by Fleming himself, the penicillin drug was further experimented with by Ernst Chain and Howard Florey, Fleming himself visited the biologists to assist in the further study, and in 1945 penicillin was finally ready to be mass produced, In that same year Fleming along with Chain and Florey Won a Noble Prize in physiology.

Guest Blogging with Eric van Dijk

2011-07-14T09:45:00.000+01:00

Hello Travellers!

I have taken this opportunity to be the first ever guest blogger to write for ‘On the couch with Noodles’ and I’m excited to kick off, what will hopefully be, a string of creative, informative and fun Blogs!

Just A little about me, just to get the ball rolling! My name is Eric I was born and grew up in the Netherlands where I studied Hotel Management. After leaving university I worked for a number of hotel groups, gaining some outstanding operational knowledge prior to joining the Generator team in 2000.

I was appointed Managing Director of Generator Hostels in early 2007 My role ensures effective communication from all members of the team, thought leadership, continuous business development, and stability within the company. So that is the boring bit

Generator Hostels have in the past year has been through an exciting roller-coaster. We have opened two new locations this year in Copenhagen and Dublin and will open later this year in Hamburg. I’m pleased to say they are already filling up with backpackers, travellers and groups from all over the world.

While travelling around our Hostels, I’m always thrilled to see so many young people socialising, meeting new people and taking full advantage of the facilities we offer. Generator Hostels for me, is more than a hostel, it’s an experience. That experience is made up of so many factors, from carefully designed communal areas, State of the art sound systems for our bars and even custom designed and built bunk beds for our new properties.

We want Generator to be an experience that people just want to jump right into and get in the mix, whether your sight seeing in London or Chilling in Copenhagen, our Hostels have something for every traveller. We know travelling can be stressful, so we have teams of trained and vibrant people employed in our hostels to make your stay as easy as 1,2,3!

I recently met with Noodles in Hamburg and we made a little video of the stage of development we are at right now. Its so inspiring even walking around a blank building, knowing that in a matter of months that building will be a hub of social lifestyle and a mix of people from all walks of life!

So thats my guest blog for 'On the couch' I hope you enjoyed it and myself and Noodles would like to invite you guys to guest write for the blog too! Just email noodles@generatorhostels.com for more info and too get involved!

Eric van Dijk - Managing Director - Generator Hostels

Rainbow Flags and Disco Diva's...

2011-06-28T18:25:00.001+01:00

It honestly doesn’t seem five minutes since the last time I donned my Rainbow flag over my shoulders and paraded around London with a Grin so big on my face I looked more fake than a clarins girl! Check out last years VIDEO HERE!

Nevertheless it is indeed that time of year again, as London prepares its-self for Gay Pride 2011!

The BIG DAY as its being called by the Pride London organisers, Follow them on twitter for updates! will showcase London’s acceptance for all cultures by throwing open its Gay Friendly doors and partying all day! The parade will see revellers and activists March on down from the top of Regent Street through to the Hub of Gay Pride in Trafalgar Square. Shouting out there messages of love all the way, and blowing hard on their Gay Pride whistles!

Trafalgar square, having had less than 2 hours to recover from Canada Day 2011, will play host to numerous acts, speakers, and LIVE entertainment on the main stage! DJ’s will play head spinning sets to wash down the gallons of Smirnoff Ice on offer and see in the evening of dancing and frivolity set to take London’s Gay clubs by storm!

Soho will be closed to traffic and in grand tradition will host the all day street party, a great place to mingle with fellow pride goers, this really is going to be the place to be after the parade!

Moving into the evening the official pride party this year will be held at ‘Fire Club’ in Vauxhall, entitled ‘Liberation’ its hotting up to be the Gay event of the year with a whole host of top DJ’s and the award winning bar team from ‘KU’ bar, topless I’m sure! That always seems to brighten up any evening out!

I’m gonna be there with our team and my video camera documenting what’s going to be an amazing day! So if you’re in town and you want to get involved drop me an email! noodles@generatorhostels.com

See you out there guys

Noodles

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh my...

2011-06-22T15:44:00.000+01:00

As a good friend of Dorothy’s I take up any opportunity I can to be with the lions and tigers and of course bears! So it came as a splendid surprise to be invited to an evening of tomfoolery at the London Zoo! An opening of grand proportion to welcome back in the Zoo Lates! Sessions of Zoology that take place in the dark time! (Evening to you ordinary folk!) during the summer months of June and July!

The deal is this; you can attend London Zoo in the evening, perfect for those of you with hectic busy work schedules! If you are indeed working 9 til 5 (best Dolly Parton impression just happened!), this you will love! You have the choice of a standard ticket or a VIP ticket! Both tickets grant you access to see the animals, but one allows you to sup up some bubbles and have a VIP make over session with hair and beauty! OMG!

One may think, what’s so different about the Zoo at night…. Well a great many things! For starters the animals act differently at night, much like us! Also there are numerous entertainments and activities, like face painting, a beach bar, silent disco and vendors of food and beverage like Hog Roast and Mojitos!

The penguins have a new home now at London Zoo, called ‘Penguin Beach’ these little chaps get up to all manner of mischief as they laze around on the beach or flip flop they way around the pool! Situated near the penguin Beach is the Beach bar, offering up crazy cocktails laced with everyone’s favourite substance, Alcohol!

As you meander around the Zoo taking in all the life, it really does give you time to relax and dare I say reflect! What a pleasant way to end a hectic week! As the Zoo lates are always a Friday night it’s a perfect way to start the weekend, whether with friends, family or a date you’ll find something for everyone along the way! If like myself you’re a bit of a party animal, you can use your VIP experience as a warm up for your Friday night boogie!

For now, my loves, it’s Goodbye

Speak soon for more Noodling!

Rainy days and Coffee house Gays...

2011-06-08T15:04:00.002+01:00

The River Thames

Stumbling out of Borough tube station this Sunday last, I found myself thrust into the unruly weather of London Town. Dressed for summer in shorts and a lovely pastel shirt I felt somewhat ridiculous as I met my coffee companion.

Discussions of work and play drove us along as we walked toward the wind and rain and through the winding cobbled streets of Borough Market, a definite must for all those looking for an authentic London experience. Market stalls and fresh produce conjure up memories of oldie London town!

Finally happening on a large and invitingly warm Café Nero we settled for several hours. Two large cappuccinos, some chocolate-coated coffee beans and a hangover orange juice later we dashed from café to riverside pub!

Walking, briskly it has to be said; one really appreciates the moody atmosphere created on the river Thames when the rain beats down on its wind-induced surface. It takes ones mind to Sherlock Holmes and adventures of the 19^th Century. The Thames is, I find, one of the remaining places in London’s ever changing landscape that I can escape reality and let my creative mind wonder.

Sitting in the Pub talk quickly led to pirates and knights as we discussed holidaying in my home county of Cornwall. The Pirates of Penzance, probably most known for its opera version, are still; very much remembered today, and like the Thames remain one of Cornwall’s historic gems.

Sitting with a Pint of Ale and looking out over murky waters, one didn’t quite realise that time had somewhat flown by. The original plan was to see Pirates of The Caribbean 4 that however was now not an option as dinner was required.

Leaving the tranquillity of rainy River Thames we crossed over the bridge and returned to London’s Hustle and Bustle on Compton Street Soho for Dinner at my favourite haunt, Balans restaurant. Dinner gave me chance to dry off and although I didn’t quite return to pastel summer shades, I felt revived.

All in all a grand day, and I would advise anybody to spend some time on the banks of the Thames, let your mind wonder and see where you end up!

Bye for now

Noodles

Getting’ some Joe in Denmark!

2011-05-27T16:10:00.000+01:00

Wow! When one thinks of coffee shops one thinks of comfy seats and cheesy music, but never of attractive blonde boys! That’s where Joe and the Juice breaks the mould!

Walking into Joe and the juice is somewhat like walking into Abercrombie and Fitch, but instead of fragrance, your senses get hit with fresh coffee! The staff are all what you might describe as ‘Very attractive’ and suitably attired to appeal to the mid 20 something’s who frequent in the coffee shops.

This Danish chain of coffee shops is a unique experience that takes the consumer on a caffeine fuelled roller coaster , in an ultra cool and chilled manner!, of to-die for lattes and fresh food!

Along with a selection of toasted sandwiches’ and coffees in different colours, pink is large, yellow is medium; there’s also a funky selection of fresh juices containing all kinds of wonderful produce! With Smoothies to cure your hangovers or just pure juice there’s something for every taste here!

The companies routes are in Denmark, but they also have some stores in the UK, where the trend for unique and shall we say boutique coffee houses is all the rage!

My recommendation would be a Pink Latte and Joes club, this will satisfy even the hungriest of coffee addicts!

Enjoy

Noodles

Eurovision Song Contest Düsseldorf 2011

2011-05-16T18:11:00.000+01:00

After weeks of waiting, hours of tweeting and lets be honest at least an hour of drinking! The words we all waited for, welcome to the Eurovision song contest 2011! Rapturous applause broke out among our group of friends as we settled down for the long hall, iPad and twitter at the ready!

Watching from the United Kingdom we all knew we couldn’t vote for the @officialblue boys, but we’d all been tactical and picked other countries to vote for! I myself had phoned a friend in Denmark, we had an, ‘I’ll vote for yours if you vote for mine’ system! I’m not sure it made any difference but it was really fun! Thanks Nicolas!

We sat and watched as we counted down through the countries, performances, ‘A friend in London’ for Denmark, ‘Popular’ for Sweden and those cheeky boys Jedward for Ireland! At number 14 we got to Blue and the United Kingdom. Belting out there catchy ‘I Can’ song, we not only celebrated a good Eurovision entry, but also the welcome return of one of our most popular boy bands! It turned out however to be ‘I Can’t!’ Thanks to Stuart Smith for that pun!

I have to admit I was patriotic, but there were some amazing performances, I myself voted Denmark, a couple of others voted Sweden and I think we had people vote for Ireland too!

Hats off to the team over in Germany though! What a stunning location and an awe-inspiring stadium, built to host such an event! After months of preparation it was over in just 3 hours when we heard the results!

Azerbaijan came 1^st with there well penned number called ‘running Scared’ a deserved win for the male female duo who looked positively thrilled to have won!

Its back to London for Blue, Ireland for Jedward, Denmark for the boys of A friend in London and well Lena is already in Germany!

So until next year we go back to focusing on other matters, such as Gay Pride 2011 and dare I say it London 2012!

Bye guys

Cornwall....Come rain or shine! (Although mainly rain!)

2011-05-14T16:41:00.000+01:00

As with all plans, they seem good at the time! So this years Vacation plan was a trip for 12 days to Cornwall, the heart of the south west of England!

Noted for its picturesque countryside and seaside retreats, it’s a stunning location, but what happens if it rains! The United Kingdom is notorious for its ever-changing weather patterns, and so one can never guarantee sunshine!

Cornwall however seems to get even better when its raining! It seems to add some kind of moody wash over the county and there are all manner of indoor and outdoor activities to be enjoyed in any weather!

Take for example the Eden Project; renowned for its unique shape, it adds an interesting day out to the landscape of Cornwall. Located close to St Austell, the Eden project is a vast Greenhouse built in a disused clay pit and filled with all manner of plant life, activities and restaurants. It even plays host to LIVE acts and an Ice rink in the winter, and encourages studies of plant life and the natural world.

Being mainly undercover, and at a plant friendly greenhouse temperature, it’s the perfect location to stay out of the rain and still feel like your amongst nature!

Alternatively if your more of a dare devil, you could risk the outdoors in the rain and take in the breathtaking views from Lands End!

So called because it is at the end of the Land, Lands end is a highly popular attraction in the south west, and on a clear day there’s nothing quite like standing on the edge of the Land and looking out over the Atlantic ocean!

Lastly, but by no means least, the surfers amongst you would probably like to pay a visit to Newquay’s Fistral Bay! Home to many international surfing championships! Those of you without surf experience may look to the Escape Surf School, based between Fistral and Towan Beaches for lessons!

Honestly, whatever the weather Cornwall has something for everyone, and it’s a beautiful train ride down through the countryside direct from London Paddington train station!

Speak soon guys

Noodles

Breakin' Convention 2011

2011-04-25T18:45:00.000+01:00

Hey peeps, well it’s been a while since my last blog, which as I’m sure you’ve read focused heavily on the upcoming Royal Wedding! The excitement is so much I can hardly hear the voices in my head any more!

So in the spirit of keeping oneself occupied I waltzed on down to my local theatre, Sadler’s Wells, to see what was on the Dance menu!

Happily I found that the annual Breakin’ convention is coming up and will run from 3oth April to the 2^nd May. The three-day event has become somewhat of a must for street dancers, breakers, lockers and poppers of all generations.

Hosted by associate artist to the theatre Jonzi D the event is a celebration of dance and as I’m sure the title suggests its compiled primarily of forms of street dance.

Breakin’ convention ’11 will give everyone a chance to get in the mix and not only as a spectator but to participate. All manner of workshops, film screenings and even DJ sessions will keep the crowd buzzing. Tickets start at as little as £20 and it has proven over the last 8 years to be an awesome event to attend.

Located in Angel Islington the Sadler’s Wells theatre plays host to numerous productions on a yearly basis, chorographers such as Matthew Bourne and companies like Rambert Dance Company frequently perform at the theatre.

So if your feeling energetic, put your dancin’ shoes on or maybe some Osiris Bronx maybe more appropriate and dance your self stupid at this years Breakin’ Convention!

The Royal Wedding - London 29th April 2011

2011-04-11T17:16:00.000+01:00

It seems one cant turn to a newspaper or magazine at the moment without being blasted with news of the upcoming Royal Wedding! How exciting! I for one am looking forward to what’s promising to be a National day of Celebration across the UK.

Price William of Wales was born on the 21^st June 1982 and is of course the son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Princess Diana of Wales. The princess is lovingly remembered as ‘The People Princess’ after her sad death in Paris on the 31^st August 1997.

Prince William is second in line to the throne after his father and is the second eldest Grandson of Queen Elizabeth the second, the longest running Monarch on the throne.

He marries his Fiancé Catherine Elizabeth Middleton on the 29^th April at Westminster Abbey. There is some speculation as to the designer of the Wedding Dress, although nothing has yet been confirmed, names such as Alexander Mqueen and Jasper Conran are in circulation. Dame Vivienne Westwood confirmed at London’s Fashion Week she wouldn’t be designing the dress, and that if she were too she would have to wait for Kate to catch up with fashion a little bit.

The couple met at St Andrews University back in 2001 where they were both studying at the time. Miss Middleton gained much press coverage once the relationship went public.

The office of the Prince of Wales at Clarence House London officially announced the engagement on November 16^th 2010, with the location details announced but only a week later.

The day is set to see record numbers of visitors coming to London to be a part of this special day, which has been marked as a public holiday across the UK. If you and your friends are thinking of heading to London for the Big day we have perfect wedding packages for you at Generator Hostel London and we even have souvenir T-shirts for all you Royalists!

Enjoy the Big Day

Big Hugs

Noodles

Theatre on a Monday.....Bizarre feeling!

2011-04-05T12:54:00.000+01:00

Strange as it seemed I was headed for the theatre on a Monday evening! After the initial confusion, I soon found myself with that good old-fashioned theatrical buzz, that one only gets upon sitting in a fold down Red chair!

The show in question was Andrew Lloyd Webbers ‘Love Never Dies’ the beautiful follow up from the ridiculously and ever popular ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ The show is playing at the Adelphi theatre on the Strand in London’s West End.

Difficult to discuss in detail without giving away the plot, but I’ll give it a go! The story leaves off where phantom ends, and of course the disappearance of the phantom in the Opera house fire. Ten years on and we find our selves in America, Coney Island to be slightly more specific.

The grand and luscious score penned of course by Sir Lloyd Webber himself, fills the vast stage with sweeping melodies and a score of beautiful songs, including a rather rousing quartet featuring a young boy, who stole the show with rapturous applause at the curtain.

Scenically this show looks very different Phantom of the opera, but there are some gorgeous moments, when set, lighting and pure genius makes for a sumptuous treat for the senses.

A tragic ending leaves the audience a gasp with emotion, Long and twisted love affairs rise up once more to cause turmoil in the lives of those involved. A deformed composer hell bent on winning back his true love, a husband pushed to the limits and intoxicated with Alcohol, and a small boy whose father un be known to him, is not who he thinks he is.

A stunning show, a beautiful sequel to Phantom, and as always songs that will stay with you for weeks after.

@Noodles_GHostel and his tweettrek around Dublin!

2011-03-25T17:18:00.000Z

Good day to you blog followers and all those Brand Fans of Generator hostels!

I promised I would one day write to you on a day of the week other than a Monday, and so here I am penning this blog on a Friday! (It feels rather bizarre!)

To the point at hand, and that is my tweettrek! What an earth is a tweettrek I hear you cry, well I shall enlighten you as to the purpose and indeed the fun that can be had on such a trek!

I’m not sure if this existed before, or if it did, what form it took, but rest assured this is the Noodles version! You take to foot around your chosen city, in this instance twas Dublin, and you tweet, tweet like you’ve never tweeted before. To make it more interactive one adds a picture to each tweet, on this trek I focused on Tourist Hotspots in Dublin.

I assume one could trek around anything really, maybe a tweettrek around pubs or bars, maybe even a trek around airports of Europe, if one was feeling exuberant with their cash flow!

This particular trek was my first ever of the kind, and I am pleased to report that I LOVED it! I took to my feet not far from the Generator Dublin and I headed towards the river. En route I was lucky enough to see St Catherines Cathedral, The Guinness storehouse, The Old Jameson Distillery, Temple bar, four courts and so much more.

I have I’m pleased to say made friends with the Leprechaun museum in Jervis whilst on my trek, which is marvelous, and I would like to thank them for their kind support on twitter and facebook.

I would encourage you, my readers to check out the tweetrek photo album on facebook CLICK HERE NOW! And have a little look at the fun!

Why not try your own tweettrek and let us know how you do using the #tweettrek on twitter and follow me Noodles_GHostel

For now I say adios but I shall return with more escapades soon!

Good bye my loves BIG HUGS xx

Lazy Sunday & Mr Nonsense!

2011-03-21T12:52:00.000Z

It seems to me that I shall always write to you on a Monday, maybe I should try getting out on other days of the week!

This Sunday happened to be a Sunday of sun! Wow what a rare treat for all us pale skinned office folk, a lazy Sunday afternoon pottering around Covent Garden markets and indulging in Tea and cakes!

My Friend and I after perusing the retail outlets of London’s Covent Garden found ourselves at the BFI (British Film Institute) Located upstairs is a quaint little café and bar serving all manner of delightful alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks.

The surroundings are suitably comfortable with an array of soft furnishings and throws, and as one would expect, there are a wealth of cultural folk whiling away there hours, engrossed in books and film reviews, along with a suitable handful of weekend gossip!

Our discussion fell upon the book Mr Nonsense! Inspired by a young man, so positively random on this particular Sunday afternoon, he was bordering on just silly! Our discussion of nonsense ranged from teapots to dry ice! We felt it only right to share our conversation and so purchased the book in question for swift delivery to a stage door and the silly man in question! Sufficed to say he was thrilled to be compared with a Mr Man! As would any man in their right mind!

Regards to the Film Institute, its without a doubt a cultural delight! Films are regularly shown here and in fact this year the institute will be playing 50 Disney films over the course of the year! If your anything like me you’ll not want to miss out! CLICK HERE! For more info!

Have a great week and let us know your favorite Mr Man story on our Facebook Page!

St Patricks Day celebrations 2011

2011-03-17T16:56:00.000Z

Sunday 13^th March its early Morning! The usual fuzzy head malarkey followed by a hunt for a coffee establishment to solve my woes!

As I sat in my favourite coffee house with Gal Pal Abbie Pervin I started to relax and it was quite the cure for the hangover developed from Saturday night’s entertainment! I got to thinking, surely there’s something fun and exciting to do on this, rather dull and cloudy Sunday! Oh and by golly there was, the annual St Patricks day celebrations in Trafalgar square London!

Thirty of our GMT minutes later we were suitably attired to venture into the depths of central London and party with the revellers. Approaching Trafalgar square one could here all manner of Irish music and a wealth of costumed merry makers scattering the sidewalks!

Nelson aloft his column looked down over a sea of cheery face painted folk, all here to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with the usual amounts of Guinness and Irish Jiggery. Following what I’m told was a massive parade of sorts, the crowd were entertained by LIVE bands and celebrities with Irish accents; one couldn’t have felt more Irish if one tried!

We settled on a ledge to watch the merriment, the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs from the surrounding stalls was far too tempting, as were the backpacks full of Guinness being sold in the crowd by official staff!

Sitting looking out over a city that has become my home and seeing so much fun really was a thrill and it’s a definite date to pop in the diary for 2012 along with a few large sporting events happening next year!

I say to you all on this 17^th March, Happy St Patricks Day 2011!

Fairytale Dining and Good Beer...

2011-02-24T12:59:00.000Z

Copenhagen is without a doubt one of the most picturesque cities I have visited in a long time. The streets are cobbled, the buildings are grand and its peaceful, but with enough life to satisfy my big city urges!

Walking down from the hotel to the Latin district, I passed by cafés, shops, bars and old bookstores that look so full of intellectual wonder! We arrive outside our eatery aptly named ‘Det Lille Apotek’ translated means ‘The Little Pharmacy.’

Walking through the door, I feel like I have been transported to a fairytale, with its low ceilings and stained glass windows this really is a beautiful and historic restaurant. The décor has not changed in over 150 years, decorated with ornate figurines and artwork all over the walls, this gorgeous restaurant played host to some very famous folk including Hans Christian Anderson, famous of course for Copenhagen's very own 'Little Mermaid.'

Décor aside let us not forget our purpose, we are here of course to sample traditional Danish food, in the form of Pickled Herrings. I choose the Peter Faber lunch plate, which I’m informed by our delightfully friendly waitress consists of, 2 kinds of herring, warm fillet of place with remoulade and liver pâté with bacon and mushroom. All of this of course served with lashings of rye bread!

I teamed this up with Apotek’s own Beer and Boy did I have fun! Pickled herrings are without a doubt an acquired taste but wow what a taste explosion. I have never experienced anything quite like it. The herring tastes like fish but combined with the pickling you get a whole new level of taste complexity! After 20 minutes all my doubts had passed and I was getting into the spirit of things as I enjoyed my liver pâté and Beer!

A definite visit for anyone looking to experience traditional Danish grub in a traditional restaurant, be aware that it can get busy so queuing may be a possibility, but worth every minute you wait.

Noodles xx

Following the yellow Brick Road…

2011-02-18T15:53:00.002Z

There are few things that will unite a group of people in such a way that The Wizard of Oz does! Opening on 1^st March 2011 in London’s West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new adaptation of this popular musical is a stunning theatrical achievement with toe tapping show tunes and vivid staging.

It was a regular Thursday evening when a group of industry folk gathered outside the famous Palladium for a trade evening, Hostels, PR agencies, Recruitment and a whole host of travel and tourism bodies. Attending on behalf of Generator Hostels, we collected our tickets from Roger at ‘Made’, a fantastic company organising high profile events, and posed for the obligatory photos (I loved it of course!)

A glass of Wine later and curtain up arrives! Whisked quickly into the retro world of L. Frank Baum’s Kansas where we first meet young Dorothy Gale and her adorable dog Toto.

After a twister, flying cows, and a Wicked old woman on a bicycle we land in the colourful world of Oz, its here that all the famous songs from the Original score come to life, played by the wonderful orchestra, We go in search of Brains, Courage, a heart and a way home!

When the time comes to click our heals three times, there is a fantastic vibe among the audience, its like everyone had just stepped back into their childhood and applause erupted as the cast took there bows! The biggest applause came for the well-trained and ridiculously cute Toto, who’s performance was flawless!

All in all, what a fabulous show, choreography by Arlene Phillips helps move the action along and a sweeping score with added material by Lord Lloyd Webber infects the soul with joy and happiness. Don’t miss this amazing show!

The Wizard of Oz opens on 1^st March at The London Palladium.

Noodles xx

Irish Charm meets great Whiskey!

2011-02-11T13:54:00.001Z

Its 10am on a Friday morning and on top form I stumble into a room full of Whiskey Barrels! There is most definitely something rather inviting about the smell of 9 year old Jameson at this time of the day!

We’re here of course not for the Whiskey but for a film shoot, a little how too and welcome guide to the Old Jameson distillery in Smithfield, Dublin, which happily sits right next door to the new Generator Dublin building.

Walking through the door, one feels a sense of history, maybe it’s the oak and beams or quite possibly the array of aged Jameson bottles seated casually in their protective glass cases.

Lead through to the auditorium we’re treated to a brief insight into the company history, complete with audiovisual and quaint Irish tour guide, one starts to comprehend the gravity of this establishment’s history.

Staggering stats suggest that over 4 million bottles of this famous Irish Tipple are sold worldwide every year. I can safely say my father owns many of those bottles!

The tour itself runs for 60 minutes, covering History, Brand and of course masses of Whiskey. An interesting tour even for the non-Whiskey drinker, it talks you through the distilling process, which one has to admit is epic, its great to fully understand the process behind such a powerful high street brand.

Open 7 Days a week this really is a must see for anybody in the Smithfield area, take the time to soak up the history and stop at the Reserve Bar at the end of the tour for a sneaky tot of ‘Distillery Blend’ only available on site their.

I advise a late afternoon tour, and then straight out for dinner after a couple of not so sneaky Whiskeys.

Noodles xx

East London's Finest!

2011-02-07T11:37:00.000Z

Valentines day is fast approaching and on Saturday I went looking for relaxing stuff to do that both caters for romantic couples and groups of friends! And boy did I find it!

Broadway Market located just next door to the rather picturesque London fields is a bustling event filled on Saturdays, with all manner of delicious local produce and some of the tastiest fresh brew coffee you’ll find. Dating back to the 1890’s when the aptly named Barrow Boys started their grocery stall, it’s become somewhat of an institution.

Spanning the expanse of a small town-like street, the market stalls are framed with a selection of boutique type shops, including number 9 Broadway Market, Fred Cookes pie and mash shop, established in 1900, it offers up traditional London grub, including jellied eels, a staple at any traditional London eatery!

Although I chose to meander down the Canal from Angel, access to the markets is relatively hassle free, with the nearest tube station being Bethnal Green. Although as always check for improvement works on all London underground services at the weekend.

So if you’re up for a relaxing Saturday afternoon, give it a go!

Noodles xx

And so we had a Monopoly Pub-Crawl!

2011-02-02T13:09:00.005Z

It was a relatively dull Saturday Morning; I had woken up with the kind of blurry eye one could only associate with a ‘Large’ Friday night! A good old English breakfast at the iconic ‘Shepherdess’ Greasy spoon close to Old Street soon sorted my stomach and I was on my way to Generator Hostel London!

It was the first Saturday of the New BritBound Monopoly pub crawl, so as I stumbled through the front entrance and waved a somewhat cheery welcome to Will our doorman, I was greeted by 5 women all wearing top hats and fake moustaches! If I needed a distraction from my hangover this was indeed it!

Over the course of the next 3 hours I spoke with fake policeman, monopoly characters and a whole host of travelers all out to win the Monopoly pub -crawl. We played host as the midway point for the self-named Brit Bounders who drank and made merry amongst themselves in our humble bar.

After several rounds of ‘Tequila time’, A 10 minute window for drunken frivolity in a Mexican fashion, they were ready to rock it! With a Macarena on mass, and a ‘Mr. Brightside’ sing off, there was no shortage of giggles! The burgers and chips went down a treat, and for me the energy drink in particular was filling my veins with life!

Leaving the Hostel that night with thoughts of fun and friendship, I revelled in the thought of returning to the Hostel on Monday Morning after a party in Brixton and Lazy Sunday with the man!

Noodles xx