And a good evening to you from across the Pond. Tonight was great, and I am very, very pleased to introduce tonight’s feature guest on the Taylor blog- ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the one, the only, the Aussie born Croatian….Yasna Klarin!!!
So, a bit of back story – Jenny and I met Yasna completely randomly on an overnight train from Cairo to Luxor. We spent the week on different cruise ships down the Nile but ran into each other at every temple. We also shared a convey with her (3 hours each way in the desert starting at 3 AM) down to Abu Simbel (this will cause a bit of a heart flutter for any Matthew Reilly fans out there).
We then hung out on several occasions whilst over here on LaSalle, and tonight was the first time we’d gotten a chance to hang since moving in July.
We met at the Beer Wharf near Borough Market (THE place to buy fresh food and produce in London). We tried some new brews, including MeanTime Pale Ale and the Beer Wharf EPA (a GREAT cask ale). After that and a nibble, we rolled to a Lebanese joint called, Hiba, where we gorged ourselves on Shawarma (which we said about 16,000 times in our best Egyptian accent), hummous, halloumi cheese, and kebabs. All in all, a simply terrific night.
However, and I have to say this for all of my Tennessee peeps – Yasna is OBSESSED with Elvis, and earlier this year she fulfilled a lifelong dream of going to Graceland. And not just the general admission, oh no – this gal did the VIP TOUR, complete with a re-enactment of “life with the King.” How obsessed is she? Well, let’s review the highlights (and Yazz, you KNOW we love you):
1. She now owns an Elvis Prestley jumpsuit.
2. She took 900 (that’s right – NINE HUNDRED) photos of the house.
3. She now has not one but TWO key chains that read “I’ve been to Graceland.”
4. She now has “tasteful” Elvis coasters (to replace the “tacky” Elvis coasters).
5. She now owns the Pauline (Elvis’ chief maid) family cookbook, complete with recipes for cajun ribs and Southern Fried chicken.
She loved Memphis, and when I mentioned that it “wasn’t that safe,” she was shocked. The conversation went something like this:
Yazz: “Where are the bad areas?”
Me: (silence)
Yazz: “Can you not think of one?”
Me: “I’m actually trying to think of a street other than Beale where your Aussie ass would NOT be riddled with bullet holes after 10 PM.”
Yazz: “What about Elvis Prestley Boulevard?”
Me: “There are more brothels on EPB than in Vegas…AND you’ll get shot before the night’s over.”
Yazz: “But Elvis is the King – and the people were so friendly!”
Me: “And I thank you for keeping the TN economy alive, but if you wander off Beale after dark, you will find that friendly is replaced with 9 mm’s.”
Yazz: “You’re joking, right?”
Jenny: “Nope – we’ve had this conversation before. In fact, when Sam’s governor, he’s going to sell Memphis to the state of Arkansas.”
Yazz: (silence…followed by a large gulp of Lebanese wine)
As always, it was SO GREAT to see her, and the time simply flew by. So we caught the last Tube home and are now about to sack out before another fun filled day tomorrow.
That’s all the news that’s fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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