London Calling

We have returned to my most favourite city in the world (to live anyway).  The weather won’t be as perfect as it was when we were here in summer however it is a lot warmer than Canada when we left.  The last month of our stay in Toronto saw it hit by the polar vortex, which plummeted temperatures to minus 23 degrees.  That is so cold that it actually hurts.

 

We have been staying in Chelsea since we arrived, first at the Millennium Copthorne Hotel at the Chelsea Football Club and then at an apartment in Sloane Avenue.  There was a football match held at the club whilst we were staying there and I was a little worried about football hooligans.  The crowd was actually made up largely of overweight, middle-aged men who were surprisingly well behaved.  We knew when the game was over as we could hear the victors singing.  There wasn’t a hooligan in sight and I think I was a little disappointed.

The apartment where we are staying at present is a 12 minute walk from Harrods.  I could not ask for a better location, as we are close to the tube, buses and within easy walking distance of many attractions.  There is an absolutely beautiful building at the end of our street called Michelin House.  It was built in 1911 and has the most amazing stained glass windows and intricate tile work.  It is just lovely.

Michael is working now however we have managed to cram quite a lot into his free time.  The first weekend we spent walking around and just re-acquainting ourselves with London.  It was Chinese New Year so we headed into Trafalgar Square where there were displays on and then we headed into China Town where the celebrations continued.

We managed to get to the Borough Market on Saturday.  It is lucky that we aren’t staying close by, as I would be heading there everyday.  Everything looks so delicious and inviting – even the fish which I don’t eat!

The Clink Prison Museum was next on our list.  This was a fascinating but truly horrific prison, which was completed in 1144.  The prisoners were kept in appalling conditions with the Thames regularly flooding in which left them floating in sewerage.  Piece of trivia – it is from here that other prisons took the nickname “clink”.

The Wallace Collection is a museum with a range of fine and decorative arts from the 15^th to the 19^th centuries.  It is a lovely place to wander around with a number of famous artworks including the Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals. The museum is housed in Hertford House, itself a beautiful building to gaze at.

The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London.  Not only does it have many outstanding works on display but there is also the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre underneath, which was discovered in 1988 when the gallery was being built.  You can access under the building to see the remains.

We haven’t just been culture vultures since arriving here as we have also managed a couple of frivolous outings.  We visited Madame Tussauds, which I enjoyed every bit as much as I did 30 years ago.  The celebrities may have changed and the royals may be a little older but they remain as life-like as ever.  They have updated one part of the museum to an interactive walk through exhibit, which is dark and live actors jump out at you and yell and scream in your face.  By the time we had made our way through that area, every single hair on my head was standing on end and it took ages for my heart to stop thumping.  No wonder they don’t recommend this part for people with heart problems!

 

Around the corner from Madame Tussauds is the very famous address of 221B Baker Street – the official home address of Sherlock Holmes.  An enterprising person has set up museum there dedicated to the famous detective, complete with the mounted head of the Hound of the Baskervilles! Great fun and it has inspired me to read some more Sherlock Holmes stories.