The London I Love

We bid Paris a fond farewell and caught the Eurostar from Gare du Nord.  Once again our train journey was hassle free and comfortable and before we knew it, we had arrived at St Pancras International.  We then took a short train ride to our studio apartment in Ladbroke Grove.  The apartment is very small with a fold out bed, so Michael and I will know each other very well by the time we leave!  It is only a 15 minute walk to Portobello Road, so we are in a good location and the local pub is only a 5 minute walk away.

Michael and I decided to have a gentle day familiarising ourselves with the city once more.  On our last visit, we had tried to visit the Crypt Gallery at the St Pancras Church, however it was not open.  This time we were successful in gaining entry and while the artworks were not to our taste, it was interesting wandering around the old crypt. 

We Are Family

Michael’s parents, Anne & Phil, have arrived in London so we set off to meet them at the President Hotel in Russell Square.  It was wonderful to see them both looking so well and I think that they were happy to see that their son hadn’t turned into some kind of hippy hobo.  We took a stroll around the corner to the Dickens Museum, which even though I have been before, I still found fascinating. 

 

We thought that Michael’s dad would like to see Sir John Soane’s Museum.  I have written before about this museum, which is crammed with drawings, models, paintings and antiquities.  I think Michael’s parents enjoyed the visit and I once again was able to marvel at the Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress and An Election.

Michael’s mum was keen to visit the Hunterian Museum – The Royal College of Surgeons of England.  This museum is full of medical specimens, some of which are quite confronting.  Michael’s dad was so very happy when it was time to leave!

Lunchtime was spent in Trafalgar Square where Michael’s mother showed us the smallest police station in London.  It is made from a hollowed out lamp-post and neither Michael or I would believe Anne when she told us what it was (there is no sign).  Anne tracked down a couple of security officers and asked them and sure enough, we were told it was true.  We have walked past there numerous times and never even noticed it.

We took a brief stroll around the National Gallery where I once again visited my two favourite artworks, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Delaroche and The Water Lily Pond by Monet (of course).  Michael thrilled me by buying me a Monet watch, which I have had my eye on for some time.  I think Michael’s mum and dad enjoyed the gallery, despite Michael’s dad commenting that he had seen the Mona Lisa & the sheila with no arms at the Louvre along with the biggest collection of bare bums at the Vatican, so really what more is there to see?

Saturday was market day, so we took Anne & Phil to the Borough Market.  Everything at the market is always so fresh and inviting.  Anne was interested in the flat peaches on display, as she had never seen them before. 

Anne wanted to see the Australian memorial at Hyde Park, so we wandered over to have a look.  It is an impressive monument and I was interested to see how many battles I was now familiar with after our trip to France.  We took a long, leisurely walk through the park, as it was a beautiful day before deciding to catch the bus to the Camden Markets.  One look at the huge crowd convinced us to head somewhere for lunch instead and we spent a nice afternoon at Brew Dog, which is a brewery.  Michael and Phil enjoyed a tasting paddle of beers each and we enjoyed resting our tired legs in the cool surroundings.

 

Sunday was a day of rest for Anne and Phil, as they were very tired from all the walking.  Anne said she felt like a contestant on the Biggest Loser with all the walking Michael expects her to do!  It was just as well they decided to rest as Michael had a big day of walking for me planned.  We started at Aldgate station and then walked to the Brick Lane Market, the Old Spitalfields Market and then on to Petticoat Lane Market.  It is always fun to see what is on sale and what people are buying.

Our walk took us near the London Museum so we popped inside, as I wanted to see the bronze head from a statue of the Emperor Hadrian, which was found in the River Thames in 1834.  I had read about this statue in one of Boris Johnson’s books.  We found the display, and then, as the museum was so interesting, we spent the next hour or two wandering around.

Sun's out guns out

Next, it was time to catch up with our honorary third son, Ben Borg.  Ben and his beautiful girlfriend, Nat, are in London with Ben’s mum, Terri, and her friend Liz.  We had dinner at the Shakespeare Pub near Victoria Station and it was lovely to spend a few hours chatting and catching up with the news from home.  We were fortunate to catch them as Terri and Liz were heading off to Malta the following day.  We are hoping to see them again in Ireland next month, as they will be touring there also. 

The next day, with Anne and Phil sufficiently rested, we headed to Carnaby Street to visit Choccywoccydoodah.  Anne had wanted to see this wonderful cake shop since watching a television series about it.  It is an amazing place to visit as it displays various elaborate cakes, which are more works of art than cakes.  We took advantage of the occasion to visit the café to indulge in some milkshakes.  We would have had some cake too however, the slices were so huge, we knew we couldn’t eat them all.

 

We then took a stroll through some of my favourite shops and arcades including Hamleys and the Burlington Arcade, where Michael once again purchased some violet creams for me.

The next day we did a lot of walking.  We headed to St Paul’s Cathedral and walked around the outside. Then it was off across the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge to the Tate Modern.  We had a look at the paintings on one floor but Phil wasn’t too impressed by them (I am with him on that one).  He did like the building, which is an old power station and is an impressive size.

We took the bus up to Sotheby’s S2 Gallery, as I wanted to see the exhibition, Banksy: The Unauthorised Retrospective.  I really enjoyed the works on display, as there were a number that I hadn’t seen before.  Michael didn’t like it at all as he felt that it was too commercialised for Banksy.  I think we will have to agree to disagree on that one.

 

Michael gave Anne & Phil the morning off as they had been good.  We had a slow morning taking in coffee and lunch along Portobello Road.  We met up with Anne & Phil in the afternoon to take them around the East End.  Unfortunately there was no market on at Petticoat Lane but we were able to see the Old Spitalfields Market.  We then took a walk around the side streets of Brick Lane to show Anne & Phil all the graffiti.  Michael didn’t feel like haggling, so we took the offer from the second restaurant spruiker we saw for dinner.