We Are Family

Three wise men

Christmas was nearly upon us, and Michael and I were as excited as a couple of kids as we flew to London for what was to be a Herring family reunion.  Our plane was delayed a few hours due to Storm Barbara which lashed Ireland and the UK with high winds however not even the tedium of waiting at the overcrowded airport could dampen our spirits.  We finally arrived at our hotel in Aldgate East just after midnight and were pleased to find our hotel was both in a convenient location and comfortable.

It was a cold Christmas Eve morning (2 degrees) and Michael and I impatiently walked around London until it was finally time to head to James and Amber’s home.  It was lovely to see them again and Amber had done an amazing job decorating the house with beautiful twinkling lights and her Christmas tree looked like something out of a fairy tale.  We didn’t have long to wait before Tim and Jess arrived.  They had flown in from Iceland and looked healthy, happy and relaxed and needless to say, it was wonderful to see them again.

 

We all took a walk along the canal to the Broadway Market.  Unfortunately the market was closing up as we arrived however we did manage to snaffle a quick Scotch egg.  Lunch was at a gourmet pizza parlour and it was great to hear what everyone had been up to.  Our conversation continued onto a pub in Angel before Michael and I headed back to our hotel as we all wanted to be fresh for Santa’s visit.

 

The Herrings had last celebrated Christmas all together six years ago, so we were very much looking forward to the day.  James and Tim cooked a breakfast of scrambled eggs for us all and then it was time to see what Santa had brought as well as to tackle the mound of presents under the tree whilst sipping champagne.  We then spent the afternoon playing Cranium- a board game, which is a mix of charades, general knowledge and music trivia.  We teamed up as girls versus boys and the game certainly provided us with a few laughs.  I think that one of James’ aunts would be horrified to learn that he was unable to hum Rule Britannia, as he didn’t know the tune!  We stopped play to watch the Queen’s Christmas message and I couldn’t help but feel thrilled that I was actually watching the broadcast in England surrounded by my family.  What a privilege and the day wasn’t over yet.  James and Amber had booked Christmas dinner for us at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, the York and Albany.  We started the meal with a sparkling wine from Kent followed by what can only be described as a wonderful meal.  I departed from the traditional turkey on offer and instead ordered beef wellington – superb!  I also opted out of the Christmas pudding, ordering a passionfruit chocolate bar – delicious!  It was the perfect end to a perfect Christmas and one that I will always remember with a smile.

 

We had a late start to Boxing Day (or St Stephen’s Day as they say in Ireland), meeting for coffee near Brick Lane.  It was challenging finding a café that was open and we ended up near the Borough Market for breakfast.  Jess headed off to spend the day with friends, leaving Tim, James and Amber and us to wander about the city and check out some of the sales.  It was interesting seeing the crowds grow as the day went on and it was magical watching the Christmas lights illuminate the streets, as the skies grew dark.  We finished the day with a very nice Greek meal.

 

The following day we all met for coffee at the Attendant in Fitzrovia, (the café in the old public toilet), before Tim and Jess left us to hit the sales, leaving Amber and James to entertain us and they certainly did that, taking us on a murder mystery walk.  The trail began near the Monument and we had a number of clues that we needed to solve as we moved around the various locations.  I would have told you prior to completing this trail, that there was not much you could show me in London that I hadn’t already seen.  How wrong can you be?  Within minutes of starting the hunt we were walking down streets and alleys that I had never entered before and discovered churches and buildings that I didn’t know existed.  It was particularly thrilling to come across the George and Vulture, the setting for a number of exploits in the Pickwick Papers.  We saw places that we had visited before with fresh eyes as the clues made us examine them closely and revealed some hitherto unknown fact or detail.  It was a really fun way to spend an afternoon.

 

We met up with Tim and Jess again at our hotel before we all headed down to Brick Lane for a very nice meal (no beef vindaloo though).  It was then time for one of the highlights of our stay.  One of my many Christmas presents had been a ticket for the Jack the Ripper tour and so we all set out to meet our guide outside the Whitechapel Gallery.  Our guide was dressed in Victorian costume and regaled us with the horrifying details of the murders in his cockney accent while guiding us through the streets to the various locations of importance.  I had long wanted to do this tour and I was not disappointed.  It was a particularly cold and dark evening, which added to the atmosphere and made it easy to imagine just what it had been like in those times.  The streets have changed over time and many of the buildings have since been demolished however the guide showed us photos from the era, including some rather gruesome autopsy photos.  I was very pleased with my Christmas present.

East End milk float

James and Amber had booked brunch for us all at the Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell and we had a lovely meal there before all going our separate ways for the day.  James had given us instructions for another murder mystery walk, this time set in and around Temple and Fleet Street, so Michael and I headed off on our mission (I think that James found the ideal way to keep the “oldies” entertained).  Once again we found ourselves discovering innumerable little lanes and courts on our quest and we had a very enjoyable afternoon with James joining us to help us over the finish line.  Late lunch was at the Old Bank of England where Tim and Jess joined us for a drink.  In the evening the 5 of us headed into Angel for a night of stand up comedy, (Amber was not well, so wisely decided against venturing out into the cold).  Most of the comedians were very funny with just a couple seeming a little too weird for me and thankfully none of our group was picked on during the acts.  Once again it was a fun way to spend an evening and it was certainly not something that Michael and I do on a regular basis.

Michael and I spent a leisurely morning checking out various shops around the city before lunching at San Carlo Cicchetti in Piccadilly.  This is the sister restaurant of the one in Convent Garden that I went to on my earlier visit with Christine and Anne.  The meal was excellent and then it was off to meet the boys and girls.

Our main Christmas present to the boys and their partners was tickets to see The Book of Mormon.  We met at the Prince of Wales Theatre and settled in for two and half hours of non-stop entertainment.  The show was very funny with great singing and dancing and was an excellent send-up of Mormonism.  We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I can recommend the show (it is a little rude but not as rude as one would expect from the creators of South Park).

Dinner was a very nice steak and kidney pudding (with real suet) at the Duke of Wellington before we headed back to James and Amber’s for another round of Cranium.  I will never hear the phrase “party animal” without cracking up again!

 

We all caught up with Michael’s godmother Margaret at Charing Cross station and took a walk down to Notes for a coffee and a catch up.  It was great seeing Margaret looking so well and we all took turns in bringing each other up to date on what we have been doing.  Jess then left us as she was off to see Aladdin in the West End with her friend and we all took a stroll to check out the shops around Jermyn Street.  Lunch was a good pub meal at the Coach and Horses and then it was time to say goodbye once more to Margaret.  Hopefully it won’t be too long until we catch up with her again.

James booked dinner for us at Smokehouse in Islington, a short walk from his apartment.  The pub was very popular and packed with diners and drinkers alike.  My meal was superb – a dish of lamb covered with melted cheese, and aside from my attempt to set myself alight with a dinner candle, it was a very enjoyable evening.

Michael and I met up with Tim after his morning run for a coffee at the Broadway Market (perhaps we should have joined him on his run as all we have seemed to do is eat since our arrival in London).  It was good to spend a little time with him on his own before he ran back to James’ and Michael and I continued on our way.  We had the day to ourselves as the others had their own plans for the day and evening ahead.

First stop was the Borough Market for a bacon and egg roll.  Then we walked, and walked and then walked some more.  In total we covered 26.6 km that day stopping only for lunch at the Shepherds Tavern.  Wendy Richard (Miss Brahms from Are You Being Served and of course, Pauline Fowler from Eastenders) lived in this pub from 1948-1953 and the pub also featured in scenes in the Alfred Hitchcock film, Stagefright, which was filmed here.  I was grateful to put my feet up for a while before heading out again.

Michael wasn’t feeling too well in the evening so we didn’t venture out to see in the New Year.  In fact, we gave dinner a miss altogether and we were in bed asleep by 10 pm.  What a couple of ragers!

Happy New Year!  It was a very soggy start to the new 2017 as it absolutely poured with rain.  We really couldn’t complain though as we had enjoyed beautiful (if a little chilly) weather to date.  Michael and I had planned to watch the big parade however it really wouldn’t have been much fun in the wet.  Instead, we took a bus trip to Sloane Square, thinking that we could look at all of the Christmas decorations along the route while staying dry.  It was a good plan however it didn’t allow for the fact that cold, wet weather outside meant fogged up bus windows inside!  We gave up on that idea and caught the train back to our hotel where we relaxed until the others emerged from slumber and it was safe to head over to see them.

We decided on a Sunday roast for dinner at a pub in Angel called The Narrow Boat situated on Regent’s Canal.  It was a   very nice meal and a fitting send off for Tim and Jess who had an early flight home to Melbourne the following morning.  It was sad saying goodbye, especially as we don’t know exactly when we will see them again, however we had a great time altogether and I am thankful that they made the effort to come and spend Christmas with us.

James and Amber had things to do in the morning, so Michael and I headed into Shoreditch to explore the area.  We visited a church that we had passed on many occasions – St Leonards.  This old church is dedicated to the patron saint of prisoners and the mentally ill.  It is known as the actors’ church (not to be confused with the one in Covent Garden), as many actors from the Tudor period are buried there.  The current church was built in the eighteenth century replacing the previous one, which had collapsed due to the foundations being washed away by the nearby Wallbrook River.  It is also the church mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons.  It is a fascinating building, which has been partially restored however it needs further attention to return it to its former glory.

We had arranged to meet James and Amber at the Geffrye Museum, as there was a special Christmas Past exhibition showing there.  We had somehow missed this museum on our previous visits.  The museum itself is set in the almshouses of the Ironmongers Company built in 1714 and set among beautiful gardens.  Walking through the museum we viewed displays of living rooms illustrating family life through the centuries.  Each room was set up as though it was Christmas Day, showing how each era celebrated the festive period.  It was a very interesting exhibition even if it was a little disturbing seeing scenes from my childhood shown as “history”. 

Damien Hirst – Exquisite Pain

One final dinner with James and Amber at a Vietnamese restaurant and then it was time to say goodbye.  We thanked them for a truly wonderful Christmas and we weren’t too sad as we know that we will be seeing them at the end of January when they cross the ocean to visit us in Ireland.

 

One final walk around London took us to another previously unvisited church – St Bartholomew the Great – in Cloth Fair.  St Bart’s was founded as an Augustinian Priory in 1123 and is regarded as having the finest surviving Norman interior in London.  It survived the Great Fire of London and there is a statue erected nearby which marks the spot where the fire stopped.  It was in this church that a memorial service was held in 2005 to mark the 700^th anniversary of William Wallace the Scottish hero’s execution.  The church is very beautiful and we saw the font where William Hogarth was baptised.  A visit to this church was the perfect way to end a truly memorable trip to London.

Spot where the Great fire stopped.