Our Two Weeks in London

Tuesday 31st December 2013

And so it's now New Year's Eve and here we are in Warsaw ready to head out with the crowds to ring in the new year with music and fireworks. We've had a brilliant two weeks in London - loads of new experiences. London is just so diverse, there's never any shortage of new things to discover. Here's a snapshot of how we've spent our time here - we'll travel back in time to our last post...

Saturday 21 December 2013

When we last posted, we were sitting in a cafe on a drizzly Saturday morning. The time soon came for us to leave the warmth and venture out for our annual pilgrimage with the Fulham faithful to Craven Cottage - this year to watch Fulham play Manchester City.

 

 

It was a great close game. Two trusty ponchos purchased from Boots on the way ensured we weren't bothered by the pouring rain! Warmed up after the game with dinner at The Hop Poles - a great pub in Hammersmith.

Sunday 22 December 2013

Today was our East End day. Starting with a walk through Shoreditch (one of our favourite places - with in our opinion some of the finest street art in London) to Brick Lane for the Sunday markets and then on to Dalston - Louise worked here in 1990. There is a square in Dalston which is said to have been the inspiration for Albert Square (of EastEnders fame).

Spent some time at Whitechapel art gallery before heading out for a look at the West Ham area. Finished our afternoon with a visit to Bow Church.

Tonight's entertainment was the much anticipated annual Rosemary Branch Pantomime (our fourth). This year the Charles Court Opera performed 'Buttons' - inspired by Cinderella. This was the best one yet - absolutely hilarious.

Monday 23 December 2013

Woke up this morning and decided to have a day out of London. There were many options available to us, but Cardiff won in the end. It's about a 2 hour train journey from London Paddington station - through some lovely countryside.

Enjoyed a walk around the town and a visit to the amazing Cardiff Castle (original motte and bailey still standing - built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders).

Keen to venture further into Wales, we then took another train out to the small coastal town of Barry which has two claims to fame: 1. It is where much of Gavin and Stacey was filmed and 2. It is the birthplace of former Prime Minister Gillard. Had dinner in Barry before heading back to Cardiff and on home to London.

 
The weather in much of the UK turned nasty today with many transport services disrupted. Lots of people heading home for Christmas were stranded. Luckily all that happened to us was a one hour delay on the train home. No problem at all in the scheme of things, given some people missed connecting trains and flights. Everyone was in typically positive spirits though.

Tis the season to be jolly!

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Christmas Eve - perfect for a walk on Hampstead Heath. Did our usual thing of getting lost (well the Heath is huge!), however this time as we were enjoying the usual maze of muddy paths it decided to blow a gale and storm - a very different feel!

Fortunately we were able to find shelter by a fire in - you guessed it - a pub! Well when there's one on every corner they're hard to avoid!

When the rain eased we walked to one of our old favourites, the Spaniards Inn.

Walked home via Finsbury and Islington (including the town hall where we were married), doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

Had a quiet Christmas eve in with wine, cheese and Christmas carols. Perfect.

Wednesday 25 December 2013

Christmas Day - one of the nicest days to be in London.


Started off with the wonderful morning service at St Paul's Cathedral. This is quite an experience - almost overwhelming. We did this two years ago and were just as excited second time around. The sound of the choir and the organ and the sight of hundreds of people from around the world singing carols together is very moving. And yes - most of us were there to admire the building as well!

Walked, and walked, and walked. Down Fleet Street, via the Strand and Covent Garden, through the royal parks to visit the ducks and squirrels and then onto Buckingham Palace. Found ourselves in Chelsea after a few hours. Fortunately the weather was perfect!

Enjoyed traditional Christmas dinner (turkey not duck!) in a gorgeous old pub on Fleet Street.

Happily ended the day with a glass of wine and a mince pie in front of the TV, watching our favourite English Christmas specials. Great end to a great day.

Thursday 26 December 2013

Just three words to say - Boxing Day Sales!


Started early at Cheapside, just near our place and right beside St Paul's (history lesson - while Cheapside sounds like a strange name, it of course has its origins in London's fascinating past: 'Cheap' means 'market' in medieval English and during the middle ages Cheapside was one of the main produce markets in London. The surrounding streets are named after the goods once sold in the area (Honey Lane, Mild Street, Bread Street, Poultry). Now they would be more appropriately named Clothes Street, Shoe Lane, Handbag Avenue etc...).

Moved on to Covent Garden and surrounds - probably our favourite shopping district.

Ended up in Chelsea - another favourite shopping area.

Capped off a great day at a new find - Philomena's - an Irish pub in Covent Garden. Met some fabulous local people and danced the night away. Heaps of fun!

Friday 27 December 2013

Spent most of today with our friend Stephen. Highlight of the day was lunch at The Shard - Europe's tallest building (87 storeys high), which opened to the public this year.

 
We've been watching this being built since 2009 and have eagerly anticipated being able to visit. The view from the restaurant is amazing. The food is also pretty great! Highly recommend dropping in.

Said goodbye to Stephen and made our way to Ronnie Scott's for a Cuban night. Again - more dancing with a really fun crowd.

Saturday 28 December 2013

Our third last day in this wonderful city and still so much to do! Having made a list, we made sure we paid one last visit to Oxford St, Carnaby St, South Molton St, Regent St and Chelsea. Had dinner in our favourite Chelsea pub - one last time! That's it - no more shopping.

Sunday 29 December 2013

Gorgeous weather today so did some more exploring. Today ended up being 'The Day of Ten Thames Crossings'.

Phil has always wanted to walk under the Thames via the Greenwich foot tunnel. Louise did this some years ago so hasn't had it as a priority (it's all about Louise!). And so today was the day. So:

Crossing #1: via the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) (rail tunnel under the Thames) to Greenwich for breakfast.

 
Crossing #2: first Greenwich foot tunnel crossing - from Greenwich back to the Isle of Dogs on the north side. A cheerful event with quite a few other people - tourists and locals alike.

Crossing #3: enjoyed #2 so much so went back the same way - through the foot tunnel.

Caught a bus from Greenwich to the O2 where we got on the new cable car which goes across the Thames at a height of up to 90 meters. And so:

Crossing #4: cable car. A great experience - awesome views!

Now back on the north side, took the DLR further down the river to the station of King George V (way, way out in the East of London). Hmmm. Interesting. But an essential stop because here is the entrance to another foot tunnel under the Thames - the Woolwich foot tunnel. Not only would Phil get to do the Greenwich tunnel, he would get a bonus one as well! This was not quite the same experience though - we were the only ones in the tunnel and it was eery - no scary - to say the least. Perhaps visiting at a busier time would have made a difference. Anyway - we survived and resurfaced after Crossing #5 at Woolwich. So how would we get back to the north? Follow the signs to:

Crossing #6: the Woolwich Free Ferry - a ferry service that has operated across the Thames since at least the fourteenth century. Currently, it takes both cars and foot passengers.

Back at King George V DLR station, we headed back west to Canning Town where we picked up the Jubilee underground line - straight to London Bridge station for the Design Museum. This is where we did Crossings #7, #8 and #9 (cheating a bit, but the tube does actually go under the river three times on this journey!).

Enjoyed a lovely few hours at the museum which currently has a Paul Smith exhibition, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

After dinner at the Oxo Tower, we walked back across Blackfriar's bridge (Crossing #10!!!) and home to get ready for our night out. Tonight's entertainment was a fantastic play 'The Upstanding Member' at the Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington. This is pub theatre at its best - a great play in an intimate setting (maybe 40 people??). Perfect end to a perfect day.

Monday 30 December 2013

Our last day in England! Can't believe how quickly it's flown.

Decided to go to spend the morning in Canterbury - such a beautiful town. Enjoyed a visit to the Cathedral and just generally enjoyed the cobbled lanes of the town. The weather was atrocious, but we've become used to that this trip!

Back in London for the afternoon - enjoyed a visit to the National Gallery. No trip to London would be complete without doing so. This truly is an amazing place - and very easy to take for granted. Here, under one roof, are amazing works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Degas, Canaletto, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Van Eyck, Constable, Gainsborough, Stubbs.... and on..... and on..... And yet we all hurry by on a daily basis. It's nice to stop and appreciate the enormity of this collection - and so we did.

Enjoyed a lovely, last walk home to prepare for our final night out - dinner with Tim and Stephen at The Jugged Hare - just around the corner from home. The theme of the restaurant is 'game' and most things on the menu comply. Louise had pheasant - complete with the claw still attached! Stephen's woodcock dish took the cake though - it still had both claws and the head intact! All very delicious though!

Can't believe London's over - but new adventures await.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

And so - Warsaw! We arrived this afternoon and have had a walk around and some dinner. We're now busy planning how we'll spend the next couple of days here, but first we need to party with the locals! Must go now and don the thermals (it's freezing here!) ready to head to the square to hear the bands and watch the fireworks. Happy New Year!