Autumn in London
Oct 31st, 2015, 11:41 AM
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Autumn in London
We are in London for one precious week. It is autumn, and today London was absolutely glorious. Sunshine, no-wind-no-rain! Autumn leaves, the air crisp but not cold. Halloween decorations everywhere. A cute little girl dressed like a pumpkin. A young woman in her pedicab (those bikes with seats that you can rent when you do not want to walk) – dressed in orange with very impressive orange make-up and huge black circles around her eyes, furiously peddling two serious young businessmen working their phones. All part of London, this wonderfully grand old city!
We are staying in a charming apartment that we rent from LONDON CONNECTION. I heartily recommend them. We have a 2-bedroomed place, with kitchen and living room, for exactly the same price that I paid previously for a ‘standard double’ in a 4-star hotel. I love having an apartment. One bonus is that you do not have to eat every meal in restaurants. This will not be to everybody’s taste, but the joy of a quick steak, a big salad and a good Merlot without spending a fortune …to me it makes sense. We have a washing machine, comfy beds, a well-equipped kitchen, a very central location. This is our place:
https://londonconnection.com/propert...helton-street/
Within five minutes’ walk we have a good M & S, a Tesco, Leicester Square Tube Station. Trafalgar Square is 6 - 10 minutes away (depending on how fast you walk!).
We are staying in a charming apartment that we rent from LONDON CONNECTION. I heartily recommend them. We have a 2-bedroomed place, with kitchen and living room, for exactly the same price that I paid previously for a ‘standard double’ in a 4-star hotel. I love having an apartment. One bonus is that you do not have to eat every meal in restaurants. This will not be to everybody’s taste, but the joy of a quick steak, a big salad and a good Merlot without spending a fortune …to me it makes sense. We have a washing machine, comfy beds, a well-equipped kitchen, a very central location. This is our place:
https://londonconnection.com/propert...helton-street/
Within five minutes’ walk we have a good M & S, a Tesco, Leicester Square Tube Station. Trafalgar Square is 6 - 10 minutes away (depending on how fast you walk!).
Oct 31st, 2015, 01:14 PM
#2
Looks like a nice flat -- and just around the corner from 7 Dials, all the theatres etc.
June and Autumn are my favo(u)rite times of year in London. If only I'd have as nice weather for my next visit (Boxing Day to New Years) - in my dreams
June and Autumn are my favo(u)rite times of year in London. If only I'd have as nice weather for my next visit (Boxing Day to New Years) - in my dreams
Nov 2nd, 2015, 10:35 AM
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WESTMINSTER’S BROAD BISHOP
This time in London, I decide to actually pay the £20 and see the inside of Westminster Abbey. Yes, it is famous for a reason.
When I arrive shortly before opening time at 9.30, there is already a short queue waiting. When I leave at 11am, the queue is stretching way into the distance.
If I had to choose, I would rather go to St Paul’s, which to me is more beautiful – but that’s just me. If you enjoy the feeling of being where so many famous people had been buried, go for Westminster. There is one moment when I look down, and notice that I am standing right on a marble slab that tells me Charles Darwin is buried nearby.
What made me smile: two priests are chatting about their problems. I shamelessly eavesdrop (they are talking freely and not too softly, with many people milling around). Their one complaint is that, when chairs are put out for important services, the isles are much too narrow, and the procession just cannot move with the necessary dignity (people expand, they say). One priest tells how he struggled to lead a bishop down an insufficient pathway between too many people. The other priest asks: ‘was it a big bishop or a small bishop?’ The answer: ‘It was a broad bishop’.
As always, I find the British sense of history mind-boggling. The Coronation Chair, in which every new king or queen had sat at the moment of coronation since the year 1308, is there – waiting behind glass for the next king.
I am often lazy to concentrate on audio guides, but this one is worth your attention.
I leave the Abbey before 11am, and is just in time to sit at Nelson Mandela’s feet and listen to Big Ben chiming the hour. A lovely sunny autumn day in London, the sky blue, the air crisp and fresh, Big Ben as magnificent as always. A special morning that I will treasure.
This time in London, I decide to actually pay the £20 and see the inside of Westminster Abbey. Yes, it is famous for a reason.
When I arrive shortly before opening time at 9.30, there is already a short queue waiting. When I leave at 11am, the queue is stretching way into the distance.
If I had to choose, I would rather go to St Paul’s, which to me is more beautiful – but that’s just me. If you enjoy the feeling of being where so many famous people had been buried, go for Westminster. There is one moment when I look down, and notice that I am standing right on a marble slab that tells me Charles Darwin is buried nearby.
What made me smile: two priests are chatting about their problems. I shamelessly eavesdrop (they are talking freely and not too softly, with many people milling around). Their one complaint is that, when chairs are put out for important services, the isles are much too narrow, and the procession just cannot move with the necessary dignity (people expand, they say). One priest tells how he struggled to lead a bishop down an insufficient pathway between too many people. The other priest asks: ‘was it a big bishop or a small bishop?’ The answer: ‘It was a broad bishop’.
As always, I find the British sense of history mind-boggling. The Coronation Chair, in which every new king or queen had sat at the moment of coronation since the year 1308, is there – waiting behind glass for the next king.
I am often lazy to concentrate on audio guides, but this one is worth your attention.
I leave the Abbey before 11am, and is just in time to sit at Nelson Mandela’s feet and listen to Big Ben chiming the hour. A lovely sunny autumn day in London, the sky blue, the air crisp and fresh, Big Ben as magnificent as always. A special morning that I will treasure.
Nov 2nd, 2015, 07:40 PM
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WALKING WITH MY DAUGHTER
When we come to London, I am often busy with work, while my DD explores mostly on her own. This time she declared long before the time that she is kidnapping me for one full day, to show me ‘her London’. So this morning we set out, and I promised not to second-guess, not to suggest other plans. She was quite secretive, and I had no idea where we were heading. I pray for stamina.
First stop: Kensington Gardens. It is a very beautiful autumn morning, the fog hanging low between the trees, everything crisp and fresh. We go for a walk in the park, past beautiful fountains, along a river, watching the waterfowl. How incredible to have such rural beauty right in the center of a huge city. There are a few other people around, walking their dogs, jogging, sitting quietly. We find Peter Pan’s statue, and take about 50 photos of this exquisite little boy. I watch my 22-year old daughter and for a moment clearly see the 4-year old who could not get enough of Neverland.
We walk until we can see Kensington Palace across the water, and sit a while on a bench to watch the swans. The palace looks smaller and somewhat simpler than I had imagined. It is a grey morning, lovely with the fog and the trees.
Eventually we have to leave, and by then I am quite ready for a coffee at a little place just outside the gates.
We take the tube to Portobello Road. DD chose a Monday morning, when it is quieter here; she knows that I do not much like crowds. We slowly make our way up this ordinary London street with its quirky little shops, selling all kinds of interesting junk. We go into places selling ‘previously loved’ designer clothes. Who in this world buys a pair of cast-off Jimmy Choo shoes (£78)? Apparently many people unlike myself!
I am almost tempted to buy chunky silver jewelry, or a ring shaped like a music note, or a string of huge fresh water pearls, or a tin that could have come from my grandmother’s pantry in far-away South Africa. A dapper salesman tries to sell a leather jacket to DD. She is already wearing one. She asks: ‘Why should I have two?’ He answers: ‘Use this one on Sundays!’
We walk on until we reach the Hummingbird Bakery, where we buy a small pumpkin pie, then all the way back to the tube station again.
Next stop: Camden Market. It takes three trains to get us there. I wonder about the fact that I am a lazy shopper - I will sidestep shopping expeditions if I can. Where did my DD learn to explore the most unlikely places and to come home with great findings, sometimes little things that I would not have noticed but that she uses for years? It is a mystery!
By now my interest is waning, but I soldier on through yet more quaint and weird little places with cheap clothing, gothic styles, costumes from previous centuries … A man is trying on a huge black cape. The shop assistant looks on critically and advises: ‘If you want to look more vampire-y, you should try our basement section’. They are both quite serious.
DD wants to try on a little black dress. The same assistant asks: ‘is this for a special occasion, is it for Halloween?’ DD explains that she does not really do Halloween. The assistant playfully growls: ‘Get out of my store’ … arms on hips, but laughing.
Just before I collapse, we find a place where we buy excellent Chinese street food - £5 for a substantial meal. We eat slowly on hard wooden benches, the aroma of garlic and incense strong in the cold air.
The last stop is at the British Museum, where I have to view just one special artifact that DD finds fascinating. How great is this place, where you can walk in without paying, elect to see one thing, marvel that it was kept safe through so many centuries, and then leave again.
At the end of the tour I have to concede: London is not only the wonderful old churches and the art museums that I love – it is also the small places that I would never look for on my own. I am glad I have experienced it. I am also glad I do not have to go again soon ;-)
When we come to London, I am often busy with work, while my DD explores mostly on her own. This time she declared long before the time that she is kidnapping me for one full day, to show me ‘her London’. So this morning we set out, and I promised not to second-guess, not to suggest other plans. She was quite secretive, and I had no idea where we were heading. I pray for stamina.
First stop: Kensington Gardens. It is a very beautiful autumn morning, the fog hanging low between the trees, everything crisp and fresh. We go for a walk in the park, past beautiful fountains, along a river, watching the waterfowl. How incredible to have such rural beauty right in the center of a huge city. There are a few other people around, walking their dogs, jogging, sitting quietly. We find Peter Pan’s statue, and take about 50 photos of this exquisite little boy. I watch my 22-year old daughter and for a moment clearly see the 4-year old who could not get enough of Neverland.
We walk until we can see Kensington Palace across the water, and sit a while on a bench to watch the swans. The palace looks smaller and somewhat simpler than I had imagined. It is a grey morning, lovely with the fog and the trees.
Eventually we have to leave, and by then I am quite ready for a coffee at a little place just outside the gates.
We take the tube to Portobello Road. DD chose a Monday morning, when it is quieter here; she knows that I do not much like crowds. We slowly make our way up this ordinary London street with its quirky little shops, selling all kinds of interesting junk. We go into places selling ‘previously loved’ designer clothes. Who in this world buys a pair of cast-off Jimmy Choo shoes (£78)? Apparently many people unlike myself!
I am almost tempted to buy chunky silver jewelry, or a ring shaped like a music note, or a string of huge fresh water pearls, or a tin that could have come from my grandmother’s pantry in far-away South Africa. A dapper salesman tries to sell a leather jacket to DD. She is already wearing one. She asks: ‘Why should I have two?’ He answers: ‘Use this one on Sundays!’
We walk on until we reach the Hummingbird Bakery, where we buy a small pumpkin pie, then all the way back to the tube station again.
Next stop: Camden Market. It takes three trains to get us there. I wonder about the fact that I am a lazy shopper - I will sidestep shopping expeditions if I can. Where did my DD learn to explore the most unlikely places and to come home with great findings, sometimes little things that I would not have noticed but that she uses for years? It is a mystery!
By now my interest is waning, but I soldier on through yet more quaint and weird little places with cheap clothing, gothic styles, costumes from previous centuries … A man is trying on a huge black cape. The shop assistant looks on critically and advises: ‘If you want to look more vampire-y, you should try our basement section’. They are both quite serious.
DD wants to try on a little black dress. The same assistant asks: ‘is this for a special occasion, is it for Halloween?’ DD explains that she does not really do Halloween. The assistant playfully growls: ‘Get out of my store’ … arms on hips, but laughing.
Just before I collapse, we find a place where we buy excellent Chinese street food - £5 for a substantial meal. We eat slowly on hard wooden benches, the aroma of garlic and incense strong in the cold air.
The last stop is at the British Museum, where I have to view just one special artifact that DD finds fascinating. How great is this place, where you can walk in without paying, elect to see one thing, marvel that it was kept safe through so many centuries, and then leave again.
At the end of the tour I have to concede: London is not only the wonderful old churches and the art museums that I love – it is also the small places that I would never look for on my own. I am glad I have experienced it. I am also glad I do not have to go again soon ;-)
Nov 3rd, 2015, 12:18 AM
#12
what a lovely day with your DD, Kosvie. You remind me of the many interesting little spots I got to know when I worked in London - I wonder if I could still find them or even if they are still there. Thank you for sharing your days with us.
Nov 4th, 2015, 10:51 AM
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COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKET
This lovely market happens only Sundays until 2pm. Go early! We went by bus and easily found the market. It was another beautiful, sunny autumn day in London. The flowers looked fresh and pretty, the variety huge – roses and tulips and hydrangeas and various others; also potted plants and many kinds of herbs. Most things seemed inexpensive - £5 or £10 a bunch. Before 11am, it was busy but not too crowed. For me the biggest treat was listening to the language of the flower sellers – Eliza Doolittle’s dad would not stand out. The banter and jokes and loud comments was fun (give me a fiver, give me a fiver, I have to feed the baby …). The little shops around the market sell food and cake and household stuff – but we did not really pay attention. We had the best coffee, and then returned by bus with an armful of flowers. Another good thing about having an apartment: we have a nice vase for our flowers, and it will give us joy until we leave.
This lovely market happens only Sundays until 2pm. Go early! We went by bus and easily found the market. It was another beautiful, sunny autumn day in London. The flowers looked fresh and pretty, the variety huge – roses and tulips and hydrangeas and various others; also potted plants and many kinds of herbs. Most things seemed inexpensive - £5 or £10 a bunch. Before 11am, it was busy but not too crowed. For me the biggest treat was listening to the language of the flower sellers – Eliza Doolittle’s dad would not stand out. The banter and jokes and loud comments was fun (give me a fiver, give me a fiver, I have to feed the baby …). The little shops around the market sell food and cake and household stuff – but we did not really pay attention. We had the best coffee, and then returned by bus with an armful of flowers. Another good thing about having an apartment: we have a nice vase for our flowers, and it will give us joy until we leave.
Nov 5th, 2015, 06:57 AM
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CATS
We went to see CATS, and mostly enjoyed it. We have, for years, loved TS Eliot’s playful rhymes about all kinds of cats, so seeing this show was a must. But for me, most of the dance sequences went on tooooo long. The show itself – with intermission – was almost three hours. Too much!
When Grizabella first appeared on stage, Beverley Knight seemed a bit wooden. Towards the end of the show – when she sang Memory – she really let it rip. It was the highlight of the show, and deeply touching.
There is a song near the end where the full choir sings with emphasis and great gusto: “a cat is not a dog …”. DD really hears the words for the first time, and dissolves into helpless giggles.
All in all, it was a nice evening out - we had fun.
We went to see CATS, and mostly enjoyed it. We have, for years, loved TS Eliot’s playful rhymes about all kinds of cats, so seeing this show was a must. But for me, most of the dance sequences went on tooooo long. The show itself – with intermission – was almost three hours. Too much!
When Grizabella first appeared on stage, Beverley Knight seemed a bit wooden. Towards the end of the show – when she sang Memory – she really let it rip. It was the highlight of the show, and deeply touching.
There is a song near the end where the full choir sings with emphasis and great gusto: “a cat is not a dog …”. DD really hears the words for the first time, and dissolves into helpless giggles.
All in all, it was a nice evening out - we had fun.
Nov 5th, 2015, 12:07 PM
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love Columbia Road and the area around there...glad you got there...and yes, Kensington Gardens is lovely...we stayed in a flat that overlooked it at Christmas 2 years ago and took a walk there every morning after breakfast...so many dogs out running with their owners! Always enjoy reading your reports...and very much looking forward to getting back to London this Christmas
Nov 5th, 2015, 04:13 PM
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Hi again KOSVIE,
What a lovely day with your daughter in London. Reminds me that I should pass through the British Museum again - focusing on "one" exhibit chosen beforehand.
'... the period of "mists and mellow fruitfulness" is truly upon us' Thanks BILBOBURGLER . Also reminds me - I want to visit the Keats House in Hampstead next time.
Great thread. You folks really know how to enjoy London.
What a lovely day with your daughter in London. Reminds me that I should pass through the British Museum again - focusing on "one" exhibit chosen beforehand.
'... the period of "mists and mellow fruitfulness" is truly upon us' Thanks BILBOBURGLER . Also reminds me - I want to visit the Keats House in Hampstead next time.
Great thread. You folks really know how to enjoy London.
