London in July Trip Report & Photos

Old Aug 10th, 2004, 09:42 AM
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London in July Trip Report & Photos

This is my trip report for an 8 day visit to London. My husband and I lived there temporarily about 5 years ago, and he had not been back since, (although I had a few times). We tried to see and do new things, as well as some old favorites. I hope this helps those planning a trip to London as much as this forum has helped me.

Photos are at pbase.com/aeschumacher.

Arrived Sunday morning at Luton airport and suffered a few minor delays- passport control, drugs search (!).. Then the underground lines we needed were closed for the weekend, but this turned out to be blessing in disguise because the station agent guided us to bus 11- a great route which we ended up using quite a bit. It goes by St. Pauls, down Fleet Street/ the Strand, Trafalgar Sq., Parliament, B Ben, and then to Chelsea via Victoria. It was a very scenic route, and dropped us very near our destination which was just off of Sloane Square.

We rented our flat through A Place Like Home. Couldn?t find any recommendations from people who had used them, but it turned out to be a fantastic agency. All of my email correspondence leading up to the trip was answered immediately, the price was very reasonable (85 ppn for a studio), and our flat was absolutely gorgeous. It was nicely decorated, very well fitted and furnished, and had at least 18 foot ceilings and an entire wall of windows.

First thing on the agenda was the V&A to see the Vivenne Westwood exhibit before it ended. I would very highly recommend it, had it not ended. Later that evening we went out to Gordon?s Wine bar. We liked it very much. It is a dark, candlelit, cavernous bar- tons of atmosphere. Literally dripping with it. We had some food here, mainly cheese (don?t recommend the ?hot? food) and salad.

Next day, Monday, we stared out with a little shopping/ wandering in Covent Garden. We bought a Time Out, and went to a coffee shop to do some planning. Next, spent some time at the National Portrait Gallery. Having rushed through during previous visits, it was nice to wander slowly. Highly recommended if that sort of thing interests you. We had lunch at Belgo Central- It?s an old favorite of mine, but my husband had not been. He really liked it too. I love the honey beer, and of course the moules and frites. After NPG, we walked down Whitehall, across the river, and considered the London Eye. Decided against it, and headed East along the river. Wound up at a pub recommended by Ben Haines- the Founder?s Arms, near Blackfriar?s bridge. It is convenient to many sights, a nice pub with great views and outdoor seating. Next walked across the Millennium bridge and found a tube station to make our way to Regent?s Park for a performance of A Midsummer Night?s dream at the Open Air Theatre. We picnicked near the theatre before the play. It was a very fun performance, and such and ideal setting for it. It was after 11 by the time it was over so we headed to what I like to fancy as home.

!!!!!!! This is so long! I had no intention for it to be- should I continue this way or changed to a more condensed format? I want to do whatever will be most helpful. Thanks!


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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 09:57 AM
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pandaschu

Nice report - please continue. I get "homesick" for London when I read these reports. I have enjoyed the Founders Arms -nice setting. The NPG is great. Along with the National Gallery, among my favorite musuems in London.
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 10:08 AM
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I love it like it is. Please continue.

Thank you,

gg
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 10:13 AM
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I just took a look at your photos. Now I am really missing London!! I remember nearly 4 years ago at Salisbury Cathedral, I saw park benches in the middle of a lake. I thought that was strange, then I realized it was as a result of the flooding that was occurring in England at the time. It made for an interesting picture.

Thanks for the pictures!
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 10:36 AM
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Thanks for the encouragement!
rj007, sounds like a great photo.


Tuesday, 30th Birthday! Had a nice breakfast at Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath. We got there by taking tube to Archway and walking through Highgate. Breakfast was good- the setting was beautiful. My husband had a full English breakfast (terrific mushrooms) and I had a lovely yogurt with honey and nuts. We wandered around the Heath a bit and then through Hampstead to the tube station.

We stopped at Leicester Sq. for the TKTS booth and bought half price tickets for Oleanna. Then we went to Harrods in search of a little birthday cake I once saw there, but it turned out to be a fruitcake and I wanted proper birthday cake. We ended up at Patisserie Valerie, which had many good selections.

We had dinner at the Ivy, which was perfect. The service was fantastic, the wine list was very good and I loved the atmosphere. I had a beautiful minted pea salad, duck for dinner and, happy birthday to me, two desserts. (One for each of us, that is). Sticky toffee pudding (amazing!) and honeycomb ice cream. The Garrick theatre, where we saw Oleanna, was very nearby. We enjoyed the play very much. Turning 30 wasn't so bad afterall!

Wednesday. A bit gray and rainy. We went to the tower of London first. We really found it interesting, despite the hoards of people and expensive entry. We went to Soho for lunch, to a favorite sandwich bar of ours called Dukes. Delicious, freshly made sandwiches. It can be a bit soup nazi-esque during the lunch rush, though. Approach the counter- state your order and step aside!

Later we went to the Crypt café at St. Martin in the fields for a drink, and then onto my favorite museum, the National Gallery (open late on Weds.) For dinner, we headed back to our neighborhood, and to another B. Haines rec., the Cooper's Arms. I had a very delicious grilled tuna (or was it swordfish?) and my husband, bangers and mash. We both loved the pub. Thanks agian Mr. Haines!


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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 10:40 AM
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Thanks for the great report. My two kids and I are planning our trip to London next July. Reading posts like yours are a wonderful way to get excited! I was wondering where the location was for the flat you rented. I went to the website for A Place Like Home to look at their prices and properties. We had thought that a flat rental may be too expensive for us, but their prices seemed very reasonable.
Did you find it convenient to everything? It will be our first trip, so we feel that maybe convenience should play a big part in our choice of accomodations. Thanks for your help and for the great report!
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 10:53 AM
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kandksmom, (cute name!)
The flat was on Cadogan Gardens, and it was less than a five minute walk to the Sloane Square tube. We loved staying in a flat vs. a hotel. It was so nice to be able to have breakfast "at home" each day, do laundry, etc.

For convenience sake, I would recommend somewhere close to a tube station. Once you are on the tube, just about everything is convenient. I don't think we ever had to travel more than 30 min. to get anywhere.
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 11:30 AM
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Thursday- day trip to countryside. Using a Time Out guide: Book of Country walks, we took the train south out of London, to a village called Otford. The walk took us through 3 villages, some beautiful countryside, along a river, by two castles, and to an excavated Roman Villa. We ended up in the village of Eynsford, where we caught the train back to London. It was a great day. I especially enjoyed the country views and the Roman villa, where there was an incredible mosaic floor, largely intact.

We got back into London, and tried to hook up with London Walks, but had some trouble finding the walk info in time. We decided to do our own pub walk instead. We started at St. Paul?s, and headed to Fleet St., where we had our first stop. The Punch Tavern. Our main criteria for a stop were charm and atmosphere. This pub was very pretty, and was very full of city people having drinks after work. It was more bar-like than pub-like actually. Very good first stop. Heading west, we stopped at Ye olde Cheshire Cheese, the Cole Hole and then (out of necessity for a loo) the Princess of Wales, outside of the Charing Cross station. This last was definitely the least favorite, but they did have Bass, which was a plus. The Cole Hole was my personal favorite.

Now I am trying to decide whether or not to publicly admit that we then got on the tube, and headed for our old neighborhood kebab shop, Archway Kebabs- Probably the best Kebabs in the U.K. (the sign actually says that!) So there it is. Anyway, what else do you do after a pub crawl???

Friday. Had a bit of a lie in, after having walked at least 10 miles the day before. We went to Pret for lunch near St. Paul?s, and had a picnic on the church grounds. The church itself is being restored, but there was no scaffolding on the east or south sides, so we still had great views. Then we went to the Museum of London, which we very much enjoyed. We had never been, and are so glad we finally made it.

We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant in South Ken., called Spago. The food was good and very inexpensive. Our waitress, however, disappeared after we were done with dinner, so we left and went somewhere else for coffee. On our way out we noticed her sitting outside with friends. Funny.


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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 12:30 PM
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Happy Birthday Pandaschu! Great way to celebrate a birthday - a trip to London. Thanks for tip on where I can get Bass. I have always found it amusing that I can drink Bass in the English pub in my hometown and have a hard time finding it in London! Of course, this is due to the major breweries controlling the majority of London's pubs.

I am glad you enjoyed the Museum of London. Good museum. And the walk thru the villages is something I will add to my list of day trips from London. The next time you are there, I would recommend a trip to St. Albans. It is a neat town just a short ride from London. It was a large Roman town -they have a good Roman musuem and excavations of a Roman theatre. They also have a medieval cathedral as well as other medieval architecture. I had lunch at the reputed oldest pub in Britain Ye Olde Cocks (dating to 900).
A nice stroll through history.
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 12:34 PM
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The pubs actual name is Ye Olde Fighting Cocks.
Sorry for the mistake.
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 07:23 PM
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rjoo7- There is also Bass at the Cole Hole (on the south side of the Strand). Thank you for the information on St. Albans, now I already have an excuse to start planning my next trip!

Here is my final installment:
Saturday. Met up with a girlfriend and we all went to the Wallace Collection. Had tea in the restaurant with scones that would have been delicious on their own but instead were used mainly as a vehicle for jam and clotted cream. YUM! The restaurant there is great- it is in a glass covered courtyard in the center of the house. The ceiling is so high it seems like you are outside. Recommended!

Next we dropped my husband at a pub on Wigmore Street to watch the British Open and girlfriend and I went and did a little shopping. Later that evening, my husband and I saw a modern production of Measure for Measure at the National Theatre. We were able to get tickets for 10pounds on the Natl. Theatre website before we left. It was a fantastic production- fun to see Shakespeare set in modern times, and interesting that the issues are still so relevant. After the play, we walked across the river to Covent Garden and wandered around in search of a post play dinner. Found a good and reasonably priced French restaurant. I!|ve forgotten the name. ??

Sunday. With our looming departure, moods were a bit low. Went to Kensington Gardens and wandered through to Hyde Park, St. James!|s Park, Green park and on to Trafalgar Square. We stopped in Knightsbridge and found the Grenadier pub, my new favorite. It is tiny and beautiful and tucked way in a little mews.

Later we met up with our girlfriend again and went to an Italian restaurant in Notting Hill called Osteria Basilica. I thought it was a great restaurant all around.

Monday. Our flight home wasn!|t until 4:30. We packed and then went and picked up picnic supplies from Waitrose- which in my experience is the best grocery for that sort of thing. Our flat had a little private garden, and so we went and picnicked there for our last lunch. After that, we went and retrieved our things and took the tube to Heathrow.

Now I'm home and had a lot of fun re-living the trip through writing this report. Thanks for your advice and guidance.

P.


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Old Aug 11th, 2004, 08:07 AM
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Hello pandaschu,

Would you kindly give the website address for A Place Like Home. I googled it but could not find it. Also could you give the street name for your flat or a way to identify your particular flat that your rented. It sounds wonderful.

Thank you. I enjoyed your report so much. I plan to eat scones at the restaurant at Wallace collection and go to one of the Italian restaurants you mentioned on my trip in Oct. also, the tip about bus # 11 is good. I have never been quite able to figure out the buses and usually just stick with the tube.
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Old Aug 11th, 2004, 09:00 AM
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ggnga,

The web address is aplacelikehomelondon.co.uk. If you email them and tell them what you are looking for, they will email you additional properites. Ours was the Cadogan Gardens studio.

At the tube station the agent gave me a map of central London that showed all of the main bus routes. It was very helpful. Eat a scone for me
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Old Aug 11th, 2004, 09:02 AM
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No!
Sorry-
The web address is
aplacelikehomelondon.com

(If I knew how to make that little embarassed face here, I would!)
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Old Aug 11th, 2004, 09:07 AM
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pandaschu - Great photos!! Thanks for sharing. Ya gotta love the Grenadier!!! Many, many memories of pints of ale from there!

Best wishes, Dave
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Old Aug 11th, 2004, 12:18 PM
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Thank yo for sharing!

Nice to see there are some younger people making the trip to Europe.

Keith
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Old May 14th, 2005, 02:58 AM
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pandaschu, topping this because I did this very walk (Otford/Eynsford) a few years ago and was re-researching it and came across this.

I highly reco this walk for anyone visiting London who wants to take a day trip to the country.
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