while I was watching Wimbledon they focussed in on the court thermometer - it was over 40C!

I can't believe the three months is over either, I still have lots of stuff on my list, good job my husband seems ready to move here!

Lateday - we are indeed on the same page, pity we haven't had the chance to meet in the same place, do give me a shout if you come to, or through, the Bay Area. We were fairly near Hardy's home when we were in Wiltshire as we were right by the Dorset boarder but we didn't make it down there.

Janisj - I really think you would like 18 Stafford Terrace, I found it fascinating and it's just around the corner from Leighton House. I can't believe how hot is is in Sacramento...

Dukey - there are indeed lots of shorts but here in the East End they are either short shorts (for women) or those slim mid thigh shorts for men, often worn with a belt and brogues, almost ironically. So, all very fashionable

Annhig- glad you won't be boiling in Cornwall! Seeing Wimbledon outdoors, on a big screen tv with St Pauls in the background was a hoot! I can't believe it was over 40C, crazy.

RM67 Viet Grill is on my list for next time, so close and yet I still haven't made it there!

Wait - you can't leave; I haven't finished reading it all and planning my September trip to London! Yes - very hot in the East Bay but watching Wimbledon where it is hot - worried about Andy. Up for an East Bay meet-up! Safe travels!!

Seeing Wimbledon outdoors, on a big screen tv with St Pauls in the background was a hoot! I can't believe it was over 40C, crazy. >>

going to be even hotter there today, apparently. it's slightly overcast here and about 10C cooler!

Gail - don't worry about Andy -

1. he trains in florida and is super fit, and

2. it's going to be cooler tomorrow when he is due to play again.

Hope everyone in the Uk is enjoying the sunshine.

It's gorgeous here in Helsinki, apparently there was hail two days ago so we've been pretty lucky!

gailscout - I'm up for an East Bay meet-up! I wonder how many Fodorites there are in Berkeley and Oakland?

"I wonder how many Fodorites there are in Berkeley and Oakland?"

Or looking for an excuse to be there.

WTB -- are you going to be writing about Helsinki?

Normal service was resumed this morning when it rained - but it's been a lovely afternoon.

Talking of Wimbledon, I'm watching Nadal v Brown this evening - a fantastic match. Where has Dustin Brown been all these years?

just to add to the list of places to visit in London, a new Titian exhibition has opened at Apsley House [no 1, london]; according to a feature on the Today programme this morning, a number of their paintings have newly been identified as being by Titian and they are now exhibited there.

I can't find a link to the new exhibition, but this gives a flavour:

http://onelondonone.blogspot.co.uk/2...ley-house.html

and as you might have guessed already, it's yet another place in London that I've never visited.

ANNHIG, thanks for that updated clip about APSLEY HOUSE. Such a fine collection of art. Looking forward to returning to London next spring...

Just signing in then I keep track of this. No time to read it all at the moment. From the quick glance I have had it looks like a wonderful long read.
Re the temperature in UK, I am at present in Manchester via Wales and London. It has been seriously warm this week, around 27C today. Do not need my thermals this time. Rain jacket is handy as there are thunderstorms forecast in the evenings.

welltraveledbrit - lets do it! Preferably prior to my trip in late August!

Gertie - glad you're enjoying the Uk without the benefit of thermals!
gailscout - we're on, ideally for me before I leave for NYC in mid-August.
Mmeperdu - feel free to join!
annhig - now you're just torturing me with things I'm missing in London!

Yestravel - I'm sure I will get around to a TR on Helsinki but it will probably go along with the posts on my blog and as I have a TON to catch up from on London it may take a while.

Here's what I can tell you so far... we are having a wonderful time and we really like HelsinkiI but I get why it's a city that doesn't appeal to everyone and many seem to be happy with just a quick look. Although it's an old settlement, the Helsinki you see today dates from 1809. It's a city of trams and flats with wide uniform streets, there's nothing like the atmosphere of the old town in Tallin. The town is built along the water but it has a starkness and even the Art Nouveau buildings are restrained in a very Scandinavian manner.

However, this is a splendid city if you are interested in architecture and design and you're prepared to head out looking for it.

Today we spent the day on a pilgrimage to the designer and architect Alver Aalto. We started at Finlandia Hall, then we went to the stadium he designed for the 1940 Olympics - because of the war it didn't come to Finland until 1952. Then we walked further out to his home (where we took a tour) and studio. On the way back into town we took the tram (thank God because I was walked out) where we saw another Aalto building the "sugar cube" and Artek the shop that sells his furniture and design peices. What a wonderful day and it really gave us an appreciation for Finnish Functionalism. We both loved the line and texture in Aalto's work.

We've eaten very well at Juuri, Huko and Wellamo and I'm relatively happy with the hotel, the Klaus K.

We are still in Berlin but I have a couple of new London posts on the blog.

Here's one on the Thea Porter exhibit which was at the Fashion and Textile Museum, probably only interesting for those who are interested in fashion or the 1970's in London.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...d-textile.html

One of the first things I did in London was visit the Werhner Collection at the Ranger House in Greenwich. It's somewhere I'd never heard of but it was very interesting, Werher made his money in gold along with Beit and Rhodes in South Africa. Anyway lots of info and pictures here.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ers-house.html

I've just posted on some of the incredible street art we saw in thee East End...
http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...in-london.html

love the hare and the bees, WTB.

looks like the area has changed a bit in the last 20 years!

It's changed in the last six months never mind the last 20 years! I really enjoyed the changing nature of the street art which we sought out.

I'm wading through tonnes of photos and have quite a few posts coming up on the blog, catching up on all that I saw. I'm off to New York in a couple of weeks so I don't want to get too distracted! I will try to do a summary post but probably when I caught up on the blog and can provide relevant links.

So here's my latest blogpost on a visit to the Sir Percival David Collection at the British Museum. Chinese Porcelain anyone? It really is a lovely collection and some of you may have seen it when it was in a townhouse on Gordon Sq. I was really quite take by both the collection and the beautiful presentation. Its fascinating how much it goes beyond the blue and white exporter we are so familiar with...

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ection-at.html

My Journey through every obscure museum in London took me to the Estorick Collection in Islington. It's a great place with a super collection of Italian Futurist Art, in a charming setting. Lots of photos and link to information on Futurism on the blog.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ck-museum.html

For me this was one of the hidden gems in the London art scene. Highly recommended for art lovers who have the time in London or have made multiple visits to the more famous venues and are looking for something new.

I still have lots of restaurants, walks and museums to blog about but this week I've been thinking about all the social housing developments we saw in London including Keeling House where we stayed and the Barbican among others. I'm not sure if too many of these places would be on most tourist itineraries but it's fascinaing for anyone who is interested in architecture, urban planning and design.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...modernist.html

WTB, thank you for continuing to describe those smaller museums and points of interest from your London sojourn.

Interesting and fun...

Thanks Latedaytraveler, I wasn't sure if anyone was still following along! The question of housing in London is fascinating do you know there are more than two hundred new tower blacks that have already been approved and what's interesting is that they aren't just in the City/Canary wharf area but are all over, Vauxhall, South Bank, East End etc.

I've got quite a few more London sites to cover, at this rate I'll never get around to Helsinki and Berlin! Kenwood House and the Duck and Waffle coming up....

Hi again WTB,

I look forward to your description of KENWOOD HOUSE - in HAMPSTEAD, right? I plan to spend a day there on my next trip and "do" a few sites including Keats's house. Gorgeous area of London.

I enjoyed your description of Werhner Collection @ The Ranger's House, Greenwich. You mentioned in your blog:

"This is a collection built on the colonial trade in diamonds and gold. Werhner was closely associated with both Beit and Rhodes, and in this regard is an interesting historical figure."

Under the category of "small world and all that," the name BEIT came to my attention when I visited Dublin in June. I read in the IRISH TIMES that the art treasures of Sir Alfred Beit, nephew of the above mentioned, had established his considerable collection in his beautiful RUSSBOROUGH ESTATE in County Wicklow. However, after his death, the trustees of his estate planned to sell many of these treasures to ensure upkeep of the property. The situation was quite controversial.

Also at the NATIONAL GALLERY in Dublin, the docent mentioned that their precious Vermeer was a gift of the late Sir Alfred Beit.

Again, small world...

Just catching up, am traveling.

I saw the Percival David collection before it was moved, and loved it! Tx for reminding me to look for it in its new digs.

Latedaytraveler I love all these connections too.

Every time I hear about Beit I think of the Beit Bridge crossing between South Africa and Zim. Coincidentally, I was also in Dublin when the controversy about the Russborough deaccession was in the news.

I'm a big fan of Palladian architecture and have to say I like Russborough and the nearby Castletown house which make a fabulous day out from Dublin. I can't mention Castletown without recommending the fantastic book by Stella Tillyard, The Aristocrats, it's just a captivating portrait of the three Lennox sisters between 1740-1832. There is just so much drama, heart and insight in the domestic and dynastic stories of these women.

Kenwood is a lovely place to visit and has another Vermeer of course as well as a magnificently restored Adams interior from the same period mentioned above.

Thursdaysd,
I hope the trip is going well. I wish I'd seen the Percival David in its old digs, I've heard from several people that it was charming.

Thanks for following along!

Oooh, just caught up and saw the mention of Kenwood House. We went there in June and I was again impressed with the quality of the paintings in this house. Loved the Vermeer, especially.

It has undergone some refurbishment and is a very lovely house and grounds - and a walk through a bit of the Heath will give you a beautiful view of the London skyline. (On a clear day, that is.)

I loved the stunningly beautiful library at Kenwood House.

Love Kenwood house and sitting in the sunshine at the nearby cafe . A few lovely old homes around that area eg Went to a wedding in Burgh House -

LCBoniti - glad you made it to Kenwood on your last trip too, we were also impressed by the collection

Carolyn - I was fascinated by the library, I loved the Adams detail but wasn't crazy about the pale pink. However, it was lovely to see the restoration work.


Northie, I was interested to see you mention Burgh House as I went there to see the modest Hampstead Museum(which I enjoyed) and for a casual lunch in the cafe in the small front garden. It's a pleasant place (it must be a nice wedding venue) with a spectacular wisteria and it makes a good combo with Fenton House.

The library was pale blue when I saw it! Sounds much than pink to me, too.

Now you get pale blue and pale pink, along with the heavy gilt mirrors and some painted medallions on the ceiling, there's a lot going on, photos and a blog post to follow!

Ok, all the discussion of Kenwood finally spurred me to finish the blog post, if only I could summon the same enthusiasm for the other ones I need to do, the Horniman Museum, Greenwich, various walks, 575 Wandsworth Rd, some hotel reviews etc.

Lots of detail and pictures, including the newly restored library, the fascinating history of the house, the families and the painting bequests, including why it's free to visit...

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...use-visit.html

Hi again WTB,

Just loved your blog about KENWOOD HOUSE - really sounds special with the added bonus of lovely grounds.

OMG, that Sargent portrait of Miss Daisy Leiter is fabulous - that champagne colored fabric is to die for!

WBT, another question - how did you folks get to KENWOOD HOUSE from central London? I noticed that the Tube stop was Golders Green on the Northern line, then taking a bus.

Thanks...

Hi latedaytraveler,

My brother had come down from Cambridge for the weekend and he drove us to Kenwood. After the picnic we walked on the heath, had a drink and took the Overland back from the Hampstead Heath stop one the south end of the park.

The Sargent portrait is lovely isn't it?

We stay locally or tube to Archway and then our friend picks us up so no help to you sorry.

WTB and NORTHIE, thanks for your replies. Just checked the map and WALKIT.COM which provides distances from point to point in London.

I will take the tube to HAMPSTEAD, then cab it to KENWOOD HOUSE. I may walk back along Spaniard Road if the weather is fine and I have the energy - only about 1 1/2 miles.

I just ordered BELLE at the local library. Thanks for suggestion.

Another interesting NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTY nearby is FENTON HOUSE, very close to the Hampstead Tube.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fenton-house/

Glad you're checking out Belle, I love the library!

Here's my post on Fenton House.
http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...hampstead.html

For anyone with an interest in Modernist architecture there's also the NT property Two Willow Road down the hill. It works well with Fenton House if you take the Tube there, walk down the hill to see Two Willow rd and the nearby Keats house and then the overground back.

Latedaytraveler, my daughter and I took the tube to Hampstead, walked around a few sights, up to the heath and across to Kenwood House, toured it, then walked to the side entrance of the park and around the road to the Spaniard's Inn for lunch, and then back to the tube stop. Of course, this was nine years ago; but I was 70.

Love the idea of lunch after at Spaniards inn - a lovely place to eat