travelogue: london, england

i was in london in august and finally i got around to my london travelogue!  

well, my first trip to london didn't start out so great.  first, the endless line-up to get through customs resulted in us missing the metro into the city - closed for the evening!  then, the slow-going night bus into the city was well, slow-going so we then hopped into a taxi to only find ourselves stuck in traffic at 2am.  it truly is a city that does not sleep!  i tell you, the three of us were finally happy to climb into bed for a good's night sleep.  

but it got better in the morning...

after a good's night sleep we started out our day at the best coffee shop - monmouth.  as per all of our travels, stefan does his coffee research ahead of time (black penny, close to our hotel, was also very good).  the coffee shop is in a lovely little neighbourhood called seven dials, 7 streets with shops, restaurants, theaters and cafes converge onto a square (actually, more circle like) where stands a sundial.  such a great atmosphere.  we also strolled through covent gardens which was nearby.

then finally, our friends arrived!  i was so excited to meet up with our vancouver friends, dan and family, in london!  although we would be in london for a few days, it wouldn't even be 24 hours with the phillips but it was worthwhile to see them.  much chatting, eating, drinking cocktails, and window shopping ensued in the soho area.  oh, i mustn't forget our visit to liberty, this department store is incredibly beautiful.

the london skyline was so vastly different than what i have seen of other city skylines.  the mix of old and modern architecture is quite striking... and, well, different.  i'm not sure i love it though.

view of the london bridge

kai was pretty impressed with the tower of london, it's an imposing 11th century fortress / palace right in the middle of the city.  the entire place is filled with royal history. 

after reading david walliams' gangsta granny, visiting the tower of london's crown jewels was at the top of kai's list.  we took a guided tour with an entertaining war veteran who spoke of treachery, torture and beheadings, quite amusing.  before you set your eyes on the jewels, you must first pass through a maze of hallways whose walls are adorned with photos and information about the jewels' history and coronation ceremony.  it's quite ridiculous, the riches held in that tower!  the line-up to see the crown jewels gets very long so go early, we were lucky considering we hadn't thought about it!  

one morning was spent seeing the highlights.  the london eye - the ferris wheel is bigger than i had imagined and the views quite stunning - followed by big ben (another on kai's list), buckingham palace and westminster abbey.  from the waterloo bridge you can see the london eye, houses of parliament and big ben... quite the sight.  

photo credit: kai

we meandered through hyde park - we saw the princess diana memorial fountain which was crawling with children! - and had an afternoon english tea at the orangery on the grounds of kensington palace.  i love english teas, tiny sandwiches and tea in beautiful cups, makes me happy.  what a treasure to have such a huge and lovely park in the middle of the city.

east london was a favourite with its row of ethnic restaurants on bricklane.  i didn't count them but apparently there are more than 50 bangladeshi restaurants here.  there was no rhyme of reason how we came to choose the one to lunch at and really, i don't think it matters, just follow the lingering smells of cumin, cardamom, and turmeric.  bricklane is loaded with vintage british shops too - think schoolboy scarves and tweed jackets.  and, a new feature to east london is the dark sugars chocolate shop.  wow!  so good and the staff so friendly and proud of their chocolaty products.  we had to go back for seconds :)

although i enjoyed london and especially meeting up with our vancouver friends, it didn't dazzle me like paris and amsterdam.  but i would go back...  i already have my itinerary :) i would go to the theatre, visit the victoria and albert museum, peruse the tate museum, eat at borough market, smell the roses at the columbia road flower market and hang out in the quaint neighbourhoods like shoreditch to shop and drink tea lattes.  until next time, london.

but first, we're off to åland, finland's archipelago!  as such, i won't be blogging next week.  have a great halloween and see you in november!