Monday October 21 was my last day in London. I decided to visit Kensington Garden, which started as an 18th century royal palace garden and became one of the public gems of London. It was a grey day, but still perfectly lovely. I started near Kensington Palace, circled around the lake, past the Albert Hall and Italian garden.
On the way back, I popped out of the tube at St Paul’s Cathedral.
October 18 was another beautiful day in London. My main adventure was a visit to the Sir John Soane Museum. This is a magical place – the home of a renowned English architect which has been kept as it was at his death in 1837. I will let the museum’s website tell you more! I really wish GJ had been with me; I think he would have loved it!
I also wandered around Bloomsbury for a while and found a blue plaque for Bertrand Russell:
The afternoon ended on the south side of the Thames in Southwark. I had a lovely early supper at The George (1676), London’s only surviving galleried inn (recommended by my beloved sister). And, popped into Borough Market just before it closed.
Today is October 29, and I am on the train back to London from Canterbury. Feeling quite sad to be leaving all the wonderful things I experienced there! More on that later.
For now, I am looking back on my second day in London, October 17. It was great to head out unencumbered by my ridiculous quantity of luggage. Brockley station has an infrequent service to London Bridge (I learned later it was much quicker to take the train to Canada Water and transfer to the tube there). Not far from the station at London Bridge is a little arcade called Hays Galleria. There I found White Mulberries cafe and had an excellent breakfast and tea. The Shard is right near this station.
I took the tube to King’s Cross and spent several hours exploring all the streets and squares. I stumbled on the Royal Watercolour Society which had a wonderful show on. I became a bit lost and quite by accident found myself in Trafalgar Square! Hooray, lunch at the Crypt Cafe at St Martin in the Fields and a visit to the beautiful church.
A quick tube ride from Charing Cross to Piccadilly Circus then I walked along the Thames back to Blackfriars for the train back to Lewisham.
And such a brilliant adventure so far! Plans began to form earlier this year, and it felt like it would never begin. Through so much support and generosity, begin it has!
I am sure some of you can guess where I am. Correct, I have returned at last to Britain. I arrived in London on October 16, and headed directly to the V&A where I could check my luggage and relax for the few hours before I was able to check in to my accommodation. I admit to visiting the café twice as I was quite hungry, but I also spent some time in the Cast Courts.
Eventually I made my way via ThamesLink to Lewisham in South London and a most excellent AirBnB. My room faced the back garden and the dawn chorus from such an array of birds was both delightful and surprising!
At the very end of my UK adventure last autumn, I spent three last days in London. I didn’t expect to love London as much as I did; and I didn’t even see one tenth of the city. There is so much more to explore and I can’t wait to go back!
I left lovely Rye tearful, and began missing it even as I boarded the train. A quick ride brought me into the gorgeous St. Pancras Station.
I checked in at Victoria and Edmund’s beautiful house in Hammersmith, where the adventure began a month earlier. I stayed in The Pink Room for these last few nights, and – just like at the beginning of the trip – enjoyed exceptional hospitality. Back onto the tube and on a mission: to find the Fortnum and Mason store. I hopped off at the Green Park station and made my way a couple of blocks to this beautiful department store, filled with delights for all the senses.
Since I was so close, I walked through Green Park to see Buckingham Palace. Impressive and majestic, but so many people!
The next day I walked around Chelsea in the morning, heading over the Albert Bridge, and spending a bit of time walking along the Thames in Battersea Park. Back over the bridge and a lovely snack at Gail’s.
The afternoon was devoted to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I was completely overwhelmed by the extent of the collections. So much so, that I had a little panic attack and had to calm myself with a cream tea!
The last day I spent exploring Camden with lovely friend I hadn’t seen in many years. Dinner with dear people was the best end to a remarkable trip.
I will be back in the UK as soon as possible. My heart remained and I must go collect it!
My beloved sister was also visiting the UK in October. As we don’t live close to each other, I took the opportunity to spend a couple days with her and her partner in London. We had a wonderful time exploring the city, eating and shopping. The weather was summer-like and perfect. Here are some of the highlights:
This intrigued me. I think it is in Soho.
So many gorgeous hotels.
Lunch at The Crypt, in St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Trafalgar Square.
I loved all the layers of history and architecture. This is the Liberty building. The animatronics above the clock depict St George and the Dragon.
Beautiful Tower Bridge. I stayed not far from here.
Leaving Camden Market for a walk along the canal.
Last look at the Camden Canal, near St Mark’s Church. Many narrow boats were moored at it’s edges.
We enjoyed a remarkable dinner at Nopi in Soho. This was the most succulent Burrata with peaches and crunchy coriander seeds with a delicious dressing.
The Regent’s Park roses still blooming in abundance, in the middle of October! This one smelled particularly fine.
The Triton Fountain in The Regent’s Park.
The Regent’s Park has waterways and a boating lake.
We watched this gentleman feeding the birds. They were all eating from his hand. The grey goose to the right of him was looking at him so lovingly, and patiently waiting his or her turn for a handful of seed.
Sunset over the Thames, viewed from the bridge on Narrow Street, district of Limehouse, East London.
On Wednesday I flew from Victoria BC to London England. I am still having a hard time believing I am here, and, I can now say that I understand what jet lag is.
We spent our first two nights at a lovely b ‘n b in Hammersmith (Greater London) called The Upper Studio. Our hosts Victoria and Edmund could not have been more kind or attentive. Edmund provided lots of local knowledge (for example, the homes across the street from theirs were built by Queen Anne for her ladies in waiting), was generous with advice and directions, and treated us to fresh croissants from the local patisserie each morning. We had a wonderful stay, and look forward to spending three more nights there at the end of our trip.
Yesterday we packed in a lot of roaming around. In the morning we gathered provisions for the week ahead, then had a lovely walk along the Thames (visiting the home of William Morris, Kelmscott House), and ended with fish ‘n chips from a place called Kerbisher & Malt.
A beautiful sun rise greeted us on our first full day in England, and the ringing bell on the school in the distance was a morning treat!
We turned right at Hammersmith Bridge for a lovely walk along the Thames.
We passed beautiful green spaces…
… sweet pubs like The Black Lion…
… and The Dove.
We walked past gorgeous architecture…
… gazed up at countless chimney pots…
… trod on many cobbles…
… and spied many well-loved private gardens.
Yum, yum, yum!
The day ended with a perfect sunset!
Today it was onto Chipping Campden…
At the beginning and the end of my big adventure I will have a few nights in London.
I will save most of the art galleries and museums for the next UK journey. These are places GJ and I should go together. However, my London to do list does include the Victoria & Albert Museum, which has a number of very interesting exhibits on while I am there including Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up.
My travel companion told me about Dennis Severs’ House. Part theatre performance, part museum, part art gallery, it sounds like a feast for all of the senses.
One of the London experiences I am most excited about is visiting Highgate Cemetery – not to find famous graves, but for the beauty, solemnity, architecture, and grace. Perhaps I will stumble upon a relative or two.
I will be popping back up to London for two nights in the middle of the trip to rendezvous with my sister who will be briefly in London en route to Dorset. She wants to take me to Camden Market, just for fun!
And for a treat, I would love to visit The Grapes pub, perhaps on quiz night!
I would be thrilled and delighted to find Charles Adrian performing while we are there. His performance, as Ms Samantha Mann, Stories of Love, Death & A Rabbit was one of my most favourite theatre experiences.
And last but not least, I would love to visit Dorothy Circus Gallery. It shows the weird and the wondrous, and I think GJ should show there!
All London suggestions are welcome! Especially art, theatre, puppetry, vegetarian cuisine…
For as long as I can remember – since I was a tiny child – I have been obsessed with the United Kingdom. I have planned and wished and dreamed to be there. When I was very small I would draw and paint scenes from my imagination of rolling fields, hedgerows, sheep and ponies. I have felt forlorn. I have felt hopeful. I am a citizen, yet I have not set foot on her verdant land… until now. September 26 is the day I will arrive. A dear friend has done all the planning, found all the accommodations, and she and I will spend a month traveling in the south of England.
As well as being a time for self-reflection and adventure, I plan to use this month to work on my art practice, and gather material for future projects. I recently began using a simple technique with a pasta machine to do small etchings, embellishing the finished pieces with watercolour and gouache. A recent series of scenes from Victoria’s Chinatown was quite successful. I will work on a new series later in the autumn which will be based on sketches and photos from the towns we visit on the journey.
With encouragement from friends, I have set up an Indiegogo Campaign, giving people the opportunity to support this next phase of my artistic development. Thanks to lovely patrons, within a couple of weeks I had reached 29% of my goal:
I am happy to report I am now at 37% and plan to the extend the campaign for a few more weeks.
I have been spending a bit of time preparing for fulfilling the perks I have included in my campaign – sketching and painting at various spots around Victoria in the warm spring sunshine. It will be so amazing to have a month dedicated to my art. The historic villages, friendly people and spectacular countryside of England will provide inspiration for years to come.
My travel companion asked me, “Won’t you be homesick traveling for a month?” I know I will miss my beloved, and our little cats, but I replied “How can one be homesick when one is finally home.”
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