Before we start, make sure you have your tea, coffee, beer, wine, scotch or whatever you enjoy wherever you might be as this will be a loooong walk where my intention is to take you along my first day of exploration in London...
This was my first day alone venturing in London as a travelite (in my definition, it is someone who aims to discover "way of life" in a new place, and cares more for learning and observing than checking things off a list. Someone who is not afraid to wander off the main path and make unusual discoveries) with the aim of getting a feel for the city, lay of the land, and relative distances as opposed to what you understand from a map (are you as surprised as me when in some cities half a mile can be really long and in some really short?) The Tube is a wonderful thing, but I am always anxious to get out and see everything and I wonder what I am missing by traveling under the ground... I feel like I get a better feel of the city by locations that are not on guidebooks and chased by tourists, so I try to venture out of the "center" as much as I can. My limit on the underground is generally about 30 minutes during which I look up where I intend to go and where I want to cover, but also get really impatient so as we stop at stations I begin to think "what if I get a stop early? or two?" This happens often when the stations are close to each other and when a city's underground has too many stop-and-goes to my liking. So, even though I was planning to get out at Embankment, I found myself climbing up the stairs at Glouchester Road (yeah that's 5 stops early for those of you who know London, and for those of you who've not been there - including myself- it is pronounced "gluster road," don't ask me why... Many years ago I spent a whole year learning how to pronounce things in English, only to find out that they are not pronounced according to any rule...)
Anyway, I was finally out and ready to explore with all my senses. On a rainy and gloomy day, of course the first thing that grabbed my attention was a pub, not necessarily to eat at, but simply to appreciate. This really was London, and there really was a pub on every block...
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| Hoop & Toy Pub in South Kensington |
Before I knew, I found myself in front of the South Kensington Tube Station, so I thought it was already a good idea to get out of the Tube early (only a short walk between the two stations which you won't know by looking at the underground map.) This area was dotted with little shops and cafes, exactly what I was looking for (once again my feet taking charge and putting me where I need to be!)
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| South Kensington Tube Station Area |
Before too long, I found myself in front of Gail's, one of the cafes I wanted to check out, and I was very ready for it:
Gail's is a cute little place, with lots of good things to choose from, where I ended up picking a small smoked salmon sandwich (which was only 3 bites and disappeared too fast) and a blue cheese and walnut scone, which you see above with my coffee. In addition to the freshness of the baked goods, I loved this store's playful and whimsical branding: the takeout bag says "man cannot live by bread alone" and the coffee cup says "it's a new day" with the chick on it - which put a smile on my face even before I took a bite of anything. I like it a lot when businesses let out a bit of their personality, and try to put a bit of a smile on people's faces.
While I sat down in the square to enjoy my coffee and scone, I found out that two of my expectations were already being challenged:
First, at the end of November, people were enjoying outdoors, including eating (photos below were taken right before lunch hour when the chairs and tables got busy.)
Second, the place was much more colorful than what I thought it would be in the winter, both in natural and man-made ways:
Second, the place was much more colorful than what I thought it would be in the winter, both in natural and man-made ways:
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| Exhibition Road cafes |
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| More Exhibition Road Cafes |
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| And more of... you know what... |
Even though it was hard, I was able to leave and move on to the next area though observing every little detail:
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| Typical street scene in South Kensington area |
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| Victoria & Albert Museum |
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| Hard to pass a block without a pub in London this one is The Bunch of Grapes |
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| More from the Streets of London |
This building is easy to recognize for anyone who enjoys shopping or been to London:
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| Harrods |
I might be the only woman who walks in without looking in the windows and stopping at the shoe, handbag, or perfume departments, but now that I am here, I can no longer wait to see the Food Hall again! So much so that instead of looking for the signs I ask one of the security people where the Food Hall is located (only to find out I was standing under the sign with an arrow on it - but who's got time for that?) This time my brain had to take charge of my legs so they don't run and knock down everyone else on my path and finally... I was there... The Food Hall at Harrods.
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| Harrods Food Court Ceiling |
Just like I remember, it was all there, in food glory... Now I could relax, because what I saw three years ago was not a dream. Shelves and cases beautifully stocked with the best and most beautiful pieces of hams, cheeses, cold cuts, oysters, beef, sausages, fish, shrimp, caviar... Pastries laid out with flaky layers, luscious creamy custards, and beautiful toppings... Crusty breads... All kinds of jams, mustards, chutneys beautifully displayed on the shelves almost impatiently waiting to jump into someone's basket, so they can go home with you and flow out the jar and proudly showcase all the power of those hidden pleasures...
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| Harrods Patisserie |
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| Harrods Confectionery |
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| Look at a section of Harrods Food Hall |
Harrods Patisserie
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| Harrods' Chutneys and Relishes to go with: |
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| Harrods Stilton |
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| Harrods Oils and Sauces |
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| Harrod's Tea Collection |
Among all this, gracious and friendly helpers who are ready to fill your boxes and baskets with all kind of goodies...
The pictures do half justice as this place feels like a heaven for those who like food and appreciate the quality of the best variety - not to mention ones with money (or credit cards) in their wallets. This certainly is a special place to celebrate at or from, as the store at this level offers a variety of small bars, cafes and restaurants to enjoy oysters and champagne, cold cuts and cheese, Asian noodle/sushi, rotisserie, and possibly anything else you'd like (not to mention a number of other sit-down restaurants spread out to its seven floors). This sure is a place to celebrate, so I made a note as a potential place to go back to before I leave, probably on New Year's Eve (and fortunately I did, more on this on a later blog entry)
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| Harrods Oyster Bar |
In my book, any fantasy about a special evening or celebration, should include oysters and champagne, and England offers some of the best oysters in the world, so why not have the best surrounded by the best of the food world in such a fantasy? One day...
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| I would love to take one home! |
After a detailed tour of the Food Hall, I was able to "scrape" myself off the shelves only with a promise to come back. Now that I knew what I'd seen before was not a dream, it should be easier to come back with a plan. Mission was accomplished ... for now.
Walking along... Knightsbridge to Soho (or so I thought)
After Harrods I decided to continue east and walk to Piccadilly and possibly head to Soho. For a couple of blocks one passes through various shops and cafes until the scenery changes again, with Hyde Park on one side and large residences and office buildings on the other. As the Park comes to an end, large and famous hotels come into view, with the iconic Lanesborough, considered one of the best in England, occupying a prominent place in Hyde Park Corner:
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| Lanesborough Hotel (with a Bentley up front) |
Any time I pass by this hotel, I wonder if anyone staying here takes the Tube which happens to be located right outside the door. Beautiful place for sure.
When I started walking along Piccadilly, which is a major boulevard in the city (even though it is not named as such,) one of the things that surprised me was the beautifully arranged plants and flowers (remember, this is November!) Clearly, this part of town was pretty in many ways:
and of course it had beautiful pubs:
Even though my initial target was Soho it was hard not to be distracted by beautiful shops and streets decorated for Christmas, so I turned into Bond Street (one of the most famous shopping streets in London, lined up with lots of brand name boutiques, decorated tastefully for the occasion) and let my senses take charge of the rest of the day:
This photo from Tiffany is not the store but a cute display in the window... I'm not a huge fan of luxury, but it was so cute it made me wish for a gift from Tiffany which I am sure was the purpose.
Dolce&Gabbana had tastefully done birdcages hiding behind the curtains...
And Cartier was... well, Cartier... Take a look at those red boxes on the second floor, and imagine getting a small box like that... Who doesn't wish for that after seeing this display? Bond Street definitely puts you in the mood for shopping!
Then there was The Royal Arcade...
And Coach & Horses - with a cute red cab in front...
And then... there was OXFORD STREET... which is considered to be the main shopping street in London with a number of iconic department stores lined up practically within couple of blocks (anything but Harrods I guess) and almost all major international brands trying to lure the shoppers with all kinds of sopping windows, lights, and decorations. All of this sprinkled with cafes and restaurants here and there. Practically, if you were in the market to buy something, it was here... If you can't cross out your Christmas list here, you never will. Even when you may not be able to "buy" what you like, you can certainly get lots of ideas for not only this year, but for many years to come...
For me the main attraction (at least on this particular day) was the decorations and simply finding my way around as I wanted to see how everything pretty much came together and connected to each other (more on this later). Despite cloudy, the weather was perfect for walking around, and looking at the decorations, as well as observing people (most enjoying the act of shopping with a loved one, and a couple a bit frantic about getting where they wanted to go and finish the task). After couple of trips to this area, I decided that if you come here during the holidays, it is best to have a vague goal without time restrictions as it is pretty hard to walk around people strolling (and stalling) looking at decorations, taking photos etc. And if you can, avoid weekends. While I was in London one Saturday the famous Selfridges had parking to capacity at 9 am in the morning and they had the highest revenue in their history. I am just glad I wasn't there!
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| Liberty Department Store at its "mock Tudor" building. Founded in 1875 by Arthur Liberty who according to their website "traveled the world looking for individual pieces to inspire and excite his discerning clientele" |
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| House of Fraser - premium chain department store, with pretty but simple decorations |
Speaking of decorations here are couple of photos to give you an idea:
And this is a very cute window display from Hackett (I have no idea what they sell, but the window will linger in my mind for a long time!)
It was nice to find a "Food Quarter" amongst all the shopping, and if the weather was a bit dryer, I'd probably stop for a bite. It was nice to earmark it for future visits though, I am sure this is a nice place to take a break when the weather is nice (this almost hidden street is called the "Food Quarter" and is located at Heddon Street off of Regent Street between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.)
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| Food Quarter off of Regent Street (yes they have heaters for outside seating!) |
Once I got to Oxford Circus, I felt like I had enough of the crowds and shopping activity (even though I didn't buy anything...) So I took Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus (somehow neon lights are not a huge attraction for me, but I was still glad to see it was there) then continued on to Waterloo Place, which may not be very famous, but I found it to be pretty and much quieter than the other circles, and a nice reflection on the Crimean War and Florence Nightingale:
Once in Waterloo Place, you are literally steps away from Trafalgar Square, which is a bit calmer at late afternoon, always pretty, and very British.
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| Trafalgar Square |
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| View from Trafalgar Square to Big Ben |
If you make it to Trafalgar Square without taking a break, you deserve a good one, which for me, would have been at this place:
Perhaps this is a bit more proper representation of it:
[Later during my trip I also found out about the Cafe in the Crypt of the St. Martin's in the Field - which is casual, affordable, and unique. Sometimes accompanied with music, too. And there is the rooftop restaurant at the Portrait Museum with a view, and proper table service]
For me, the day was still young, and I was in the mood for walking a bit more, so I took Northumberland to Embankment, strolling through some familiar places I remembered from my first trip to London. Fortunately, they were still there:
Then I continued on to something new (for me,) a place I've been wanting to go for a long time: Wagamama. I was ready for something casual, different, and to see one place I could no longer wait...Once in Wagamama, I could hardly wait for the server - built up anticipation can be a bad thing - and was disappointed to hear that their steamer was not working, so I had to order the pan-fried dumplings instead of the steamed ones. They are not my preferred way of eating dumplings, but I wasn't willing to move on, and the server was very friendly making me feel at home. So I ordered a celery and apple drink (even though the beer was calling my name, I wanted to try something new) and the seaweed salad, which in the end turned to be exactly what I was looking for (dumplings were nice but a bit too doughy for my taste.) I loved the design and the efficient flow of the room, as well as the casual approach. I am not sure why Wagamama never realized in DC, but I sure would have gone there often (though I am grateful for the numerous noodle shops and izakayas popping up all over in the capital)
Before I headed to the Tube station at Embankment, I took another look at the city very aware that it had a lot to offer, and that I had barely scratched the surface...
Bonus discovery: Some underground stations in London have places that sell snacks and drinks, pretty good idea especially when you wait for a while and they allow food and drink in the trains...
London can be confusing when you look at all the names of neighborhoods in a guidebook and my goal for today was to decipher at least some of them in terms of look and feel... During my walk, I learned that you can walk from South Kensington to Knightsbridge, to Hyde Park. If you take Piccadilly (street? boulevard?) you will end up at Piccadilly Circus, but if you take a detour via Bond Street, you can also go through Mayfair, and get to Oxford Street, which will take you to Oxford Circus. If you follow Oxford Street from there, you will end up in Soho, then Holborn, and eventually in the "City" where St. Paul's Cathedral is located (that would be a very long walk, even by my standards). Or you can take Regent Street from Oxford Circus and go to Piccadilly Circus (which is steps from most theaters and Chinatown), to continue on to Waterloo Place, and then to Trafalgar Square. From there you can see Big Ben and London Eye in the distance, and if you like you can head to the river... I'm pretty sure all that didn't make any sense unless you've been to London, so here is a map with my path lined with red paw prints. Pretty nice discovery day, wouldn't you say?
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| Snack shop at Embankment Station |
