Jour 14

Today we stayed together.  I always underestimate the walk we will have to do.  My blisters are becoming more and more reluctant to cooperate.
We left house shortly after 9h.  We first took the tube to Warren street and went to have a walk in Regent park.  What a beautiful park.  We could stayed there for many days without seeing everything.  Jose and Denis did some geocaching in the park.  We saw many modern sculptures.
  
After a pleasant walk in the park, we passed in front Paul's house on Cavendish street.  There was light in the house, but we didn't saw anybody.  We followed our route to Abbey Road.  Carole Jose and Denis took many pictures on the emblematic crossing.  We bought some souvenirs at Abbey Road shop.
At that time we were starting to be tired of walking.  I guess we had reach more than 12000 steps by that time.  So, we searched for a restaurant.  We ended up to a restaurant I have once been with Marcel, Helene and Jean-Luc:  Baker and Spice.  We had a BIG lunch. My avocado toast was huge!  Carole had a Spanish Tortillas and José had Benedictine eggs.  All the dishes were delicious.  And it gave us energy to follow our road to Little Venice were we went on the Waterbus to Candem.
      
Candem was groovy and funky like always.  We wandered a little bit on Camden Road and at Camden market and it was enough for us.  We took the tube back home for an afternoon break.
  

jour 13

https://youtu.be/l5aZJBLAu1E

This song turned in my head for a while today.  Our first plan was to visit Abbey Road then Camden by the waterbus.  But with the rain expected, we choose to something else.  And, we did right!  Again, we splitted: José and Denis went to visit Windsor while Carole and I went to Victoria and Albert Museum.

José and Denis took the train at Vauxhall.  An easy ride of 45 minutes.  The least pleasant part was  waiting for tickets and entering the castle.  They really enjoy their visit and have fun playing geocaching in Windsor.
  

As for us, we took the tube to South Kensington and we walk to the Museum.  We enjoyed our visit of 2 exhibitions: sculptures and fashion.
We walked from there to Kensington Palace passing by Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall and the Kensington garden.  The rain was heavy as we were in the garden, but it was for 10-15 minutes.  Hopefully we had our raincoat, so it was not so bad.  We arrived at L'Orangerie, via a maze of green.
L'orangerie is located next to Kensington Palace and was built in 1704 for Queen Anne.  It was recently renovated with elegance.  We had a proper traditional afternoon tea.  We found the staff very kind and attentive.
  

After the very chic lunch, we went to visit Harrods.  It was a logical continuation of luxury.  As expected, there was a crowd everywhere in the store.  Carole was impress by the Egyptian escalator.

We came back with the bus directly to our house,

For supper tonight, we choose to keep it modest and went to a pub advertising 2 for 1 on hamburger.  Simple but very good!  So we played rich and famous for the lunch and more proletarian for supper.

But looking at the pictures, you will have to admit it look quite cute for a pub.
  

jour 12

What a beautiful day!!  Feeling like singing: The sky is blue , the sun is up, it's beautiful and so are you...  (Dear Prudence by The Beatles, for those who where wondering.)

This morning Carole, Jose and Denis went to visit the Tower of  London.  They didn't go with the Beefeater tour because it was to crowdy.  They follow the sign and did a great visit, going up and down many many steps.
  

I stay at home until 11h and took the bus for Trafalgar Sq.  My purpose was to arrive early and go visit the Portrait Gallery for the BP Portrait Award 2019 Exhibition.  My plans change because the bus stop his route at Lambeth Bridge, so I had to walk for about 45 minutes to reach Trafalgar Square.  The reason for the bus stop is that the crowd was to big in central London.  Oh well!  You know me.  I just walked, that is all. 

Carole Jose and Denis arrived about 15 minutes late and as they didn't had their lunch, we went at the Crypt.
We then went British Museum.  We visit quickly The Rosetta and the Egyptian mommies.  We walked around the area for a while and make our way to Neal yard.  That place really impress my guests.  We sat down there for a while and Carole, José and me went to Covent Garden, while Denis went at the Cross Keys, a pub where we had a rendez-vous with Linda and Bernard. 
We joined them for a nice chat and a pint.  It was really pleasant to met Linda on her last day in London.  I am so happy that her stay in my favorite city was so enjoyable. 
  



We ended the day with a good dinner at our house in London.

Jour 11

Who said that Sunday is for rest?  For all of us, it was a very busy Sunday.  But how interesting!
We split early in the morning.  Jose and Denis went to Greenwich   and Carole and me went for a London walk to visit Old Highgate Village.

José and Denis took the boat called Thames clippers.  It is a nice ride on the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich.  That is great because you can see many London iconic marks on the way and it was so cool to pass under all those beautiful bridges.
They were at the Observatory in time to look at the big orange ball go up and down at 1pm.  Obviously, they took a picture of their feet East and West of  the meridian 0.
 
  

As for Carole and I, we went for the walk of the Old Highgate Village where we could have a spectacular view of London.  It is a borough where we can see some of the most expensive houses of London.  In fact their is the bigger house of London which belong to a very rich Russian.
In the Village, live Kate Moss, Jamie Oliver, Jude Law and for a time George Michael, Charles Dickens and even Miss Marble were living there too.

After the walk we had a big lunch at a very chic Pub called The Flash.  We then went to the Highgate cemetery. We walk there, in the peaceful area for a while.  We saw the gravestone of Carl Marx.
     
  

Tonight we made a great discovery for the dinner:  Stockwell Continental.  We ate pizza and salad.  It is a casual place with young peoples, 10 minutes from our english home.  Carole had an excellent cappuccino.

jour 10

Marcel was leaving today but his flight was at 17h40, so we went on Oxford Street for a walk on the more commercial street in London.   I have mixed feeling about his depart: I love to be in London, but I dont like see him leave.  I would prefer to have both: him and London at the same time.  It seem it is not possible... Sigh...

In the meantime, Carole, José and Denis went to visit Buckingham Palace.  They had a reservation for 10h.  Carole was really impress by the chandeliers, the paintings and sculptures all around. Denis was surprise to see that it aint fixed in the past.  We can see that the palace is still in use.  For José it was a second visit but she enjoyed it as well. 
  
We met in the middle of the afternoon at the house and chat a while before doing shopping at Sainsburys for the supper.
Tonight it was a homemade supper: pasta ''à la carbonara'' with asparagus and chicken.  We also had a green salad on the side. 

After supper, we went for a short walk to see the neighborhood. 
As for the weather, there was a drizzle all day long, but nothing to stop any activity. 

jour 9

What a beautiful day!  First the weather was pretty much more pleasant when we woke up in the morning.  A maximum of 28C is so nice after the 39C of yesterday.  So after a breakfast cooked by Marcel, we when for a walk near Piccadilly.  We visited Fortnum and Mason where Carole was very impress by the luxury and elegance.  We followed our route to Piccadilly Circus.  We came back on the opposite sidewalk to see The Art of academy and the Burlington Arcade.  In this arcade we can see many expensive boutiques.  There are rules to respect: no running, no shouting. 
We then visited 3 Saville Row.  You know why this place is famous?   You surely know that The Beatles give their last concert on the roof of this building in January 1969. 
Funny fact, Richard Porter (the Beatles brain of London) was there with a group.  We saw him twice today.  We came back by New Bond Street where Cartier, Prada, Gucci and name it was there.

We then came back for lunch and we waited for Jose and Denis.

In the middle of the afternoon, we get back on the road to do what I call: The Royal tour.  So we pass by Big Ben, but the view was obstructed because the restoration.  Anyway, we follow our route to St-James Park and we arrived on The Mall.  On one side we looked at the Buckingham Palace and on the other side there was Trafalgar Square.  We walked to Trafalgar Square and we took a break at The Crypt of St-Martin in the Field. 
And then we crossed the Jubilee bridge and came back on the south of the river Thames.

Tonight, we had supper at Cote Brasserie in Sloane Square.
What a day!!
      

jour 8

The hottest day in Uk since a long long time.  And it was the arriving of Carole.  Ouf!!!  We change our plan an stay at home, moving slowly.  She arrived around 13h45.  She took a taxi from Victoria.  Coming with the tube was out of question.  We took a walk to the grocery store and had a apero on the terrace.  Tonight, we ate a good pizza from Sainsburys with a glass of wine.
We going to bed early tonight.  Even if we didn't move a lot, we are tired by the weather.    Hopefully a good night sleep will give us energy for the activities of tomorrow with Jose and Denis.  And we cross our fingers for a weather less warm than today.
No pictures available for today, sorry!

Jour 7

Lucky 7!!

Yeah!  I am back where I belong.  It is super hot, crowdy and still, I have the happiest face of the world.  Sorry I can't show you pictures.  My cell, witch I take pictures, can't connect wifi in the house.  Don't ask me why...  Maybe Denis will know how to fix it.

Starting by the morning, we closed our house in Deal with a little bit of sadness.  It was much better than what we expected from this place.  We enjoyed the atmosphere of small village. the seaside that remained natural and the impressive quality of the food in the restaurants.

The train journey was fine and on time.  We arrived just before noon at St-Pancras and 30 minutes later we where at our home in London.  Unfortunately, the owners haven't finish the clean up so  even if we were dying for a shower (the weather is 36C, in the shade), we went for grocery.  We came back and it wasn't ready, so we went for a pint.  When we came back, it wasn't ready, but we sit on the terrace and wait. By this time, we were exhausted.

We actually enter the house at 16h.  Time to unpac, do laundry and go... we where back on the road for dinner neay Piccadilly Circus, at Davys Wine Bar.  A very good experience.
Goodnight!

In there is the pictures:
Green park, around 7pm

Welcome to us

My happiness

jour 6

Our last full day in the Kent. It is one of the hottest day.  Good day to go to a beach city:  Broadstairs.  The beach is only an excuse because, we have no intention of going in the water.   I hearded Broadstairs is a nice place and it is know as the city of Charles Dickens.  Dickens never lived there actually, but that where he met his loving wife.  It is one of it favorite place and where he wrote many of his novels.  We walked for a while on the boardwalk and we visited the Dickens museum.

For our last night in Deal, we walk on the dock before supper and want to go back after, but it was too chilly so we got home early.  Not a bad idea because we have to pack for tomorrow.
Pictures of the day:
     

See you in London!!

Jour 5

Time to visit Canterbury.  For me it was a second visit, but for Marcel it is a first time.  It is a easy train ride of 30 minutes from Deal. Canterbury is a lively city very popular mostly for his magnificent cathedral, but also for his history, his beautiful architecture and gorgeous parks along Stour river.  It is one of the most-visited cities in the Uk.  We walk on the city walls to reach the city center.  We didn't enter the cathedral because there was a long line and it wasn't a priority for Marcel.  Just having a look at the outside was enough.  It still gives a good idea of the majesty of this cathedral.  Then we walk in the Westgate Parks where we saw a beautiful english garden  and some gondoliers on the river.  My foot is still hurting, so we walked slowly and we rested when it is necessary.  
After rest, we have been on the sea front.  There was still many people enjoying the beach.  Well many, dont mean a crowd.
There is some pictures of the day:
   

   
  
We notice tonight that people dont look at their cell phone in the restaurant.  They look at each other.  It is a change...

Jour 4

Today we went for a long walk (10km). Our goal was to see the white cliffs of Dover. We walked to the seaside. In places, the path became private but it was allowed to pass anyway. We couldn’t refrain from stopping frequently to admire this bucolic landscape.

On the way back, we saw that the center of Deal had become a party for a regatta festival and a swimming competition. There were many people and several streets were closed to traffic.

We had a fish and chips to go and brought it to eat on our terrace. After lunch, we wanted to go for a walk among the festivities, but the more I went, the more difficult it was to put weight on my left foot. My Fitbit marked 17000 steps and it was 14h. We decided to go back home and take a break.
For our apero tonight, we went on the beach and sat on a banch in front the sea.
Our supper was at a very good restaurant rated with Michelin star: Victual and Co.  It was a very good experience.  It is amazing that a small place like Deal have so many good restaurants. I mean it is not what we expect in England.  Anyway, we were please with every meal we had so far, in all categories.  Tonight, we even had a nice chat with the owner of the restaurant. 
A funny anecdote: I sleep well because I remote my hearing aids but Marcel don"t because there is a concert of Seagulls all night long.  He will use ear plugs tonight hoping he will have a better night sleep.

My second coffee this morning

On our way to the white cliffs
    
apero tonight