Le bilan 2025

 

Pourquoi vouloir retourner pour une 14^e visite à Londres ?  Qu’est-ce qu’on peut bien encore avoir encore à découvrir après 251 jours en Grande-Bretagne ?  C’est infini, je crois.  C’est l’amour de ce peuple anglais si courtois, l’amour de cette ville si riche et si vibrante.  C’est le sentiment d’être sur son X finalement. Where I belong, tout simplement.

Je quitte toujours Londres avec la vague à l’âme.  Et pour l’image c’était parfait cette année : Il a fait beau tous les jours et il y a eu de la pluie le jour de notre départ.

Alors, cette édition a commencé un avec un peu d’appréhension.  La maman de Ginette était en fin de vie depuis quelques jours et elle est décédée le matin du jour de notre départ.  Et pour Nancy, elle laissait son conjoint victime d’une maladie dégénérative qui évolue rapidement, ne sachant pas dans quel état elle le retrouverait au retour.

Finalement, cela s’est bien passé dans les deux cas. Mes amies ont été en mesure de profiter pleinement de leur séjour, qui leur a même permis de décrocher un peu de toutes ces émotions.  Une pause pour recharger les batteries, elles en avaient tellement besoin toutes les deux.

Alors Londres cette année a commencé par Liverpool.  Ginette et moi ont l’a vécu un peu comme un pèlerinage.  Être ensemble à Liverpool a une signification particulière qui ne peut qu’être partagé entre nous.  Des moments forts à rire et à pleurer, il y en a eu beaucoup : Le coin de rue Church and Paradise qu'on a croisé si souvent, le Cavern, la visite des maisons familiales de John et Paul, le souper au Philharmonic Dinning Room…  Et tout le reste ! Chaque minute a été vécue intensément.

Puis ce fut Londres.  Qu’est-ce que je peux encore vous dire au sujet de Londres ?

D’abord je vous parlerai de notre hébergement.  Nous habitions dans Chelsea, un beau et chic quartier de Londres.  La maison était située dans un cul de sac très tranquille à 10 minutes du métro South Kensington et à 5 minutes de la belle rue commerciale : Kings Road.  Difficile de trouver mieux.  Lorsqu’on reste pour longtemps, le confort de l’hébergement est une priorité qui fait souvent la différence dans un voyage.  

Je dois aussi vous parler du coût de la vie, puisqu’on entend toujours que c’est cher à Londres.  En fait, ce que j’ai constaté, ce n’est pas si cher, c’est notre dollar qui a peu de valeur tout simplement.  Voilà !

Ma plus belle découverte cette fois-ci fut le musée Moco.  C’est un gros WOW!  C’est un musée d’art moderne présentant de grands noms comme : Warhol, Haring, Banksy, Basquiat, Kusama, …  Je n’en avais jamais entendu parler.

Des moments pour lesquels j’ai fait un arrêt sur image dans le film de mes souvenirs.  

-        -  Au Cavern quand Ginette s’est soudainement levée pour aller danser avec deux dames.

-       -   La visite des maisons de John et Paul.  Depuis, ils me semblent plus réels, plus     humains.

-       -   Le souper au Philharmonic dinning room. Ça nous a donné le goût de revoir le       Carpool Karaoke avec Paul.

-       -   L’excursion à Henley-On-Thames, chez George.

-       -   Mon premier Fish and Chips du voyage au Pheonix.  On a tellement rit.

-        -  L’apero au 120 Fenchurch Street Le Garden.

-        -  Notre visite au Beatles Store et la question : Are you part of the group ?  I will repeat :   Are you part of the group ?  Il faut dire yes pour avoir 10%. 

-       -   Le premier Sunday Roast au Prince Albert avec Julianne, Jade, Joelle et Nancy.  Des   discussions bien amusantes.

-        -  Ma rencontre avec des amis France et Pierre.  Ils étaient de passage à Londres   avec  Traditours.

-        -  La découverte du Moco Museum.

-        -  La promenade au Cheesewick Market de Chiswick.

-        -  Chelsea in Bloom, tout autour de nous.

-        -  Notre dernier souper au pub The Phene avec Anne, Alex, Chantal et Raymond.  

J’écris ça et pleins d’autres moments me viennent en tête…

Est-ce que j’y retournerai ?  Certainement.  J’y pense déjà. 

Ceux qui voudront se joindre à l’expédition 2026 devront se manifester dès l’automne.  En octobre, je dois réserver la maison. 

Au plaisir !

 

 

 

Day 21 London

Day of departure.

Anne and Alex were the first to depart.  They left, around 7am, under our first rainy day in London.  

Chantal and Raymond quitted at 9h15 for St-Pancras, where they will take the Eurostar for Paris.  Another week is waiting for them to explore.

As for me, my car arrived a little bit earlier then required, but I was ready to go.  Never easy for me to leave London.  I had mix feelings.  I am happy to go back to those I cherish, but in the same time I am sad to leave my favorite place.  Oh well.  I will be back.  It is a promess.

I will miss my house at 7 Guthrie Street.

A review of the London Spring 2025 edition will follow very soon.  Stay tune.

Day 20 London

 Last days.  Flowers power all over Chelsea under a sunny blue sky. Again !

I have read in LaPresse, that King Charles and Queen Camilla was in Chelsea yesterday for the event. Unfortunately, we didn't meet them.

This morning, Anne and Alex just wanted to wander around London and make random discoveries. They want to Fortnum and Mason for gifts and souvenir.  They offered me a so beautiful Christmas tree.  

They then went for a walk in Granary Square. Alex loved it.
 

Chantal and Raymond went to visit Churchill War Room for a second time.  They felt like they hadn't had time to see everything the previous visit.

I went to meet them at The English Rose Tea and Cafe, for the Afternoon Tea.  The three-story plateau was so full that we couldn't eat everything, so the the middle plate (cakes) was brought back home.

We walked from there to our house.  It was a nice 40 minutes walk.  Our first stop was for Jo Loves.  No visit in London is complete without a visit to Jo Loves.  After many trying, Chantal bought a brush-on parfum.  Then, we passed on Pavillon Road, a very chic pedestrian street.  There was flowers all over.  The crowd was heavy everywhere.  

 

 

It is so beautiful all over Chelsea !  I felt so lucky to be here for this great event and with the magnificient weather in bonus...  Just WOW!

Tonight, we went in a very lively gastropub.  We were sit in the middle of the garden area.  There was a wedding celebration, so many womens in beautiful dresses and mens in smart suit.  We weren't dressed so chicly. It was a beautiful last supper in London.  

I am so grateful to had the pleasure to share those moments with these so nice friends.  

We came back home and shared the rest of the afternoon tea.  

My thought today :  Do people living here realise how lucky they are ?

Day 19 London

 Today was the day one of Chelsea in Bloom.  I will tell you more about it later.

But first, in the morning each of us had their plans.

Chantal and Raymond went to the British Library and to the new area, in the back of King Cross Station : Granary Square.  They walked a long the canal.  They had lunch in a very classy restaurant.  

 

Anne and Alex went to see the cousin of Alex and they went to the cimetary where they were able to pay tribute to his aunt's.

They had lunch all together in the Chinese quarter before heading to Sky Garden, where they had reservation.  Luckily for them, the weather was beautiful to have an impressive view of London.

For supper, they went at Jam.  They were more intrepide than me and they climb to the table in the top.

My first plan was to go visit Guilford, a city at 30 minutes from London with the train.  I change my mind.  I went on Lamb' Conduit. It is a street I havent been since 2010.  I love this area.  On my way, I crossed the beautiful square of Lincoln's Inn Fields.  Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public sqaure in London.  It was laid out in the 1630s.  

 

 I had lunch in Lamb Conduit street.

 

The weather was so nice, I decided to walk for a while.  On my way, I lady offer me a flower : a beautiful cream poeny.  I was surprise.  But then I saw, she gave one to many other persons.  I think it was a promotion for a chic hotel.

I went home to change clothes because the weather change so much since the morning.  I got back on Kings Road to admire the installations for the Chelsea in Bloom 2025.  Wow  !  I was really impressed. It is the 20th anniversary of this event. This year, the them is Flowers in Fashion.

There is just a few of all the installations I saw.  

  

  

 

Tonight, Chantal, Raymond, and I went to an Italian restaurant on Cale Street. The atmosphere was pleasant and the food delicious. The service was friendly and unpretentious. However, the portions were far too generous.

Chantal and I in front of the restaurant:

Day 18 London

 It was another beautiful Sunday in London !  

It started with a special breakfast made with "viennoiseries" from our neiborghood bakery.  

Today we had each our itinerary.  

Chantal and Raymond went to Wallace Collection.  The Wallace Collection is a London museum established in 1897 following the donation by Lady Wallace of the enormous collection of ancient art inherited in 1870 by her husband, the British collector and philanthropist Richard Wallace.  They stayed there for about 3 hours because there is so much to see. They also had lunch in the the room.  

After the visit, they went at Daunt bookstore.  It is an original Edwardian bookshop with long oak galleries, situated in Marylebone Hight Street. They saw this particular book.

Then, they followed there road to Regent Park for a calm and relax walk.  On their way to the tube they saw the famous Beatles Store on Baker Street, so they  went to take a look. 

 

Anne and Alex went at Tate Modern to see the Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh, Walk the house.

They strolled to Borough Market and came back to have a look at  Battersea Power Station.

As for myself, I went to visit Chiswick. It is a leafy, upmarket area with a village feel.  Each sunday is special in Chiswick.  The 3e sunday of the month is Cheesewick Market.  It was a very festive ambiance and a great pleasure to taste all these locally produced cheeses.  

 

I was walking around randomly and found a really cute place to have lunch. 

  

On my way back from lunch, I saw a really impressive group of street musicians. They were making music with sticks in their hands and bells hanging from their clothes.

As it was sunday, it had to be Sunday roast.  So we went to the pub to live this full british experience of the Sunday roast.  In fact, the English usually eat this meal at lunchtime. We, as tourists, prefer to have this very hearty meal in the evening.