May 11

 This morning, J and J were early. They left the house before 9 a.m. Their goal for the day was to explore the city. They went to St. Paul's Cathedral, but just to watch from the outside. They visited the Royal Exchange, Leadenhall Market, the Monument, the Barbican and the Guildhall. They had reservations for the Sky Garden, but because it was raining, they decided to skip that attraction.

Here are some pictures of the day :

I left around 10am. I went to visit some mews in the South Kensington area. I had a plan, but I couldn't follow it. There were so many little alleys that at one point I was in the wrong way. Anyway, I managed to see some nice mews. Some of you may not know what mews are... A mew is a stable yard with living quarters above them, built behind large townhouses before motor vehicles replace horses. Stables are usually located in upscale residential areas, having been built to house the horses, coachmen and stable servants of prosperous residents.

Every day we passed by a very nice green space to reach the tube Fulham Broadway.  I tought about taking a picture today.

Tonight we went to a new pub: The Rose. It was burger night so we ate burgers. It was very good, but above all the service was very kind and friendly. The pub appears to be a local pub.  There was a cool animation with many young peoples.

We came back early and my travel companions are already in bed.

May 10

We took our time to start the day. Jacinte needed to sleep late so I took the opportunity to find out more about Jeannine. We chatted and discovered some similarities.

Today, as the skies were sunny, J and J went to Regent's Park and Camden. The highlight of their trip was the Little Venice canal waterbus in Camden. They really appreciated the commentary which gives alot of historical information.

I went to discover what have been done with the old Battersea power Station.  It is now a multi functional for leisure, culture and shopping.  It is pretty big.  To give you and idea, here is the website : https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/

I didn't do the chimney lift but it would be something interesting to do one of those days.

Tonight, we stayed home and we had pizza and salad...  with vino, of course.  It was a pleasant supper.  

 

May 9

 Today is partner change day.

Already after breakfast, Anne and Josée leave for Edinburgh. I was sad to see them go but I know they will enjoy Edinburgh and York.

Then my new partners arrived. Jacinte and Jeannine arrived exactly when I expected them. Sure, they were tired, but they're great travelers so there's no way they're going to sleep.

Ghylaine and Roger went to Mark and Spencer's before heading to Heathrow for their late departure. I know they will come back to London. I could feel how much they loved this wonderful city. If possible, I would be happy to be with them again to visit London.

As always on a first day, we did the royal tour. Jacinte was worried about the description of the Royal Tour but I always did it to match the objective of my travel companions. During this visit, it is important to see the emblematic marks of London: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square...

For this particular tour, we stopped at The crypt of St-Martin_In-The-Field for a light lunch.  

We came back to relax a little bit before our reservation at the pub.  So tonight I had my second Fish and Chips of this vacation.  

It will be an early night because everybody need to rest and be ready for a good day of sightseeing tomorrow.  Goodnight everybody!

May 8

 It's the last full day in London for Ghylaine. Roger, Anne and Josée and the last full day of vacation for Ghylaine and Roger. Tomorrow, Anne and Josée will go to Edinburgh.

For this last day, Anne, Ghylaine and Roger went to the Churchill War Room. A very interesting museum that allows you to get a view of the top secret corridors of Churchill's bunker and feel what it would have been like during the days of WWII. They were unanimous: they could have spent hours and hours in the museum. Anne said: Churchill is now my hero!

We met at the English Rose Cafe and Tea room for the traditional Afternoon tea. A cool and unmissable English experience.

 

By the time we left the restaurant, it was nearly 4 p.m. We went home to set up tomorrow's itinerary for Anne and Josée.

Tonight we separated. Ghylaine and Roger went to meet David a super chef in London who is the son of a friend of ours.

Anne, Josée and I went to Jam, one of my favorite Italian places in London. It's always a surprise for people to notice that there are tables above other tables, just like bunk beds. It was a very pleasant last night with my dear friends.

Finally, it was a more quiet day but perfect for a last day.

may 7

 A very nice walk today We started with a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum. What a beautiful museum! We went for our second morning coffee in the beautiful dining room. Ghylaine ate her first scone of the holidays. She couldn't wait to taste her first scone in London.

After visiting the Museum, it was time for lunch. We went to the cafe in the Royal Albert Hall. It was very busy. Maybe it was because of the Coronation long weekend.

Then we went to Kensington Garden and Hyde Park. We walked the Serpentine Road for a while to get to Harrods. We stopped on the way to take a short break.

We didn't stay very long at Harrods. The crowd was so dense!

We found our way to Jo Loves. I knew Ghylaine would like this place.

It was cocktail hour in a pub. But again it was so busy we couldn't all sit together so we didn't stay long and found our way to the Wilton Arms to sample the famous Sunday Roast. It was different from what I had tasted before, but everyone enjoyed their meal.

We chose to go home with the bus. Anne was skeptical when I gave her directions from the pub to the bus stop. “This way, then we turn this way and we go this way! “Simple like that. But she was happy to notice that it was the right direction after all. It was a very nice evening to end this wonderful day.  

may 6

 Our first full rainy day.  What would be London without rainy days from time to time ? 

This morning, we went to Regent Park.  We wandered a little bit, had a coffe at the coffee shop, and get lost alot before get in out at the mosque way out.  It wasn't so much fun looking for our way in the rain.

I showed to my friends the home of Paul McCartney.  There was life in the house cause we saw light by a window.  We went to Abbey Road to cross the emblematic crossing.  Roger and Anne were happy to found nice souvenir in the Abbey Rood boutique.

Because we turned around so much in the park, it was later that expected so everybody was ready for lunch.

We end up in a beautiful traditional pub from where we watched the coronation on the television.

Roger, Ghylaine and Anne wanted to visit Camden, but with the rain they changed their mind and came back home with Josée and me.  

Anne was very happy to use her new umbrella today.

Tonight, Ghylaine and Roger went to the restaurant they missed because the accident and the others three of us stay home and had chicken and salad.

May 5

As you might think, I didn't walk too far in my neighborhood today. First, we started our day later than usual. Of course, since we went to bed so late.

Ghylaine and Roger went at Tower of London.  Anne and Josée chose to walk with me. We went to Fulham Palace to see the garden and have lunch. It was a pleasant and peaceful walk.  The garden was full of wisteria.  So beautiful.  

We stopped at the grocery and came back to the house.  

I called to inform the assurances about the accident, just in case I will have something to pay.  

Tonight, Ghylaine and Roger went out for dinner at a very nice restaurant calles The River Café.  Anne Josée and me stay at home and ate the pasta we should had yesterday night.  

A nice day despite the circumstances.  You wont see me too much on photos, because my face is not so cute to look with black eyes and stiches. 

May 4

 I will have to start again from the end of the day because that will explain the delay of the 4th day.

On our way to the pub after another long day of walking I tripped and fell on the pavement. I hit my head severely on the sidewalk. I was bleeding a lot from my forehead and my nose. Many people came to help us and a street worker even ran to the hospital which was right next to us to get a wheelchair. I was picked up quickly for first aid and sent to another hospital by taxi for CT scans and stitches. Luckily in my bad luck, the injuries weren't that bad: my nose is broken but just a small fracture at the base and I had to have 3 stitches and glue on my forehead. Of course, I'm not in great shape for a big day of sightseeing. I will calm down today.  I have an appointment to remove the stichs in about 7-8 days.  

My glasses are broken but I brought other glasses just in case. My pants went straight to the waste because they were so soaked with blood. Fortunately my coat was saved because it is waterproof. I put it in cold water overnight and it was fine by morning.

I can't thank my friends enough.  They stayed with me the whole time until we got home.  

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Now here's the day's report from the start. We started our day with a second coffee in the Victoria Embankment garden where Josée and Anne took the opportunity to keep in shape. Right next to the garden was the famous Gordon Wine Bar. We were invited by a member of staff to visit as it was not open yet.

Our goal was to take the bus to St. Paul's Cathedral. Instead, we walked all along the Strand. A nice 45 minute walk. By the time we arrived it was time for lunch. We chose simplicity and had a sandwich at PRET. Have you ever seen the Wild Table Of Love animal sculpture in Paternoster Square? We were lucky enough to see it before it was moved shortly after the end of May.

After lunch, Anne, Ghylaine and Roger went to visit St-Paul and Josée and I went to Leaden Hall Market. On our way, we admire the Gherkin (called the "pickle") and the very modern Lloyds building. Of course we did not close our eyes when we met the beautiful Londoners on our way.

We crossed the Millennium bridge to visit the Tate Modern. We visited a few rooms and Anne bought a nice umbrella.

We walked along the Thame to Borough Market. We bought what would have been our supper if... Well, as we were on our way to our happy hour, what happened happened.

There is no pictures of this time of the day.  Sorry.  

May 3

 II didn't write down our total steps yesterday.  It was 20347 We did better today with 23531, but it feel like 33531!  My legs are reluctant to cooperate.  And I wont talk about my feet!!

We started our day slowly with breakfast at home.

Today was a long walking tour with lots of shopping. Ghylaine was very enthusiastic about it. 

At first we took the tube to Green Park.  And we start our long walk from there.  We did a great visit of the area.  We had a second coffee in the court of the Royal Academy of Arts.  It was very comfortable to seat outside with this nice temperature.  We  lunch on Piccadilly market, from street food kiosque.  It was my first time and I really like it.  

From there, it was a long walk of shopping Fortnum and Mason, Hamley, Liberty, to name a few of the stores we visit. 

Everybody was impress by the beauty of the architecture.  

But we still put a little culture in our day.  After a short ride in the bus, we did a wisit at the British museum.  It was pleasant because there was no line-up to enter.  

After the museum, it was time for our apero, the favorite moment of the day for Josée.  We went on Endell street at 10 Cases. a wine bar that I want to try since a few years.  Again, it was pleasant to sit under this warm sun.  

Before going for supper, we visit Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square.  

Tonight we had pizza at 50 Kalo.  It was very good.   Who said we dont eat well in England ?  I think it getting better and better since the last 20 years.  

It was dark when we got out the tube station and it was not easy to see our route.  We end up doing a little detour but we arrive at the comfort of our home.

I will add some photos tomorrow.  

Goodnight !

 

May 2

 It was not what we can call a pretty good night of sleep.  I was awake half the time, but since I have been in my bed very early, around 19h30, I manage to gain some energy anyway.

This morning, I went to the big grocery store called Sainsbury's. In fact, it looks like our Costco.  A big place when you can buy a piece of cheese and an some furniture at the same time.  It was a 20 minutes walk, but I took the bus to came back because my bag was heavy.  It took more then 20 minutes, because there was trafic on the road.  

I came back to see that the arrival of Ghylaine, Roger, Anne and Josée is delayed.  What a bad luck to start a vacation.  They arrived a few minutes after 1:30 p.m. They told me they had to stay on the plane for 2 hours before departure.  But hopefully they are very positives and nothing will spoil their british vacations.

After a light lunch at home, we went on the Royal Tour. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the first tour I've done for first time visitors to London. In this tour we walked through St. James's Park, we saw Buckingham Palace, we walked on The Mall, we had a quick stop at Trafalgar Sqaure, we crossed the Jubilee Bridge to walk the way to the south past the London Eye to arrive on Westminster Bridge from where we have a majestic view of the Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben). Before heading back to the tube, we had a look at Westminster Abbey. We couldn't see much because they are preparing for the coronation and there were bleachers all around.  Here is a view of the Admiral Arch that lead to Trafalgar Square.

We came back a bit early for our pub reservation but it was time for us to relax and enjoy some good Fish and Chips. Nice way to end the day!  

I finally choose my place to write the blog. Isn't it a nice spot!

May 1

It was a good flight. I managed to sleep about 3 hours. Not consecutive, but still...

I had underestimated the difficulty of carrying my luggage on the metro and on the bus. Marcel was right: it was such a job. I did but I was totally exhausted when I got home.

The House! So many doors, so many steps... But it's clean and comfortable and above all, the backyard is really charming.  And, nice touch a bouquet of iris in the dinning room.

 

Today I explored my neighborhood. Tried the route I want to do with my friends tomorrow. So I took a look at st-James park. The flowers are gorgeous. In fact, it really is spring here. Trees are blooming all over the city. Near Westminster Abbey, they can be seen preparing for the coronation.

  

 

As for the weather, it's a mix of sun, clouds and drizzle.

For supper tonight, I had to go out to stay awake as long as possible. I had a reservation at Santa Maria Pizzeria. At first I found a reservation for one at 6 p.m. in a pizzeria would be ridiculous. But luckily I got one because a lot of people came just to hear there was no room for them.

So I took a pizza with an aruga salad. It was delicious, but I brought back more than half.

Now, it may be early for you, but I'm totally exhausted. I'm going to get ready and go to bed. I still have 35 steps to climb to reach my bed!  

I have 14,870 steps on the counter, a good part of which are on the steps of the house. 

Good night !

 Plus que 2 jours avant le départ pour moi.  Exciting!!!  

J'ai eu un petit pépin hier quand j'ai eu un diagnostic de zona.  Ouais...  Mais finalement, il semble que comme j'ai été prise à temps, l'antiviral devrait minimiser les inconvénients.  

Finalement, on dirait que ce petit nuage ne fait pas trop d'ombre sur ma joie de partir.  

Ma valise est prête dans ma tête depuis longtemps.  Demain, je commencerai à la faire pour vrai.  

Je pense bien que je n'ai rien oublié.  

Alors je vous rejase en anglais lundi !  💂

Plus que 5 semaines avant le départ

 J'y pense à tous les jours... Tout le temps.  Je me prépare.  J'aide ceux et celles qui m'accompagneront à se préparer également.  On a eu quelques petits pépins pour la réservation des trains pour Édimbourg, mais c'est réglé.  Tout le monde a ses billets pour les trains et l'avion.  

British Airways offre un sur classement à prix, disons acceptable.  J'ai décidé de me l'offrir pour l'aller, puisque c'est un vol de nuit.  J'essaierai donc leur cabine  World Traveller Plus.  https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-classes/premium-economy/world-traveller-plus

J'ai déjà eu un sur classement en cadeau avec Air France pour le même genre de cabine.  C'était très bien.  Je pourrai donc comparer et vous en reparler.

Bon, je continue de rêver ...✈

Édition 2023

 Bon, c'est un nouveau départ pour séjourner dans ma ville préférée dans le monde.  J'ai l'impression de retourner chez moi.  Ça me fait rêver.  J'anticipe, je fais des plans.  Certains plans seront réalisés, d'autres simplement oubliés. Il faut que j'en garde pour revenir encore... Et encore!

Alors cette fois, je pars avec un groupe de 10 personnes.  Pas tous en même temps.  Je pars le 30 avril et je reviens le 23 mai.  Dans le premier groupe, il y aura Ghylaine, Roger, Anne et Josée.  Suivra Dominique, Jacinte et Jeannine.  Finalement, je terminerai ce voyage avec Lise, Gloria et Louise.  

Cette fois, l'organisation a été un peu plus compliquée.  Le premier hébergement s'est avéré non disponible.  Il a fallu faire un autre choix.  Pas évident avec la montée des prix d'hébergement touristique partout.  Mais on a trouvé.  C'est en zone 2, donc un peu à l'écart du centre, mais il semble que Fulham soit un beau quartier.  J'en reparlerai surement plus tard. 

D'ici là, voici un aperçu de notre résidence pour 22 jours à Londres.

Notre maison à Londres pour mai 2023

À bientôt!