Jour 7, 4 mai 2024

 Today we jumped into the crowd. We went to Piccadilly and strolled through Old Bond Street, Saville Row, Burlington Arcade… Lyne was tempted by a nice pair of gloves, but it seems that the price was too high for the quality.

We entered the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Art for a coffee break. This year's installation was a masterpiece sculpture by Tavares Strachan, which represented a meeting of prominent black activists, artists and scientists of the past. Very impressive !

 A trip to London is never complete without a visit to Fortnum and Mason, so off we went. Catherine wanted to buy tea and she knew what she wanted. She wanted the same tea that Anne had bought last year. It was King Charles' tea. Catherine asked a gentleman who took the time to explain to her that this tea was available last year, but that there is one that could taste almost the same.

Then we went to Hatchards, where I found a book with a quiz for the blue badge. The blue badge is a rank for becoming a guide in London.

We stopped for a quick lunch and walked through Chinatown to Covent Garden. 

On our way we took a detour to see Neal Yard.

The whole area near Covent Garden was so busy it was difficult to walk. We stopped for a glass of wine and took the subway back to our oh-so-quiet Chelsea.

It was time for a break at home. Each of us did her things in silence for a while.

We chose to go out to dinner this evening. Catherine wanted some mussels and fries, so we went to Côté Brasserie. On the way back we walked.  The weather was just perfect.  Steps for the day 15, 468.

Jour 6, 3 mai

 First full day of rain in London. So it’s time to visit the museum and go shopping. First, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. We wandered around the shop and the sculptures. I noticed that the 3 Graces sculpture was no longer there. (Louise, Lise, and Gloria know what I'm talking about.) I learned that there are over 100,000 different pieces of clothing dating back centuries and from all over the world. Now I understand why I don't see the same things every visit.

It was time for a coffee or tea break. We went to the beautiful museum café. Lyne separated from us to go visit the Natural History Museum.

Then it was time to go home. André had to prepare for his departure. 

We accompanied him to the South Kensington tube from where he was going to Heathrow. From there Catherine and I took a bus to Harrods. As we were walking through the store we met Lyne. What a surprise!!! We would have given her an appointment without ever being able to meet her. Of course we visited the Food Hall and my friends were really impressed with all the varieties. We went to the 3rd floor to see the dishes. That’s when we really realized we weren’t the typical Harrods customer.

Look at this beautiful piece. Do I like it? Do I need it? I don't need to think about it. I just can't afford it! I would never have paid £46545.00 for any dish on earth anyway. Even with Paul McCartney's face on !

Before we left Harrods, we saw this beautiful piano.  Itmay look like a toy, but it is a regular size piano.  I don't want to talk about the cost of  it.  (You would faint!).  Just want to show you that it seem to me like a piece of art.

After Harrods, Lyne returned to the Natural History Museum, as she was never able to get in at first. Catherine and I took another bus to Elizabeth Street where I visited Jo Loves and bought myself a present.

It was aperitif time. We entered the Thomas Cubitt Pub. We had a very good time chatting over a good wine in a pleasant area.

We walked to Victoria Station where we took another bus to Mark and Spencer to pick up groceries for supper.

We may not be the typical Harrods shopper, but that didn't stop us from having a nice and delicious meal at home.

Even in the rain, we managed to take 13,444 steps.  

Jour 5, 2 mai

 This morning, our plans changed a lot. First, Catherine had back pain so she chose to stay at home for a while. Lyne and André went to see The War Room (Churchill's bunker). There were too many people when they arrived, so they chose to go to the Supreme Court of Justice. It was an unexpected visit but it was a great discovery for them. They joined Catherine and me for afternoon tea at my favorite tea spot: English Rose Café and Tea.The plate on the 3 floors was so full that we couldn't finish it all.

After lunch we took a walk to Buckingham Palace. Strangely, the guards were not wearing the usual red and black uniform. They were all in black. We couldn't find out why. There weren't many people there, so we really enjoyed the view. We continued our journey to Green Park where we saw the Canada Memorial designed by Canadian sculptor Pierre Granche and unveiled by Her Majesty the Queen in 1994. This memorial honors nearly a million Canadian men and women who served in the United Kingdom. during the First and Second World Wars. 

We walked around the park for a while and returned to the Mall just to turn onto Malborought Road which took us towards St-James Palace. Just opposite the Palace, on Pall Mall, is La Maison du Québec.

We followed our route to St-James Street where we saw a hatter serving customers in his shop Lock and Co Hatters, opened in 1676. Lyne walked in and saw some very eccentric hats that were not affordable for us , poor people. 

On the same street, we saw a bootmaker, a cigar lounge and many other luxury shops.

St-James Street directed us to Piccadilly Street, where we took the metro home. It was 4 p.m. It was time to rest a little. André went to the grocery store to buy what we will need for dinner.

Tonight, André cooked for us pasta with chicken on a tomato and basil sauce.  It was so good !!

Tomorrow he will go back to Canada. 

After a quiet day of 11810 steps, and our farewell supper for André, it will be time to go to bed soon.

Jour 4, 1 mai

Day 4

Today, my three traveling companions went to the Tower of London alone. I stayed home and went to a park to read LaPresse +. I joined them for lunch near the Tower. They were very satisfied with their visit. They did the Yeoman tour and the Yoeman was a lot of fun.  He moved easily from story to anecdote, to keep his audience attentive. Lyne said she would have stayed longer as it was so interesting.

After lunch we crossed the famous Tower Bridge and walked along the Queen Way to Hays Gallery. On our way we saw another lovely sculpture of Gillie and Marc.

André was impressed by the passage of the warship HMS Belfast. On our way, we had a nice view of the city from the south path. We returned on the northern path via London Bridge. We stopped at the Monument. The monument commemorates the Great Fire of 1666 in London. André and Lyne had considered climbing the 311 steps but changed their minds while we were on our way to visit the Sky Garden.  I think it is the first time I have been this close to The Monument.

So we arrived at the famous Sky Garden and wow! It was very impressive. The elevator took us to the 35th floor. We could go to an outdoor gallery to have a breathtaking view of London. Sky Garden is an interior garden located at the top of a skyscraper in the financial district of the City of London. This building is called by the locals: the Walkie-Talkie building. We stayed there for a while as we felt welcome, reading the menu on each table. It was a very pleasant moment in a magnificent setting.

We went back home to rest a liitle bit before supper.  Tonight, we went at The Jam, this quirky place went tables are placed like bunk-bed.   The waiter was so kind and funny and our meal delicious like always.

Now, we are back home with the head full of nice souvenirs for ever.  After 16890 steps, it is time to end that day.

Jour 3, 30 avril 2024

 After a good night's sleep, actually not that bad, we woke up ready for another beautiful sunny day in London. We had a friendly breakfast in our dining room under the glass roof. No one was in a hurry, so we left for our daily walk around 9:30.

We walked along King’s Road to Sloane Square station, from where we traveled to Embankment station. We wandered around Victoria Embankment Garden for a while and walked down the Strand to a bus stop. We took the bus to St. Paul's Cathedral. Catherine and André visit the cathedral. Lyne and I took a walk. We saw St Bartholomew the Great, the oldest parish church in London. Very impressive. André climbed to the top of the dome of St. Paul. The view was magnificent !

After this visit, it was time for lunch. We ate a sandwich on Paternoster Square. We noticed a new installation of sculptures by Gillie and Marc. gillie and Marc They have many other sculptures in many locations and in London.

We then crossed the Millennium Bridge, from where we had a breathtaking view of many iconic elements of London: Tower Bridge, The Shard, the Walkie-Talkie building... As we almost arrived at the end of the bridge, we saw this large poster from the Yoko Ono Exhibition. I didn't know Yoko had an exhibition at Tate Modern. A wonderful surprise. We didn't have time today, but I will return before the end of this visit to London. 

We continued our journey towards Borought Market. Fortunately, there weren't too many people. It was a good idea to visit the market on a Tuesday. We bought our fresh vegetables and bread for dinner. After visiting the market, we left by tube. Before arriving near our little house, we went to Mark and Spencer's to choose our meat and wine for dinner.

My feet and back were crying out for rest. We had a pleasant aperitif on our own little balcony.

André was our cook this evening. With what we bought today he made us such a delicious meal!! Wow! roast beef and mixed vegetables. Yum!

After 16063 steps, this completes another perfect day in London.

Jour 2, 29 avril 2024

 I woke up very early this morning. In fact, I was awake most of the night. I slept fitfully. But I went to bed around 8 p.m. and got out of bed at 5:45. Overall, it was a pretty good night's sleep.

After breakfast, I went to the grocery store to buy some products I hadn't thought of yesterday.

Next, I headed to the National Portrait Gallery museum. Today the sun was shining but strangely the temperature varied a lot from hot to cold. My goal was to buy McCartney's 1964 photo book, Eyes of the Storm. The exhibition ran from June to October 2023 at the National Portrait gallery. Captured by Paul using his own Pentax camera, the photographs in the exhibition were taken between November 1963 and February 1964. 1964: Eyes of the Storm (the book) features 275 photographs of McCartney taken in the six cities of these intense and legendary months - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and many never-before-seen portraits of John, George and Ringo.

I got it!!!

I had a sandwich at Pret for lunch and went home waiting for my friends to arrive: Lyne, Catherine and André. They arrived at South Kensington tube station at 2:30 p.m. We were all moved to find ourselves together in London. Finally ! We went to the house. They took a break for about an hour and we got back together for the first tour: The Royal tour. In this tour we saw: St-James Park, Buckingham Palace from a certain distance, Trafalgar Square, which was very lively. We crossed the Jubilee Bridge from where we could admire Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and the famous London Eye. On the southern path, there were people as always but there was also a man who was doing entertainment with a snake. I screamed and ran as far as I could. My friends didn't know what happened until they joined me. I can't see snake. It scares me so much. We crossed back to the north side with Westminster Bridge and took a bus back near our little house. It was time for our fish and chips at the Phoenix, a pub I visited for the first time. After our delicious dinner, we chatted for a while in our living room before heading to our rooms for the night.  That is what we can call a other beautiful day in London. 

24463 steps today !

  

 

Une magnifique photo prise par Lyne.

Jour 1, 28 avril 2024

 I came back again to this city that makes me so happy. Every time, I fear that the magic will disappear. But that never happened. As soon as I start the planning, I'm in a “cloud nine” mood.

So this time… The flight went well despite a 45 minute delay. Everyone on British Airways is so nice and polite. They make everyone feel like a VIP. I think it's worth paying a little more and being more comfortable traveling at night. I slept a little, 5 or 10 minutes each time, but I dozed off a good part of the journey. 

We arrive at Heathrow 30 minutes late. Even after all the escalators and the train to get from area C to area A, of Terminal 5, I manage to get out with my checked bags in 30 minutes.  (An unthinkable feat following an international trip to P.E.-Trudeau.)  My driver was there, waiting for me with my name written on a sign. I asked him if he could call the owner of the house to let her know I was on my way. He offers to give me his cell phone but I ask him to call for me. I'm not fluent in English, I'm almost deaf especially after a flight, and the cell phone isn't optimal for sound. His response: “Of course ma’am!” A true gentleman. With a brand new Mercedes, he drives me to what would be my home for the next 17 days.

As for the house, it is a typical English town house. Nothing comparable to last year's big house, but absolutely British style. So cute with it pinky door !  We can see the signs of the age of the house; the carpets are worn, some furniture could benefit from being renovated, but it is comfortable, clean and rather well located.

My plans for the day changed because I arrived a little later and it was raining.

First, I had a light lunch at St-George. It was so cool! I ate a roll with a cappuccino, surrounded by a crowd of young people and with Beatles music playing in the background. What more can I ask for?? I was seating there, alone, with a smile in my face.  Happy and so grateful to be able to experience this.

Un souvenir pour Louise .  😉

Then I went for a walk in the streets around the house. I saw a small place that I had never seen before. I also notice some lovely new shops on King’s Road. Then I went shopping for our breakfast. 

Before going for supper I walked around near the square I saw earlier. I passed in a small but beautiful park : St-Luke.  The sun was out, so it brought out the beauty even more. 

  

For my early supper ( I have to go to sleep soon!) I went in a local pizzeria.  There was such a crowd, even so early.  I was lucky to have a place, in a small corner. I obviously brought half my pizza back. Will we eat it? I don't know, but I couldn't leave it there to be thrown away.

Well, I am done.  It is almost 19h.  I am about to go to sleep.  I wont need a lulaby to fall a sleep.  😜

8235 steps today. Not bad, knowing the count started only after I arrive near 13h and it finish so early.  

Plus que 4 semaines

 Le dernier paiement pour l'hébergement a été fait ce matin.  

Reste plus qu'à faire la valise et monter dans l'avion.  

La préparation va bon train

J'arriverai le 28 avril.  Catherine, André et Lyne me rejoindront le lendemain après un séjour à Édimbourg.

Le 3 mai, André revient au Québec.  Catherine et Lyne restent jusqu'au 7 mai.  

Le 7 mai, Carole, Dominique et Nicole arriveront.  Elles restent jusqu'au 15 mai.

Le 15 mai, Nicole partira pour le Portugal.  Carole et Dominique partiront pour Édimbourg.  Elles y resteront  5 jours et reviendront pour une dernière nuit à Londres le 19 mai.  Je partirai pour deux jours à Liverpool.  Je rentrerai donc chez moi le 17 mai.  

Nous avons tous nos billets d'avion et les hébergements d'Édimbourg, pour ceux et celles qui y voyagent, sont réservés.  La chambre à Liverpool est réservée.  Avant le départ, il nous reste à réserver quelques trains et payer la balance pour la maison de Londres.

Est-ce nécessaire que je vous dise que j'ai hâte!!

Printemps 2024, en préparation

 C'est reparti!  Je suis en préparation pour le prochain voyage à Londres, édition printemps 2024. So exciting!!

Pour le moment, les dates devraient être du 28 avril au 16 mai.  Un voyage un peu plus court, puisque la maison choisie a moins de disponibilité déjà.  On fera avec.

Elle est beaucoup plus petite que la dernière, qui était vraiment impressionnante.  Celle-ci est cependant plus centrale et semble être assez confortable pour 4  personnes à la fois.  J'aime bien le "old british style".

Pour cette prochaine édition, j'accueillerai deux groupes.  Le premier composé de Catherine, André(qui n'y sera que pour quelques jours) et Lyne. Le deuxième groupe sera composé de Carole, Dominique et Nicole.  

Ai-je besoin de vous dire que j'ai hâte? 

Voici notre petite maison à Londres pour ce prochain séjour à Londres.

Notre hébergement pour avril-mai 2024