Jour 11, 8 mai 2024

 What a beautiful day !! We started a little later than usual because my companions needed to sleep after the long day yesterday.

So we went around Piccadilly today. We did the usual route: Green Park station, Old Bond street, Saville Row, Burlington Arcade, Royal Academy of Arts, Fortnum and Mason, Hatchard… After this trail, we were ready for lunch. We went to a food truck yard and we all chose a different meal. We sat in the park and had lunch there.

Dominique met Churchill and Rosevelt.

With renewed energy we continued down Regent Street to Carnaby Street. We entered the Liberty Store where we bought some cool souvenirs. The salespeople were so nice! We were very proud of our purple Liberty bags!

After Liberty, we chose to take the tube to Holborn station, from where we walked to the Covent Garden area. We stopped at Cross Keys Pub for an afternoon break. We spoke with a very nice French bartender. 

Look at our Liberty's bags!

We followed our route to Covent Garden.

After a short tour of Covent Covent, we arrive on the Strand. Before taking the tube, my friends wanted to see the Gordon Wine Bar, the oldest wine bar in London. So off we went.

This evening we cooked a homemade meal: Pasta. Chicken, asparagus and pesto. A delight! But before dinner, we had an aperitif on our small terrace. It was my first day without a jacket!! 

A view from our balcony.  You can see blue sky over London!

So I finished this post with 15642 steds on the clock.  I leave you with this thought: 

Jour 10, 7 mai

 Today was a departure and arrival day. Lyne was the first to leave at 10am this morning. We were all emotional to see her go and she felt the same way about leaving us in London.  It was a pleasure to share this week in London with Lyne.

Catherine and I went to the grocery store and waited for Nicole, Carole and Dominique to arrive.

In the meantime, the guy who was in charge of changing the sheets arrived. For a while we were all in the house together. Catherine left at 2 p.m. She was a little nervous about flying alone, but she was also very happy to finally see her new home.

This morning we noticed that there was water infiltration in the bathroom on the first floor. I informed the agency and they sent a man to take care of it. I've never seen a plumber with a jacket before! He had a very classic look for the work he did. I am sorry I didn't took a picture of him.  In any case, the rest of this water leak story is to be continued. Stay tuned!

As always, we did the royal tour. On the way we entered Partridge's, where I saw a box of tea that I will have to go back and buy.

My travel companions were very tired and had difficulty keeping their eyes open on the bus back.

But they had enough courage to go to a restaurant for dinner. We went to Pizza Express on Kings Road, a 5 minute walk from our house.

We got back just before 7pm and they went to bed the second we got there.  

So this quiet day was a day of 12979 steps.

Jour 9, 6 mai 2024

 It was our second rainy day. It doesn't really matter because our plan was to visit the British Museum. Well, Lyne and I went to the museum and Catherine stayed home this morning.

When we arrived at the museum it was pouring rain and the queue was very long. I remembered there was another door at the back of the museum. There were fewer people so we waited in line until the museum opened.

Lyne was really interested in this museum. A history teacher for many years, the subject particularly attracted her, especially the greck and roman empire.

We stayed at the museum for about 2 hours.

After our visit we went to Russell Square for lunch and cappucciono.

We returned mid-afternoon because Lyne had to get her boarding pass.

While we were outside, Catherine was shopping near the house on Kings Road.

Before dinner, we all made one last visit together. We went to see the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial.  My friends were very impressed by the magnificence of the monument. Queen Victoria was in love with her Albert and so she wanted a monument that would express the extent of her love.

Being near the Royal Albert Hall, brought back  so good memories of my visit in March 2022.

Tonight we stayed home with pizza and salad. My friends were preparing their departure for tomorrow. It was a really pleasant and busy 8 days with Catherine, André and Lyne. It was very good company.

Despite the rain, we managed to take 13177 steps today.

Jour 8, 5 mai 2024

 This morning we left the house at 9:40. Our plan was to see Regent Park, Paul McCartney's house and Abbey Road. We walked to South Kensington, where we took the bus to Bakerloo station. Halfway through the journey we had to get off the bus and wait for another one. We don't know why. Regardless, we didn't have to wait long.

Regent Park was beautiful as always. We saw many species of birds, including waterfowl such as mallards, herons, teals, ducks, geese... 

We stopped at the coffee boat for a break.

We then left the park to head towards Paul McCartney's house. There were other fans, a couple, taking photos of the house. We didn't see anyone entering or leaving the house.

If you have been there, you will recognize the fence.

We continue our objective until the famous Abbey Road junction. As always, many people crossed the road and had their photos taken. Of course, we did the same.

We went to the Abbey Road store where I bought some little souvenirs for Mila and Zoey.  

We walked to Warwick Street tube station. We passed Clifton Street, near the Airbnb where I stayed in March 2022. Memories, memories... Lyne wanted to take a walk along the canals, but Catherine was very tired so I went home with her and Lyne continued the walk. While Catherine rested, I went to do some shopping.

This evening, time for the traditional Sunday roast. We took the bus and went to The Prince Albert pub in Battersea. My friends were really impressed with our plates. Catherine and I had the roast beef and Lyne chose the chicken. All our plates were "gigantic". The Yorkshire pudding was so big!

We walked home. It was a good idea to aid digestion. We crossed the Albert Bridge and thought of Phi, Carole and Renée. 

On our way, we passed in front where Bob Marley lived in 1977.

It was a smooth and pleasant ride.  That what ended another so beautiful day in London, after 18429 steps.

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.