Rule Britannia
Since Monday's snow I am madly and deeply in love with London. This will change, it always does, because at heart I am too committed to life in France to become a proper Londoner. London is a fantastic city to visit and to live for short bursts of time but as a full time home I still vote for France. If there are any true Londoners out there reading this please forgive me.Yesterday, as I walked to Hyde Park on my way for a run, I was stopped and asked for directions. She was a traveller from Melbourne, Australia and enjoying day one of a six week holiday in Europe. With an accent in common we immediately struck up a conversation about London, life in the Capital and what to do with a week at your disposal. I told her of my favourite tourist spots, shops worthy of a browse and out of the way places that might be of interest to her. This got me thinking that there would never be a better week to sing London's praises (she looks so pretty dressed in a blanket of snow) and compile a list.
Below are some of my London loves and they are by no means definitive or essential but they are some of the spots that I have come to love over the last ten years and think of as quintessentially British. They are listed in no particular order of importance nor are they written in order of favour.
The Sites:
Buckingham Palace
The Queen's Gallery
The Mall (best view of Buckingham Palace and St James' Park)
The Natural History Museum
The British Museum
London Museum
Parliament Square
Big Ben
St Margaret's and Westminster Abbey
Tower of London
**Sir John Soane's Museum
The Galleries:
**Tate Britain ( the Turner Collection)
The Department Stores:
Peter Jones (basics)
**Fortnum & Mason (the 3rd floor is girlie paradise)
The Fashion Shops:
**Top Shop
Bluebird
French Sole (ballet flats)
The Fashion Streets:
Sloane Street
Old Bond and New Bond Street
Conduitt Street
Bruton Street
Saville Row
Regent Street (for the brave)
Oxford Street (for the very brave
Jermyn Street (for the boys)
Westbourne Grove
Marylebone High Street
The Fullham Road and Brompton Cross
The Kings Road
Antiques/ Homewares:
The New Kings Road
Kensington Church Street
The Pimlico Road
Lillie Road
Wigmore Street
Portobello Market (Friday for Vintage clothing/ Saturday for antiques and collectibles)
Bermondsey market (Friday)
Covent Garden (Monday)
Camden Passage
Goldborne Road
Theatres
Cinemas:
Book Shops
Miscellaneous:
Charbonnel et Walker (rose and violet creme chocolates)
Smythson (stationary)
Ormonde Jayne (the best scented candles)
Les Scenteurs ( perfume boutique)
VV Rouleaux ( ribbons, trmmings etc)
New Covent Garden (wholesale flower market)
Ottolenghi ( delicious take away)
The Hummingbird Bakery (cupcakes, it's not SATC Magnolia Bakery but they taste pretty good)
Hamleys ( London's answer to FAO Schwartz)
Random things I love to do:
have a coffee at The Wolseley in Picadily
afternoon tea at Claridges
a drink at the Berkeley's David Collins designed Blue Bar
run around the Serpentine in Hyde Park
ride the red buses
take a duck tour
cruise up the Thames to Greenwhich
window shop on Duke Street
Check out Sothebys and Christie's
Yum Cha in Gerard Street, Chinatown
take the tube to Shoreditch or Farringdon
wander around Spitalfields markets
visit the Columbia Road flower market on a Sunday morning
'The Great Fire of London' walk around the city
food shop at the Borough Market
I could go on and on... xv.
thank you google for the 'rule britannia' images
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