Archive for the ‘London’ Category

The Wallace Collection

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , , on Saturday, 6 October, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The other day, a few expats and I spent some time at the Wallace Collection located in the Hertford House at Manchester Square in Marylebone, London.

The Hertford House ~ Wallace Collection

First off, the house itself is gorgeous! I was overwhelmed upon walking in (there are three floors and twenty-nine galleries), and after a light lunch in the museum cafe, we went on a tour with an engaging and informative guide.  She has a passion for the Wallace Collection but specifically paintings and furniture from France.

Although the 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace (illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess) were instrumental in acquiring the vast collection, it was the 4th Marquess who is considered one the greatest collectors of the 19th century.  When his son, Richard Wallace died in 1890, his widow lived at Hertford house until her death in 1897.  In her will, and at the bequest of her late husband, the collection and house was converted into a public museum.  It opened to the public in 1900.

According to our tour guide, the stipulation in the will regarding the collection is it must stay “as is” ~ nothing added, nothing removed.  None of the items can be loaned to other museums, this is the only place you’ll see it.  They must have a vast storage area because the galleries change out periodically for certain events and specific tours.   For example each month, a great work is highlighted as the “treasure of the month” and there are scheduled talks about the piece.

The museum also has scheduled Exhibitions, Conservation Displays, Special Talks, Study Events, Adult Art Classes, Youth Activities & Family Workshops.  I’m bummed I missed out on the French Wine Tasting event which was in September but plan to make up for loss time with as many other events as I can.  I am completely amazed by the sheer size of the collection and can imagine I’ll be spending many rainy days exploring the galleries.

For any one with children, there’s a “Takeover Day” on 23 November 2012 (Friday) ~ students from St Vincent’s Primary school will take charge of the museum, from the front of the house to leading groups on an interactive tour.  I think visiting children would find it more interesting coming from their peers.

On a side note, I saw a photo of the museum art pieces being evacuated before the Blitz and, thankfully, the house itself was spared during the bombing of London. Whew…

If you decide to visit, the museum entrance is free of charge as are the daily tours. There are fees and reservations required for certain events and talks.  The museum is open everyday except 24, 25 and 26 December.  For more specific information, click here.

If you go, look for me there since I plan to spend a lot of time in the galleries while living here.  How could I not, it’s an easy 10 minute walk from our flat.

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Birthday in London

Posted in Birthdays, London, Travel, tagged , , , , on Sunday, 30 September, 2012| 1 Comment »

Thoroughly enjoyed my birthday yesterday.  Since we feel like we’re living in the days of wine and roses here in London,  John got real wine (my favorite: Chateauneuf-du-Pape) and red roses for me:

If you squint and look very closely at the photo, those are tickets from Logan to “Billy Elliott” at the Victoria Palace Theater ~ which I can’t rave enough about.  I’m in awe of the actors since it’s a demanding musical but especially the kids.  The amount of talent is amazing.  Loved the story line, the cast enthusiasm, the songs, the dances and, on the practical side, it was 15 minutes door to door (on the tube).  Did I mention I love living in London?!

  

What made this year even more special is I usually don’t celebrate much for the “big day”  At first,  it was because my dad died on my 25th birthday. For years, I didn’t celebrate at all.  But once Logan was old enough to understand birthdays, she’s made it her mission to make sure I enjoyed mine.  But even with the best of intentions, events sometime overtake the day. Last year, in early September, we had two tropical storms and an earthquake hit the Northern Virginia area, causing water to seep into our basement.  We decided to waterproof it completely which meant on my birthday, I was listening to the sound of jack hammers tearing up the basement floor:

This year, I only had sweet sounds to listen to and my favorite was John and Logan singing “Happy Birthday” while I blew out the candles on my chocolate macaroons (goodbye cupcakes, hello macaroons) ~ doesn’t get better than that.

Now about the age thing, I’ve decided to start counting backwards!!

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A Royal Day Out at Buckingham Palace

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , on Sunday, 16 September, 2012| 4 Comments »

Decided we better visit Buckingham Palace, official residence of Queen Elizabeth, while the State Rooms are still open to the public. They will close on 7 October until next summer.  In addition to the State Rooms, the tour included the Royal Mews and The Queen’s Gallery.

We started off with The Gallery ~ the largest exhibition of anatomical drawings by Leonardo Di Vinci.  I’ve seen Di Vinci’s artistic work including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper amongst others but I didn’t realize he pioneered the understanding of human anatomy.  Unfortunately, the drawings on display at the Gallery were unpublished, due to his death in 1519, until 400 years later.  What a loss. It was fascinating to see all he accomplished regarding anatomy drawings even BEFORE he did an actual autopsy.  Such a prolific amount of work ~

Next stop was a visit to the Royal Mews which is responsible for any road travel for the Queen and members of the royal family ~ the mews includes carriages, the Rolls Royce and, of course, horses.  The staff of the mews and their families live on the second floor of the building.

The Gold State Coach ~ it’s been used for every coronation since George IV and it takes 8 draft horses to pull it.

Logan and I in front of the Mews Living Quarters (second floor):

Lastly, we visited the State Rooms ~ of course, they are impressive with paintings (Reubens, Rembrandt,etc), sculptures (my favorite is the Mars & Venus by Canova), porcelain and English & French furniture.  I also loved seeing all the portraits of past royalty.  I especially liked the one of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their children.  Another bonus of going this year is a special Jubilee celebration display of the Queen’s diamonds.  Lots of bling to be seen. Photos are not allowed indoors but we snapped a few outside from the gardens.

I’m glad we did the tour but, wow, it was so crowded with the hordes of tourists.  I’m saving some of the other touristy places for the winter with the hopes it’ll be less crowded.  At least that’s how it is in DC.  Our list of things to do and see in London is long but I also have a list of things we won’t be doing while we’re here including Madam Tussauds Wax Museum and this:

London Duck Tour

Never had to keep a “not to do” list but with so many choices, it’s good to narrow the field a bit.  Thankfully, I found a great London blog called London Unveiled which suggests some very good off the beaten track options.

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London: Hidden Village and Borough Market

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , , on Friday, 14 September, 2012| 2 Comments »

It’s our one month “Living in London” anniversary! I spent the day roaming around the city. Started with a London Walks (London’s Hidden Village) which ambled around the Southbank/Bermondsey area. Interesting to get off the beaten tourist path and into another neighborhood.

Industrial Age housing for workers

Our London Walks guide, Ann

The building in the photo below is so odd.  If you stand right in front of it, the wall is flat but it’s been painted so when you look at it from across the street, it looks like it’s the corner of the building. Honestly, it’s a FLAT wall!

Corner wall or is it…

After the walk, I had lunch at The Anchor restaurant which has a nice riverside patio along the Thames.  The restaurant was originally built in 1770 but I don’t believe there’s much left of the original building.  After lunch, my friend Rhonda and I ambled through the famous Borough Market.  The market has roots back to 1276 (first mentioned) but the current building has been there since 1851.  The retail market is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and, even though it’s packed with vendors selling fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, sweets and more, the only thing I bought were savory pies from Pieministers.  John’s pie had beef & beer and Logan’s pie was vegetarian with goat cheese.  Rave reviews from both of them so we’ll definitely have them again.

Here’s Rhonda checking out a bread stand:

The Tower Bridge is always a joy to see especially on a beautiful sunny day like today.

Although I was exhausted from my day out in London, I couldn’t resist an event happening in Chelsea called “Vino and Vinyasa” (Yoga and Wine tasting).  I almost got waylaid by all the stores I passed along King’s Road as I headed to the event, but I made it and really enjoyed the evening.  Since I’m yoga challenged, it might have been better to have the wine before yoga!

As I expected, our time here in London is going quickly and I plan to continue having exhausting days as I explore/savor all London has to offer.

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Keys to the Flat

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , on Friday, 31 August, 2012| 2 Comments »

Where thou art – that – is Home.  ~Emily Dickinson

Forty six days after we moved out of our home in Virginia, having traveled through eight states & visiting with many friends, we finally have our keys to the London flat. As an Army wife, I chose this rambling lifestyle and truly believe we carry “home” in our hearts.  Whether we’re going to be somewhere for 6 months or 6 years, we hit the ground running with each move.

I’ve known Army spouses who give themselves 48 hours from the time the moving truck drives away to get their house organized & decorated, including the drapes.  Our household goods (furniture, etc)  will be delivered on Monday. Can’t imagine I’ll have everything done in 48 hours but maybe a week! If the weather is nice, it’ll be a lot longer.  I know better than to spend a nice day indoors!

The flat is pretty much a blank canvas:

Kitchen ~ lots of counterspace

This isn’t a lifestyle for the faint of heart but the rewards of living in so many different places and getting to meet so many different people, is truly a blessing.  It may be only 11 months in London, but my home will be a soft place to land and always open to family and friends.

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Out with London Walks

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , , on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012| 3 Comments »

We got a chance to meet the previous tenant of our new London flat and she was kind enough to give us her London Binder which she created and filled with brochures from all over London and beyond.  Having lived in London for 5 years, she accumulated a lot of brochures!!  I came across a London Walks brochure from 2007 ~ a bit dated but it at least had all the pertinent information for us to find them online.  And I’m so glad we did since we went on two walks this weekend and enjoyed both a lot.

On Saturday, we joined in on the “Ghosts of the Old City” walk which started at 7:45 pm at the Queen Anne Statue at St Paul’s Cathedral.

There was a slight drizzle while we waited at St Paul’s Cathedral ~ the rain and impending darkness added to the “scary” side of the ghost stories.

Our guide, did a great job and even broke into a song or two along the way.  The stories were interesting but the only place I felt really uncomfortable was the St Bartholomew the Great church’s graveyard.   The church was originally founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123 and has been the location for several movies including the 4th wedding in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Shakespeare in Love, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The End of the Affair.  I checked more on its history and it turns out, there were numerous executions (burnings) there during the time of Mary Tutor.

On Sunday, we decided to lighten it up and went on the “Harry Potter Film Locations in the City” walk.  Very enjoyable and the walk included more than just Harry Potter references. I was especially thrilled when our guide, Richard Walker, pointed out Bridget Jones locations along the way, including the ending scene where Bridget kisses Darcy in the snow.  So romantic.

We will no doubt go on many more walks during our year here.  There’s so many interesting ones ~ and it’s so nice to get the history from very talented and knowledgeable guides.  I’m so impressed with both of the guides we’ve had so far. London Walks has guided tours everyday so there are lots of choices.  Most walks are about two hours and cost £9 unless you get a frequent walker card which costs £2 pounds.  With the discount card, the walks are £7. The discount card is worth it with just two walks.  No reservations ~ just show up by the start time.  More information available at the London Walks website http://www.walks.com/

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Church’s Welcome Sign

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , on Sunday, 26 August, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Walked by this imposing church in Marylebone:

The red sign caught my eye and I had to go closer to read it.  The description was so interesting, I thought I might like to attend one of those services:

Who can resist louder, younger and unpredictable?

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London: Walking in Marylebone

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , on Saturday, 25 August, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I love walking around London which is a good thing since we don’t have a car! Each evening after dinner, John and I head out for a walk around our new neighborhood, Marylebone.  I avoid Marylebone-High street and head over to the lesser walked streets. Don’t get me wrong, the High street is great for shops, pubs, restaurants and people watching but there’s so much history around every corner.  I like exploring new streets and alleys.

Each of the mansions/big houses had a mews behind them to house the horses.  Those mews have been transformed into flats and are super cute places to live.  We looked at a couple of them for us to rent during our year here but they were a little too cozy for us. Didn’t think our American sized sofa and love seat would fit up the stairs.  Here’s a mews behind the very large St James Catholic Church (we went to mass there last Sunday):

On my wandering, I came across The Wallace Collection ~ just the building looks fabulous to me and there’s no entrance fee!  Have marked that down as a London Must Do.

Throughout London, there are signs on the houses stating if someone famous lived there.  I’ve started taking photos of the signs so I can look up the names and see what their contributions were.  Hopefully it doesn’t creep out the owners of the house when I’m snapping photos up close.

On a morning walk, I stumbled onto the “Devonshire Arms” pub established in 1793.

I had no idea Ghost has been made into a musical. Not sure if I would go see it but it does look romantic:

These homes across from the Regent’s Park entrance are so beautiful and what I consider quintessential London:

For this evening’s walk, I’m dragging John and Logan on a “Ghost Walk” near St Paul’s Cathedral.  It’ll be dark, rainy and maybe there will even be a bit of fog rolling in…

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London: Our First Week

Posted in London, Travels, tagged , , , on Monday, 20 August, 2012| 3 Comments »

After a smooth British Airways redeye flight, we arrived in London at 7 am.  Not being one to sleep on a plane, I was very thankful our temporary 2 bedroom/2 bedroom flat was ready for us! The flat is equipped with cable TV, telephone with free calls to the states, kitchen, washer/dryer combo and housekeeping services twice a week.  The location is great ~ right on Baker Street, only two blocks to Regents Park, close to the Baker Street tube station as well as bus stops.

It’s exciting to be living in Europe again.  I prefer to embrace the differences rather than attempt to compare or refer back to how things would be in the states.  I don’t even bother converting the celsius ~ I know 30 is HOT, 20-24 is pleasant and 0 is freezing.  The only item I haven’t found and am missing, is tofu. I’ll start an earnest quest today.

Speaking of food, I was pleased with the Marylebone Farmers Market ( Sundays 10-2).  Found all sorts of yummy items and almost all the fruits and vegetables sold there are organic.  It’ll definitely be a weekly stop after church.

 

Our first order of business when we arrived was to tour several flats which were available for rent.  At first, we were only interested in 3 bedrooms so we’d have a room for guests but the third room would barely fit a twin bed so it wasn’t going to work for a guest room anyway.  We decided to let a beautiful two bedroom.  Logan has agreed her room will be the guest bedroom when the need arises.  It’s a very private room with its own bathroom.  Perfect for a teenager!  The best part about our new flat ~ location, location, location!  Here’s a photo of the reception room (living room), notice the current tenant’s drying rack. Seems that’s the method of drying clothes since the mini dryers here take forever.  Took us almost 4 hours to do one load of wash the other night.

Being close to Regents Park has a lot of advantages. It’s a great running/walking route for John and I. There’s also an off lease area for Maya ~ not that she’s a dog I’d let off leash very often but maybe early in the morning when no one else is out yet.  And we stumbled onto a Tennis Centre with 12 courts.  No membership required and there are programs for adults/kids/beginners and more experienced players.  It’s only a 10 minute walk from our new flat.  We signed Logan up for the week-long tennis camp. She’ll be there daily from 10 -3 and seemed happy when we dropped her off this morning.  As we were shooed away, we noticed she’d already met another British girl her age.  New friends ~ very exciting.

When we aren’t doing things to get settled, we’re out exploring the city. The tube is so easy to use here in London so we hop on it more often than taking the bus.  Yesterday, we explored the Westminster area: The london eye, Big Ben, Thames River, Millenium Bridge, Trafalgar Square, etc

Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Thames River

John crossing the Millenium Bridge

The Thames River

Big Ben and the River Thames

The London Eye

Big Ben

Her Majesty’s Theater

London Film Museum

Paddington Gardens ~ used to be a church graveyard. Over 80,000 buried in the park.

So much more to see…

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Flashback Friday: London 2003

Posted in Flashback Fridays, London, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , on Friday, 30 June, 2006| Leave a Comment »

Visiting London was a great way to spend the 4th of July weekend! We were experiencing the hottest and driest European summer in years so my memories of London will be one of hot and dry rather then the stereotypical cold, foggy and wet.

We crammed in as much sightseeing as we could in 3 days and with a 5 year old in tow. The highlights for me were:

* The Tower of London ~ the Beefeater tour guide, a former British Army soldier, was cheeky as could be and well worth the price of the tour.

* Boat Ride on the River Thames ~ again, a hilarious narration of the city’s history. I love British humor.

* The London Eye ~ it took the first half of the ride for me to stop hyperventilating, but then I enjoyed the fabulous views of London and wanted to go again.

* Trip to Greenwich ~ as in Greenwich Mean Time.

* “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang” ~ a play in the West End, fun for young and old alike.

* Hyde Park ~ FG was fascinated with water fountains at this time and loved the ones all over the city. This photo of FG is in Hyde Park:

We took the Tube everywhere we traveled and the only time I felt unsafe was our attempt to find a Lonely Planet recommended vegetarian restaurant in Notting Hill. As we left the Tube station, and ventured toward the address, the neighborhood got more than a little sketchy. Once we finally got to the door, we found it boarded up. Good thing we are early eaters and it was still light out. Lesson learned: we ALWAYS call a restaurant when going by a travel guide book, regardless of how new the book is.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

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