I took a few days out of London to visit Paris , my second favourite city and one which makes a fabulous side trip from London. We've been many times for long weekends or just for a long lunch which is really easy now that the journey time can take as little as 2 hours and 15 minutes. The lycra was in abundance thanks (if that's the right word!) to the Tour de France racing through Paris for the finale on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday. We had a front perch on the road near Notre Dame to see the cyclists flash past in a 10 second blur of bright colour and wheels. A Brit won the day in Paris but overall scoring meant a Spaniard took the crown in 2009 as there are 2o other hard days' work to take into account. Great meals, lots of pastis and good doses of culture added to the fun.
Life in London's been busy and topped by a giant cupcake which was sighted in Covent Garden as a special guest at their regular Thursday real food market. How big you ask, well it was 2 metres by 1.25 metres and was big enough to offer over 2000 people a decent sized slice, brought to them by Culinary Olympic winner Michelle Wibowo. I saw it, it was huge and took forever to cut up.
More cerebral delights were tucked away in the massive Westfield shopping centre in small Getty Images collection of glorious celebrity photographs by Terry O'Neill. From Paul Newman and Lee Marvin's publicity shots to the casual snap of the Rolling Stones in a BBC canteen, they were arresting photos.
One local monthly event for us Notting Hill-ers is Book Slam which moved venue for July so had to be checked out. Book Slam is a live event and mixes poetry, book reading and music. We dropped into the Tabernacle, the new venue and also home of Notting Hill carnival, to see a performance poet (Luke Wright) and the novelist David Nicholls. We gave the new venue the thumbs up and even bought the book as it was signed and the reading had got us hooked.
I can't end without a mention of a restaurant or bar and for this blog it's the Champagne Bar at St Pancras International which makes a fitting start to any Eurostar train trip to Paris. It's the longest champagne bar in Europe and for those who have to ask the question - there is no clear answer to who holds the world award! From the bar you can enjoy St Pancras which has been renovated to become a wonderful and beautiful station.
londonliving blog will be coming to you on a weekly basis from now on as there is just too much to fit in each fortnight and I'll be able to do every entry a bit more justice. Hope you're enjoying it so far.
Bye for now.
Sue
13 July 2009
The heady days of Wimbledon are behind us and there was to be no win for our own Andy Murray but we are already looking ahead to next year....
The heatwave is also behind us but not before we enjoyed drinks in my garden until midnight in short sleeves - what a treat. Now we have sunshine with passing showers but easily good enough for an outdoor BBQ on Friday.
On Saturday evening we went to see something amazing. Sadler's Wells was the venue for Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray, a retelling of Oscar Wilde's gothic fable through dance. The fluidity of movement, the seductive choreography, the stunning elegance, the driving music, all came together in a fabulous experience. The dancers must be from another planet compared with us earth bound mortals. They lead us through the glorious rise and then the fall into decay of an advertising made 'It Boy'.
On a sombre note, last week saw the unveiling in Hyde Park of the memorial to the 52 people who were killed by terrorist bombs in London on 7th July 2005. There are 52 tall stainless steel pillars, one for each person, grouped into four sections which represent the four locations of the bombs. It's a public space and you can walk among the pillars and reflect on the loss, as the many visitors were doing when I was there. Very fitting.
For Sports fans, cricket has taken over and the 2nd match in the 5 match series called 'The Ashes' of England v Australia will start in London on Thursday. This is at Lord's cricket ground the home of cricket, by Regents Park. I won't even try to explain cricket to those not brought up with it but as a major sporting event it's great fun as the rivalry is intense. Not looking that good for England after the first match ....
A couple of restaurants to mention before I sign off. Launceston Place in Kensington for lunch was lovely, we had the set menu but they added in a couple of extra taster dishes, a pre-starter and pre-dessert which always cheers the diner up. The staff were charming and its conventional look is dignified without being stuffy. In contrast was Crazy Homies in Notting Hill, a very lively Mexican restaurant with loud music and wacky decorations. Good food, good service and a fun atmosphere has put this onto the list of local favourites.
Sue
The heatwave is also behind us but not before we enjoyed drinks in my garden until midnight in short sleeves - what a treat. Now we have sunshine with passing showers but easily good enough for an outdoor BBQ on Friday.
On Saturday evening we went to see something amazing. Sadler's Wells was the venue for Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray, a retelling of Oscar Wilde's gothic fable through dance. The fluidity of movement, the seductive choreography, the stunning elegance, the driving music, all came together in a fabulous experience. The dancers must be from another planet compared with us earth bound mortals. They lead us through the glorious rise and then the fall into decay of an advertising made 'It Boy'.
On a sombre note, last week saw the unveiling in Hyde Park of the memorial to the 52 people who were killed by terrorist bombs in London on 7th July 2005. There are 52 tall stainless steel pillars, one for each person, grouped into four sections which represent the four locations of the bombs. It's a public space and you can walk among the pillars and reflect on the loss, as the many visitors were doing when I was there. Very fitting.
For Sports fans, cricket has taken over and the 2nd match in the 5 match series called 'The Ashes' of England v Australia will start in London on Thursday. This is at Lord's cricket ground the home of cricket, by Regents Park. I won't even try to explain cricket to those not brought up with it but as a major sporting event it's great fun as the rivalry is intense. Not looking that good for England after the first match ....
A couple of restaurants to mention before I sign off. Launceston Place in Kensington for lunch was lovely, we had the set menu but they added in a couple of extra taster dishes, a pre-starter and pre-dessert which always cheers the diner up. The staff were charming and its conventional look is dignified without being stuffy. In contrast was Crazy Homies in Notting Hill, a very lively Mexican restaurant with loud music and wacky decorations. Good food, good service and a fun atmosphere has put this onto the list of local favourites.
Sue
30 June 2009
Heatwave in London!
The last 2 weeks of June saw a couple of unusual events - a British player doing well at Wimbledon and temperatures hitting the 30s (90s)! To make the most of both I headed off to Wimbledon on Monday to see Andy Murray play on the centre court with the roof closed for the first time and play went on to a very untraditional 10.39 pm. Nails were bitten, eyes were hidden behind hands, Mexicans were waved and in end Andy prevailed and we breathed again. This being England, the fans are planning to queue for 2 days to catch his next encounter!
And still the heat goes on....
It's Henry V111 year as it's 500 years since he came to the throne and there are all kinds of events and exhibitions to visit to learn about this monarch who changed the course of our history. We visited Hampton Court and as well as getting lost in the famous maze (but finally found the centre to claim our sticker!) we joined Henry and his courtiers for pre-wedding drinks and a lively chat about his life and thoughts about wives! Henry was married, well one of his 6 weddings, at Hampton Court and there are re-enactments of the preparations and the wedding for visitors to join in and even Tudor dress to wear as you go round. It's great fun and part of a very entertaining day out in this grand palace.
I was very happy to see Michael Palin in a one off charity show at the O2 arena entitled '20 years of jokes and 20 years of comedy', a treat for travellers and Monty Python fans alike. What a lovely man. The O2 is an amazing building designed as a huge tent and features in Casino Royale for those who know their James Bond films.
One of my visitors staying in Notting Hill wanted to try an English pub so we went to The Cow, known for its sea food. The menu offered 'whelks and winkles' so we decided to boldly go. I retreated to the Pimms as this went down much easier but, for the brave, this dish is really something to remember! Pimms is the classic English summer drink, refreshing but a little bit stronger than it seems.
One more unusual London experience worth telling you all about are the 30 pianos out on the streets all across London, for anyone to sit at and play, as part of Luke Jerram's Play Me I'm Yours artwork. I found one in Notting Hill being played rather well by students whose days mission was to give a short rendition on each of the 30 pianos for Cancer Research, a huge effort on such a hot day.
Yes, it's still hot...
Sue
And still the heat goes on....
It's Henry V111 year as it's 500 years since he came to the throne and there are all kinds of events and exhibitions to visit to learn about this monarch who changed the course of our history. We visited Hampton Court and as well as getting lost in the famous maze (but finally found the centre to claim our sticker!) we joined Henry and his courtiers for pre-wedding drinks and a lively chat about his life and thoughts about wives! Henry was married, well one of his 6 weddings, at Hampton Court and there are re-enactments of the preparations and the wedding for visitors to join in and even Tudor dress to wear as you go round. It's great fun and part of a very entertaining day out in this grand palace.
I was very happy to see Michael Palin in a one off charity show at the O2 arena entitled '20 years of jokes and 20 years of comedy', a treat for travellers and Monty Python fans alike. What a lovely man. The O2 is an amazing building designed as a huge tent and features in Casino Royale for those who know their James Bond films.
One of my visitors staying in Notting Hill wanted to try an English pub so we went to The Cow, known for its sea food. The menu offered 'whelks and winkles' so we decided to boldly go. I retreated to the Pimms as this went down much easier but, for the brave, this dish is really something to remember! Pimms is the classic English summer drink, refreshing but a little bit stronger than it seems.
One more unusual London experience worth telling you all about are the 30 pianos out on the streets all across London, for anyone to sit at and play, as part of Luke Jerram's Play Me I'm Yours artwork. I found one in Notting Hill being played rather well by students whose days mission was to give a short rendition on each of the 30 pianos for Cancer Research, a huge effort on such a hot day.
Yes, it's still hot...
Sue
17 June 2009
June fun.....
Hello readers,
My blog will now be posted fortnightly so hopefully you won't have the mammoth sized May one to plough through again! What are these blogs going to be about? Mostly what I've been doing in London and if there's something great that's been happening which I somehow missed, I'll add that in too. Hope you enjoy it - let me know!
First 2 weeks of June
You have to love the contrasts in London life. One day watching the ballet Ondine on a big screen in Trafalgar Square being beamed live from the Royal Opera House - all restrained elegance and passion. Another day at the Shepherds Bush Empire watching Katy Perry's show - all energy and bounce, nothing restrained at all.
More energy on show with the quick thinking gang at the Sunday show at the Comedy Store where their amazing improvisation leaves you feeling very slow. Good to see Paul Merton still does this show despite all his TV and Radio appearances. A great end to a weekend.
Had fun at 'First Thursday' which is the once a month late opening of a whole lot of small and very groovy art galleries in the East End. We started at the newly refurbished Whitechapel Gallery which is highly recommended, except for the one painting that makes your eyes go really funny. In Vyner Street there about 10 galleries and we joined the flow of people going in and out of all the venues and stopping at the pub on the corner. It's all a brilliant chance for new art lovers (and the curious among us) to see a great range of stuff all at once.
As we were out in the east of London, we went on to the Boundary restaurant which has a lovely roof top bar - complete with heaters, blankets and an outdoor grill. It was hard to walk past all the Indian restaurants in Brick Lane but rooftop bars are so tempting!
This brings me onto restaurants and those who read May's blog will know I'm a big fan of eating out. There are so many place to go in London that it's hard to find the time to return old favourites but Aphrodite in Notting Hill is one I keep going back to. It's a wonderful neighbourhood Greek with the friendliest staff and owner possible.
New ones that have been tested out were: La Fromagerie in Marylebone and the Notting Hill Tandoori in - well you can guess! La Fromagerie has a handful of tables in the middle of a drooling food shop where the cheeses are so strong and well thought of that they shut them away in a special room! Notting Hill Tandoori gave us great Indian food served by a charming waiter and if you are a fan of breads, I recommend their parathas.
Andy Murray won at Queens tennis - first Brit for 71 years and I missed it, only saw it on TV! It's Wimbledon soon and the excitement and expectation are mounting. There's world cricket in town as well, tho' sadly England didn't do too well. Royal Ascot this week - all hats and royals. It must be summer with all this sport.
We 've had some lovely sunshine and a little bit of rain so the flowers and trees are in bloom and leaf and London is full of life and colour. Wish you were here? Well, come and visit!
Oops - sorry, this seems to have been as long as May's blog. There's just so much happening.......
Sue
My blog will now be posted fortnightly so hopefully you won't have the mammoth sized May one to plough through again! What are these blogs going to be about? Mostly what I've been doing in London and if there's something great that's been happening which I somehow missed, I'll add that in too. Hope you enjoy it - let me know!
First 2 weeks of June
You have to love the contrasts in London life. One day watching the ballet Ondine on a big screen in Trafalgar Square being beamed live from the Royal Opera House - all restrained elegance and passion. Another day at the Shepherds Bush Empire watching Katy Perry's show - all energy and bounce, nothing restrained at all.
More energy on show with the quick thinking gang at the Sunday show at the Comedy Store where their amazing improvisation leaves you feeling very slow. Good to see Paul Merton still does this show despite all his TV and Radio appearances. A great end to a weekend.
Had fun at 'First Thursday' which is the once a month late opening of a whole lot of small and very groovy art galleries in the East End. We started at the newly refurbished Whitechapel Gallery which is highly recommended, except for the one painting that makes your eyes go really funny. In Vyner Street there about 10 galleries and we joined the flow of people going in and out of all the venues and stopping at the pub on the corner. It's all a brilliant chance for new art lovers (and the curious among us) to see a great range of stuff all at once.
As we were out in the east of London, we went on to the Boundary restaurant which has a lovely roof top bar - complete with heaters, blankets and an outdoor grill. It was hard to walk past all the Indian restaurants in Brick Lane but rooftop bars are so tempting!
This brings me onto restaurants and those who read May's blog will know I'm a big fan of eating out. There are so many place to go in London that it's hard to find the time to return old favourites but Aphrodite in Notting Hill is one I keep going back to. It's a wonderful neighbourhood Greek with the friendliest staff and owner possible.
New ones that have been tested out were: La Fromagerie in Marylebone and the Notting Hill Tandoori in - well you can guess! La Fromagerie has a handful of tables in the middle of a drooling food shop where the cheeses are so strong and well thought of that they shut them away in a special room! Notting Hill Tandoori gave us great Indian food served by a charming waiter and if you are a fan of breads, I recommend their parathas.
Andy Murray won at Queens tennis - first Brit for 71 years and I missed it, only saw it on TV! It's Wimbledon soon and the excitement and expectation are mounting. There's world cricket in town as well, tho' sadly England didn't do too well. Royal Ascot this week - all hats and royals. It must be summer with all this sport.
We 've had some lovely sunshine and a little bit of rain so the flowers and trees are in bloom and leaf and London is full of life and colour. Wish you were here? Well, come and visit!
Oops - sorry, this seems to have been as long as May's blog. There's just so much happening.......
Sue
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