Category Archives: England and U.K.

We visited some old favorites while visiting with an old friend from Iowa. The weather finally cleared and London’s skyline looked lovely set against blue sky and sun. The whole city seemed to come out from inside, where the grey and rain kept us cooped up. We even ate outside at Gordon’s wine bar which is famous for its dark candle-lit cavernous interior. Instead we sat at an outdoor table with a heat lamp, sipping wine and eating cheese while looking out at a green garden along the Thames.

Next stop Neal’s Yard, a tiny pocket where I used to go to a lovely bakery/tea house in the 1980s. Long gone but the cheese shop is still nearby where we bought some Stilton for the Iberia flight we’re on right now to Madrid, that won’t even give you water unless you pay for it.

On to the Lamb and Flag, a pub from the 1600s in an alley (Rose Lane) in very bustling Covent Garden. Many streets are now pedestrian only, which is pleasant and we even reached a multi-directional crossing at Charing Cross that reminded us of Tokyo’s. We were ready to cross horizontal and then cross vertical when we saw people crossing diagonally and followed suit.

Final stop, maison Bertaux, a tiny French patisserie that oozes character. We found a rickety table upstairs and had tea, coffee, a strawberry tart and a surprisingly dry chocolate mousse cake, which may explain why the server brought us a free cream tea that was better.

London seemed good but our English friends are understandably outraged and aghast at what’s happening in the states, as are we. They have vowed not to visit unless we’re in dire need. At least one friend worried about whether she’d have trouble entering because she has been critical of trump on social media. So I guess we’ll be coming back to see them.

A fascinating exhibit of art and war photography by American Lee Miller lured us to Tate Britain, which I have visited less of late than its popular offspring, the Tate Modern. I forgot how Old England charming the original building and its collection are, not only the atmospheric Turner paintings but Pre-Raphaelite gems including John William Waterhouse’s 1888 painting, “The lady of shalott” my daughter’s favorite painting. (She inherited the poster from me, which I inherited from my mom.)

We saw it on her birthday! I was also dazzled John Everett Millais’s 1850s “Ophelia” (that emerald green!) and several huge John Singer Sargent portraits.

After a decent sandwich in the busy v &a cafe, we walked out into near sunshine, which was welcome after arriving in grey drizzle. We walked behind Millbank into beautiful old brick row houses with the occasional plaque of indicating the former home of someone famous (TE Lawrence, actor John Gielgud) to deans yard and Westminster school and then Westminster abbey and parliament where I was an intern 46 years ago.

Dinner was at an Australian restaurant, Granger and Co. with two friends from our parliament days, my Londoner pal Francine and my college friend Patti, who is working in London. It was fun window shipping in Marylebone. Pro tip: visit the charity shops (Oxfam, cancer research) for some affordable finds. Otherwise the boutiques are ridiculously expensive. Also visit the charming Daunt bookshop.

Old friends

A dazzling exhibit on the couture and fashion influence of Marie Antoinette at the Victoria and Albert Museum turned out to be a perfect activity of a gloomy rainy day in London. We also enjoyed eating in one of the beautiful old tiled rooms of the cafeteria and cream tea in the members lounge with member Francine.

Breakfast with Una: pastries and egg concoction s was good at The little Hive, across from Mortlake station, a warm rustic place run by Albanians. we also had good pub grub nearby at the Hare and Hounds. And good jazz by a Francine friend at a pub in west Ealing, where I first lived in London as a student in 1980.

The weather is dark and rainy but at least not cold or torrential rain and there is occasional sun and bright green lawns and even some flowers so an improvement over frigid Chicago.

Note to self: Boston Manor tube was a much easier pickup than Hammersmith when arriving at Heathrow and pleasant cafe (#66) to wait

On a foggy morning that later cleared, we took a scenic river ferry (and pricey ride: about 11 pounds, using our Oyster card) in southwest London from the pier in Putney to Battersea Power Station, a towering brick Art Deco landmark that operated from 1933 to 1983, powering buildings including Buckingham Palace and Parliament. It was once known as “the Cathedral of Power” due to it enormity. St. Paul’s would fit comfortably within its footprint, one of the many helpful signs around the revived station informed us.

The station has recently been reborn, after decades of inertia, as the dominant feature (and main draw) of a new 42-acre tourist destination. It was fun to walk inside the station, admiring the original industrial structure, but I soon realized we were, in essence, inside a glitzy shopping mall with chain stores and restaurants (Ralph Lauren, Tag, Lacoste) often found elsewhere, including Chicago. Many are high-end, although there is a Uniqlo, Swatch and Pret. And some of the restaurants have cool designs, reminding me of Las Vegas offerings.

So one visit may be enough, although we might return when the new glass lift that goes up 109 meters through one of the four (rebuilt) circular chimneys opens. We were a day early for the opening of “Lift 109,” which promises great 360 degree views and should, given the cost (about 12 pounds). Some of the development’s future offerings, scheduled to open in 2023, including a food hall, might also make it more interesting. A seasonal riverside ice skating rinkmall Ferris wheel (“vintage funfair ride”) and outdoor sculpture add things to do and see.

The power station/mall is surrounded by huge new glass and steel luxury housing developments, adding a certain soullessness, compared to the edgy industrial-chic charm of the Tate Modern, another converted power station further east on The Thames, which is home to a fantastic art museum (rather than ritzy shops), plus surrounded by a mix of buildings, new/sleek/striking and old/gritty/full of character.

There is one gem near the Battersea Power Station — lovely Battersea Park, with its river views, small ponds with graceful trees and colorful gardens. We found a surprisingly good charcuterie board at what looked like a workers cafe near a put-put golf course.

Walking over the Albert Bridge, we landed on Chelsea Embankment, including posh Cheyne Walk, home at one time or another to many famous people (Keith Richards, Catherine Middleton George Elliot, Bob Marley, Margaret Thatcher….) as a helpful, detailed map in pretty little Ropers Orchard Garden reminded us.

The Kings Road was even posher than I remembered. We found a tower of classic American canned and boxed foods (Nestle’s Chocolate Chips, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, canned cranberry sauce, Stovetop Stuffing) on display for Thanksgiving shoppers at Partridge’s, the famous English fancy food shop. (I used to have to search far and wide for chocolate chips in London during the early 1980’s.)

Back in Mortlake, we had drinks at the cozy Hare and Hounds pub in East Sheen, followed by takeaway fish and chips, so I could check off another food item on my to-eat list. Next trip: cream tea at the Petersham Hotel in Richmond Park.

Usually when in London, we spend quality time with our English friends. This trip we’ve gotten to do that again but also reconnected with a surprisingly number of American friends who are living here, as students or journalists.

Today we had a wonderful long overdue get together with friends from a paper I worked at in Connecticut during the mid-1980s. We probably hadn’t seen each other in 33 years. We spent the afternoon wandering around Hampstead, where they live, especially the Heath and 18th century village, with its narrow winding lanes dotted with cafes, posh shops and pretty homes (including Boy George’s). Lunch was excellent on the patio at Burgh House, off the Heath…toasted sandwiches with mature cheddar and sausage, robust soup, hearty quiche.

Tonight was delicious paella at The Tapestry, which we learned harkens back to Mortlake’s famous 17th century tapestry makers, whose handiwork can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum