Day 2
Hubby and I have been to London a few times. Still, there are beautiful places we’ve yet to explore.
I typically start reading blogs of recent travelers and pinning them on my “Places to Go” Pinterest board when we begin to plan a trip.
We found Little Venice on our last visit, but somehow, we’d missed Maida Vale, a community just up over a bridge and across the street from Rembrandt Park! This time, we followed the Regent’s Canal for a bit and then stopped for coffee, chocolate, and helpful tips from the friendly workers at Myra Chocolate & Café! What a find!
Then we headed to Portobello Market. A shop next to the famous Alice’s (sadly, now “For Sale”) had drawn my eye the last time we were here, but it wasn’t open then. I was so happy to find it open and could’ve bought one of everything. I kept my head with great restraint and only bought two block print dresses.
The Cloth Shop, a beautiful store full of grain sack linens and gorgeous embroidery tape, was another hope-to-shop spot. We walked the length of the main market street, admiring shops and merchandise til we found the store. Alas, it was closed for the day.
Stumped as to what to do next, I mentioned a blog that highlighted Leighton House, the impressive home of a notable British artist, Sir Frederic Leighton (1830-1896). My indulgent hubby ordered an Uber.
The Leighton House is a worthwhile stop. The man was quite the influencer of other artists, and his home inspired a whole development of artist studio/homes in the area. His is one of two that survives today and is the only one open to tours.
Following our self-guided tour and a cup of coffee from the home’s café, hubby ordered another Uber to get us to our dinner. We had found Ceru on our last visit and couldn’t wait to feast again on the fine Israeli cuisine.
Hubby actually didn’t map us to Ceru though much to my surprise. I wondered why we were zooming past streets I recognized as being very near Ceru until the car stopped at PEGGY PORSCHEN!
I’ve followed Peggy Porschen on IG for years. Hubby scheduled tea for us on our last visit, but I discouraged it for this time since we’d only allotted two days in London. However, that did not stop us from ordering a Midsummer Berry Dream (for the current seasonal décor and menu theme) cupcake to go!
We were still a little early for our dinner reservation, so we walked through housewares at Harrod’s and bought a couple of gadgets. Then, on to dinner!
Ceru did not disappoint! We had the three dips (houmus, hamara, & fadi), sticky roasted aberdines, watermelon & toasted feta salad, shisk taouk, pan fried broccolini, and spice roasted potatoes. YUM! (Thank you, Grandpa & NaNa, for supporting this part of our trip!)
Stuffed and a little sleepy, we aimed our feet back to The Bloomsbury. Popping out of the nearby subway, we discovered a novelty to us—group Tetris. Look at who was so happy.
Day 3
I really, really wanted to go to Borough Market, but it didn’t open til 10 am. Hubby seemed to be in no hurry at all.
We wandered the area, stopping to gaze at the replica of Captain Cook’s Golden Hinde. (Coincidentally, Hubby had brought with him The Wide, Wide Sea, by Hampton Sides, for pleasure reading. Later he corrected me: his book was about Captain Cook!)
Then we walked a few more steps, rounding a corner of Southwark Cathedral, and realized that the market had obviously been open for a while with lines already forming to sample triple-fried “chips” or to get a coveted Crème Brûlée donut from Bread Ahead.
After much scoping it out, we settled on sharing a serving of chicken Pad Thai from Khanom Krok with the intention of returning for dessert. Then we walked across the street and toured the beautiful Southwark Cathedral, church of William Shakespeare among other notables.
Hungry again, we grabbed a sausage roll from Borough Market, joyfully joined the fast-moving, snaking line to a cup of fresh strawberries covered in melted chocolate, and grabbed a donut from Bread Ahead for later.
Our next stop was St. Dunstan’s in the East, a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of the market where we sat and enjoyed our strawberries and donut.
Our free ticket to Sky Garden was for 13:30, but we were allowed entry a little early. It’s at the top of the Walkie Talkie building, and the top leans a little towards the Thames. I walked my poor hubby up all three viewing levels!
After Sky Garden, we took the Rick Steves’ tour of the South End, watching street performers, searching for treasures in the stones at the river’s low tide, watching a painter paint en plein air, running through Tate Modern (not my fav), and ending up at Covent Gardens.
At Covent Garden, our favorite Tin Tin store was already closed, but the Ecco store was still open. At Hubby’s insistence, we wisely invested in Gor-Tex hiking shoes for our anticipated hike to Arthur’s Seat the following day. I’m so glad we did!
