Maybe it's Because I'm a Londoner

So, after a half-hearted blogging attempt over the holidays, I'm back on track with some London fun for those of you who live in the capital or who are hopping across the channel for a city break. A French friend came to visit me, and we split our tourist trail over several days, managing to get in nearly all the sights that London has to offer! It was a whirl-wind tour, so hop aboard for the ride...

1. First stop, Charing Cross. Whilst you're here, take the opportunity to wander around the fountains & climb one of the famous lions around Nelson's Column, see the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (for free!). Take in a free lunch-time concert in St. Martin's in the Fields, and stroll along towards Leicester Sq, Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden, which are all only a few minutes away.

2. Hop along the train towards Waterloo - or walk, it's not far! Enjoy a stroll along by the river: see if you can spot The London Eye, Westminster, The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, the Hayward Gallery & skatepark and The Royal Festival Hall.

3. Our gloomy day brightened up as we crossed the Thames. Keep an eye out for the 'walkie-talkie' and the 'cheese-grater' new skyscrapers, as well as Blackfriars Bridge just by the Globe Theatre. Cross the Millennium Bridge to see St. Paul's & its famous 'Whispering Gallery'. HMS Belfast (the camouflaged boat you can see below), Thames River Boat tours.

4. If you continue along the river, you'll end up passing by Sir Francis Drake's ship: 'The Golden Hind', and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Once you're nearing London Bridge, head to Borough Market on a market day for loads of free tasters (see Southwark Cathedral below) & buy a yummy lunch for not many of your Great British Pounds. 

  5. Instead of paying £25.00 to climb the Shard, why don't you head across London Bridge to Monument? It's only a short walk to the famous tower built by Christopher Wren, the celebrated English architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral. It's £3.00 for adults, £2.00 for students and just £1.00 for children, and after huffing & puffing your way up 311 steps you get a lovely view of London. The story behind the design of Monument, built in memory of the tragedy of the Great Fire of London of 1666, which started in a bakery in the nearby Pudding Lane, is fascinating.

6. After a long day of sight-seeing, crash in a traditional British pub, my favourites are The Station Hotel in Hither Green, The Princess of Wales in Blackheath, The Sylvan Post in Forest Hill or The Horniman at Hays Galleria.

Many more walking tours of London to come...

À Bientôt !

x

Foodie London

Despite everyone in France falling over each other to tell me how terrible the cuisine  is in Britain, I remain proud of the foodie delights in our capital city. I'd only been home a few days & I'd already headed up to Borough Market at London Bridge.

Malgré le fait que tout le monde en France adore me dire que la cuisine en Grande Bretagne est terrible, je reste fière de ce qu'on peut manger dans notre capitale. J'étais chez moi depuis quelques jours seulement, et je suis allée déjà à Borough Market  à London Bridge.

It's one of London's best food markets and claims to have existed since 1014! That's 1,000 years! Apart from being in a beautiful location, right by the Golden Hind and before Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the market has such a nice atmosphere & enough free tasters that you can practically get a whole free lunch from just wandering around.

C'est un des meilleurs marchés à Londres et on prétend qu'il a existé depuis 1014 - ça fait presque 1.000 ans ! Il se trouve dans un lieux très beaux, près du clipper historique 'The Golden Hind' et le théâtre de Shakespeare, 'The Globe Theatre. Il y a un très bon atmosphère et avec les échantillons gratuits on peut presque manger un repas entier juste en se promenant dans le marché! 

Cinnamon star biscuits :)

Other than a cup of coffee in a cute French cafe and the free tasters, I came away with a piece of Bakewell tart. 

On an entirely separate occasion, my sister & I made an impromptu visit to The Breakfast Club. My sister got the Full American breakfast along with pancakes, bacon, potato chips, sausages, maple syrup and poached eggs. 

C'était une autre journée que ma soeur et moi sont allées à 'The Breakfast Club'. My soeur a commandé le petit-déjeuner: 'The Full American' avec des crêpes, du bacon, des frites, une saucisse, du sirop d'érable et des oeufs pochés.

  

I got Huevos al Benny, which is two muffins, with poached eggs, red pepper, chillies  chorizo and a side of spinach. It's quite spicy, as you can see I picked my chilli off! The great thing about The Breakfast Club is that the food tastes ace, it serves my favourite meal of the day all day, the staff are friendly and isn't expensive. You might have to queue a little outside the Soho branch because it's really popular!

J'ai commandé les 'Huevos al Benny', qui compte deux muffins, des oeufs pochés, des poivrons rouges, et des épinards comme petite salade. The Breakfast Club serve de la nourriture très délicieuse, surtout les petits-déjeuners pendant toute la journée. Les serveurs sont gentils, et les prix ne sont pas trop chers. De temps en temps on doit faire la queue dehors le restaurant qui se trouve en Soho car c'est très populaire !

 

 À Bientôt !

x