6 August 06

Return -- of a Kind

When I was in boarding school (late 19th century progressive) in the East Midlands in the 70s, and my siblings in boarding school (Quaker) in Cumbria, my father joined a London club in Sloane Square so we could rendezvous before catching a flight out of Heathrow to Madrid the following day. It wasn’t very London-clublike, whatever that is, and it wasn’t very hotel-like, and we were definitely fish out of water in that Laura Ashley dining room, but we managed to establish a London beat. It included the National Gallery and Selfridges and John Lewis and good off-beat theatre but never, I’m ashamed to say, the British Museum or the V&A.

My focus after boarding school was definitely the Midlands. I’ve neglected London for a long time. So much has changed since 1979: there is good food, and lots of varieties of it; entire areas that were then pretty rough are now London’s pride and joy; and my tastes have changed too.

So in early September, after a jaunt to Madrid for a wedding and a jaunt to rural Sweden to recover from it, I’m getting ready to rediscover London. This rediscovery will not include Harrod’s or Selfridges. It has been a complete blast to tell certain people about this and have them tell me what I absolutely shouldn’t miss (in five days). Ha.

But go ahead: why not suggest your own unmissable London haunts? At some point I’ll publish a compilation. It will say a lot about my friends, that they suggest these things to us…

Posted by at 07:25 PM in Nature and Place | Link |
  1. Never having been to London, I’m not going to make suggestions, but look forward to your list. I know I’d love to see London’s architecture and the art museums.

    Sweden!? Whereabouts?
    — marja-leena    6. August 2006, 22:42    Link
  2. Little Venice, Columbia market (Sunday Morning), The Museum of Garden History, Covent Garden, Waterstones in Piccadilly, (the biggest bookshop in Europe,easy to find what you want and to have a tea break or lunch in between browsing..,) and I just found that there is a Pencraft shop, perhaps of interest for someone who likes pens :-) This is just to mention a few ideas, as there is so much!
    Marja-leena, I can answer your question for Pica, as they are going to be visiting us. It´s in the South, Småland, outside a town called Vetlanda, way out in the stiks, situated by a lake. Lot´s of birds for them to seek out.
    — Jennifer    7. August 2006, 02:35    Link
  3. Jennifer: Allan suggested the Museum of Garden History also. Though if it’s one or the other, we should probably go to Kew. Thanks for your suggestions! I see you’ve made good use of your time when you go to London for the Garden Show!!

    Marja-Leena: I’ll get that list going soon.
    — Pica    7. August 2006, 06:16    Link
  4. Wow, I think one would need weeks and weeks in London. One of these times we will go. Son-in-law is a Brit, and the family are presently thinking about going there to live for a few years. It’s always great if you have a local show you around – we’ve had the best visits when that happens!!

    Jennifer, thanks for the info. We did a quick trip through Sweden many years ago. We travelled from Copenhagen (via ferry then), stayed in Kalmar, and spent a few hours in Stockholm from where we took a ferry to Turku, Finland. Though we don’t know Swedish, it felt like home, like Finland, with all the red and white buildings. I’d really like to visit again.

    You will love it, Alison!
    — marja-leena    7. August 2006, 08:38    Link
  5. Museum of Garden History… There’s a Museum of Garden History! Ahhhhh…..... (staring, dazzled, into infinity)
    — Ron Sullivan    7. August 2006, 09:47    Link
  6. Went to London when I was 16, loved it.
    — Jane    10. August 2006, 17:54    Link

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