Hello There! Finally, I’m going to post about the last part of my trip and then you’ll be freeeee! Or, you can be free now and skip this post LOL. I love to read about other people’s travels, but I know that some people don’t, so I won’t be offended at all if you just skip it!
Anyway, after Scotland, I stopped over in London for a few days before coming home. It used to be that we could book a flight to Edinburgh and have a stopover in London for no extra charge. But, they’re on to us now, and they charge extra money for that extra little stop. So, I figured, if I was going to spend more money, I might as well spend it on a train trip. I LOVE the train and I’d never taken it in England. The train trip was everything I’d hoped and more. The scenery was beautiful and there was knitting time!
The train arrived in King’s Cross Station and I decided to pop in to The British Library while I was in the neighborhood. (As a fun surprise, I passed Harry Potter’s 9 3/4 Platform on the way out of the station — look at all those people waiting to have their picture taken with the suitcase cart!) The Library was wonderful — no pictures allowed in the area where they had original manuscripts, but what fun to see the handwriting of Thomas Hardy and Charlotte Bronte to name just a few.
While I was in London, I was so lucky to be able to stay with Pam‘s daughter, Laura and her husband. I had so much fun getting to know them — they’re an adorable young couple. (Psst! If you need a room in London, they have an AirBnB listing – I can’t recommend them enough!). On my first full day in London, I hit the jackpot and Laura was my tour guide! I had planned to go to Portobello Road for the morning market, so we started there. It was fun to stop in all the little booths — for some reason, we migrated to all the booths that had silver pieces. I was terribly tempted by antique egg cup sets, but I managed to escape with no purchases — might have had something to do with my limited luggage space LOL.
After Portobello Road, we spent several hours at the Victoria and Albert museum. I have a few must stop places when I visit London, and the V&A is one of them ;-D We had “lunch” at the V&A cafe — for some reason, I didn’t take many pictures — probably because we were talking and I was stuffing myself with a delicious scone. Before we went back to Laura’s, we walked around Notting Hill and Chelsea — it was so fun to have Laura with me, as she could tell me more about the places that we saw. When we finally got “home”, Laura and her hubby made a fantastic dinner — they’re great cooks! (Here’s a picture of my adorable little guide – not sure what’s up with that guy behind her though – looks a little creepy LOL .)
Laura had some really neat London travel books in my room and one of them was a deck of cards called London Walks. There were so many walks that I wanted to do, so I randomly chose a card out of the deck and used it to plan my activities for Sunday morning. I did the walk backwards, starting at Farringdon Tube Station. The first stop was the Smithfield Market which was once the heart of the British Empire’s meat business. It’s still in use today and it was fun to walk through there on a quiet morning when no one was around. From there, I went to St. Bartholomew the Great, one of London’s oldest churches, dating back to 1100. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go inside, as services were in progress. I did find Cloth Court though ;-D. It was also fun to see little blue historical markers on the sides of some of the buildings — very interesting!
Next stop was The Museum of London. I’d always wanted to visit, but previous trips to London found me in the bigger, more famous museums. I really enjoyed the museum — it traces the history of London from prehistoric times to today. I didn’t really take any pictures, but I did love this little girl’s dress from the WWII era. Look at that adorable border print along the bottom of the skirt — I wish someone would reproduce this print!!!
After the Museum of London, I walked past the Guildhall, which marked the end of my little walking tour. From there, I walked over to the beautiful St. Paul’s Cathedral, just in time to enjoy a sandwich for lunch in the rose garden. I’ve been to London a few times before, but I never remember a more beautiful day weather-wise. It was picture-perfect. It was so nice to sit in the rose garden and just people-watch. I also took pictures of the stone work on the sides of the building. I always take pictures like that — thinking the designs will someday make their way into a quilt, but, … well, it’s fun taking the pictures!
After lunch, I decided to walk along the Thames toward Westminster. I walked out onto Millenium Bridge and took lots of pictures — it was just soooo beautiful that day! Somewhere along the way, I found someone blowing bubbles off of another bridge. I loved being able to walk along and stop whenever I wanted and take pictures and enjoy all the sights — I’ve never had that much freedom on other trips. My last stop of the day was at The National Gallery. I wanted to see my favorite painting, but sadly the exhibit was closed. ;-(
My last day in London was shopping day — Yipee!!! I started out on Picadilly and went to LaDuree, Fortnum and Mason, and Cath Kidston, among others. Fun shopping for an American! ;-D Then, of course, I made it to Liberty — lots of beautiful fabric and accessories in the iconic Liberty prints!
After all the shopping, I decided just to walk around, much like I’d done the previous day. I started in Hyde Park and rented a bike and rode around the park — I Loved it! Then I walked over to Buckingham Palace and just sat on the steps of the Queen Elizabeth fountain for about an hour and people watched. From there, I walked through St. James’ Park and ended up at Big Ben around dusk.
And that’s it – just like that, my trip was over. If you’re still here, thanks for suffering reading through to the end. It was a wonderful trip — very relaxing and just what the Dr. ordered!
Now, it’s back to work and the beauty of everyday life. And hopefully, lots of sewing and quilting!
Have a great week!
XOXO,
Anna
NICE TRIP ANNA!! I think you ought to consider taking me along the next time your visit.
ps
I loved studying The Execution of Lady Jane Grey in Art History!!
thank you for sharing your trips with us. I just love England, your pictures make me want to pack my bags.
Looks like you had a great trip – and we over-lapped once or twice more! I also saw the Laduree….although it was at night – I went to an outdoor experience (theatre/mobile/app) in Trafalgar Square….and whilst I didn’t see Cloth Court I did see Wine Officer Court – another great name for a street!
That was a great trip. Of course, my favorite day was the last day, shopping!
I love London and I love your wonderful pictures of your trip there! What a lot you managed to pack in, Anna. Your photos capture the feel of the city and you got some beautiful and original shots.
Happy new week.
Helen xox
How wonderful to see my home city through your eyes. I wish I could have met you while you were here!
no suffering here – love the photos that you shared, I have never been overseas and reading of others European trips and other places are as close as I will probably get. I don’t know what I would want to purchase the most from London – what was your best purchase?
Oh, hurrah! I totally enjoyed your trip vicariously. I LOVE traveling from my computer. Beautiful pictures. You are my hero!
Oh Anna, thank you for sharing the pictures and stories! I loved every bit!
I’ve always wanted to go to London. Would you hire out as a travel guide? LOL (Great pics as always!)
I’m amazed at how much you fitted in!! It all looks wonderful – I guess I should plan a trip to London as I haven’t been there for years!
What a beautiful bunch of photos. I want to pack my bag and go to London now. You have such a good eye for taking photos! Did you buy lots at Liberty?
Aaahhh, that was lovely! I have to go back one day soon! We went for a week in 2004 as a family. I loved the V&A museum and I love just walking around. We rented an apartment near Queens Gate and it was such a pretty neighborhood. My husband lived there for 10 months as a young boy with his family while his dad worked int he London office.
I’ve always wanted to go at Christmastime.
thanks for the lovely little getaway this morning.
WOW!!! That’s about the only word I can come up with. Breathtaking…. Amazing….. Thank you SO much for sharing all your travels and adventures with us. It is just like being there. Thank you!!!
Sounds like you had a great visit — and what a bonus to have the Pam Child as your guide!
Your photos are so beautiful Anna!! I so enjoy your wonderful travel posts. I bet you were in heaven in the Liberty shop, and seeing all those other places too.
Ohhhh! What fun that was. Thanks for taking us on a free trip to England! Great snapshots.
Wow, what a wonderful treat to have several days to just wander about on your own without having to meet everyone else’s plans too. And beautiful weather to boot, hurrah! I hope to get back to London someday with time to wander too.
So fun! And many lovely pictures. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
I’m still here sweetie. As always, love your travels and pics. I have company for a few more days (Sis & BIL) so my brain is functified right now. Drop me a line and I we can catch up. Loves you, Robin
You saw a lot! Gorgeous photos.
Amalia
xo
Brilliant pictures Anna – especially the last one, glad that you had a good trip!
More breathtaking photos! Thanks for sharing. Making me a little greeen with envy! ;-)