My Perfect Day in London
Krista at Londonelicious came up with this corker of an idea – write a post about your perfect day in London (or anywhere else). At first I thought this might be quite a simple task – food-centred (obviously) – but I had no idea how often I would change my mind, I agonised over it! In the end I realised I would need an infinite amount of energy and stomach space to really make it work but this is my perfect day and so I wake up with both.
The day starts in our flat. Now of course I realise there are many wonderful places in this city to get breakfast and coffee (Monmouth being a personal fave) but I want the rare treat of breakfast in bed and so that is how we start. I will eat boiled egg with marmite soldiers, eggs benedict or florentine or scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, depending on my mood. Chris and I will then catch a train to London Bridge (reeeally early) where we walk along the bank of the Thames, so that I can hopefully catch one of my favourite London landmarks, Tower Bridge, in the mist (there will be morning mist followed by bright sunshine on my perfect day).
I am a little obsessed with the fairytale bridge, massively incongruous against the modern skyline of superslick buildings and cranes. I think it is a masterful piece of architecture and when I see it surrounded by morning mist, it never fails to take my breath away. OK, so this is a bit of a crap photo but it was a cloudy day and she is opening, which caused me great excitement. Yes, I do refer to the bridge as ’she’ and I also follow her on Twitter which gives me no end of amusement as updates consist of ‘I am opening for the HMS blah blah to pass upstream’. I feel like I have embarrassed myself enough now and so will stop. talking. about. the. bridge.
We will take a look from the high level walkway and then amble on down to Borough Market (here’s my review) – of course. Remember, it’s still early at this point and so we are beating the crowds and getting first pick on the produce. It’s time to visit some of my favourite places so first up, the cider man. Yes, we are a couple of hours shy of midday but the man is so nice and jolly (how is it that I don’t know his name?) that we will stop for a chat even if we can’t face the hard stuff yet.
Then we join the queue for a chorizo roll from the Brindisa BBQ. This roll is so worth the wait you won’t believe it! With the tried and tested sustenance of cider (maybe) and chorizo inside me, we head around the market to pick up the ingredients for a picnic, to eat with friends at another of my favourite places later on. There will be cheese from Neal’s Yard – probably some of the barrel aged feta, although this Milleens looks good (if a little tricksy to transport).
There will be some calzone from DeGustibus (below), filled with vegetables and mozzarella…
…some cakes, of course, along with some scones, clotted cream and jam…
…and perhaps some pies from The Ginger Pig – always great picnic fare.
I need a little rest after all that walking around and eating and so we will catch the train to Charing Cross and walk to The Sanctuary in Covent Garden for a relaxing massage, to rejuvinate before the afternoon (I’m not sure what Chris is doing at this point, as The Sanctuary is ladies only – probably massaging his beer buds in the nearby pub). With a new lease of life we head up to Regent’s Park to another of my favourite places - the Inner Circle, for that picnic with our friends.
Super tranquil with weeping willows over the lake, immaculate lawns and of course, the totally stunning rose gardens. They have started to die off in the pictures below but you get the idea.
We save dessert for later because we are heading South from one park to another – St. James’s. We are going here partly because it is a gorgeous place but mostly because you can feed the squirrels (they eat right out of your hand) and I adore those little guys. Cute, and yet you know they could take a finger no probs if they fancied.
Next, we will head towards Battersea. I have always wanted to explore inside the now derelict Battersea power station. I find the structure awe inspiring and eerily beautiful. Apparently, the ever present London pigeons are quite interested too so the developers have introduced a couple of peregrine falcons, to try and keep the little blighters out. The BBC has some great pictures and titbits of info here and the Londonist ran a fab little article too. I have just realised I also refer to the power station as ’she’. Make of it what you will.
Photo from Jon’s Pics London set on Flickr
From Battersea it’s back to London Bridge and a drink in the not-so-secret wonder bar that is Shunt. Pass through an unmarked door into the dark tunnels underneath London Bridge station to be greeted by a strange fantasy bar, (a different theme each week, chosen and created by London artists) – this place is really quite impossible to describe, but there are some great photo sets on Flickr.
Finally, as if we haven’t eaten enough already, it’s time to go for a meal with a difference (I have limitless resources remember?). This is possibly one of the most ridiculously extravagant ideas for eating I have ever come across, I’m not great with heights but if I had the chance, I would go for dinner in the sky….now that is a restaurant with a view…
Picture from www.dinnerinthesky.com
Category: Memes, Random Musings 28 comments »
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Great post – I agonised over this for a while too.
It’s never too early for cider…!
Lizzies last blog post..Thrifty
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
lol! You’re right, never to early for appley fun!
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Actually, it’s a glorious way to spend your day in London and so pleased to see the good food on offer and available.
PS…Ride on Time!
Peters last blog post..Aromatic Giouvetsi (????????? ?? ?????????)
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
LOL!! I am never going to live that one down!!
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
What a great Saturday! I don’t know how I can squeeze all the things I love to do into one post.
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Oh – btw – dinner in the sky – amazing pic but TERRIFYING!
Niamhs last blog post..L’atelier des Chefs
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I love posts like this. You did a great job! Thanks for posting all the wonderful photos
maryanns last blog post..Bones of the Dead *Ossa Dei Morti
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Niamh – It’s hard to decide, so hard! And I hear you about the restaurant, absolutely terrifying!
Maryann – Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Oooh…that cheese looks absolutely amazing! I wish we had yummy cheese like that in the states, but most of what we have here is over-regulated and tasteless.
I’m not sure I’d like that dinner in the sky thing…I might get motion sick hanging by a cable that high up. But it’s an awesome idea!
Lethological Gourmets last blog post..Kickin’ with the Hoars
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
That bar looks fantastic! Must remember it if I come to London.
Wendys last blog post..Dog Blogging
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
there are no words that allow be to adequately describe how much i wish i were british, and that i lived in london.
alas.
michelle @ TNSs last blog post..Muffin, muffin, who’s got the muffin? Oh wait, there it is. Never mind.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Cool post…I might do something similiar.
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
That sounds like a great day…take me to London! And rofl@Peter’s “Ride on Time” reference
Mikes last blog post..Fig, Fennel, and Prosciutto Pizza with a Shallot Cream Sauce
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
What a beautiful day out. I think you win the prize for best photos!
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Sounds like a pretty darn good day to me! Although, I might keep my feet on the ground and end the day in one of the great restaurants London has to offer
Ys last blog post..Poppyseed parfait, lemon tuilles, rhubarb and ginger.
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 am
Heh. I think you might want to wait until summer comes around again for the last part of your ideal day…!
aforkfulofspaghettis last blog post..where I’m going today…
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 am
Lethological – I have heard about the dire state of cheese in the US – why?!! I hear ya about the dinner in the sky too…
Wendy – If you do, let me know, we can meet for a drink!
Michelle – maybe not right now, it’s freezing!
Karrie – You should join in with Kristas event, the more diverse the round up, the better.
Mike – He is SO cheeky!
Y – I know, the more I think about it, the more I realise I couldn’t actually do it…
Spaghetti – Yep, it would be unbearable I think, imagine if it was really windy too….
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:33 am
This sounds like a great way to spend the day, minus the dinner in the sky – please don’t invite me to this!
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Unfortunately, the lawmakers in this country seem to equate non-pasteurized cheese to the Devil or something. Regardless of the fact that the French (and Europeans) have been eating this kind of cheese for years and years without any dire effects. But apparently if Americans eat non-pasteurized cheese it will be a big health problem. I could do some research to give a more precise answer (and in fact, maybe I should do a cheese post some day on my blog…), but don’t have the wherewithall today
Alls I know is that I LOVED all the cheese when I lived in France. You can sometimes find tasty cheese here, but have to pay about $10-$20 for a small wheel of it.
Lethological Gourmets last blog post..The Addictive Powers of Chewing Gum
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Oh dear, that is indeed a tragedy! I would love to see a cheese post if you can find the energy one day. I think the more people that start demanding decent cheese the better. I can understand people not eating unpasteurised cheese if they are pregnant or have compromised immunity or something but it is just ridiculous to consider it a health hazard in general. Maybe there just isn’t anyone who wants to make cheese out there? Perhaps as there isn’t any history of cheesemaking?
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Oh no, we’ve got lots of cheese. Especially cheddar, we’re big on cheddar. Especially in Vermont and Wisconsin (the Dairy State). And there are plenty of farmer’s markets that sell yummy mozzarella. It’s just the stinky yummy cheeses (like brie, camembert, all those soft ones) that we don’t have (or we do, they just taste like melty plastic). I won’t even go into American cheese. That stuff just isn’t natural, I tell you. I think they just tell us it’s cheese as a psychology experiment to figure out how much BS we’ll buy.
Lethological Gourmets last blog post..The Addictive Powers of Chewing Gum
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Oh I see! I had no idea the Americans were so big on Cheddar and I definitely didn’t know that there was a Dairy State! I know you can buy stinky cheeses online but I don’t know about the cost? I guess they have to travel so much..
p.s. I’ve been working in psychology for a fair few years now and I think you could be right about the last part
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 pm
There’s a cute little cheese shop I can drive to…it’s a little out of my way, but I’ll go there occasionally. But tasty cheese is just so expensive I don’t go there often. Because it has to be shipped so far (the regulations aren’t against selling it, just against making it, I think), that definitely adds to the price.
Cheddar is everywhere. On sandwiches, as snacks, I’d say that cheddar, swiss, and american cheese are the go-to cheeses for sandwiches in this country.
Lethological Gourmets last blog post..The Addictive Powers of Chewing Gum
October 24th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Great post!
I heard about Shunt a while ago – but totally forgot about it til now…!
The bbc battersea link is really interesting. It’s a bit creepy really!
I should maybe do a Glasgow or Brighton one of these…
kitties last blog post..Warning – Envy-Inducing News Within! (And Proscuittio Wrapped Sole
October 24th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Lethological – Thank you for all your info – I had no idea you were so smelly-cheese impoverished.
Kittie – The battersea link is creepy isn’t it? which is why I want to go in there so much…I would love to see a Glasgow, Brighton or a Far East version! (still jealous!)
October 25th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I haven’t tried DeGustibus before but those calzones are really tempting…
Su-Lins last blog post..Shopsins Style Sliders
November 6th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Someone is auctioning a dinner in the sky event on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190265053184
November 7th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Oh my – can I come along on your perfect day, pretty please??
Jeannes last blog post..Go with gourd – the WTSIM#20 round-up