There’s Something About London

I’ve been going to London for decades, and yet I’m always thrilled at the prospect and thrilled when I get there.  How can that be?  Once you’ve seen it, you’re seen it, right?  Not quite.  Once you’ve seen it, you’ve fallen in love with the architecture, the history, nights at the theater, days and nights at the pubs, the outrageously priced cocktails at the Savoy’s American Bar, martinis made at the table in Duke’s Bar at the Duke Hotel.  

Indian food.  China town. 

Perhaps it’s Fortnum and Mason, the most elegant grocery store in the world, or next door at Hatchards, London’s oldest bookstore.  Maybe it was standing in front of Buckingham Palace and viewing the most famous military parade in the world, the every popular Changing of the Guard.

It may be walking into Floris perfumery and being overwhelmed by scents of every variety, including the famous #89, the mythical James Bond’s favorite, or, stepping into the incomparable Food Court at Harrod’s.

So many more astonishing things I’ve done. A visit to Fuller’s Brewery and its thirst quenching tasting room.  A Scotland versus England World Cup preliminary match at Wembley Stadium.  

Getting a tour of the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Seeing the Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles at the British Museum.  Going to an open night of The Producers and having Mel Brooks take the stage for a hilarious, impromptu chat.

Before you start your day, pick out a spot for a full English breakfast.  Ever had a full English breakfast?  What’s that?  Oh, how I’d like to see the child-like wonder in your eyes.

Without a doubt, London is a never-ending string of pleasures and surprises.

Samuel Johnson was spot on when he wrote, “A man who is tired of London is tired of life.”

And when you walk the streets of London, it’s a tour through English and European history.  View the Magna Carta in the British Library and learn what it really says, or look at handwritten Beatles’ lyrics.  https://www.bl.uk/#

A Beatles’ fan?  When you walk down Seville Row, that famous street of ‘bespoke’ tailoring, check out the rooftop (from ground level) where the Beatles played their last concert. Listen for the echoes of 1969.

It just may be you’re a literature lover.  Charles Dickens. George Orwell. Will Shakespeare.  All lived or worked here and you can follow in their tracks.  More modern?  J.K. Rowling. Julian Barnes. Ian McEwan. Jeffery Archer. Ian Fleming.

Do your own research. Find out where they lived and worked before you go. Or sign up for a fabulous walking tour that matches your fancy. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186338-Activities-c42-t183-London_England.html

Don’t forget the unforgetable London markets. Boroughs Market, to mention just one of many. I ate the best oysters of my life there.  It’s a place where the fish mongers have done their own fishing and the ice cream shops make their own ice cream.  Meats roast over open fire pits and savory crepes come fresh off the hot plate.  Cheeses come direct from the farms. Come hungry and don’t miss the nearby pubs.  Huge hint:  NEVER pass up a pub.

Dozens of historic pubs.  The Mayflower, where the famous ship of that name first sailed. The Grenadier.  The Lamb and Flag, also known as the Bucket of Blood.  Wonderful pubs go on and on, and so will you! Another hint:  Always go for the hand pulled ‘real’ ale.

And after you’ve been to London a few dozen times, don’t even begin to say you know London. How about shops that have been there since the 17^th Century? Greenwich, the home of time and distance?

My advice:  Plan on going to London for a week a year, for the rest of your life.  Still, that will not be enough time.  But, I keep trying… By the way, did you know that Karl Marx is buried at the Highgate Cemetery in London?  https://highgatecemetery.org/       Just asking….