London

Went to London prior to Christmas as we hadn’t been yet on this trip and also to be closer to friends we were going to spend Christmas Day with – so that we didn’t get caught up in expected traffic mayhem. (Boris had given every one a free pass for 5 days around Christmas).

However, two days after arriving in London and just a few days prior to Christmas, not only did Boris change the plans (pretty much nobody allowed to get together for Christmas), but he put London into Tier 4 (effectively full lock down, but he’s not calling it that, because he’d probably face more criticism 🙂 ).

So here are some pics of the sights taken prior to lockdown and/or on our daily outdoor exercise in London and/or en route to get food (only take away food and grocery stores available during lockdown).

We stayed at the amazing Page8 hotel (HIGHLY recommend this hotel if you’re in London) – just around the corner from Trafalgar Square and a very short walk to Covent Garden. We were delighted to see that the traffic lights around Trafalgar Square have LGBTQI-inclusive traffic lights. Instead of a green man – had various combinations of the male and female gender symbols showing all combinations of couples. Two female, two male, male & female – even a threesome! 🙂

Covent Garden – enjoyed some mulled wine and talented busker musicians on our first night. The whole area had a very festive feel to it, which was nice, as neither of us could really believe it was Christmas!

Took a look around the Lego shop in Leceister Square – pics below. Amazing what some people can build.

Camden Town – had a walk around Camden markets and Lock – had some more mulled wine 🙂 and had an absolutely delicious Indonesian Beef curry! Wondering why there are no Indonesian restaurants in Australia? Well, not that I’ve come across anyway. The area of Camden has a very punky aesthetic – we saw various tattooed and mohawked people walking by, as well as a bunch of tattoo parlours. The shopfronts are pretty unique, and there was also a rainbow coloured pedestrian crossing at one of the traffic lights.

Camden lock & Markets – very quaint markets, with quite a cool industrial aesthetic, and endless different options for food! The day started off beautiful and clear, but we were ambushed by rain halfway through our wanderings, as is the London way! Perhaps we should have nicked a couple of those umbrellas that were suspended above us!

Mum found her people at “Cyberdog” – a rave shop filled with techno music and fluoro clothing! Was amazing – reminded her of the 80s!

221B Baker Street – presume I don’t have to explain this one. For fans of the TV series, this sadly isn’t where it was filmed – it was filmed about 20 minutes away on a much quieter street. The rain really hit when we left Camden town, so we had to hide out in the Baker Street tube station for a while before the rain settled down enough for us to walk without getting drenched; we had left our umbrellas in the hotel, as the forecast had predicted a clear day.

Buckingham Palace – a visit to the Palace wouldn’t be complete without watching the obligatory tourist setting up a tripod and talking half an hour to get the perfect “candid” photo. Reminded me strongly of our time spent in Italy!

Westminster Abbey – yet another iconic touristy location to tick off the list! While we were in the area, we attempted to visit 10 Downing Street to have a not-so-polite word with Boris, but sadly, it was completely closed off, no doubt due to his recent decision to cancel Christmas.

Looks like the squirrel above right has been stockpiling acorns in his tummy instead of the tree.

Tower Bridge – commonly mistaken for London Bridge, we found it very difficult to actually get a good view of the bridge, as the usual stretch of pavement has been closed off – not sure if this was because of security reasons, or because of covid … perhaps a bit of both? It was interesting to transition to the more modern side of London, which features the famous “gherkin” building, as well as The Shard.

Neal’s Yard and surrounds – a vibrant side of town near Covent Gardens with a blend of classic British architecture and modern shopfronts. Grabbed some sushi for lunch, which I haven’t had since way back in Mexico!

Above – the very colourful, quaint Neal’s Yard.

Notting Hill – were a tad disappointed in Notting Hill. Was under the impression it is where all the rich folk lived, with lovely, fancy, expensive terrace houses. Either we were on the wrong side of town or things have changed somewhat. Perhaps it was just the fact that most things were closed thanks to tier 4 lockdown, or the frequent sightings of graffiti, all combined with the dull weather, but it gave off a distinct vibe of disrepair and grime. Some streets were pretty to look at, but there’s a lack of personality that makes Notting Hill feel somewhat vacant and lifeless – at least during this period of lockdown.

Another few streets in Notting Hill – the blocky shapes of the houses gave me the impression of huge Lego houses, particularly the blue and yellow house in the first image.

No trip to London is complete without a visit to Harrods. Only a view from outside this time. Took a quick look at some of the window displays – hard to photograph due to the glare from the glass, but the displays were nevertheless impressive.

It’s unfortunate that our experience in London was limited by the rapidly tightening lockdown rules in the UK – but I’m glad we still got to go and see so much. It’s eerie but also rather convenient for London to be so empty, but we’re at least glad that there were still plenty of options for mealtimes, namely a variety of delicious dishes from Chinatown, where we got dinner almost every night. And with that, our travels were pretty much concluded!