Tea Time in Wonderland

Week-ends. Aaaah. I always grab a bol de cafe au lait – so Frenchie! – a few magazines to read through, a  few websites to scan and plan the day ahead.

This morning, I replaced the press with a very new guide on London: 24 hours.

Curiosity is all over me. Amazing since I have read so many guidebooks about the city. Classical ones, historical ones, anecdotical ones.  Riddles and hunts for clues. 1000 things to be done, things to be done under a tenner. Secret London, Unusual London, Victorian London, London by its bridges. Wanting to dig a little deeper, I even tried Underground London, harder to read but so instructive. Still looking for new angles, new secrets, I have switched to books historical or not – a house by the Thames… Salaam Bricklane… Mrs P’s journey…

Can this new one surprise me? Can an introduction byt Boris Johnson be a good guarantee? Mmm. I switch my latte for a ristretto. Let’s talk business, baby.

Its originality is in its organisation. Not by neighbourhood or activity but by time of the day. I light up: how many times have I been stuck with nothing to do? Because shops and museums alke were closing? Or at 23.00 when I had missed a train and the next one was at 01.00?

The again, I know London quite well after 6 years. I read the event press on a daily basis.

But still, with the very first pages, I fill my notebook. Unknown details, forgotten addresses… Some of my favourite places also figure there, which convinces me to trust the author fully. A very clear style, easy to read, to remember with funny titles the way I like them.

Hitchcok mosaics in the tube? Ghost houses? Free ferry ride? Best places for cocktails and jazz at any time of the night? want to swim AND have a martini at 02.00?

Ideal too, the them lists 24 hours on the cheap, 24 hours with Nature...

I’m reading the book inside out. Backwards. Using the index. Putting notes in margin. By hour. Standing in the kitchen a cup of espresso in my other hand. Two hours later, I am rereading it a second time. Hell, by now, I know entire paragraphs by heart.

It had been a while since a guidebook has made me feel like jumping in my shoes. The last one was 1000 things to do in London and those tow complete each other quite well. light, supple, ideal size for a handbag (Gentlemen will obviously smile at that comment). Such a treadure of information for £9.99 (£6.84 if you order it from Amazon)! An ideal stocking filler too…

Even better, Marsha Moore is working on a Parisian version of the book. Eustostar will have to give her a percentage of the extra travels booked thanks to her!

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