Start with a lovely picnic -  plenty of trees with branches falling to the ground, make great shelters for the children (meaning you can eat in peace for once)
Then climb the 118 steps to the tree tops and walk right under the sky…
Now, walk even further, to the new play area, Plantastic…

What’s on?

A nice collection of mushrooms to climb on…

Plenty of adventures: wooden totems, mysteries in wooden trunks, bouncy new friends, mazes…

Games to fly like a bee…

Or see life from up high..

Let alone tunnels going underground. Kids will also learn about biodiversity and how to attract insects and butterflies to their garden…

Er, parents? Oh, they’ve crashed a long time ago on one of those lovely benches…

Kew gardens
Victoria Gate
Kew Road
Richmond
Surrey TW9 3AB

Psssst: looking for another fab playground? Try Kensington Gardens: there is one themed on Peter Pan and dedicated to Lady Di. Really great.

Just in front Kensington Palace is their sunken garden – strangely often unknown although it is adorable and free. With spring it gains such a range of vibrant colours! A soothing view and you’ll find benches on the promenade surrounding it.

To parallel the Enchanted Palace exhibition, the arches have been jewelled with wonderful iron lace, best enjoyed at sunset time…

Sunken Garden
Kensington palace
202 Cromwell Rd
London W8 4PX

Free

Pssst: to discover many more private gardens, don’t forget that June 12-13 is the Open garden Squares week-end! A few pics from last year this way.

Of course, after a while you slow down. Events, festivals, pop-ups take priority. You’ll have the time later for the main places, won’t you? That’s how Kensington Palace just got forgotten. let alone I pictured it, well, kind of boring, to be honest.

Rather than close its doors for two years of renovations, it was decided to transform a whole floor into a fairytale: Alice means British Royalty-like. Seven princesses having lived here are presented in a real ballet of creativity. An enchanted map is handed out with clues to find more about each lady and their life.

The result is just amazing. Each room is extraodinarily decorated and is worth of Tim Burton. Branches with white gloves show you the way, a paper dress decorated with lace and drawings is lit form inside…

…sculptures hang from chandeliers, extraordinary hats project their intriguing shapes on the walls, a forest of tree gathers around Diana and Margaret’s dresses, suspended as in a dance…

But what you have to applaude is he way emotion rises in you. The visual effects are of course spectacular… and for once, it is no the political game that is so much focused on but the princesses as persons: their feelings, their pains, their personnality… One saddens for Margaret II who will dies childless, her sister not being luckier with 14 vain pregnancies. On a table shine sparkling bottles, filled with tears. Some are sealed – those are happiness ones, to be preserved – some are not, and hopefully, the cause of pain will evaporate as well…

Further on is Young Victoria’s bedroom – the very one she woke up in one morning, just to learn she finally was queen. Until then, her childhood had been mainly isolated form other children, though she was never left a minute alone, not even to come down the stairs and even had to sleep in her mother’s bedroom. Tempest created for her a dream of freedom, a dress of 100 origami birds, rising in the air…

Vivienne Westwood dedicate a flamboyant dress to Princess Charlotte, a little rebel, and discreetly added a badge “I’m expensive”…

Amidst this royal dance in time wanders the Wildworks theatre troup. Their costumes plays with different eras, and they seem to waltz around, sprinkling a little magic, a touch of a laugh, or stop to whisper a secret about one of the princesses… The Palace staff also is delighted to share their favourite details with you.

Don’t forget to look in the children’s room, royal toys and miniature infant shoes, delately and richly decorated with lace…

You’ll also see a paper replica of Kensington Palace, with a heart of light…

Absolutely hypnotising and worth every penny. And perfect for everyone, whether your a history fan, a fashionista, parents with kids… Don’t hesitate to bring foreign friends too, even if they don’t master Shakepeare’s language: each room presents a counted version in a fairytale book, each page in a different language.

Enchanted Palace
Kensington Palace
202 Cromwell Rd
London W8 4PX

£11.50/adult (if you travel by train, and you can buy the very cheapest one for the occasion, you can enjoy a 2 for the price of 1 tickets)
Until january 2012

Psst: if like me, you tend to flee crowds… then go to an open evening. Same price but the feeling to be privileges. Come a little before 20.00 – you will be 3 or 4 per room only, much more magical! The next ones will be June 18, July 16 and August 20.

Psst 2: coming during the day? take the kids to the nearby Peter Pan garden…

- Start on Thursday night by dancing in a park…

- Or try one of those summer walks…

- Isn’t it the ideal time to have lunch on a terrasse overlooking Kensington Gardens?

- unless you’re up for a picnic?

- Forget central London and have a look at the Wimbledon Mill…

- If you did not get a chance to enjoy the Night of the Museums last week-end, no worry, here are a few more opportunities…

- Fancy some exotism? Baishaki, the bangali festival is on Sunday: delicious food, music, parade…

- Street art fan? It’s the Dream Factory you need!

You’ll find me shopping for cupcakes and heading for the late opening of the Enchanted Kensington Palace. How will you celebrate summer?

Pssst: don’t forget that next Monday, the boat in the bottle is moving to Trafalgar square!

An improbable walk suddenly takes me through Holland Park, a few more streets and I am standing in front of Daunt, wooden frame, Edwardian look, one of those independant libraries that make you feel like sitting on the floor, build a castle of books around you and hide there for hours. They give you a taste back for adventure, exploration and losing complete track of time…

The London section is just amazing and I write down pages of references… My heart urges for the City, for its secret life.

In this Ali Baba cavern, I discover the Park Sories colelction -  8 short stories taking place in London royal parks. Amazing isn’t it that this litterary genre tends to disappear when it probably is the most adapted to our way of life, always running, always commuting, never having much time for ourselves? This is the perfect format – can be read on the way to work, can fit easily in your handbag…

Of course, you can’t be a Londoner without have walked, strolled, jogged through our royal parks, circled the Serpentine, met at the Orangerie, sat in our of the deckchairs (and been made to pay for it), saluted St James’ pelicans, climbed up to Greenwich’s observatory, looked Richmond’s deers in the eyes…

I expected the parks to play a bigger role. I wanted historical details, caves, secrets, white pebbles I could follow next time. Quite the contrary – the park is just a background, a thread in the story. Disappointing? No -  a different feeling arises. This infuses the park, your park, the one you knew for a particular buzz and atmosphere with a different personnality somehow – a different angle to look at it. It brings and emotion, an identity to it. Anf you will want to run at te Diana Memorial, fly away at St James, make fun of tourists at Greenwich, believe in ghosts in Green Park.

At £2 the book, is there realy any hesitation to be had? Go ahead. Fall in love with the vison of kensington by a little girl from Koweit (Hanan al-Shaykh, a beauty Parlour for the swans) and the sad magical love story in St James (Clare Wigfall, Along birdcage walk).

Park stories

Available on the Royal Parks website or at Daunt Books (several branches)

Fabuleux en ete, les toiles colorees prennent tout leur relief sur le fond vert des haies.

Vous y trouverez de tout, des plages de reve, des portraits, des natures mortes, des petits chats, de l’art abstrait… Les peinture laquees, emaillees sont particulierement belles.

Et oui, les tableaux sont a vendre. Avec ou sans le cadre. Vous pourrez, la plupart du temps, payer par carte.

Pssst! Jetez un coup d’oeil de l’autre cote de la rue. La facade protegeant les travaux a ete transformee en boite a couleurs, chaque crayon portant une phrase ou un titre different…

Bayswater Road
London
W2 2UD
Le long de Kensington Gardens et Hyde Park
Along Kensignton Gardens and Hyde Park
Le dimanche / Sundays: 10.00 – 18.00
Metro / tube: Bayswater

One of my favourite walks in London – along Kensington gardens and Hyde Park, 250 artists put on a giant show on the railings. Members of the exposent Royal Academy of Art, some famous painters, yet unknown ones…

Great in summer, the colours really are at their best on the vibrant green hedges.

There’s something for every taste: exotic beaches, portraits, abstract art… even cute cats. I favour the enamel works, bright and lacquered.

And yes, everything is for sale. With or without the frame. You can most of the time pay by Maestro or credit card.

Pssst! Have a look on the other side of the street. The fence protecting the building work have been transformed into an army of pencils, each with a different title or phrase. How fun!

Inspire du monde de Peter Pan, vous ne saurez plus par ou commencer: le bateau geant vogant sur une mer de sable, les tipis, le puzzle musical, le xylophone geant, ici et la un coffre pour s’imaginer pirate… Et bien sur les habituels balancoires et toboggans. Immense, avec des chemins bordes d’herbe folle pour se croire en pleine aventure, des recoins ou se cacher parmi les grands bosquets de bambou. Escalade et courses dans tous les sens garantis!

Tres tactile aussi, beaucoup de bois, dont des statues geantes de mouton sur lesquels les enfants adorent grimper.

Vous y serez au moins pour deux heures, le temps que les enfants aient tout explore…

Note aux parents: fabuleux. Amenez donc pelle, seau et rateau pour les chateaux de sable!
Malheureusement pris d’assault le week-end et l’attente peut alors etre longue (auquel cas, jetez un coup d’oeil sur le plan, un terrain plus basique est implante plus loin). Vous trouverez un cafe just’a cote: sandwichs, gaufres, glaces… Des toilettes et change pour bebe sont disponible dans l’enceinte du terrain de jeux.

Diana Memorial Playground
Kensington Gardens
London
W2 2UH
Metro / tube: Bayswater
Plan/Map
Gratuit! Free!
Reserve aux enfants, accompagnes d’un adulte! Les adultes seuls peuvent entre de 09.30 a 10.00 uniquement.
This is reserved for kids and accompanying adults only! If you are on your own, you can visit the place between 09.30 and 10.00 only.

Meant as a memorial to Lady Di, this playground is to be treasured.

Inspired by Peter Pan’s world, you won’t even know where to start: the giant ship navigating on a sea of sans, the wigwams, the totems, the musical puzzle, the giant xylophone. Here and there a treasure box so you can pretend to be a pirate. Of course, the usual swings and slides are there. A huge place, with wild herbs on the side of paths and plenty of places to hide in the bamboo patches: you’re on an adventure! Climbing and running guaranteed.

Very tactile too, a lot of wood – you’ll love the sheep sculpture on which the kids can sit.

Be prepared: you’ll be there for a couple hours at least if the kids want to explore everything!

Note to parents: just fab. Do bring you sandcastle bulding tools!
Unfortunately, you won’t be the only one at week-end, there often is a long queue (in which case, have a look at the map and head to the other, more basic but still good, playground). You’ll also find a cafe nearby: sandwiches, waffles, ice-creams… Toilets and baby-changing facilities are available too.

Son cote decale, inattendu, qui clashe avec la logique, le quotidien, le rationnel.

Vous ne serez pas decu avec cette exposition a la Serpentine Gallery. pas tres grande mais rigolote avec ses bouees tortues et ecrevisses jouant les ballerines ou encastrees dans des grilles, ces Popeye entre Lichtenstein et Warhol, ces moustaches elegantes… Y a t-il vraiment un symbolisme dans cette juxtaposition de bouees, de casseroles et de buches? J’en doute, juste une sorte d’equilibre mysterieux…L’exposition etant gratuite, j’y suis passee plusieurs fois: au final, on fini par trouver les arrangements toujours amusants mais presque… naturels.

La surveillance est forte – les oeuvres sont tres fragiles et les gardes frisent la crise cardiaque si vous pointez une oeuvre de trop pres.

Des oeuvres colorees en plein dans l’humeur d’ete: vous ressortirez avec le sourire et avec une forte envie d’aller a la plage.

Pssst: ne ratez pas le nouveau pavillon a l’exterieur! Vous y trouverez un mini-cafe.

Note aux parents: teste sur une enfant de 3 ans qui a adore l’explosion de couleurs et a trouve l’ensemble… hilarant.

Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London
W2 3XA
Jusqu’au / Until 13 septembre 2009
Tous les jours / Daily 10.00-18.00
Gratuit! Free!
Plan du parc / The map pour the park

I just love Koons.

His way to take art aside, to clash with logic, habits, normality.

You won’t be disappointed with this exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. Not very big, but fun with this turtles and crayfish rubber rings dancing on a chair or embedded in grids, those Popeyes between Warhol and Lichtenstein, those elegant mustaches… Is there really a symbolism, and explanation behind these justaposition of cheap toys, saucepans and wooden logs? I doubt it. Just a mysterious balance.

The show being free, I came back a few times to enjoy it.

Security gards are everywhere -  those pieces are very fragile and they almost have an art attack if you point at them while being too close.

Very colourful, very summer like: you leave with a smile on and a terrible need to go head stright to the beach…

Pssst: don’t miss the new pavilion outside! You’ll even find a mini-cafe there.

Note to parents: I took my 3 year old daughter there. She loved the explosion of colours and really considered it real fun.

Le groupe japonais SANAA cree la surprise avec cette riviere argentee qui se faufile dans les airs, fluide, magique. Les arbres et les nuages s’y reflentent et la realite s’estompe. Seuls les fins poteaux, argentes eux aussi, vous rappellent au monde reel.

Venez a differentes heures de la journee admirer les luminosites varier, les nuages traverser ce miroir, les gouttes d’eau eclater le paysage en mosaique… Je l’aime particulierement a la tombee de la nuit, quand les phares des voitures y creent un feu d’artifice. Une ouevre toujours en mouvement. La pluie y tombe en musique rhythmique mais douce. On ne resiste pas a en faire tomber l’eau une fois l’ondee terminee – sans reflechir, un geste instinctif…

Les artistes refutent l’idee de monument – il s’agit pour eux d’une atmosphere, une excellente definition, elle cree effectivement en vous une emotion…

Des photos du pavillon de l’an dernier par ici.

Pssst: regardez attentivement. L’oeuvre n’est composee que d’une seule immense plaque d’aluminium.

Pssst! (2): passez a la gallerie juste derriere voir l’exposition Koons. C’est gratuit!

Note aux parents: Ideal. Vous y trouverez meme un mini-cafe. Des toilettes sont disponibles dans la galerie. Asseyez-vous dans l’herbe et laissez les enfants s’amuser de cet etonnant miroir. La route est a distance, vous pouvez etre tranquille. Pourquoi ne pas continuer la ballade dans le parc? Vous y trouverez deux terrains de jeux (dont le tres celebre Diana Memorial Playground, sur le theme Peter Pan, mais attention, beaucoup d’attente le week-end). Emmenez un ballon, des bulles de savon: les enfants s’epuiseront sans votre aide!

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London
W2 3XA
Jusqu’au / Until 18 octobre 2009
Tous les jours / Daily
Gratuit! Free!
Plan du parc / The map pour the park

For the ninth year in a row, the Serpentine Gallery lanched a temporary and dreamlike architecture poject… A great stop on your way to Kensington gardens!

The Japanese group SANAA creates the surprise this time with an incredible silver river, floating away in the air, fluid, magical… Trees and clouds mirror in it and for a moment, reality falters. The narrow silver pillars are the only link with the real world.

Do come at different times of the day to enjoy the different light reflections, the clouds crossing away, the drops transforming the sky in a scattered mosaic… I parcticularly like it at dusk when the cars driving past create a kind of fireworks… It seems to be ever evolving. The falling rain creates a rythmic but soft music on this unbelievable roof. And you will not resist caressing the roof to make the water falls… You don’t even think about it, it’s almost instinctive.

The artists refute the idea of a building, a monument: to them, it is a collection of atmospheres. Such a clever and adequate definition!

Wonder what last year’s looked like? Look here.

Pssst: Look closely. The roof is made of a single, huge, aluminium sheet…

Pssst! (2): why not walk to the gallery just behing and have a look at the Koons exhibition? It’s free!

Note to parents: Ideal. It even shelters a mini-cafe. You’ll find toilets in the nearby gallery.Sit down in the grass under a tree and just let the kids look at the mirrored pictures, run around… the road is at a distance, you can be at peace. Why not keep on walking through the park? You’ll find two playgrounds (including the Diana Memorial one, really good, Peter pan themed but quite a queue to get in at the week-ends). Bring a ball, some bubbles to blow, and the kids will run and exhaust themselves!