Sometimes, in the most routine-like day, a message comes your way. Get your energy back and go London-hunting! That’s art baby: * Dive back in the Titanic universe at the National Maritime Museum. * Find faces (and smiles!) in the objects surrounding you. * Dream of the long gone London. Nostalgic and beautiful black & white photographies. * Love Louise Bourgeois? See some of her work at the Freud Museum. * Tip your hat to Marilyn. Yummy time ahead: * Celebrate Holi, the Indian feast of colours. Dishoom will be all decorated with beautiful kits and each guest will receive a traditional cake at the end of their meal. On March the 08th, the pavement will be rainbow like, stop and have a look! Take the little ones along: * Make them revise the alphabet. * Did you know the London Transport Museum opens its depot once a month? There is another world of treasures to be discovered there… Out of the ordinary: * For its late opening on Friday, the British Museum turns Arabic. * On March 09 and 10, be a party animal in the Old Vic tunnels. Disco zoo, animal cinema, all night popcorn and candy floss. [...]
I watch the rain pouring down and cannot get this word off my mind: beach. Toes in warm sand, grains rolling on skin made golden by the sun. Soft wave music. Listen to the lids splash, laugh, collect shells and make castles. London seems to have a thing for it too. London-on-sea. Southbank has a mini-kids-beach for the summer. The Red Market, who is finally opening in Shoreditch this week-end after many delays, is proposing an urban version. Palmtrees, pétanque, deckchairs and cocktails. Even pop-ups go sea-food style! Are you next holidays way too far? Look for a few London ideas here insteas: * Come and join hundreds of musicians on Southbank this Friday. * Peyrton & Byrnes are opening a pop-up within Kew Gardens. Dinner will be enhanced with herbs and eatble flowers foraged in the park and served with a little jazz. * Pretend you are Sherlock Holmes at the Natural History Museum. * Sleep at the Barbican. No kidding: cushions, duvet and breakfast included! * Didn’t get your tickets for Wimbledon? Opt for plan B: a 360 degree-view platform at Selfridges. * Rush to Greenwich for their extraodinary summer festival. * Be a yogabunny in Hyde Park. [...]
Rain, ray of sunshine, rainbow… Gosh, you’d think we’re in March with those showers! hang on to your unmbrella, get the K-ways out, and run between the drops… - It’s the Thames festival again! Two days of festivities, I just love this one. The program is this way. Do not miss the splendid classic boats @ St Katharine Docks… The festival on the bridge (my favourite, very poetic and countryside-like)… Le festival sur le pont (ma partie preferee, tres poetique et gourmande)… The night carnival… And of course, it all ends in fireworks! (if you do not mind French, you can see pics of last year here… and there) - Invite youself to Prince Charles’ Garden Party with a difference… (£15, though!). 100 displays are presented, underlining recycling, sustainability, upcylcing… I was there for the opening yesterday: pretty interesting, lovely gardens using recycled objects from daily life, a great moment to share with kids too… - Are you a fashionista with a sweet tooth? Perfumes often have sweet, floral, fruity notes. Well, Harrods is dedicating an afternoon tea to those in parallel of the exhibition The perfume diaries. - Are you going to the O2 with the Thames clipper? Have [...]
Is September making you feel blue? Well, fight it, plan a heavy week-end out and pretend the holidays are still on! - First, get yourself a free bacon roll today to get in the mood… - Stop @ Soho square – Buxton has a pop up there and gives away bottles and water. You can even sit in a deckchair and relax… - Don’t forget to do your food shopping @ the Real Food Market on Southbank… - Looking for the perfect shoe? Have a look at Vivienne Westwood’s creations @ Selfridge’s… - A new conception of theatre with Theatre Souk… - Morris dancers invade London this week-end – head for Southbank for an amazing free gig! - Fight death penalty @ St Martin-in-the-field… - For a lighter note, cross the street and enjoy the Liberty festival on Trafalgar: music, workshops for kids and a circus show! - You will feel like writing on the walls with the Nothing is forever exhibition… - Follow the art trail! - Forget Portobello market – there’s a whole film festival going on there with a pop up cinema until September 19th: classic movies and even premieres! Even better it is all free… - [...]
A whole week of sun, even a mini heat-wave… guys, it’s barbecue-time and Pimms: let’s celebrate! - The pianos are back! pretend you’re Mozart, improvise, make everybody dance… - Oooh, it’s time for the V&A late night, on architecture this time. And there will be jazz too… - By the way, it’s the festival of architecture with plenty going on! - Be zen this week-end with taichi and yoga workshops @ Greenwich park… - The summer festival is back @ the National theatre and there will be plenty of free shows on the stage on Southbank…. check out the program! - Great, the beach is still there!And the appearing rooms also are back at the Southbank centre – the kids love those… - Make your bets for the dragon boat race! - Have a taste of honey @ Barbican… - Rediscover London with songs … - Are you ready for Wimbledon? I’m not but this tennis themed afternoon tea looks just perfect to me…. - Take your little ones to see the Charlie and Lola exhibition… How will you enjoy the sun? I’m escaping to Paris for the week-end, ohlala!
It’s been raining for days. When it’s not drizzling down, the heaviness of the grey sky makes you feel like staying under the cover. Ah, but there is a 4 and 1/2 year old princess jumping up and down at your side. She really, really, really would like to go for a walk, please, mummy? You’re counting your options. It is wet and muddy outside, so out are the countryside and the parks. You have been so many times to the Natural History Museum (renamed here the Dinosaurs’s house), the Science Museum and the V&A Childhood Museum that you could go round them in your sleep. Where to go? The Greenwich National Maritime Museum! Kids can run happily there, admire boats figures, learn how waves are created… The last floor proposes a hands on section on communication (flags, morse, radio), navigation (with a fab simulator system). Kids activities are very often on at week-ends – colouring, cutting, even treasure hunting. There is a Paul cafe on the first floor (Hooray say all Froggies, real croissants in view!). Most of all, do go for their actual exhibition Toy Boats, those adorable miniture ships children of good families sailed on ponds in [...]
Strolling through London, you might meet these extraordinary characters… What an extraordinary way to dress! The coastermongers used these brilliant buttons on their clothes. Henry Croft, brought up in an orphanage close to St Pancras started to collect the lost ones he found on the floor. Then upgraded his own clothes with them, including his hat and wooden stick. He was nicknamed the Pearly King. Tis was in 1875 – a real success: people would stop him, give him a coin or two which he then gave to his childhood orphanage to help other kids out. Little by little, associations, hospitals asked him to raise money for them. The demand was so great that he had to recruit other Pearly Kings and Queens. These days, the tradition continues and they support a cause or the other. Oftenn, the suit is transmitted wihtin the family. I often see them @ Covent Garden, always smiling and ready to pose for a picture. Look at the designs closely. Each circle is a one penny size and each sign has a meaning. Some are logical: a horseshoe means luck, a dove peace. Others are more difficult to guess: an anchor would be hope, a [...]
- How about a ghost hunt with the London Ghost week? - Yummy times! Head for the Real Food festival for a gourmet experience. Plenty to taste, countless demonstrations! Great for kids too with a butter churning workshop, milking demonstrations, animals to pet… - Fairtrade fan? Join the party! Film and music also are part of the fun. - if you love vintage clothes, head for Clerkenwell! - Add a little elegance to your week-end with the Grace Kelly exhibition @ the V&A… - Take the boys (whichever age, grown ups included) to dream @ the Toy boat exhibition @ the Greenwich Maritime Museum. Adorable. There’s a pond whithin Greenwich Park where you can rent a small boat and go round or just bring your own toys to float… And why not stop @ the Greenwich food market for a bite? - Don’t miss the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet festival. We went last year and had a fab time with the non-stop Punch and Judy shows and admiring the collection of puppets… A few pictures this way (sorry, the text will be in French though). - Why not a pics exhibition? Atlas presents faces of our times – [...]
- Chocaholic? Be a true Easter Bunny and do your shopping @ the chocolate festival on Southbank. Make sure you stop @ the Choc star van! - Still in an Easter mood? The try the Claridges’ afternoon tea with hot cross buns… and, my friend, a Valrhona hot chocolate… - Emmenez les enfants decouvrir une tradition suedoise pour Paques… - Fancy a little suspense? Learn more about Hitchcock… - For something totally different, go and look at these surprising nail sculptures… or this floating one @ St Paul’s… - Rediscover the British interior design of the last 150 years… - or if the sun’s out, head for Greenwich! Have a bite to eat at the food market then learn a few things about the place. There’s even talk about a micro-brewery producing fab beers… - Looking for a great place for a special occasion? Why not a brunch on the 29th floor with a 360 deg view? Amazing but , wow, £65… - Empty your bank account @ the Spring Country Living Fair – so many unique and marvelous gifts there… You’ll find me @ Kensington Palace, enchanted for a while… and at the Alice pop-up cafe @ Harrod’s..
And I thought the Borough Market was the best market in London! Give this one a try. Jump on a Thames Clipper (not cheap, I have to say, but it does convey such a holiday feeling. And I love going under the Tower Bridge) and have a walk through the Greenwich Market Oh, of course, you’ll find plenty creative stalls: modern designed t-shirts, wooden fairies, wonderful designer clothes, ceramics, jewel soapd, romantice dishes, paintings… which you could also find @ the Old Spittafield. For this one, let your stomach guide you… See how tempted by everything you will be…? How maddening, so many colours, flavours, smells! You don’t even know where to look. Here you can eat Italian, Japanese, Turkish, Argentinian, Ethiopian, Vegetaria, Portuguese… And don’t forget the smoked meats, the French saucisson, the pile of cheese, the pancakes, the dried fruit! Yummy Awards: The Sultan’s delight for its Turkish pizzas: a kind of naan cooked with onions and parsley, then seasoned with salad, yogurt and hummus. A feast, flavours exploding in the mouth. You can’t get enough of it. £4.50 eahc, and belive me there’s enough for two. Still hungry? Stop at Mamma Mia! for those rice cakes – [...]
