Lunch in West Kensington

Monday, December 30, 2019:   We could have traipsed our way to Fulham on our haggard feet, but as we both felt under the weather, we chose instead to ride the 28 Bus from Kensington High Street.   Our destination was 222 Vegan Cuisine, an eatery situated at 222 North End Road run by Ghana-born chef Ben Asamani.  We wanted to sample the popular lunch buffet.  Today's dishes included mixed bean curry, baked potatoes with plantains, quinoa and lentil bake, cauliflower and polenta bake, spinach and avocado salad, pumpkin and noodle salad, as well as tomato and kale salad. I expected the servings to have stronger seasonings but everything was fresh and delicious. Only a few doors down from this restaurant is GreenBay, a grocery store that sells just about anything one would want to find in a grocery store, only everything is 100% vegan.  I had to buy some Qwrkee smoked black pepper Jerky.  I haven't tried it yet.  That will be a late-night snack.

Mmmmmmm

222 Vegan Buffet

Inside 222

GreenBay All Vegan Grocery Store

I am a bit under the weather so not much to report today.....

A Short Walk in Chelsea

Friday, December 27, 2019: Today I left the flat with my new camera but I forgot to bring my SD card so I could not take any photos which is a shame because I seriously want to photograph, well, almost everything in London.  Eddie and I had lunch, a toothsome French lentil stew, at Juicebaby on King's Road in Chelsea.  The café is located a few doors from Vivienne Westwood's World's End boutique at 430 King's Road; this is an address which significantly sparked the punk rock youth sub-culture movement of the 1970s.  Walking among the streets of Chelsea, I was struck by the fact that every building we passed was architecturally significant and every street veritably clean.  Walking down St. Leonard's Terrace I passed the house (now marked with a blue plaque) where Irish writer Bram Stoker lived before he wrote his novel Dracula.  Finally, we stopped into Holy Trinity Church on Sloane Square built in the late 1800s in the arts and crafts style. Eddie said the stained glass in the east window (designed by Birmingham-born artist Edward Burne-Jones) was perhaps the most beautiful stained glass window he ever saw.  Parts of Holy Trinity church were damaged during the war but restored to its original appearance.  It is worth noting that many churches in West London are open everyday for whoever wants to say a prayer or just look around.  And sometimes it seems as if there is a beautiful church every few blocks, in any direction, that one wanders.  Amazing.

Boxing Day

Jeudi, 26 décembre 2019:  C'est Boxing Day, le lendemain de Noël et il pleut très fort toute la journée. Que faire aujourd'hui? C'est une journée parfaite pour moi pour étudier mon français pendant qu'Eddie et Luna font une sieste paisible dans la ville de London Town.

          

Luna et son jardin secret

Les deux flaneurs font une pause

                 

Meandering from Marylebone to Mayfair and Soho, Christmas Eve

Tuesday, December 24, 2019:  Today Eddie took me to Marylebone.  First we strolled through Regent's Park.  Eddie wanted to show me residential terraces on the west side of the park.  Built by John Nash (1752-1835), the same architect who turned Buckingham House into Buckingham Palace, these buildings look very stately and evoke ancient Greece and Rome with massive pillars, richly decorated pediments and classical statues perched on rooflines.  We were in awe in the presence of these beautiful, powerful buildings.

Then we walked to Marylebone High Street.  It is an upscale street with a variety of shops including Daunt Books in a beautiful Edwardian building.

Long Oak Gallery, Daunt Books

Things You See Walking in London Town

Claridge's Hotel, dating from 1897, Mayfair

Walking among all the magical Christmas decorations in Mayfair and Soho was a wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve.

Regent Street

We also went to Liberty Department Store which was built in 1924 in Tudor Style, constructed from the timber from two ships, the HMS Impregnable and the HMS Hindustan.  The building was built at the height of the 1920s craze for Tudor revival.

Inside Liberty

Inside Liberty

Carnaby Street, Soho

Back on Regent Street

Pizza in Camden, Concert in Westminister

Sunday, December 20, 2019:  Today we took the 27 Bus from Kensington High Street to Camden Town.  We rode on the upper deck in the first row, affording us a panoramic view.  The journey took close to an hour, bobbing up and down like a boat and weaving in an out of traffic. We arrived at Camden, and I realized that not all of London looks like Kensington or Chelsea.  Camden is gritty, with evident graffiti and litter; however, it is also full of shops selling all kinds of unusual and wonderful things.

We went to Camden specifically to have lunch at Purezza which, when it opened almost five years ago, was the UK's first vegan pizzeria.  Today there are many vegan pizzerias in the UK including the excellent NovaPizza in Edinburgh. We selected Purezza from the book "Veggie & Vegan London" that Eddie bought recently at Waterstone's on Kensington High Street. Purezza is a cozy and inexpensive restaurant and the pizzas were much bigger than we expected.  I ordered the Marinara pizza with a red tomato base, and seasoned with freshly chopped garlic, oregano, extra virgin olive oil and basil.  Eddie ordered the Couch Potato pizza, a pizza with a white base with smoked mozzarella, roasted aubergine, oven baked potatoes, basil leaves and shaved seitan, topped with garlic mayo.  I thought it might be a little too weird, however, both pizzas were delectable

My delicious Marinara pizza at Purezza Pizzeria, Camden Town

The Chef at Work at Purezza Pizzeria, Camden

After lunch we explored Camden Market which is a fun place in which to ramble, with its myriad stalls and booths selling all kinds of curios and foods.

Camden Market, Camden Town

Food Stall on Asian Lane, Camden Market

The Temple of Seitan in Camden 

We then walked along the Regent Street Canal toward Islington and when we reached King's Cross, we suddenly found ourselves in a strange and curious environment. There were Christmas trees in purple and blue and large residential towers converted from Victorian gas holders.

Gas Holder Buildings Converted to Apartments

Coal Drops Yard Shopping Mall, Converted 19th Century Warehouses

Shopping Mall (Samsung Store on Top)

Inside the Samsung Store

Continuing our walk along the Regent Street Canal, we came upon one of London's famous bookstores, Word on the Water, a unique bookstore inside a canal barge.

Word on the Water Bookstore, Regent Street Canal

We then proceeded to Westminister Abbey for a free organ recital.  The music was stirring.  Unfortunately, we were not able to explore  the Abbey where many famous people are buried including Queen Elizabeth 1st and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots.

Big Ben Covered in Scaffolding

Items for sale in Gift Shop of Westminister Abbey

Westminister Abbey

An Outing to Southwark south of the Thames

Friday, December 20, 2019:  I have my London Oyster Transport Card in hand and a new camera and I am ready to explore this town; however, it won't stop raining.  It rained all day yesterday, today and it is expected to rain throughout the weekend.  Today, however, Eddie and I ventured out, sans camera, and took the tube south of the Thames to visit Borough Market, one of London's oldest food markets.  The outdoors-but-covered market is situated in a place where one might not expect to find such a food market, alongside busy roads, underneath a railway line, and close to London Bridge.  Here one finds a plenitude of food stalls, many offering specialty foods, all crammed together. It seems that only a city of nearly 9 million people could result in such an "obscene abundance" of food everywhere we go. For lunch, Eddie bought a serving of wild mushrooms over Spelt.  The Spelt grain was grown in Somerset. I bought a serving of Pumpkin Curry over Basmati Rice.  Both dishes were prepared in large vats which attracted a lot of attention and a queue of hungry customers. We finished with a Baltic layered honey cake, bought at another stall, served with vegan Chai Tea.  Everything was delicious.  We then visited Southwark Cathedral, the oldest Gothic Catherdal in London, which is situated adjacent to Borough Market. It just so happened there was a boys' choir performing a free concert and it was lovely to sit in such a beautiful, old building and hear their angelic voices.  This cathedral is associated with many famous people, William Shakespeare being one of them.  When we left the church we walked along the Thames for a short while and, needing cover from the lashing rain, we came upon Shakespeare's Globe Theater. This particular theater opened in 1997, and is the "best guess" at what the original Globe Theater looked like. The original Globe Theater opened in 1599 but in 1613 burned down.  A second globe theater was demolished in 1644.  The tour we took was great. I felt like I was transported back four hundred years ago.

A Walk to Knightsbridge

Wednesday, December 18, 2019: Eddie and I like to walk.  It's the best way to see a city.  Everyday we take a long saunter.  Today we ambled to Chelsea and Knightsbridge.  These days our destinations are driven by the need to purchase something or a desire to eat at one of London's plethora of vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Today we went to Chelsea to buy a camera at Peter Jones Department Store on Sloan Square and have lunch at Wulf & Lamb, a plant-based restaurant.  More about the food in London later.  Suffice to say London is a gourmand heaven.  Every meal I have eaten in London so far has been amazing. From Chelsea we walked to Knightsbridge where Eddie took me into Harrod's Department Store which is owned by the state of Qatar.  What can I say? A visit to Harrod's changes one perspective on the world.  I now realize the world exists solely for the moneyed-class.  I can't even begin to describe what it is like to wander around Harrod's seven floors and see so many people procuring so many expensive things.  The building itself is interesting and was built between 1901 and 1905.  Inside there is a strong art deco feel with Egyptian decorative references.  There are several cafes and restaurants in the building.   The Harrod's Tea Room on the 4th floor was filled with wealthy-looking Middle Eastern women enjoying their Devonshire cream and scones.  London continues to overwhelm me.

Harrods Department Store, Brompton Road (behind red bus)

A Stroll to South Kensington

Tuesday, December 17, 2019:

Today I returned the camera I recently bought on Kensington High Street.   It was, to my chagrin, defective. I am without a camera until I find another one to purchase.  I'll try taking photos with my tablet.

In the afternoon Eddie and I walked to South Kensington.   South Kensington is a fascinating neighborhood to explore, home to Imperial University and a few superlative museums including the Natural History Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum, all situated in beautiful, palatial buildings.  There are always a lot of tourists and young people walking about in the streets.  One often hears French spoken on the street. South Kensington is sometimes referred to as "Petite France," and is home to the Institut francais du Royaume-Uni, a French cultural center and language school.  Today I enrolled in an intermediate class at the Institut beginning in January.   I'm going to be studying French in London!  Je suis stressé.

Good news. I received noticed that my application for an Oyster 60+ card has been approved, granting me free public transportation throughout London. Residents of London aged 60+ receive free public transportation in the city. Riding public transportation is expensive in London.  The other evening it cost me 4.90 GBP (Great Britain pounds) just to get from Piccadilly Circus to Kensington High Street on the tube. 
Walking from South Kensington back to Kensington this evening made for a pleasant stroll on the side streets.  All the homes are historic, beautiful and well-kept.  Christmas wreathes and trees are not uncommon. It gets dark here now at 4pm.

The Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington

The Natural History Museum, South Kensignton

A Visit to Shepherd's Bush

Monday, December 16, 2019:  Today we walked to Shepherd's Bush and along the way we walked through Holland Park Mews, a collection of homes converted from old horse stables.  We then walked to Shepherd's Bush Market, an outdoor flea market kind of place, where I was immediately transported to another country as I never saw so many women in burkas and hijabs in one place.  Walking along Shepherd's Bush High Street we passed a café where I saw two women sitting at an outdoor table and one looked familiar.  It was Sinead O'Connor who is performing at the Shepard's Bush Empire tonight.  Only a ten minute walk from Shepherd's Bush Market one encounters a completely different shopping experience, Westfield Mall, the largest shopping mall in all Europe.  One could say in French: Le centre commercial est très grand, si grand que vous n'en voyez jamais la fin (The mall is big, so big you never see the end of it.)  Seriously, it is huge. What I like most about Westfield London is the undulating and surreal-like glass roof or canopy over the mall.

Mews Houses on Holland Park Mews

Holland Park Mews

Westfield Mall, Roof with Decorations

Westfield Mall, Roof with Decorations

Westfield Mall, Roof with Decorations