Allison O'Donoghue. Editor. Journalist. Travel Writer. Blogger. ABN: 49 619 105 040: LONDON'S CALLING

LONDON'S CALLING

Tower Bridge

Big Ben

Houses of Parliament

Story and photography by Allison O’Donoghue

London is one of the easiest cities to get around with many modes of transport - the iconic double-decker bus, the tube, black cabs or ferries. And it is very simple to navigate and map your way around the many tourist sites and attractions that London has to offer. The city has had a facelift with Centuries of DNA sandblasted off the walls and buildings giving them a fresh clean look, and beautiful overflowing hanging flower baskets line the streets with dedicated waterers regularly giving them a drink. London is a beautiful city and well worth checking out with so much to see and do with all its amazing rich history, its trying to fit it all in that'll be the problem. Here are some ideas.

I stayed at the Olympic Hotel in Sussex Gardens, centrally located a street away from Paddington station, very close to Hyde Park and just up the road from Edgeware Road where you will find authentic Arab food bars and restaurants as well as inexpensive clothing and Internet cafes’. And while in the area, check out Marble Arch, the site where most of the public hangings and executions took place.

Royal Guard

Day One

Paddington station is one of the big ones where you can get a long haul train out to the country or short metro trips to anywhere in London with connections to the airport. Sussex Gardens straddles the very wealthy areas surrounding Hyde Park like Bayswater, Mayfair, Kensington and Knightsbridge.

Hyde Park is wonderful to stroll through and it is massive, with plenty to see and do. You could visit Kensington Palace, where Princes Victoria grew up and where Princess Diana lived. There is an exhibition of some of her costumes on display. Or travel along Serpentine Rd and relax along the Serpentine water way. Grab a coffee at one of the many small cafes or pick up an ice cream from one of the vans dotted around the park. You can go to Speakers Corner and listen to the orators probably complaining about the Olympics and all the disruptions that it brings. Or just keep on walking and you’ll end up in Knightsbridge where you will find all the best museums along Exhibition Road – the Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Oratory and of course the world famous Royal Albert Hall.

Royal Calvary

After all that culture you could then head over to Harrods for an expensive lobster salad roll and cup of tea. It is mind-boggling the prices for goods in this store but there is no harm in looking at how the rich live in Knightsbridge.And just down the road is the magnificent Albert Hall.

Royal Albert Hall

Day Two

Head into town via a double-decker bus and drink in the atmosphere as you wind your way through London streets. Get off at Trafalgar Square, a major meeting and get your bearings. This area encompasses Westminster and extends south along the Thames where you can explore the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Westminster Abbey was originally built as a Benedictine monastery and has since evolved as a resting place for Kings and Queens. It is absolutely worth checking out – stunningly huge, ornate and rich in history.

Westminster Abbey

The Houses of Parliament has been home to the House of Lords and the House of Commons since the 11^th century. Edward the Confessor established his court here and major decisions concerning the city of London were made here from then on. Clock Tower commonly known as Big Ben stands guard at the northern end along the Thames. Its bell is apparently 14 tons and peels out every hour. Victoria Tower at the south end contains copies of every Act of Parliament since the 1400’s. Parliament is in session when a Union flag is flown from the top. And when the Queen is in the house, a royal flag is flown.

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament

You can zip across the bridge to catch an interminably slow ride on the London Eye. In all honesty, its only worth it if you’ve got oodles of time and the weather is clear – the views of London are amazing however if there is lots of cloud cover then it’s a waste of time and money. So if possible, time it well.

From here you could walk along the Thames to the Tower of London. See previous post on information regarding the Tower of London.

London Eye

Day Three

Soho is a vibrant and happening area of London with a vast array of nightclubs and bars to choose from like Ministry of Sound, MO’VIDA, and The End to name a few. Head to Piccadilly Circus, which is made up of four of the West Ends arterial roads – Piccadilly, Regent St, Shaftesbury Ave and the Haymarket. A short stroll from here is Covent Gardens and the famously overrated Leicester Square. This area is full of street performers, over priced cafes and restaurants but what the hell, go for it. Chinatown is also situated in Soho. From Piccadilly you can head to the West End Theatre District, dominated by musicals and plays that generally run for years and years.

Piccadilly Circus

Be careful riding the tourist tandem bikes! You will see them weaving and dodging traffic for a slow ride around Soho, you negotiate a price and the driver takes you for a pedal ride. We took a night ride with a dodgy dude who took us into back streets in complete darkness, surrounded by construction sites, nothing touristy to see here. I got very nervous when he stopped and demanded more money and then made a phone call. If I had not screamed at him to keep moving, I’m sure we would have been robbed and maybe worse. I wouldn’t recommend doing one of these rides, it is just as easy to walk around Soho it is not a very large area. Be warned, they will literally take you for a ride. Hopefully London council has cleaned them up before the Olympics.

West End theatre district

Day Four

Visit the art galleries and there are many to choose from - like The National Gallery, which is located on the north side of Trafalgar Square and a truly fantastic experience. This is where you will see one of Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ masterpieces as well as special exhibitions. There are four wings all housing famous artworks from around the world.

The British Museum

Trafalgar Square

The National Portrait gallery is around the corner and again a marvellous experience. Start at the top floor and work your way down to the 3^rd floor and make a pit stop at the restaurant that has spectacular views of London. Just as good as the London Eye and even better when the weather is clear.

Then pop over to the British Museum, an absolute must when in London. The infamous Elgin Marbles, well really they should be called the Parthenon marbles, the debate still rages whether to give them back to Greece. Looks like it will happen eventually. The Rosetta Stone is also a crowd pleaser, albeit difficult to get close to and there is a wealth of Egyptian artefacts. See my review on London Museums for more information.

The Tate Modern formerly the Bankside Power Station, houses the largest collection of modern art in the world. You will find Picasso, Frances Bacon, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin et el and a representation of ‘cool Britannia’ in one location.

The Tate Modern

Along the same street is the world famous Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and if you’re a theatre buff then not to be missed. Check out my blog on the play Timon’s of Athens for full story on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

On your way back from the Tate Modern pop into St Paul’s Cathedral. In 1707 Architect Christopher Wren was commissioned by Charles II to build on the site after the last cathedral burnt to the ground in1666. Wren was clever in his construction often deveining the cost to the King and the powers that be to build his vision of the cathedral and thank god he did. It is a magnificent building. If you can’t get through the crowds then attend evensong and join the choir to get to The Nave. The tombs on the ground floor contain the remains of Lord Nelson, Florence Nightingale and the Duke of Wellington.

St Paul's Cathedral

Then have a well-deserved cup of tea from a little café off to the side of the cathedral. It doesn’t serve high tea but you will get a hot pot with real leafs plus selection of scones and cakes. Lovely.

The Royal Courts of Justice

Knights Templar - Middle Temple Gardens

Keep on walking down Fleet street, the old newspaper district and you will find your way to Royal Courts of Justice, the law and order district. The Temple Bar – bar as in magistrates - is the domain of lawyers, QC and Silk’s etc. And in fact is the setting for that fantastic legal series Silk on ABC/BBC. I’m not sure if this area is open to the public but I stumbled upon it while walking around. I did a lot of walking in London, it’s very easy and you come across gems that aren’t mentioned in guidebooks.

If you’re a Da Vinci Code fanatic, this is where you will find the round Temple Church mentioned in the book and film where the Knights Templar are buried. You will see references to Knights Templar everywhere and it’s thrilling to be close to such ancient history. The buildings are beautiful, some very old, closely built together and in different styles but somehow it all works. Plaques depict where the fires of 1666 and bomb damage during the Blitz occurred. Its fitting the Knights Templar, the self appointed protectors of the realm is now occupied by the prosecutors and defenders of modern London.

Temple Church

According to Shakespeare’s Henry VI the red and white flowers that served as emblems in the War of the Roses were plucked in Middle Temple Gardens.

Day Five

Shopping. No trip to London is complete without indulging in a spot of shopping. When they have sales in London, they really have sales unlike Australia where a T-Shirt is still hellishly expensive on sale as it is to buy pre-sale, but in London you could go berserk. Next time I travel to the UK I plan on taking a relatively empty suitcase to capitalise on the bargains. The only problem is the queues so I recommend giving yourself a whole day devoted to shopping, as waiting in line can be tedious and time consuming but obviously well worth the effort.

The world’s best stores can be found along Oxford and Regent Street streets. Selfridges on Oxford St is an institution selling everything from traditional tweeds to modern fashion, kitchen ware and all your household needs, like Harrods albeit a little less expensive. Liberty is on Regent St focuses on top quality design and handicrafts unique to Britain. Fortnum & Mason have provided high quality foodstuffs for Kings and Queens fro decades, so for a gourmet treat slip into this store for all your culinary delights.

Oxford Street

Then there are all the clothes shops to choose from, Top Shop, H&M, Zara and all the stalwarts but down the side streets you will discover small independent boutique stores offering one-off designer clothes that no one else will be wearing.

Day Six

Covent Gardens Market sells everything and anything that a tourist could possibly want or not want, but if you hanker for all things British then this is the place to come. Produce, food stalls, clothing, trinkets and myriad street performers enhance this area. It’s fun, interesting, vibrant and very much alive.

Camden Markets

For bric-a-brac head to the many markets in London start at Camden Markets, one of London’s premier market with streets lined with stalls from all genres and eras, from punk to pop the with locals adding colour. Within the market proper your will find stall after stall full of very interesting items. If you look hard enough and brush up on your bartering skills your can snare a bargain here. Antique stores also line the markets and down small alleyways. Cross over the canal to more market places or take a barge ride through the canals that lead straight to the city.

No bartering allowed at the world famous Portobello Road Markets. It has the usual fare, second hand clothing, food and antiques stalls, all overpriced and relies heavily on its name, which seems to add to the price and strangely the stallholders remind you of where you are. “Madam, you are buying something from the world famous Portobello Markets – it is rude to haggle”. I reminded the fellow who admonished me for haggling that the whole point of the markets was to get a bargain, and haggling was apart of the whole experience. I was dismissed with a wave of his hand. Suffice to say, I didn’t buy anything from the Portobello Road Markets.

Day Trips

Stonehenge – Everyone has heard of Stonehenge and if you’re into jutting stones in a paddock then you’ll delight at Stonehenge. I was disappointed because they’ve cordoned off the site so you can only look from a distance. You can no longer walk through the stones and touch them due to safety concerns. Well they have been standing 1500BC and have withstood the rigors of 80k winds for centuries so it is doubtful they would fall over now, but then again anything could happen, better to be safe than sorry. However once a year patrons can worship at the site during the winter solstice so if you time your visit right, you will be allowed in. Pagans have rights in the UK; they can’t hold back 1000’s of people so they don’t try.

Roman baths in Bath

BATH – Is a wonderful city and absolutely worth a day trip, even staying overnight. It is where the world famous Roman Baths are located. The Romans built a bathhouse here in AD43 because of the hot springs (47°C) and it flourished for over 400 years. People came from far and wide to sample the springs due to its miraculous healing properties, whether this was real or perceived is irrelevant as Bath went on to become one of the places to be seen and a place of influence. Wealthy Londoners had properties here and whenever someone in the family became ill they would make a pilgrimage to Bath for physical and mental healing and also social climbing. The Roman Baths are very well preserved and showcase the ingenuity of the Romans with central heating, internal plumbing and engineering. Odd then that London engineers did not copy the Romans and implement some of their techniques – it was centuries before personal hygiene and central heating became a priority for the Brits.

Bath Abbey

The architecture of Bath is simply beautiful and reminds one of Italy with massive apartments lining tree-lined streets built especially for the Londoners. Bath Abbey was built in the late 16^th century by George and William Vertue who wanted to erect a cathedral to rival France and or Italy.
Go to www.http://visitbath.co.uk - for more information.

There are many day trips you could do from London - Birmingham canals. Clovelly Beach. Cornwall. Devon. It is endless. Enjoy your stay in the UK.