Ελληνικά
MY LONDON – Travel Inspiration by Katilena Alpe
London is my city. Cosmopolitan, full of buzz, fashionable, trendy it is where everything begins!
As I hadn’t been for a while and I was passing outside the Air Exelixis in Laodikns Street in Glyfada,
I went in and spoke to a lovely lady called Vaso and she booked my ticket with Aegean Airlines for the next day – a Friday!!
How fabulous! A long weekend in London!! That’s what I needed to be cheered up in London, baby!
MY LONDON – Travel Inspiration by Katilena Alpe
Went on the bbc.com website to check out the weather forecast – its not something I do – but I didn’t want any surprises.
Well, the forecast was for snow. I thought it’ll be lovely to be in London in the snow!
On the Friday, I went on the X97 bus to the airport and boarded my Aegean flight to London Gatwick.
No major delays just one relating to air traffic. The service as always was impeccable.
While waiting for take off I read cover to cover the Blue Magazine the airline’s inflight publication.
Which is great as it give travellers information about the cities and what is happening on the Aegean route.
And so we landed at Gatwick Airport.
I did think that there was a lot of fog and what I thought of raindrops were a bit big and stuck on the windows. It was snow!!
Got my luggage and got onto the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station and from there a cab to my hotel.
I decided to be a real tourist in London and enjoy it that way.
I stayed at The Orange – www.theorange.co.uk – which is a boutique pub with 4 en-suite rooms on the Pimlico Road.
A stone throw’s away from the Saturday Farmers Market on the square, Sloane Square with the Court Theatre and all sorts of lovely boutiques and shops and of course within walking distance from Harvey Nichols and Harrods. So I was on the right place.
While on the train I made my plans of what to see, where to shop, where to eat and where to walk if the snow continued to fall.
The first stop
So I checked in at the Orange. Then went downstairs at the dining area where I met a friend for lunch and drinks.
The menu is uncomplicated. The ingredients are sourced from sustainable sources and forging links with the local farmers market.
A simple philosophy which is reflected in the rustic modern European menu features thin crust wood fired pizzas, roasted meats and fish.
As it was cold and snowing outside, I choose a wintry dish of beef and cheddar pie with chunky chips on the side.
We ordered a crisp white wine and we settled in for the afternoon!
For dessert we shared a sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and a lovely dessert wine. Perfect!
And what about the rest of the afternoon.
Well, I wrapped up against the cold and the snow and walked down to Sloane Square.
I checked out what was new on the King’s Road, noted that Colbert has opened where Oriel used to be
and made a note to try out as it is the newest ventures by the owners of the Wolsely.
The afternoon tea
Went to Harrods and Harvey Nichols and as I was feeling really energetic went up Knightsbridge and headed to Piccadilly.
Decided I need a little rest stop so the Wolsely was a welcome pitstop.
Went in got a table by the window and order their afternoon tea with all the treamings!! Heavenly!
Try something new
On the way, got the bus and went back to my hotel to get ready for the evening with friends.
I told them to surprise me as I was just a visitor in London this time.
One of the nicest features in my hotel room was the free wifi.
So I got to check my emails, looked up the latest hot openings in London and wondered where I was being taken for dinner.
Soon it was time to meet my friends.
A quick drink at the bar at the Orange and then we hopped in a taxi and we arrived at Clarges Street.
We were to dine at the Burger & Lobster.
As the name suggests that’s what you get. For £20 you can choose half a lobster, or a burger or a lobster roll and they all come with a side salad and a portion of chips.
I chose steamed lobster with lemon butter sauce. Then it was drinks.
Victoria & Albert Musuem
On the Saturday after a really hearty breakfast at the Orange, wrapped up again ,
walked down to Sloane Square and from there I decided to jump on a bus to take me to the V&A (Victoria & Albert Musuem) to check out the newest exhibitions.
As I was so near it’ll be a sin to miss out on Hummingbird cupcake. I made my way to the Hummingbird.
The whole experience of having coffee and cake there is great but choosing is another story.
You are presented with so many choices and aromas that you cannot make up your mind. But I did.
I decided on a latte and a red velvet! Every mouthful was a heavenly delight.
My dinner plans included another set of friends and of course another restaurant.
I love ethnic cuisines with Thai and Indian figuring very high on my list. However, they had a surprise for me.
They send me an sms message saying put your glam rags on as we are off parting at the Upper West on the King’s Road.
It is one of the newest entries in the London nightlife and it doesn’t disappoint.
Its a bar, nightclub and rooftop garden an über-stylish, New York-inspired lounge.
We sat at the w bar where we tasted the bar bites such as deep-fried mac ’n’ cheese, hot dogs and fishcakes, and tried the cocktails.
A great night with music, friends, fab bar food and delicious cocktails plus I wasn’t paying for the bill so I had even more fun!
After breakfast on Sunday, I decided to walk up to St.Jame’s Park. I wanted to see it covered with a thin layer of snow.
It was a magnificent sight! It was a day spent walking and a short trip to the Royal Academy of Arts.
A quick coffee and maroon at Ladure in the Burlington Arcade. London looked magnificent through the snowflakes.
Claridges
Decided on a spare of the moment to walk down to Claridges and see whether there was a table for afternoon tea.
As a tourist in London you must experience afternoon tea. And Claridges is one of my favourite places.
The light classical live music, the amazing crystal chandelier, the lilies everything smells and tastes magnificent.
Oh my God I was lucky. A table near the fireplace.
When my finger sandwiches arrived and sunk my teeth in the cucumber one – I knew why I love London so much – its glamour all the way!!
After that I returned to the Orange. Had a late dinner and again their amazing sticky toffee pudding.
I then reluctantly when to my room to pack as the next day I was flying back.
However, I had one more stop to make before taking the train to Heathrow this time.
I walked down Pimplico Road ,cut through Holbein Place and in less than 10 minutes I was walking through the doors of the Colbert.
I look at the menu set very much as the Wolsely and instantly I knew what I was having.
A bacon battie (a bacon sandwich) with lots of ketchup and a huge pot of tea! Lovely!
Colbert itself reminded me very much of a Parisian bistro serving such food.
However, I promised to myself I’ll come back in my next trip as I was running out of time for my flight.
The Orange – www.theorange.co.uk – double rooms from £195 including breakfast.
The rooms are simple and stylish. Location is great to explore different parts of the capital. Plus, the hotel offers free wifi.
Air Exelixi Travel – www.airexelixi.travel – can whisk you anywhere you wish to travel. Speak with Vaso. She is great.
For Decoration Blog MYLIFE
Katilena Alpe Director DK Associates
Nice article makes me want to go to London…yesterday!