Discovering More of London, and a Side Trip to Bath

A Perfect Mother's Day

Mother's Day couldn't have been more enjoyable.

We started the morning at Nata's, a charming neighborhood café known for its Portuguese pastries and excellent breakfast. From there we hopped on the Tube toward Kew.

I had no idea that the village of Kew was so cute. We arrived at he most delightful market and picked up delicious pastries. We then took a long walk through a stunning neighborhood of large single-family homes with lush landscaping and tree-lined streets.

After a 20-minute walk, we arrived at Kew Gardens just in time for the complimentary one-hour guided tour, which ended up lasting nearly two hours thanks to our lovely guide. As someone who loves history, I found the stories fascinating.

I learned that the gardens trace their origins to Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III, who began developing the botanical gardens in the mid-18th century. Kew Place was built in 1631 for a Flemish merchant before becoming the summer home of King George III in the 18th century. The estate eventually became part of the royal holdings and it was Queen Victoria who gave Kew to the public.

Walking into the iconic Victorian Palm House with its wrought-iron framework and spiral staircases felt like stepping back in time. We loved the Princess of Wales Conservatory, with its ten distinct climate zones ranging from desert cacti to lush orchids,

By late afternoon we made our way to nearby Richmond.

We walked the town to see the Ted Lasso filming locations and stop in a shop or two. The day ended with a traditional Sunday roast at The White Cross, a lively pub perched on the banks of the River Thames. I definitely recommend this place if you are in Richmond -- between the excellent roast, the riverside setting and gorgeous interiors, it felt quintessentially English.

We finally returned to Balham that evening,15,338 steps later.

Thanks for sharing, and for the links!

Does your dd or her local connections have some tie to Young's, the corporation that operates those pubs?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young's

I very much doubt it. Young’s own 180 pubs in London so it’s not weird that you’d visit 2 in 2 days. Pub managers have a lot of freedom in how the pub is run so the Balham pub might aim at a young clientele. The Richmond pub might have a totally different vibe with a focus on food.

No connection to any pub nor pub parent company at all… Just whatever she thinks is the prettiest with a good menu and good location!

The Work Week

The kids were off to work so I made my way to the Clapham South Tube Station and headed to Covent Garden to find a charming café for coffee. Cold and raining on May 11, it wasn’t strolling weather … still there was cute coffee shop after coffee shop. I went into the very pretty Caffe Concerto, the Italian restaurant and patisserie chain. After an Americano and croissant, I went to the National Gallery.

We visited the National Portrait Gallery in 2019 but did not see this amazing place. I walked through with the audio guide, which worked well -- better than I thought. We typically take the guided tours at The Getty and The National Gallery of Art in DC and they run every day every hour. The National Gallery offers one tour from 3 - 4 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays so it was me and earphones for this one.

There were so many highlights! My favorites included The Burlington House Cartoon, Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi and Venus and Mars. The most fascinating piece to me was The Origin of the Milky Way by Jacopo Tintoretto. Painted around 1575 for the Habsburg emperor Rudolf II, I was captivated by the mythology, symbolism and the Renaissance fascination with the heavens reflected in the painting.

I had been wanting to visit the Brick Lane Vintage Market in Shoreditch, so I decided to take a double-decker bus across London. Loved the view from the top and highly recommend! The area was a little quiet on a Monday but that made it easier to shop. I was on a mission to find a vintage Burberry trench but did not see what I was looking for. Lots and lots of stalls with everything from records and housewares to clothes and accessories. Truly a teen’s dream!
Brick Lane Vintage Market: https://www.vintage-market.co.uk/

Back in Balham, I discovered the cutest authentic Italian café called Buondi. Part market and part café, it was only open until 5 p.m. and was the perfect spot for an afternoon toastie and coffee.
Buondi: https://www.instagram.com/buondiciullosteria/

With pubs on nearly every corner, we walked to Clapham Common for dinner and ended the day having logged 12,425 steps.

Finally, St. Paul's!

Tuesday was my morning at St. Paul’s Cathedral with London Walks at 10:30 am sharp! This was the fifth new sight on my list for the week and one that I had been wanting to see since I was in London seven years ago. I saw Rick on a show say that he "views European churches not just as houses of worship, but as massive, open-book museums where art, architecture and history intersect to tell the story of Western civilization." I look at churches much differently since then. London Walks had some great stories as always. I loved the one about Queen Victoria complaining that it was “dull, dingy and undevotional and the response of the mosaics that now decorate the ceiling and walls of the quire. I climbed 376 steps to The Stone Gallery, stopped and admired the view but did not make it all the way up to The Golden Gallery. I left with lots of fantastic pictures though!

From there, I was off to find a historical pub I had read about but I forgot how big London is regardless of how it looks on a map. I set out to stroll toward the Thames, find the pub and slowly head across the river. The walk was longer than I thought so my stroll turned a bit more into a mission.

With time working against be a bit so I be home when my DD was finished with work, I decided to skip the pub. I headed across the Millenium Bridge, along the Thames to Borough Market. We had come here as a family in 2019 and loved it. So many choices, lots of buzz with both locals for lunch and tourists. I was surprised how crowded it was at 2:00 pm on a Tuesday but then again, I suppose Borough Market always is crowded. I spotted French Duck Confit at Le March du Quartier paired with a glass of rose’ and found a cozy spot to people watch. There I sat and enjoyed the moment. Soaking up that there was 1,000 years of history in this place -- it's hard for me to fathom.

Time to go find the tube to get back to Balham. I passed The Ginger Pig on my way out and purchased a couple of sausage rolls to take home for another day. 15,103 steps.

My Day in South Kensington, Chelsea and Belgravia

Well … here I am, always looking for the next darling European town to live like a local, and I’m living like a local in London! Three tubes to get the V&A from Balham. (That was the extent of my local trek.)

My plan was to get off at Victoria Station and walk Elizabeth Street, which I have read and seen so much about. I had hoped to find a cute place for coffee and window shop a bit then go on to Sloane Square, walk down King’s Road a bit and to the V&A. BUT, it was pouring AGAIN so I reversed plans and prayed for good weather after the museum. Upon arriving at the South Kensington Tube Station, I walked through a long tunnel that leads to the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and I think it even went to the Royal Albert Hall. Brilliant as I didn’t get a drop of rain on me!

We had been to the V&A in 2019. I had just finished watching Victoria, the series, and was determined to see her stunning crown – which I did, but that was all we had time for. For this visit I had the whole day to explore! I set out to find the gorgeous Gamble Room for coffee. I had an Americano and scone with packaged clotted cream. I should’ve skipped the scone – this was not the place for that. But the Americano was lovely and the setting was spectacular! I just sat and enjoyed the stained glass windows, carved columns and beautiful ceiling. Such a treat!

I thought I would join a guided tour but assumed I had missed the window since I reversed my itinerary for the day. But as luck would have it, I came across one that had recently started so I joined in. This free tour is every day at 10.30, 13.00 and 14.00, and is a great introduction to some of the must-see pieces. The ceramic staircases knocked my socks off! I wandered into the gift shop and found a pair of earrings that were made to look like old gold coins. The designer is Ottoman Hands who was founded in London in 2010 – most of their jewelry has a Turkish or Greek feel. Sadly, I proceeded to lose one when I got home to California, so I now have a reason to go back! Soon!

From the V&A, I strolled through South Kensington, then Chelsea and Belgravia. A few of the vocational rental agencies have lots of flats and townhouses here so I wanted to get a feel for the neighborhood for when we come back at Christmas. We stayed in a 2-bedroom flat in Mayfair in 2019 – which was quite central to lots of shops, restaurants, pubs, tubes. I supposed Chelsea is the same – just a different look than Mayfair.

I came across John Sandoe Books which is a must-stop-in if you are strolling through. It has been there since 1957. From there I walked to Elizabeth Street which is everything I had thought it would be. Between Peggy Porschen to The Thomas Cubitt Pub to the shops, it was as picturesque as ever! I definitely recommend if you are in the area and looking for coffee, a bakery, lunch or just want to see a beautiful colorful street!

Finally headed home as weekdays are work days for me. It was early morning in California and time for me hang up my tourist hat. Tomorrow, I would take the train to Bath for a night.

Getting a bit misty eyed at mention of Clapham South, l spent 5 very happy years living there in my 20s.

I hope you are aware that Balham is ‘ The Gateway to the South’ ? :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uu4Y93zNrM

It also much more depressingly appears in the Oscar nominated film Atonement when (spoilers!) Kiera Knightly’s character dies in the WWII Balham tube station bombing.

The length of the Northern line around Clapham is particularly deep and the tunnels around the stations were/are used for a range of purposes including as air raid shelters during the war.
At Clapham North there was an underground salad farm growing using hydroponics, I don’t know if it is still there?

good to hear about Balham

great report - thanks

The video by Peter Sellers is hilarious!

Bath, Day One: A Solo Adventure

This was my first adventure traveling completely solo abroad, so dipping my toe in the water with one night in an English-speaking country seemed like a great place to start. I took the train from Paddington Station to Bath Spa—a quick 90-minute journey.

I chose a small guest house called Eight, which I found in the Rick Steves England guidebook, and I definitely recommend it. It was charming, with a beautiful breakfast room, a lovely guest room, a very comfortable bed and nice bath products. The location was ideal—an easy walk from the train station but far enough away that it felt removed from the bustle.

Eight: https://www.eightinbath.co.uk/

After settling in, I strolled around and found a darling little place called Rosario’s for lunch. It is tiny and serves breakfast, lunch and cake—exactly the kind of neighborhood café I wish I had in my little suburban California town!

From there, I joined the Mayor of Bath’s Honorary Guides for a free walking tour, which turned out to be one of the best ways to get oriented to this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage city. The program has a wonderful history of its own. The earliest mention of the walks dates to 1934, and they continued even during World War II. The program expanded during the 1951 Festival of Britain and eventually developed formal guide training and twice-daily walks. Today, these knowledgeable volunteers offer visitors a fascinating introduction to Bath’s architecture, history and stories—all for free. For a first-time visitor, I highly recommend doing this early in your stay; it gave me a much better sense of the city and helped me decide where I wanted to spend the rest of my time.

Guided Tours: https://www.bathguides.org.uk/

Bath has some lovely shops and gorgeous restaurants and cafés, particularly around Pulteney Bridge. A stop at the Pulteney Bridge Coffee Shop for an Americano and a slice of heavenly rose, pistachio and raspberry cake, with a view from this 1774 bridge out over the River Avon, left me speechless.

Then it was back to my cute little inn to get some work done. Dinner was at The Real Italian Pizza Company, another place I highly recommend. I had the most delicious thin-crust pizza with marinara sauce, arugula and fresh burrata. Needless to say, I have since made it many times at home, but it just isn’t quite the same. 14,690 steps.

Another Day in Bath

I woke up without a plan, which is very unlike me. I figured the previous day’s tour would give me a thorough overview as well as a few ideas as to how to spend this second day.

First stop for me was back to Pulteney Bridge to another darling café for morning coffee. This time I went to Poppy’s and had an Americano. The small size, charm and menu of both of these places on the bridge were unlike anything I had been to. I love little coffee shops and we seek them out everywhere. The view and selection of baked goods from these two were second to none!

From there I went to the Victoria Art Gallery, which was just a short walk away. Free admission, this very pretty two-story gallery had an interesting collection. It was representative of a story our tour guide told us. Apparently, Princess Victoria visited Bath as a preteen. Reporters were documenting her visit when she overheard one say that she had fat ankles. Deeply offended, Victoria never returned. The city named parks, streets, museums and other things to her, but nothing worked.

I then decided to trace the steps from part of my tour to a very pretty part of town and did a little shopping. Then I trekked back the other way and went into Parade Gardens. What a gem! It was a beautiful serene lawn and garden perfectly kept!
From there I walked into the newer part of town, stopped at the Roman Baths gift shop and decided to go to a late lunch/early dinner. Back to Rosarios for a bite and glass of wine. Made my way to the train station and headed back to my daughter’s flat. 11,614 steps.

Saturday Brunch and Shopping

Finally, the weekend which meant we were both free to head out and about. I had not been to Marylebone and it was on my list so off we went. First stop was brunch at a little place called Drunch. Good menu, good prices – I definitely recommend. Daunt Books has been on my list since my trip in 2019. What a glorious bookstore! It seemed like every travel guide book under the sun was there! Made our way to Liberty, another London much-talked-about store that had been on my list since 2019. We weren’t buying and Liberty was the perfect stop to slowly stroll and absorb the beautiful way the store is merchandised. I am always in the market when JCrew gets a couple items in made our of traditional Liberty fabrics so it was very fun to see it in person.

We went to Dishoom in Carnaby for dinner. Again, on my list in 2019 but we didn’t make it. We sat at the gorgeous bar for a drink then moved to the dining room. Everything we had was delicious but the Chicken Ruby and House Black Daal were my favorite!
This was the perfect ending to a great day and we headed back to Balham. 12,217 steps.

Last Day in London … for now

More buses and tubes, we made our way to The Lazy Flea at Chiswick House & Gardens. My daughter discovered it a few months back and I had wanted to look around so we had a pretty sunny day to go exploring. It was smaller than I had expected but had lots of interesting wares: jewelry, clothes, art and home furnishings. We picked up a large framed map from the 1950s for her flat which was an unexpected find! From there we walked through Chiswick Gardens around the large manor and made our way to the high street for lunch.

From there we caught the bus which took us to Notting Hill to continue our vintage shopping. It was mobbed! It was a beautiful day after a cooler rainy week, so perhaps this was part of the reason why everyone was out and about. Luckily we were not looking for a place for lunch because we would’ve been shut out!

The plan was to stroll through past Kensington Palace through the gardens and Hyde park but we decided to cut it short since we were carrying a large, framed map around. So, two tubes later, we were back in Balham.

Balham Pub #4 was in the cards for the evening. We walked to The Windmill which might technically be in Clapham. I love the pubs on every corner. This one was not as busy as the other three we had been to but perhaps Sunday evening was reason for that. A couple glasses of wine later, we walked back to the flat and made dinner. 11,356 steps.

Heading to the Airport
Heading to Heathrow on a Monday morning gave me pause to think twice about taking the tube. I know rush hour can be quite crowded and hectic. My flight was leaving about 12:30 so I figured I was safe and off I went. Easy peasy! I do recall realizing how massive Heathrow is -- several different tube stops, and even then lots of walking to my British Air terminal and gate. I typically give myself 90 minutes for domestic flghts and 2 ½ for international. That seemed just fine.

A Few Notes
As we all talk about on this forum, London has so much to offer and see. I love history and architecture and art, and those cups runneth over! It was very nice to see Greater London a bit on this trip: Kew Gardens, Richmond, Chiswick, Clapham and Balham. I love the smallish towns for a truer authentic experience when traveling. I still talk about our month in Aix-en-Provence in 2021 being so very enlightening about to me, teaching me to take a breath and enjoy the moment. While I checked several things off my list, this trip also was one of those where I could stroll Balham High Street or walk around Chiswick without a real destination in mind.

We are headed back to London for Christmas with our entire family for another opportunity to immerse myself in British culture.

Thanks for the great detail on the Bath part of your trip. I am headed there next May and have found this very helpful.

Hi Carrie,

My daughter went to the Roman Baths and did the Thermae Spa experience and she liked it.

https://www.thermaebathspa.com/

I think this would’ve been interesting; I just ran out of steam.

https://no1royalcrescent.org.uk/