March 2012 - London...the multicultural city I fell in love with Part 2
With a few hours of sleep, but really relaxed and happy.. had an early start again, and my destination was Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. A slight mist was all over.. Few people were jogging or taking their dogs for a walk. God, I LOVE the parks in London. You could see grass and trees as long as your eye could reach. I even saw squirrels. :) After a couple of hours, time to return to the hotel, get my cuz and ride into the...sunrise!! :p
First stop: Natural History Museum. Absolute children's joy!! :) Dinosaurs, massive mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, corals, shells, birds and wildlife. Highlight was the elephant poo in a box!! You just sow the seeds, water and see your plant grow!! lol
Next stop: Harrods!! Temple of luxurious shopping. Particularly loved the jewellery and watch section. Tag Heuer, Omega, Breitling..oh, you just didn't know where to look!! <3 If you visit, be sure to take some of those excellent Charbonnel et Walker truffles. If you like liquor, the Pink Marc de Champagne are a must! ;)
A quick bite, some souvenir shopping and next destination: British Museum. I'll be honest here..I truly wonder WHY on earth do they call it British. Biggest part of it is greek and egyptian. Loved it and could spend hours and hours observing every little thing. Reaching the Greek section though, made me feel a melancholy..:( Yes, our marbles and our statues should return to where they belong. GREECE! Cause they are OUR heritage, OUR pride, OUR history, OUR civilization, they are OURS!!
While we visited, there was a special exhibition about Hajj:Journey to the heart of Islam. Beauuuutiful objects, amazing jewels, fantastic textiles..
With a bittersweet feeling, we took the road towards Tower Hill. Sunset time was approaching and the sky was promising amazing pictures of the Tower Bridge.
We sat there enjoying the magnificent view and watching all kinds of people pass us by, and before we even knew, it was time to head back to the hotel and prepare ourselves for dinner. We wanted to make our last night in London a little special, and since we hadn't really eaten proper food with all the walking and sightseeing, we decided to visit "Gaucho" restaurant in Chelsea. Located on number 89 of Sloane Av. it is the perfect place in London to have an Argentinian steak. Atmosphere was lovely, the open kitchen was a nice touch, the wine list impressive and the staff extra friendly with knowledge of what they're offering (i hate it when i go to a restaurant and ask a question and the waiter gives me the cow look). They present a meat board which is a quite fun experience and rather helpful. I would absolutely recommend it and couldn't think of a better way to spend our last night in London.
Monday, March 26th and last day of our trip. Got up early and rushed out of the hotel for my last dosage of London. No camera today..Instead, I was desperately trying to fill my mind with images and smells.
Trip back home was tiring, but filled with lots of good memories.
Conclusion is that I adored London and it's certain that I'm going to return there soon! It IS the European New York, with its own unique atmosphere, its diversity, its multicultureness, its friendly people, its architecture, its culture and its entertainment. London is a place where you can just be yourself. No matter what color, what religion, what ethnicity, what sexual preference. No matter if you're tall or short, beautiful or ugly, fat or thin, with a taste in fashion or not. Here you can be who you are and nobody is gonna look at you in a strange way or criticise you. London is a city that everyone must visit at least once in a lifetime. I do promise you though, that on your way back home, you will be thinking about the time you'll visit again....
xoxo
B.
