A Brief London Recap #writing #writerslife #wanderlust

Hi everybody, I’m back! :-)

Wow, what a whirlwind. A week definitely flies by quickly but I still managed to fit in quite a bit of fun and cross off some of the things on my to-do/to-see list. Not everything though, so we’ll have to leave the rest for next time.

I’m not the best photographer, and didn’t document all the activities, so there’s lots missing, but here’s a smattering of pics from across the pond and a little taste of what happened.

Hope you enjoy and it’s good to be back. Looking forward to catching up with what you’ve been up to as well!

Thanks for visiting,

A :-) My temporary ‘hood, a neat little area called Pimlico, located in Westminster. A quiet place filled with little shops and close to a couple of tube stations. Would definitely stay there again.

The day after arriving, we headed out to Stroud, located in Gloucestershire, about 1 1/2 hours from London via train. The wedding was held at local pub and inn “The Bear,” quite an idyllic location for Sarika and Dan’s special day.

One of the coolest things I got to do this trip was meet up with my blogger friend Elaine from foodbod.wordpress.com at Borough Market. Please check out her site for inspiring recipes and stunning photography. We chatted, strolled and sampled some tasty nibbles as though we had many times before. I picked up many gifts from the market and had a delicious dosa lunch, hot and fresh off the griddle. I’d heard lots about Borough Market and agree that it’s something special. Can’t wait to visit again and I wonder what it must look like at Christmastime. Thanks again, Elaine, for coming to meet me, it was a wonderful afternoon! One of my favourite places to visit in London has always been Covent Garden. One of my London relatives asked me why and I couldn’t quite explain it. Some see the area as quite commercial and dare I say “touristy.” But for me, it’s always been a fun place to wander, where you can watch zany performers, listen to musicians, meet interesting artisans…and eat Cornish pasties. Although I was shocked to discover that my fave pastie place had moved. I’ll have to track it down next time, ha. It seems to be that one of the rites of passage for Canadians visiting London is to drop in for a pint at the Canadian pub, appropriately named The Maple Leaf. I’ve had London relatives for ten years now, but this was my first time visiting! Admittedly, the place was a bit cheesy pie, with Canadian kitsch decorating the walls – e.g. Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys, moose crossing signs, and the like – but I have to say, I had a great time there. The place is a mix between a pub, sports bar and log cabin, and has an extensive poutine menu – the Quebecois delicacy of fries, cheese curds and gravy…don’t knock it, ha! – although the kitchen was closed while I was there, so I didn’t get to sample it this time. We had a London beer – Noble? It’s quite good – in the Canadian pub, which seemed quite appropriate for us. I can see The Maple Leaf being lots of fun during the NHL playoffs or on Canada Day. Before leaving, we defaced a bit of money in the name of patriotism. The  back wall of the bar is full of Canadian bills, loonies and toonies, signed by Canucks passing through. Now there’s an initialed toonie of ours up there too, to say “we were here.” All in all, it was a bit of fun and I look forward to bending an elbow there again before long.    Not sure which tube station this was taken at, but it’s always fun to see touches of Canada here and there. Much like these leaves in the wind, the trip flew by!