We've been fortunate not to be affected by any train strikes or delays during our first few weeks in Paris. Most of that has been mitigated by living within walking distance of everything we needed and wanted, but even still, travel strikes announced for the weekend would mean travels may be restricted in certain areas. Luckily, we still had some options for leaving the city to explore a bit.
Neither Alex nor I had ever taken the Eurostar under the English Channel between Paris and London, and we were curious about the experience. When you consider the rides to and from the airports, along with the necessary airport wait times, the train is actually more convenient. We were able to walk to Gare du Nord from where we were working in Paris, and then walk to our hotel in London directly from the St Pancras Station as well. We still needed to arrive an hour early to clear passport control and security, but the train provides the flexibility to get up and move around and do a bit more online work, which makes it more comfortable.
Despite China's dampening of public events and celebrations from the scare of the Wuhan Coronavirus spreading from travelers leaving China as quickly as possible, London's Chinatown wasn't going to let that stop the Lunar New Year decorations and celebrations. Chinese New Year is a huge retail holiday for Chinatown districts around the world, and since the New Year Greeting is "Kung Hei Fat Choy" ("Hope you get rich" in Cantonese) as seen on the banner below, spending money and making money is an important part of the holiday!
Being based in the West End was great for walking the neighborhood and finding all of the smaller independent shops along the way. Along my way to the National Portrait Gallery to meet up with a colleague I traveled with in Japan, I couldn't help but notice all of the Harry Potter-esque experiences one might be able to have along the way in this part of London. Take a look at the photos and description below should you want to conjure up your own Potter-like adventure in this area too!
Since I'd never really had a "proper" Afternoon Tea in London, I did a little searching for something that would be a bit fantastical and splendid without straying too far from the British tea traditions, and landed on the Queen of Afternoon Teas at the Oscar Wilde Bar inside the Hotel Café Royal. I was so happy to find that it wasn't just a splendid gold gilded room restoration, but that the experience of the live piano music, food, and teas really stood up to the splendor as well. I can firmly recommend this experience without hesitation if you're up for an indulgence or celebration!
One of the things I regularly confront while living a nomadic life is how little I can acquire and hold onto in order to keep traveling lightly. Yet, walking around London often reminds me of how much stuff the British have acquired, packed away, and held onto from everywhere else in the world. The Treasury inside the British Library is like a Cabinet of Literary Curiosities from around the globe. Shakespeare's handwriting, the Magna Carta, the Diamond Sutra printed in 500 AD. I wonder if all those trees knew how treasured their paper might become one day?
We'd been tipped off by a friend that a new district was emerging even as I write this, behind King's Cross Station. Fueled by what appears to be a Google HQ, warehouse redevelopment, and new residential and retail developments, the Coal Drops Yard feels like someone uprooted parts of New York's Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, and Red Hook, only to drop it in this little patch of London. Bespoke retail, plant therapy workshops, social mission coffee... everything a millennial heart desires and a baby boomer rolls their eyes about. If you find yourself in London, I think it's worth a stroll on a day when the Canopy Market is open, so you can also try some of the pop-up food and maker vendors too! I'd also recommend stopping in at the House of Illustration while you're there, even if all you do is browse their gift shop.
Neither Alex nor I had ever taken the Eurostar under the English Channel between Paris and London, and we were curious about the experience. When you consider the rides to and from the airports, along with the necessary airport wait times, the train is actually more convenient. We were able to walk to Gare du Nord from where we were working in Paris, and then walk to our hotel in London directly from the St Pancras Station as well. We still needed to arrive an hour early to clear passport control and security, but the train provides the flexibility to get up and move around and do a bit more online work, which makes it more comfortable.
Despite China's dampening of public events and celebrations from the scare of the Wuhan Coronavirus spreading from travelers leaving China as quickly as possible, London's Chinatown wasn't going to let that stop the Lunar New Year decorations and celebrations. Chinese New Year is a huge retail holiday for Chinatown districts around the world, and since the New Year Greeting is "Kung Hei Fat Choy" ("Hope you get rich" in Cantonese) as seen on the banner below, spending money and making money is an important part of the holiday!
Being based in the West End was great for walking the neighborhood and finding all of the smaller independent shops along the way. Along my way to the National Portrait Gallery to meet up with a colleague I traveled with in Japan, I couldn't help but notice all of the Harry Potter-esque experiences one might be able to have along the way in this part of London. Take a look at the photos and description below should you want to conjure up your own Potter-like adventure in this area too!
Since I'd never really had a "proper" Afternoon Tea in London, I did a little searching for something that would be a bit fantastical and splendid without straying too far from the British tea traditions, and landed on the Queen of Afternoon Teas at the Oscar Wilde Bar inside the Hotel Café Royal. I was so happy to find that it wasn't just a splendid gold gilded room restoration, but that the experience of the live piano music, food, and teas really stood up to the splendor as well. I can firmly recommend this experience without hesitation if you're up for an indulgence or celebration!
One of the things I regularly confront while living a nomadic life is how little I can acquire and hold onto in order to keep traveling lightly. Yet, walking around London often reminds me of how much stuff the British have acquired, packed away, and held onto from everywhere else in the world. The Treasury inside the British Library is like a Cabinet of Literary Curiosities from around the globe. Shakespeare's handwriting, the Magna Carta, the Diamond Sutra printed in 500 AD. I wonder if all those trees knew how treasured their paper might become one day?
We'd been tipped off by a friend that a new district was emerging even as I write this, behind King's Cross Station. Fueled by what appears to be a Google HQ, warehouse redevelopment, and new residential and retail developments, the Coal Drops Yard feels like someone uprooted parts of New York's Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, and Red Hook, only to drop it in this little patch of London. Bespoke retail, plant therapy workshops, social mission coffee... everything a millennial heart desires and a baby boomer rolls their eyes about. If you find yourself in London, I think it's worth a stroll on a day when the Canopy Market is open, so you can also try some of the pop-up food and maker vendors too! I'd also recommend stopping in at the House of Illustration while you're there, even if all you do is browse their gift shop.
