D18 England - London

We had all but one whole day in London and we found it challenging to select exactly what to do with our time. So naturally, we decided to avoid the crowds on the tube and do our own tour on foot.

We headed west from our delightful abode in Paddington (not), and wandered down to Soho and Covent Garden where we found some nudie jeans for Anthony and a cute little jumpsuit for Kate. We then wandered down south looking at numerous outdoor stalls for some hiking shorts for Kate, to no avail.

We jumped on the Bakerloo line with the view of seeking out the Association of Anaesthetics (or something to that effects) but before arriving there for the time of Kates life, we found this amazing coffee place below ground in what used to be a men’s toilet! Sounds gross, but that was many moons ago and I assure you, it’s been well cleaned and given a new breath of life in its current state. The cold brew was delicious, and the Buddha bowl salad had both of us ooh-ing and ah-ing. So much so that Kate noted down the recipe.

After our refuelling, we dropped into the very lavish Anaesthetics Heritage Centre, which comprised of two very small, but informative rooms. Kate was definitely in her element, and I most certainly learnt a little more about the grotesque world that my wife operates in (pun intended).

We were feeling the museum fatigue by this point (FYI - it’s the only museum we’ve been to), so we jumped back on the tube to Sloan Square to visit the Chelsea Physic Garden. It really is an impressive little part of London for those with little knowledge of the long lasting stories that can be associated with many plants. It tells the story well with lots of signage. This was backed up in our case by a great tour by Pippa who informed us of many interesting plant facts - i.e. go have a read of the history related to the discovery of quinine and how it helped to combat malaria in the developing world. She also talked about a common little bedding plant that is being researched for its use in treating cancer. She mentioned so much, that it’s difficult to recount, and any photos just don’t tell the story!

During the evening, we ate at a Lebanese restaurant with Fi and Amelia - the tabbouli was incredible, the service was not... But, we had a great time catching up and we felt very privileged to have had that opportunity.Read more