Monday, October 13, 2014

Londinium

Last time I was in London I didn't want to ever leave. It was after the Will-Kate wedding and it was so bright and happy and painted and sunshiney. This time it was cloudy and crowded - where had all these people come from? I almost had a panic attack in Oxford  Circus. And so expensive, much more expensive than Manhattan. Some things have not changed from when we lived in Notting Hill 12 years ago. Wild at Heart florists looked the same, just that it was surrounded by posh clothing stores.


Wild At Heart florists in Notting Hill


But back to the beginning.
We flew into the City airport, you have to try it sometimes, you land spookily close to the buildings.

Embankment. By this time we had heard all about the cabdriver's three operations in quite some detail

There was no real time for shopping, it was just a short day in London and I already had my new outfit from Santiago in Spain.  I could not face three days in Santiago and one in London in my walking shorts and anyway this one outfit from Massimo Dutti cost less than what the hotel charged to wash our clothes. True story! (why do they insist on ironing everything dry, even the underwear?)

Anyway I can justify anything. Massimo Dutti is that very classic Spanish look for medium prices. I thought I had struck gold until I saw a huge MD store in London and loads of other people walking around in my outfit.



Have been very happy with the outfit, it keeps on giving and plays nicely with the rest of your clothes.  I was tempted by some over-the-knee suede boots but Kevin sceptical - what do you think ...over-the-knee okay or mutton/lamb?

My hairdresser Karen always says when you get to a big city always have a blow out - and I did.  It feels very unnecessary and decadent but it worked miracles for the two inches of grey. Weird selfie expression sorry
We used loads of points to get a hotel room on Hyde Park. Next door was a Russian couple having an enormous barney all night long. Reception reluctant to complain but eventually I insisted. Then I realised Reception were so clueless that might have told the Russians that it was us who complained. Oh well, I said to Kevin as we laid our heads down to sleep, if we don't wake up in the morning, see you on the other side.

There were other new stores in Notting Hill, ones with pretty meats and apples with gold cores




I love stinky cheeses don't you?

And wire monkeys for sale



Loads of pretty people serving and bespecled people eating...



And loadsa dogs and loadsa kids. Actually that's one of the things that drove us from London. When we left 12 years ago there was dog poop everywhere. Not this time. Progress.


We saw our old rental flat BK (Before Kids) and it was still the same.  It used to be an old convent. And then you do that tortuous thing where you think about what the owner offered to sell it for, and the genius realtor friend that told us it was way overpriced and the idiots who believed him (us).  Coulda shoulda woulda...is that the order?


And then we went to see the subterranean flat we eventually did buy - literally it was under the street. All day you looked up at people's feet and our kitchen was an old coal skuttle. Some friends of ours - top surgeons - lived even lower down, you could not even see the footpath from their living room and one of their kids slept in a little cubby cave under the stairs. Middle class squalor they called it back then.

Is there any other model in London except for Cara and her archy eyebrows? She was on every billboard I saw.


What do you think of London these days? I know Samuel Johnson said: "You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." I felt a bit weary walking through this time. Guess you can view apples with the golden cores but you don't need to buy them. And let's face it - after War and Peace in the next hotel room I was lucky to be still alive.

Posted by About Last Weekend at 9:56 PM 

42 comments:

  1. London is ok to visit...but I have never ever wanted to live there. My daughter loves it at the moment but has acknowledged that she will probably move on and out at some point. It must have been strange for you being in the city when you have spent so much time recently in such beautiful countryside...and your hair and outfit look fantastic..as usual!
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    1. It was great for those 15 years and esp before kids when you could do the rounds of bars and restaurants during! and after work. Working in Ken High Street was a fantastic place. Having little kids there was just so labor intensive and cramped, though we had some great Sat walks to the park and then to a Lebanese place for pita and warm hummous and chicken and tabouli (sp?) with ginger carrot juice.
  2. I absolutely love going back to London but I wouldn't want to live there. It feels like home from a distance.
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    1. Yes, familiar and embracing, but someone home for everyone
  3. Not been to London in years, I enjoyed it a lot last time though. But, I'll need to go again to see how it's changed. Such a fun city :) xx
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    1. I suppose its a ten? hour train ride for you, or less?
  4. Well I can't comment on London, as I gave only been once so far, back in 2008... I thought it was magical, however, I have a 5 day love affair with any city, and then I want to crawl back to my wee city of 40,000!
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    1. Five days is a great amount of time Wendy!
  5. We lived in a flat on Ledbury Rd for 6 years in THE most run down house on the road - the neighbors must have hated it. We had no central heating and various fungi growing on the carpet but we had a balcony and we were spitting distance from Portobello. Just a shame we couldn't afford to eat at half the restaurants back then but we certainly made use of the bars like the Star Bar, The Ground Floor and The Market Bar! Good old, very poor, days! Not sure it's really my scene these days - I prefer it around Spitalfields - I'd love to split my time between London and Atlanta one day but for now I am happy to visit. You look like you had an amazing time! xx
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    1. Oh Ledbury Road, loved that place, star bar, the ground floor! The Market Bar - have not thought about those places for years!! We went back to the Churchill Arms for Thai - still the same plastic flowers but the Thai was not quite as good as I remember.
      We always used to get that love and dried fruit bread and banana and choc chip cake from Sally whatsit - and I miss it like crazy!
  6. Unfortunately, I haven't been to London since '96 and am disheartened by everything I read of oligarchs and shieks sending real estate through the roof. Let's hope your noisy War & Peace couple next door had just heard their assets are frozen. I read only a few days ago that London had surpassed Hong Kong as most expensive city. Dr Johnson would not be pleased.
    I like the Massimo Duti outfit and in perusing their line it all looks very nice and so very Jody! The best kind of Euro-Casual and you're right; not terribly expensive. Count me as an over knee boot skeptic too...I'm sure archy eyebrowed Cara has at least a dozen pairs. Right now I'd say they only work well on grown-up women at night in NY, LA, SF if you're tallish and thin so Jody you're in....but they do presently carry a trampish air elsewhere.
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    1. The posh stores seemed mostly staffed by Russians and Eastern Europe and the customers in the hushed tones stores seemed mostly Russian too.
      On reflection mebbe the over 't knee boots were not for me, can't see me getting them out for an evening out in Oakland.
      she did recommend it with a big sweater to balance... with a smart blazer is also a look I love.
  7. Never been to London, but plan to go. Glad they have made progress on the dog doo situation. I am fascinated hearing about your flat and how it was underground. I think you could pull off the over-the-knee boots. On a trip this summer, I scheduled a blowout appointment and am now hooked. It relaxed me, refreshed me, and I loved my hair for a couple days with nearly no effort on my part. Glad you and Kevin woke up alive!
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    1. The hair thing really lifts your spirits doesn't it.
      And of course if the sparring Russians had finished me off in my sleep I would have been good to go.
      Of course it is a phantasmagoria of history and wonderful art and next time I want to re-do all the old tourists traps that I still love, like changing of the guard etc
  8. Glad progress was made on the dog poop everywhere haha definitely sounds like a spot to visit one day
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    1. Yes you're free to walk along without looking down now! Re-sult!
  9. We were in London this August for the first time in 13 years and it will be at least that long before we go again. Though it is my favorite city in the world I can't deal with the hordes of tourists---like what am I?
    Leicester is where I was about done in.
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    1. The tourists have really really increased in the last three years or so. Nice to see making accommodation for the cyclists but agreed with the cabdriver that some of them are very aggressive and dangerous
  10. We'll be in London next week, I'll avert my eyes from Massimo Dutti! No loss, there's always something new to look at, and this is a theater (theatre?) trip as well as a restaurant adventure.
    Property prices in London are terrifying. As, by the way, are the prices of theatre (theater?) tickets. When we went with the li'l uns this summer, the four of us went to Matilda, and I was very pleased that we saw every single second, no bathroom trips, no squabbling, no getting frightened and hiding in my lap... We were so pleased that we took them out to dinner and spent more.
    Sounds like Kevin recovered? v. relieved.
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    1. They are - the prices. When we sold the subterranean flat 12 years ago I though we had won the lottery. Of course now, scruffy and depressing as it looks now, (you came down the stairs to the front door which was next to the communal garbage bins so it was never terribly sweet smelling either) someone says its worth in the mill.
  11. Having come back to London after four years away I really do love it. Definitely overpriced, but it's so vibrant (and the transport network has really improved in the last 4 years. The London Overground rocks!). I never go to Notting Hill, husband grew up there and when his mum died and his dad sold the house, we stopped visiting. It also seemed to be over-run with tourists (Portobello) and the super-rich.

    Next time come South of the River. Crystal Palace is very ecelctic and fun, I promise!
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    1. Yes, probably a mistake just sticking to Notting Hill, every says go south and east! but no time, just that few hours in a day.
      Will heed that next time for sure.
      My cousins used to live past Crystal Palace at a school in Dulwich so have nice memories of that.
      Also I worked for the Brixton Council for a while (for my sins) doing Righ To Buys when i first got to London and apparently Brixton is changed beyond recognition.
      Next time when there are more days would love to organise a bloggy meet-up!
  12. My father was Czechoslovakian and I am sure you don't mean the kind of "Stinky Cheese" that they sell in Prague. But what passes for stinky in London and Paris is very delicious. I consider the over-the-knee boot a great look for a thirty year old in a big city, but last Christmas that was what my 93 year old mother wore, so now I am just confused. I was stunned by your grey roots - your hair color has always looked so natural. Like the look after the blow-out.
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    1. Hi Beryl,
      Sadly, nothing about my hair these days is natural, its straightened, highlighed and based within and inch of its life.
      I'm amazed it hasn't all fallen out.
      I'm looking forward to traveling to Prague one day and tasting their version of stinky cheese, really really stinky is it?
  13. And people think the Bay Area is expensive. I'm just sitting here LOLing at the thought of Americans paying around $57 a pound for ribeye (yuk, yuk).
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    1. I didn't look at the prices at first, the swirly thing with the two stripes in front of the numbers always confuses me but it seems pound for dollar for everything no matter the exchange
  14. I haven't been to London for years, but fondly remember it as a great place to spend a fortune visiting. Love your outfit! Who buys wire monkeys? So glad you're home. Let's get lunch on our calendars. xo~Jennifer
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  15. I wonder whether you were just too tired to enjoy it this time. I remember living in London from 1985 to 87, in a basement flat near Gloucester Road, looking at people's feet walking by. I love going back for a short visit. It helped this time as weather was great and our hotel just faaaabbbuuulllooouus!
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    1. Yes need more time and to stay out of Oxford Circus way (which actually I never went to when I lived there)
  16. That's hilarious. The last time I was in London was during the Olympics and as long as you avoided the Olympic Park (which I avoided except to see Usain Bolt do something for 3 seconds) it was deliciously empty. It was for the most part a horrible trip (and in hindsight, quite diabolical) but I adore London and did get to have a peek at Russell Brand at the Savoy which made me smile. Love the blow out. And I love that outfit. The camel colour suits you perfectly. Nobody will have it stateside so you can be uniquely you at home.
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    1. My sister keeps on telling me off for going into stores and only looking at camel coloured shoes and coats and bag when i already have all three. I can't help it!
  17. I thought my math was wrong when I saw the prices in that butcher shop. I didnt know anyplace was more expensive than NYC-how naive I am!
    I love reading about your travel adventures-you give just the sort of perspective that makes me feel like I have gained real insiders knowledge.
    You rock that outfit, but then you rock everything
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    1. Hi Bebe, you know I didn't translate the prices as I posted the photos but yeeikes. Now I'm going to look at the grass fed beef at our Market Hall in Oakland which is spensy but like buttah and see if it pales in comparison!
  18. I can see that you enjoyed your short nostalgic visit to London. We are just two hours away by train and I'm sure you are right that the city is now more expensive but definitely cleaner! I love Massimo Dutti and that's a handy little jacket too! Daylesford Farm is a great place for a quick lunch - cheese platter is a favourite.
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  19. Tsk. London. My parents were both born there. All property sold before any substantial hikes.
    *sobs into mug of builders tea and consoles self with a hobnob*
    Devon is nice.
    Sx
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  20. VERY cute jacket. It pairs nicely with the pants you have on.
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  21. Your jacket is so cute!! I have always wanted us to visit London looks like such a fun place to go.
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  22. I say most definitely yes to over-the-knee boots, not at all mutton (but then I'm currently wearing crop tops, so I may not be the most gracefully ageing person around!)
    I love London, it being my home town and all, but I don't think I could live there now.
    Love the MD outfit, and your hair is so chic!
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  23. Santiago and London; worlds apart. (I haven't been to either.) Glad you had a fine visit "back home" in Notting Hill.

    Blessings and Bear hugs, Jodi!
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  24. For me my friends and family, London may as well be on the moon.Its the place for politicians etc to play their games while the rest of England gets on with its life.....I suppose all international cities are like that.
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  25. When I think of london I think of Russians, overpriced houses, designer clothes. I liked portobello market , the different cultures, styles of clothes but I think that has been sadly lost. I love massimo dutti also they are owned by zara.
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at

1 comment:

  1. Jane and Lance HattattFebruary 3, 2015 at 6:11 AM

    Hello Jody,

    We never regret, for a single moment, our move from London......and that was fifteen years ago. Now we return for the smallest possible time when we positively are forced to. It is dirty, overcrowded and obscenely expensive. It seems all so very uncivilised to us.

    We certainly could not afford a fraction of the cultural life we enjoy here in Budapest and that, we feel, is very sad. Friends invited us to a concert at the Wigmore Hall one Sunday afternoon. The pianist was fabulous but every single member of the audience was 'of a certain age', not a young person amongst them. This is never the case here in Budapest.

    We too have always dreaded the thought that we may be tiring of life if we tire of London but, no, the quality of life elsewhere is far, far better than in the midst of those madding crowds!

    ReplyDelete