Culture and fun

We went to see a play in St James Theater, Our Country's good.  It was very interesting to see different auditorium, reaction of people. There is also a studio with concerts.

On Sunday morning, we visited Saatchi gallery, a place of contemporary art in Chelsea. We saw Soviet modern art and it was very nice.

Brunch time

We tried on Sunday morning OTTOLENGHI in Islignton. We arrived at 9am but the crowd was already waiting to open. The food is great, but for me too crowded with people to show having brunch in OTTOLENGHI.

Fast Food in London

Fast food
If you like hamburgers, asian food, some good tips:
- Jenny Lo's Tea House - Asian food, very nice
- Meat Market  - this is place for real hamburger lovers.  It rocks!

Another week-end in London, 2013

Once more, me and my wife had a great week-end in London. I am giving out some tips for trip planning.

Getting to London from Gatwick Airport
- ordinary tourists are going to London Victoria by Gatwick Express / price GBP 18,9 on spot
- if you are smart, buy tickets on website of Southern and get access to other options. Airport is just other train station and trains are passing by very often, reaching London Victoria in 35 min (same as Express). So buying a place on train for GBP 5, seems to be a good idea, isn't ?

Travel cards
- London public transport is great, but really expenses. But there is an option for tourist! Buy travel card for days off peaks (holidays, weekends) for Zone 1,2. The price is GBP 7,5 for whole day. The travel card is available on website of London Transport. But it is also available on spot (for example Victoria Station)

Making reservations on time
- London is popular and booking seems to be a good idea, especially for:
- British Museum special exhibitions
- good hotels
- restaurants

I am not talking about one week ahead, at least 3 weeks!

Must see - markets, double-decker, Westminster Abby

Double-decker

This is a real symbol of London transport. The red buses remind me some hungry crawling beasts, chasing tails of each other and moving damn fast in narrow streets. They always surprised me on my uncovered back (on my right side as there is the left-handed lane - opposite to Continental Europe). We got on one just for fun and enjoyed the view from top. The best place is just above a driver!

Markets

We visited the Borough market on Saturday morning, sipping the great coffee from Monmouth coffee shop.  The market is big enough not to be tired from walking around. There is a bit from all - vegetables, meat (pork, beef, venison, rabbits, pheasants,etc), salami, spices, cheeses, yogurts, etc. Many places with hot snacks and real meal. Lovely place.

Westminster Abby - Dean's Yard

If you access the Westminster Abby from Dean's Yard, you can find an ancient building, a quite place, forbidden.  I was astonished. There are gardens, long corridors enlightened with lanterns. I spent some time reading names and stories on aged gravestones and listened to chorus from the chapel. The spiritual experience.

Food - snacks and dinning

Lunch

We love burgers - the juicy meat, veggies, egg, melted cheddar cheese and we discovered a chain  of restaurants Gourmet Burger Kitchen . The high quality burger for a price of 7 to 8 pounds. Worth to try!

London is famous for exotic kitchen as well and there are plenty of opportunities. We tried Nan, a Vietnamese small buffet with few places to sit. But its noddle soup gave us the right energy to continue in our London adventure.

Dinning

There is an interesting restaurant with an old traditional English food on menu - St John Bread & Wine. It is worth to make a reservation online as the restaurant seems to be very popular. For the first time in my life, I tasted wild duck (mallard). Or try crispy pig's skin, chicory and mustard. The restaurant is little bit noisy, so it is not the good place for tete-a-tete rendez-vous. 

The other restaurant we tried was completely opposite. Modern, chic and trendy feeling is Bread Street Kitchen  located in City.  The quality of food was promising as the place is part of Gordon Ramsey chain of restaurants. And we just can confirm. Prepare a bill of 100 pounds for two.

Coffee & Brunch

I am addicted to good coffee. And for such gourmets, there are many places in London (I am not talking about Starbucks!). One of the best coffee in London, and we can confirm the quality, is served in a coffee shop Monmouth Coffee. A smell of freshly grounded coffee is all around, people chatting and happy - I wish to open one in Prague. Go and see yourself.

On Sunday, we got early in the morning to get a place in Lantana coffee famous for its brunch. The quality of food and service is high, and the place is very popular. At 10:30 the staff had a real hell.

Transport and accommodation

Flights

Me and my love arrived to London Gatwick from Prague with EasyJet. The time of flights is great for euro-weekend:

• Departure on Friday at 10:00 and return on Sunday at 18:10

• Tips for booking to profit the lowest rate: 
1. book in advance to get the lowest rate
2. think twice if you need insurance proposed by EasyJet 
3. same for luggage to check-in: you pay extra for each peace
4. try to use Visa Electron - the lowest charged fee

• = 110 Euro  return

Transport from Gatwick to London

The fastest way is Gatwick Express, an express train from South Terminal of Gatwick to Victoria Station in the center of London. Trains leave every 15 minutes and reach Victoria in 30 minutes (compare with shuttle / 1 hour). A good idea is to book in advance and online - special offers are available (I got return double for 66 Euros.)

Accommodation

We selected APEX City of London - in City, in proximity of Tower Bridge and Tower of London.
The nearest station of Underground is Tower Hill. Check the site of London transport.
Price - 213 Euros for 2 days (no breakfast)