Skip the attractions and check out alternatives what do see and do in London

<![CDATA[ALUSOARE - England]]>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:38:43 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[A different view of London]]>Tue, 19 Feb 2019 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/england/a-different-view-of-london

It was a wonderful SUNNY (yes, true story, sunny) weekend in London where our main focus were musicals and wine, ok and some street art :). If you want to see London but from a different angle, this is the post for you as it shows some details that by focusing on known attractions you might miss.

We managed to stay away from all of the top attractions and we discovered so many cool things.

Start the day with Brunch

I know, this is obvious, but you need enough energy for the day and a brunch would be the perfect fit. Check out pictures of what we ate and where on the IG of Budget Gourmand

Walk around the streets in Soho

There are a definitely some buildings worth paying attention to their architecture, so keep your eyes open.

I find this picture super funny having Bella Italia in the center of London :P

The Musicals

if you need a reason to go to London, then give your friend as b-day gift musical tickets and so the excitement starts.

We went for Bat out of Hell & Chicago this time. Really good!

Special Bookstores - Minalima

With special crafted books, my friend Alexandra is in love with this shop and so wanted to show this place to us. It's a perfect shop if you look for a special gift.

Laugh at the funny signs in front of the cafes

The creativity of all these signs around London is incredible. So if you want an extra reason to smile, make sure to read them while passing by the bars and cafes.

Check out one of the shopping streets

It's a known thing that London is a dream for any shopping addict, but even when you don;t aim to shop anything you can find some special details around the shops ;)

Micky turns 90 everywhere

Micky conquered the world in 2018 with his 90 anniversary. From fashion brands to food brands everyone plays their role in celebrating the cartoon character to which we all grew up to.

The pimped forbidden signs

The imagination of some brings a smile of faces of others, so keep an eye on the forbidden signs around the world and see what else they come up with.

Chocolate Lover? - Try Dark Sugars

This shop is amazing for anyone loving chocolate. Of course if sweets are not for you, then don't enter as it's smells like cacao everywhere :)

Visit some of the markets

There are endless markets everywhere and each one has it's own special thing. If you are into markets you won't get board in London.

and yes, there is a Goat

It beats me, why there is a goat statue in London but had to share it with you.

There is loads of Streetart out there as well, but this will be in a separate post

Into streetart? Then London will be like your dream come true. So make sure you have a lot of pictures left on your camera and a serious amount of time as you'll find some awesome work around.

Now that you've see another face of London, what do you think?

]]><![CDATA[Some 36h in London]]>Tue, 04 Dec 2018 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/england/some-36h-in-london

The convenience of travelling with the Eurostar is usually amazing as you don't have to worry anymore about commuting from one of the far away airports of London to the center

Now let's see how our time looked like and what we managed to do. You'll find a nice mix between top 10 and less known touristic attractions in London.

Day 1: Breakfast - The Breakfast Place

That's this thing happening for Brunch in London which i hate....QUEUING! Anyway, so we arrive at the breakfast place The Breakfast Place for which we had to wait about 40 min. To be fair, they did develop a decent system, namely to send you an SMS when they are ready to welcome you, but still, I don't understand why people like queuing.

Day 1: Borough Market

"BOROUGH MARKET is rich with history, but it remains as relevant now as it has ever been. As London's oldest food market, it has been serving the people of Southwark for 1,000 years, and that extraordinary heritage is an important part of its appeal." (Source)

Day 1: Tower Bridge

"The Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge, situated some 0.5 mi (0.80 km) upstream." (Source)

Day 1: St. Katherine's Dock

Maybe you don't get that often in this area when in London, but if you want a more quiet time, pass by the St. Katherine's Dock there are several restaurants around and make sure to note also that Starbucks is based in a interesting building.

Day 1: Leadenhall Market

"Leadenhall Market dates back to the 14th century and is situated in what was the centre of Roman London. Originally a meat, poultry and game market, it is now home to a number of boutique retailers, restaurants, cafes, wine bars and an award-winning pub." (Source)

Day 1: St Dunstan-in-the-East

"The Church of St Dunstan was originally built around 1100 and is a Grade I listed building. A new south aisle was added in 1391 and was repaired in 1631. It was severely damaged in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. Rather than being completely built it was patched up. A steeple and tower was added in 1695-1701 by Sir Christopher Wren." (Source)

"You really will feel secluded in this gem of a City Garden. Those with green fingers will appreciate the range of plants wending their way around the ruins, an unusual plant in the lower garden is winter's bark, Drimys winteri. Its leaves are high in Vitamin C and were once eaten to prevent scurvy." (Source)

Day 1: St. Paul's Cathedral

"St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grade I listed building. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. The present cathedral, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed in Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London." (Source)

Day1: Tall Buildings of London

20 Fenchurch Street nicknamed Walkie Talkie. Construction was completed in spring 2014, and the three-floor 'sky garden' was opened in January 2015. The 38-storey building is 160 m (525 ft) tall, making it the sixth-tallest building in the City of London and the 12th tallest in greater London. (Source)

The Shard. "Irvine Sellar, The Shard's developer and joint owner, had an ambitious vision to create an architecturally striking vertical city incorporating retail, offices, hotel, apartments, restaurants and a public viewing gallery. His idea was to build a diverse vibrant community, and provide multiple areas within which the public could experience the building and its magnificent views. And all of this astride one of London's major transport hubs." (Source)

Day 1: Street Art Tunnel

Not the most amazing murals, but some street art can be found in the Graffiti Tunnel on Leake St, Lambeth, London SE1 7NN, UK

Day 1: Camden Neighborhood - Street Art

Clearly, if you want more professional street art you can for example explore some in Camden.

Day 1: Camdon Market - The Cheese Bar

I am a cheese addict so it made perfect sense to give this place a chance. I absolutely loved the mozzarella sticks.

Day 1: Go to the Theater - Prince Edward

Day 2: Breakfast - Where the pancakes are

Such a funny name, so funny that my friend needed a while to understand that this was the name of the place and not an affirmation :P

Great food, friendly service, come early if you are not in the mood for long waiting time in the queue.

Day 2: Science Museum

The science museum is a place where you can spend loads of hours. There are several expositions so best to do them one by one, otherwise it can become overwhelming.

And so time passed and we got to see quite a few things around the city, but London clearly needs more time, what the most important thing is, is to make the best out of what you have.

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