Monday, January 10, 2011

The High Life


It’s all too easy to forget that the city on our doorstop offers the same kind of pleasures as Paris or Prague – without the hassle of lastminute.com or Ryanair. But at weekends we try to get out and enjoy the treats that London has to offer.

Yesterday, for example, we drove to Kensington (yes, I know – we could/should have taken the tube but I still get a kick out of going into town in a car), pottered around an antique fair in the town hall, bought special wholegrain flour at the enormous wholefood supermarket in the high street, then drove to Mayfair where my husband parked behind the Hilton.

We took the lift to the 28th floor to the ridiculously named Galvin at Windows. It’s a Michelin starred restaurant, but it also has a bar – which shares the amazing 360 degree views of the city.

They brought little pots of nutty nibbles, we ordered a martini and a Cubano – and enjoyed every sip. The sun lit up the panorama below and we played spot the famous landmark. The Eye and St Pauls were easy – and the Gherkin, the Shard and Canary Wharf unmissable. But is that Holy Joe’s in Highgate? And where is Nelson’s Column?
Cheap at the price – and much better value than some of London’s better known tourist hotspots.

2 comments:

  1. That sounds wonderful, I have told the Sage, dropping a very unsubtle hint. When he goes to London, he tends to book just enough time for his appointment and come straight back. When I go, I make a day of it and fit in an exhibition and a visit too. This might finally get him seeing it my way!

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  2. What would his tipple of choice be? And yours?

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