London, baby

I always wanted to live in London for a time, unfortunately never happened until now. But every time my creative batteries are low and I need input I am longing to see the art in the museums and on the streets of London. And though I have been there like 10 times over the last 20 years I never get tired of my little London routine which looks something like that:
Stop. There is actually one thing I don´t like about London and that’s the metro, it´s old and slow and as soon as you need to take a connection it will take you forever. So all my days are planned to use the metro only to get to the starting point and walk to all the places from there.

First address to get up to date with the city. Here you find everything. Normally I sit down right in front of Covent Garden Market with a sour cream potato or a cup cake - or both and watch a street show. Afterwards and before seeing all the little shops around the place I head over to the Royal Opera House to see what´s on their program. The Pineapple Studios are right around the block and normally I get their schedule to see if I can take some dance or yoga classes during my stay.

The best place to get cheap tickets for one of the endless musicals in town is Leicester Square. The ticket booths right at the square are selling tickets much cheaper than the theatres. From there it is only a 5 minutes walk to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. First museum on the route. As there is no entrance fee you can visit any time you like without having the pressure to see everything.

Normally all this makes me really hungry and I wanna go, crossing Picadilly Circus, right into Soho and see if I can find something yummy to eat. After that I have all the power to explore Regent and Carnaby Street.

I get out of the metro at Westminster and have a glimpse at Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as I walk over Westminster bridge to get to South Bank, here I spend the rest of the day. Normally I need to fight my way through the tourists passing London Eye, the London Aquarium & the Dungeons. Right after this its getting better and I enjoy the bank of the river Thames and all the street artists around until I reach Tate Modern. Normally I watch an exhibition there. It is for free, too. From Tate Modern you have a beautiful view over Millennium Bridge and St. Pauls Cathedral just on the other side of the river.

Normally I stay on this site of the bank and walk until London Bridge and the Borough Market to eat something. If I am in the mood I see Tower Bridge as well or go back to Shakespeare´s Globe and see what they have on their schedule.

Camden market. Since I got here the first time it hasn´t changed much and still at the end of the day I get home with some weird new clothes you can hardly wear anywhere. I could spend days here drinking coffee, watching people, listening to music, eating street food and shop through the countless fashion-, antiques- book- and souvenir stores. After the hurly-burly I like to relax in Regents park with its open air theatre, right next to Camden Town. Yes, in London it´s mostly markets, museums and parks!!
If you are the first time in London maybe you have enough energy to cross regents park and visit Madame Tussaudes or even better 221b Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Finally, if I manage to be in London on a Sunday I go to the Portobello Market. Afterwards I prefer to stroll through Hyde Park passing Kensington Palace & Garden or visit the Natural History Museum which lies on the south side of the park just like the Royal Albert Hall and world famous Harrods. A little bit more down the road you run into Buckingham Palace which I only visited the first time I got to London.

This is the day to reach out a little bit more and get to the remote places of London like the Sacchi Gallery. Or to relax with a coffee in the Sky Garden high above London....OR see a musical,  OR take a dance class, Or go back to see the street artist, OR take photos here and there....or, or, or... and once more the time was too short and makes me want to come back for more.