Sunday & Monday
We took the 274 bus from our apartment to Primrose Hill. The driver was aggressive enough to have been Ern from the Knight Bus in Harry Potter. Believe it or not, this was our very first time riding an iconic red double-decker bus in London.
Graced with lovely weekend weather, Primrose Hill was chock-a-block with dogs. “It is a glory to be in London again…settled so near Primrose Hill.” Emma M. Lion
Standing at the Primrose Hill Viewpoint with the Shakespeare Oak behind my left shoulder & central London in the distance.
“I took myself out of the house and up to the crest of Primrose Hill. It was less for the exercise and more to feel I had accomplished Something Great.” Emma M. Lion
William Blake viewed Primrose Hill as a mystical place where the physical & spiritual worlds met. He claimed to see divine & spiritual visions in nature rather than just physical objects. The low wall in front of me is inscribed with Blake’s quote, “I have conversed with the spiritual Sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill."
From Primrose Hill, we wandered down the western slope toward the imagined setting of St Crispian’s, the fictional town that has become so wonderfully real to us through the pages of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion.
Volume 9 is due out this autumn…we can’t wait!
The rather posh neighborhood bordering “St Crispians.”
From Primrose Hill we walked south to Regent’s Park where we took this photo standing on Long Bridge overlooking Boating Lake.
Waterfall near the Japanese Garden in Regent’s Park.
Inside the famous Daunt Books Marylebone.
Our London matcha pilgrimage continued with yet another cup, this time from How Matcha! in Marylebone. So far, Saturday’s matcha from Blank Street Coffee in Camden has been the winner.
We both loved the beautiful floral adornments to this Marylebone house.
The Wallace Collection has the most impressive collection of armory we’ve ever seen. Among the vast array of art, however, we noticed a decreeable theme—the nip slip.
Which descended rather quickly from there. Lute player indeed!
Anarchy!
Of course, it was Jean-Honoré Fragonard's (1732–1806) treasured rococo painting The Swing that actually drew us to the museum.
Amanda learned about this painting during an art history class at Ventura College in the early 1990s, so it was a poignant moment to finally see the painting in person nearly four decades later. It really was exquisite in person!
On our April 2025 trip we unknowingly passed within 20 feet of the Alan Rickman memorial bench in the South Flower Walk in Kensington Gardens. We were sure to visit today.
The inscription reads, "It would be wonderful to think that the future is unknown and sort of surprising. —Alan Rickman”
A popular South African plant-based milk & cafe brand uses the name okja. Their branding notes that while it is officially pronounced "oak-jah," it is a playful nod to the Afrikaans phrase "OK, ja" (which means "OK, yes”). We found this vegan bakery a block from Unity Diner and picked out breakfast pastries for Monday morning.
The Sunday Roast is a celebrated English tradition. During our 10 months living in country we never thought to explore vegan versions. We fix that on this trip with three vegan Sunday roasts, starting here at Unity Diner.
Yorkshire pudding, roasted chicken, sage stuffing, crispy roasted potatoes, miso glazed carrots, cracklings, Brussel sprouts, cheesy cauliflower, and more. Everything was exceptionally delicious!
After finishing the salted caramel cake, we were thoroughly stuffed—and grateful that walking home would help work it off. It was a deliciously filling end to an equally fulfilling day.
On Monday morning, we snuck in our okja pain au chocolat & morning bun to enjoy with our Blank Street matcha and mocha.
We then joined a tour that climbed 334 steps into the belfry of Elizabeth Tower. There, we marveled at the clock’s ingenious mechanism, walked behind the massive clock faces, and stood just three feet from Big Ben as it struck noon with 12 bone-rattling bongs. We felt exceptionally fortunate to have secured tickets & immediately knew we could count this among our very best travel experiences. If you can, book the 10:45 tour to experience all 12 glorious bongs!
We had to check in our phones at the bottom, so we don’t have any photos of the tour. We did get this nifty certificate though! 🙄
Before there was Buckingham Palace, Henry VIII created a grand royal palace at White Hall in 1529-30, nearly all of which was destroyed by a massive fire in 1698. Banqueting House (in white) is one of the only surviving buildings.
Banqueting House is rarely open, so we were grateful to make it inside today to witness the ceiling paintings known as The Glorification of King James I. These nine paintings by the renowned artist Peter Paul Rubens were commissioned by Charles I to commemorate the reign of his father James I. They celebrate King James' wise rule & peaceful reign, the union of England & Scotland, and, at the center, his apotheosis (elevation to divine status).
We also came because this place witnessed one of the most momentous scenes in British history. On January 30, 1649, Charles I was led through the second-floor window behind us onto a scaffold, where he was beheaded after insisting on his divine right to rule as an absolute monarch.
Charles I reigned for 24 years before his execution. His son Charles II reigned for 25 years. Unfortunately, I don’t think Charles III has that much longevity left in him.
Passing by MI6 Secret Intelligence Service.
We took a Thames Uber boat from Embankment to North Greenwich. Along the way, we noticed the old London City Hall with the glass exterior removed. The building appears during the dramatic opening sequence of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Death Eaters attack London, showing office workers inside looking out in shock as the sky darkens and the Millennium Bridge collapses. City Hall has since moved & the building is being reimagined.
We then took the London Cable Car from the Greenwich Peninsula (near The O2) to the Royal Docks on the north bank.
From here we could see the Thames Barrier (above my finger). This engineering marvel is a retractable barrier system built to protect London from exceptionally high tides and storm surges.
The new London City Hall was built here, near the north end of the cable car ride.
What a goof!
We ate dinner at Planet Vegan, a vegan Sichuan Chinese restaurant in Camden. Amanda’s Kung Pao Chicken.
My Vegan Beef in Black Bean Sauce with Green Peppers. Both were 10 out of 10 tasty!
After dinner we took the Tube to King’s Cross Station, hoping to get a Tennent beer, Scotland’s favorite lager, which is rarely found on tap in England—except here at this London Scottish pub.
Ugh! The tap was out of order! So, we got a Hawkstone for Pam, who enjoys watching Jeremy Clarkson’s show Diddly Squat Farm. Hopefully we’ll get a chance at a Tennent later in the week!
