Farewell to London - 12 July 2012

We took the opportunity of the first sunny morning, to check out the Emirates Air Line, London's newest attraction, opened in time for the Olympic Games. It proved to be quite prophetic, with the captions on the New York and New Zealand gondolas.

Literary London – 23June 2012

London currently has an outdoor art exhibition with fibreglass replicas of the iconic London phone box dotted around the capital, all decorated differently.

We decided to combine a Dickens themed walk with phone-box hunting and discovered a lot of interesting things about Dickens, as well as passing by places his friends lived. When we reached Rules Restaurant, just before Covent Garden, we found that apart from being the oldest restaurant in the UK, it had been a favourite eatery for many famous people, including Charles Dickens.

We decided we would dine where they dined, and would thoroughly recommend the experience. The staff were very attentive, the food was absolutely delicious, and beautifully presented. The old-world atmosphere of the restaurant, was a total contrast to the hustle and crowds of nearby Covent Garden.

We found the highest concentration of replica phone boxes around Covent Garden. With all the patriotic bunting still on show, it made us realise how colourful the icons of London/UK are.

Jubilee River Pageant - 3 June 2012

The Highlight of the Queen's Jubilee was the River Pageant. Sadly the day was col;d and overcast, with rain on and off all day. Nevertheless, we arrived in London at 9am, to get a riverside position, and had a great view of the boats as they came through a 3.15pm.

We chose a spot outside Tate Britain. This gave us a chance to take turns and have a break while waiting for the start, and enjoy the galleries.

Jubilee Weekend - 2 June 2012

While the Queen started her Jubilee Weekend at the Epsom Derby, we had a walk around the London docklands area, admiring the boats too large to travel upstream and participate in the River Pageant.

After walking along the Thames, we headed for Selfridges in Oxford Street, and enjoyed their Jubilee displays.

Chelsea Flower Show - 22 May 30122

The Prize – 10 March 2012

Continuing our Faberge egg hunt, we tackled Piccadilly and Mayfair; these two elite areas were great to rediscover. Not only were the eggs hidden in unexpectedly quaint alley-ways like Avery Row, there were several in the foyers of grand hotels such as The Mayfair and Claridges. We felt totally out of place in our 20 year old faithful 'Fairydown' walking jackets and sturdy shoes, walking through the front doors of these places. The Ritz and the Dorchester had an egg directly outside them.

Mayfair and Piccadilly are also home to many exclusive shopping areas. There were eggs in the Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly Arcade, New Bond Street and Fortum & Masons. It was a great tour of the area.

When we discovered that Faberge themselves were in the heart of Mayfair, that was a must to visit. As we admired the expensive eggs and works of art in the windows, we were invited in to see the winning prize the specially commissioned Diamond Jubilee Faberge Egg. After asking if we were participating in the competition, the manager offered to remove the half kilo, jewelled golden egg from it's case and let us both hold it. I imagine this will be the only time we get to hold half a kilo of solid gold!

The other unexpected treat in the day was stumbling on a Banksy in Mayfair. We saw the painting high upon the side of a building in a back street, and were convinced this could be a Banksy. Checking on the web later confirmed it is one in a new series of paintings he has recently carried out in this rather different area of London.

So, after rediscovering places like Savile Row and Berkeley Square (no nightingales though) and lunch in a very picturesque pub in the lovely Victorian Mount Street, we felt as if we were definitely mixing with the rich and famous, as we saw more Rolls Royces & Bentleys today, than we have ever previously seen in one day!

Coins and more eggs – 3 March 2012

The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths had a special exhibition in their Guildhall of a rare coin, the 1933 Double Eagle. It was a rare chance to see inside their amazing guildhall as well as see a coin which was never legal tender, was illegal to possess and is only one of 13 left after all the rest were melted down when America left the gold standard in 1933.

We carried on from here to search out some more eggs of the Faberge Easter Egg Hunt. This time the hunt took us through tourist highlights such as Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and the South Bank.

Easter Egg Hunt – 24 February 2012

In this Diamond Jubilee year, London has an Easter egg hunt, the aim of which is to break the Guiness World record for the most people participating in an Easter egg hunt.

We helped boost the numbers today, by having a go ourselves. Each egg is 2.5 ft high, and hidden in plain sight in various areas in London. Each egg found gives a chance to win the competition for a Faberge Diamond Jubilee Egg.

We started in The City, where eggs were lurking around the Royal Exchange, in front of the Gherkin and many other spots.

A side trip across the Thames to Southwick Cathedral, took us to see their Easter installation of the 'Die Harder' sculpture. Made with coat hangers, it is a crucifixion sculpture with a difference.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon hunting for eggs in the Docklands area. This is one of our favorite modern parts of London, and here the eggs were hidden in various squares, as well as in the shopping centres.