small-ish sights you might otherwise miss

Fri, 11 March 2016,10:26 am: London often feels in a hurry, and so will you when you’re there. Let me show you a few things you’d miss if someone didn’t touch your forearm mid-stride and say, “Hey, did you notice that?”20160311_102632Registered with Historic England, this building at 176 Blackfriars Road dates to 1909-10. According to the paperwork defending its historical designation, “the building retains its original signage, stained glass and mosaic roundels, all loudly announcing the identity and character of the organisation for which it was built.”

“Temperance” means complete avoidance of drinking alcohol. I might’ve quickened my pace to get away from THAT message.20160311_10264410:27 am: Everybody walks right past the pile of rocks. Nothin’ to see here. But wait… what’s that in the background? Didn’t seem like one of modern London’s most iconic sights would be so close by, did it?20160311_10322010:32 am: The Clear Channel billboard affixed to this overpass lets us know that England is ahead of the US in one major area of child protection.20160311_103212In America, smoking in a car with anyone under the age of eighteen is illegal only in the states of Oregon and California. In Utah and Maine it’s illegal with anyone under sixteen.

20160311_10340410:34 am: This is my fourth consecutive day of walking this route, and to watch this single road paving project get completed in real time has made me feel like a real London local.

All of these scenes are in the Southwark district (just south of The Thames), within a few blocks of each other.

Matt April 30, 2017 England, London No Comments

construction crew crashes cafe

Fri, 11 March 2016, 9:33 am: While I’m at Cafe Pronto working on my bacon and egg sandwich…20160311_093341and another couple of coffees “Americano…”

20160311_093354….maintenance crews are working on several blocks of Blackfriars Road, south of the South Bank of The Thames between the Mad Hatter Hotel and the eatery where I sit.

This week I’ve walked between the Hatter and Cafe Pronto every day, and each day I’ve dodged wheelbarrows and navigated detours while sidewalks are jack-hammered and bricks are re-stacked and burly men are hollering across at one another. Progress seems slow, especially since I’m not sure what exactly they’re doing. I just know the roadworks fit the theme of constant construction that I see all around me in London—- and that I saw too on my 2014 visit.

10:12 am: As I’m finishing my breakfast, the road crews outside all put down their tools and step off their earth movers. It’s their lunch break— they’ve been working since dawn, as the interrupted sleep of those of us staying at the Mad Hatter can attest. A dozen or more of these construction workers pile into Cafe Pronto.

And this is when I’m glad that I’ve become a regular customer this week. Rather than waste time in what’s suddenly a long queue to either place an order or pay a bill, I feel comfortable enough to simply leave cash on my table (of course I know exactly what my tab totals), gather my things, and walk out.

But not before finishing my notes. You don’t think I actually remember all these details off the top of my head, do you? Every activity of every Europe trip is documented in handwritten or voice-recorded notes. Where I went, what I did, what I ordered, how much it cost, how friendly the staff was, what conversations were happening around me. I recall it all. It informs my future trips—- and it will enhance YOUR trips that I plan for you.20160311_101220

Matt April 9, 2017 England, London, restaurants No Comments

South Bank: Construction Time Again

Fri, 11 March 2016, 8:46: One of my favorite elements of return visits to favorite cities is witnessing the evolution of the landscape.

During my first stay at London’s Mad Hatter Hotel in July 2014, the lots directly across the street were bare dirt. I think there were some stakes in the ground and a fence around the perimeter.

On my spring 2016 adventure, my second stay— also a six night hitch— gave me this view from my street-facing first floor window. (Remember, in the UK and Europe, the first floor is what we Yanks call the second floor.)20160311_084648

Big things are coming to those previously vacant lots.

20160311_084652Two or three blocks south of the Mad Hatter, further down Blackfriars Road, there are smaller projects that still are changing the face of the neighbourhood.

I can’t wait to check into the Mad Hatter again in May 2017 and see how these sites have progressed.

Matt April 5, 2017 England, hotel rooms, London No Comments