Winter wonderland

Located in Hyde Park, Winter Wonderland It is the perfect venue for Christmas lovers and one of London’s most popular festive attractions. This fair features The Bavarian Village, where you can enjoy a warming cup of mulled wine or a German beer, a Christmas market to buy artisanal jewellery, a Circus and the largest ice rink in the UK.

Winter wonderland opens daily from 10 to 10. The price of most of the attractions like the giant wheel is 8 pounds and you can skate in the ice rink for 13.50£ adults and 9£ children.

 

London parks: Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is one of the ancients parks in London and one of the largest with 320 hectares. It is located six kilometres from central London, in the areas of Hampstead and Highgate. It has been carefully managed to integrate wildlife and people’s recreation. Habitats in the site include ancient woodlands, heathland, acid grassland, and a number of lakes, ponds and streams.
 

The Heath is one of the capitals most popular open spaces for its embracing ponds, its lido and for the amazing view of the London Skyline from the Parliament Hill, one of the highest points in London popular also for kite flyers lovers. It is the perfect place to go for a walk, picnic date or enjoy the nature, especially during the limited sunny and warm days of the British summer, where you can take a bath in the 3 open air public swimming pools or enjoy a Lakeside concert.   
 

Pubs of London: The Hawley Arms

The Hawley Arms is the most famous pub in Camden Town. Opened in 2004, it was partly destroyed during a fire originated in the market behind the pub in 2008. This devastating incident force them to close during over a year due to remodelate and rebuilt the structure of the building. The Hawley Arms become really popular for being Amy Winehouse’s favourite pub in London. There are pictures of her as tribute of her glorious days hanging out with her friends and her occasionally forays behind the bar serving draft beer.
 

 

The ground floor is very crowded, with a beer garden perfect for smokers. I rather go upstairs to the first floor bar, with a quieter and relaxed atmosphere. I love sitting in the sofas by the fireplace during the winter and enjoy the sun and the view of London at the terrace in summertime.

The drinks prices are average for the area and the music is a must for indie and rock lovers. For a bite to eat, I recommend the fish and chips, which is very tasty and fresh, and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert, a hidden gem in the British cuisine. Like most of the pubs in the city, it closes at 1 am.  

The haunted tower

According with the legends and ghost histories, London is one of the most haunted cities in the world. There is lots of frightening places in this ancient and, occasionally, creepy city. The Tower of London is believed to be the most haunted building in England. Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, has dominated the London landscape and the pages of history.

There are legends related to each ones of the towers that conforms the castle, most of them involves the tragic death of members of the Royal family. For instance, the Wakefield Tower is haunted by Henry VI, a monarch whose weak and ineffectual reign ended here with his tragic murder on 21st May 1471 by the Duke of Gloucester, also known as Richard III.  On the anniversary of his murder, Henry’s ghost appears as midnight, and walk around the interior of the Wakefield Tower until he fades slowly into the stone and rests peacefully for another year.

The Tower Green was the scenario where Ana Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey, spouses of Henry VIII, were executed. This King also condemn to death to Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, executed the 27^th May 1541 at the age of 72. Her guilt was supporting his son, Cardinal Pole, who had vilified the King’s claim as head of the Church in England and was safely ensconced in France. The legend said that the spectacle of her death is repeated every year the night of the anniversary.  

But probably the creepiest ghost story takes place in the Bloody Tower. Back in 1483, when Edward IV died, his twelve year old son was destined to succeed him as Edward V. However, before his coronation could take place, his uncle Richard III the Duke of Gloucester declares it illegitimate and send him and his brother to the Tower of London. They both mysteriously vanished and were never seen alive again. The legend said their spectres clutching each other in terror around the rooms of their prison.

For more information don’t miss the guide tour of the Towerof London where you can visit all this historical places and listen to the ghost stories told by the mythical beefeaters, guardians of the tower.

 

Christmas at Harrods

This Christmas, anyone walking along the Brompton road will be greeted to see how Harrods iconic store 10 front windows have displays inspired by Disney Princess. Each dress is design by top fashion labels and they will be displayed in pride of place within a magical themed backdrop.

Harrods has already brought in the Christmas cheer by switching on its festive lights marked by a spectacular firework display. This is probably the most iconic superstore in London since Charles Henry Harrod founded it in 1824 in Southwark. His son Charles Digby Harrod established Harrods in a small shop in Brompton as a thriving retail operation selling medicines, perfumes, stationery, fruit and vegetables. The business expanded and employed a hundred people by 1880. Some of its best customers were Oscar Wilde, Charlie Chaplin, Sigmund Freud and many member of the Royal Family. The department store was purchased by the Fayed brothers in 1985, who sold it Qatar Holdings in 2010.

You can find everything you need in one of the 330 departments included in the store. Harrods offer a wide range of products and services include clothing, electronics, jewellery, sporting gear, bridal trousseau, pets and pet accessories, toys, food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and much more.

Walking down the South Bank

I can’t think of a better way to spend a sunny afternoon than walking down the South Bank, a stunning riverside stretch and an eclectic area that is the cultural heart of the city and home to London's most iconic attractions, theatres, arts and design-led venues.  You can start your journey either in Waterloo or London Bridge station and have lunch at the Borough Market, a renowned food market that captures the best of the British culinary history. It is open for lunch Monday to Friday (10 am to 3 pm) and the full market opens daily until 5pm.

After a tasty meal you can walk along the Thames and explore the South Bank, an area with unique examples of architecture such as the South Bank Lion or the Oxo Tower. The area is buzzing with things to see and do like free events, music, film, exhibitions, dance, theatre, debates, festivals and all sorts of family fun.
 

 

A piece of history in every corner

All around London you can find blue plaques commemorating the link between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked. You will be surprised the huge amount of artists, scientists, philosophers and personalities that had significance in the history of the city. They belong to the London's blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, and run by the Royal Society of Arts, the London County Council, the Greater London Council and the English Heritage.

Right next to my house I found the plaque of Mahatma Gandhi, the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Gandhi lived in London between 1888 and 1891 to study law at University College London. In this amazing city, a young Gandhi got the education that enable him to lead India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

 

 

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”

- Mahatma Gandhi -

Secret spots: Saint Paul’s Cathedral

Saint Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognizable sights of London, originally founded in AD 604 in honor of Paul the Apostle, the present church dates from the late 17th century. It is the most beloved building for the Londoners and important services held at St Paul's include the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill or, most recently, the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Di.

Right next to the cathedral you can find a secret spot for an amazing sightseeing:  the top floor of the One New Change. This building, design by the architect Jean Nouvel, is the only Shopping Centre in the City of London since October 2010. 

Monday Madness

One of the best things of living in London is being able to go out every night of the week. This is great for people like me, who work in the hospitality industry, and have to work most of the weekends. Mondays were always my favourite day to go out with my good friend Maziyah, we had a lot of fun starting the night at Temple’s Walkabout following by Heaven in Charing Cross. For those who have a low budget, these places are the perfect venue for a fun night out. Is full of Spaniards, Italians and Brazilians, and it’s probably the place that reminds me the most to a Spanish party style.

 

 

"Dance like nobody is watching

Love like you’ve never been hurt

Sing like nobody is listening

Live like is heaven on hearth"
- Mark Twain -
 

Saturdays at Portobello Market

This is one of my favourite markets in town and the one I visited the most. I still remember how amazing was shopping in this vintage market the first time I visited to London in 2009 and how I felt the first time I walk through once I moved to Notting Hill, my first home in the city back in 2010. I lived in the neighbourhood nearly a year and I really enjoyed the huge amount of restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs in the area. Even though most of them are posh and expensive, you can find good bargains like The Coronet Cinema on Mondays for only £3.50.

The best way is start the tour at Notting Hill Gate and finish at Ladbroke Groove. Halfway of the market you can treat yourself a sweet bite in the popular Hummingbird bakery, my friend Carmen favourite cupcakes. But If you want to avoid crowded places, you can enjoy a proper cup of coffee or a Mediterranean cuisine meal in Caffé Respiro, right in Kensington Park Road.

For beer lovers you’ve got plenty of pubs all along Portobello Road, but girls you can’t miss a pint of strawberry beer at ThePrince Albert. Great pub with a beer garden for smokers right next to the station.

 

Definetly one of the things I will miss the most of London is the saturdays at Portobello Market.

Welcome to The Countdown Diaries

Hi everyone! Welcome to The Countdown Diaries, a daily report of my last six moths in London, so far the most amazing city I've ever lived in. Every post will be dedicated to these things that I will miss about London and it will help me to close this chapter of my life. It all began the 4th of july 2010 and a lot has happened since then...