London Will Never Bore You
We were privileged over the summer to live a short train ride away from central London. I still enjoy visiting that city as much as ever. There is always so much to see and do! Its bustling atmosphere and moody weather combine to lend excitement. The tube and bus system provide easy transportation, but it's fun to walk around also, seeing the sights of each new neighborhood. Here are some photos from our various day trips to London in August.
Mr. Astor's Office
Two Temple Place is an elaborate building, inside and out. It was built by William Waldorf Astor in 1895, sparing no expense or artistic flourish. When he wasn't busy establishing the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, he had extensive business dealings in London, and this mansion served as his UK office. Now owned by a trust, it's occasionally open to the public for tours. I loved the colors in the entrance hall, and the gold-gilded weathervane portraying the Santa Maria.
We completed this day by walking across the Thames on the Millennium foot bridge, and lunching in a pretty Thai restaurant. (Robin ordered a most interesting floral tea.)
Westminster Abbey, Paddington The Musical, & The Savoy
London was unusually hot this summer, and on a sweltering August Thursday when we had non-refundable tour and theater tickets, we set out to enjoy it as best we could. Robin's wish list included touring Westminster Abbey, which is not London's largest cathedral (that would be St. Paul's), but it is still impressive. Our tour guide (American actually!) was well-versed in the church's history, and the interior was blessedly cool. Westminster is known as the burial place of royalty through the centuries, and also of authors, poets, and composers. You may have seen a royal wedding (William & Kate) or coronation (current King Charles) take place there too.
It is very difficult to capture the scale of anything at Westminster Abbey in photos. It's all too grand!
Thomas Cochrane, by the way, was the 19th-century naval captain who inspired the character of Captain Jack Aubrey in the "Master and Commander" series by Patrick O'Brian. We highly recommend these books, especially the audio versions read by Patrick Tull; or the movie starring Russell Crowe.
After the Abbey tour, we sought out an air-conditioned Indian restaurant for dinner, then walked to the theatre district. I'd read that the musical at London's Savoy Theatre about Paddington Bear was excellent, and they weren't kidding. The sets, costumes, and music were all fabulous. It didn't matter that it was a children's story! We really loved Paddington! Then to cap off the day (now cooler at 10 PM), we went next door to the Savoy Hotel, where I had made a reservation for drinks at its famous "American Bar." It wasn't particularly "American," but I don't think I've ever had such a lovely experience drinking a cocktail. The servers treated us like royalty, and the drinks were delicious. Pricey but worth it to be spoiled once in a while, and I look forward to the next special occasion at the Savoy.
The drink ingredients: rum, white port, apricot, lime, roasted pineapple soda, saffron.
Borough Market, Hot Chocolate, & Shakespeare's Globe
Neither one of us had ever been to a Shakespeare play at London's famous Globe Theatre, so we decided to get tickets to a performance of "Much Ado About Nothing." As in Shakespeare's time, the venue is open-air and much of the audience stands in front of the stage, but we modern (and old) theatre-goers prefer seats! The actors were terrific and very funny.
The Globe is around the corner from Borough Market, one of London's famous foodie areas. It was our second time there and as before, it was too crowded to really enjoy. There are many tempting food choices, but no place to eat other than standing in a corner and doing your best! So for lunch before the play, I booked a table at one of the sit-down restaurants, the all-vegetarian Mallow. We ate there in 2024 and I thought it was still excellent.
Borough Market crowd Borough Market sandwiches Borough Market stews Borough Market Cannoli standing lunch another make-do lunch area thoughtful mini cocktail at Mallow white bean hummous at Mallow Mallow tortellini
It's OK to have dessert before lunch, right? Robin and I parted ways at the train station that morning so he could go check out Northeastern's London campus, while I went in search of gourmet chocolate at Dark Sugars, in the Shoreditch neighborhood. They're famous for hot chocolate topped with copious shavings which melt into your drink. It was soooo gooooood. While definitely a chocolate highlight of the summer, I have to give the top chocolate award this year to the Dark Dubai Chocolate from Läderach, which I procured at Selfridge's Department Store.
how it starts (web photo) shavings mostly melted into my cup part of the store's selection Dubai chocolate -- with pistachio paste
The Science Museum, Afternoon Tea, & The Royal Albert Hall
Our final day in London began with a visit to the Science Museum and a thrilling Imax movie about the T Rex. Afterwards we noticed a booth for some sort of space-themed experience, so we bought tickets and went in. Little did we know it was virtual reality -- a first for both of us! We put on the headsets and saw supernovas exploding. It was very cool. (A few days later, we visited a virtual reality escape room with our niece Mia and her fiancé Jay. That was a big winner -- really fun!!) Back in London, following up on our dinosaur theme for the afternoon, we then got the Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel. That was fun and tasty too.
Science Museum exhibit VR Escape Room Dinosaur Egg Cocktails! Afternoon Tea, Volcano style
Robin really enjoys listening to classical music at London's premier concert venue: The Royal Albert Hall. The summer "Proms" series is much-loved in England. After tea, that was our next stop. Mahler's 4th Symphony was on that evening and he named it his summer highlight! As for me, I was glad to accompany him and see not only the concert hall, but also the Albert Memorial across the street. What a blow losing Albert was to Queen Victoria.
Ornate Albert Memorial The Royal Albert Hall ABBA Experience in Stratford
The photo above is a few days later from a different type of concert that everyone said we shouldn't miss -- ABBA reconstituted as "holograms" with live music and recorded vocals. What will they think of next? We're glad we experienced this one.
Writing this in October, I'm missing London and dreaming about heading back! If you ever decide to visit that amazing city, Robin and I will be very pleased to share our recommendations. But you can't go wrong there, whatever your interests.
I'm currently in Maine, where I'm spending the month on politics, hikes on my days off, and visiting my Mom. Hey, Maine in the Fall is not bad either!
Well Dear Readers, this concludes my travel blogging for 2026. Thank you for following our adventures, and for all your comments and messages. I will let you know of new installments if we are lucky enough to embark on future travels. Wishing you all the best for the rest of the year and beyond!
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Thanks, Kim, for another superb travelogue! Your writing and photos also make me want to go back to the UK -- first to the countrysides but also to London. Thanks for taking us along for the ride! Love seeing glimpses of beauty and purpose in Maine as well!
Enjoyed your latest. We are headed to London after Thanksgiving for our annual visit and Sunday roast at The Surprise.
BTW, we discovere Läderach in Basel last year. Abolutely the best milk choclate ever. Fortunately we can get it in Boston & Natick and on King's Road this November.
GREAT photos and descriptions, Kim! All your blogs make me want to tour the UK. Kathy