London Baby!

The end of April saw us take a weekend trip down to London, a chance to meet up with friends old and new, enjoy the vibe of the city and attend a very special event that we had been building towards for a fair few weeks!

The Friday was our travel day making the best use of Uber and a direct train into London St Pancras which only takes about an hour and a half from where we live. Although when we boarded the train it was very packed and at one point it looked like we would be standing all the way. Thankfully after a couple of stops we were able to grab a couple of seats, and because a fellow passenger saw our predicament of trying to find seats near each other, they moved so that we could sit together!

The next stage of our journey gave us chance to get our steps in for the day as we walked from St Pancras to our hotel in Shoreditch; a 50 minute walk...with 2 cases...in unseasonably warm April weather. So before we set off we needed coffee and a sweet treat, and EL&N was the perfect choice with a gorgeous piece of Dubai cheesecake to share!

Making our way across London

We found our hotel with ease, grabbed our room keys and found our 'home' for the next three nights.

Our home for a few nights

Once we had sorted our stuff it was time to find some food, and after a quick scan on Google maps we found an Honest Burger close by which, from previous experience, we knew would suit us perfectly. Halloumi fries, burgers and onion rings for the win! 

Back at the hotel and I had nails to paint ahead of the event we were attending the following evening.

Our Saturday started slowly followed by the very important task of finding breakfast! Google maps is our go-to when looking for good restaurants and today did not disappoint. We found a place called Lantana offering food with an Australian vibe and we enjoyed their take on a full English breakfast and an amazing avocado on toast. 

Full English Aussie style

Avocado on toast!

We then took a walk around the local area and realised that we were in the 'City of London' area which meant it was very quiet with hardly anywhere open, thankfully we did manage to find somewhere for a coffee before returning to the hotel and formulating a plan for the day. We needed to work out where we were going for the event, what time we needed to be there as well as factoring in time to get ready and making sure we had something to eat as we knew once we were at the event food would not be an option!

With a plan in mind we headed out to a restaurant called Meat Up in Hoxton Square where we had the most amazing burgers and steak frites! And it definitely set us up for the evening ahead. 

Back at the hotel it was time to get glammed up and then take a walk over to the event located at Simon Drakes House of Magic. It was a lovely evening and although we had a case of 'stuff' to take with us we opted to walk the three miles and avoid just sitting in traffic and paying for  the privilege! 

Getting our steps in!

The event was hosted by our very good friend, the always delightful Miss Kim. It had been her idea to use the event for the official launch of Simon's art book. Over the past six years he has been quietly producing artwork under a pseudonym which has generated over 60 pieces (and counting) of art along with a healthy social media following. 

All the artwork is produced digitally, is highly detailed, is strictly 'adults only content' and can take many, many hours to complete. But the benefit of creating digitally has meant that wherever we go Simon can take his 'easel and paint' with him from train journeys to vacation time to sleepy coffee shops. As his portfolio began to grow we realised that we needed a medium in which to display the artwork rather than relying on our phones and social media accounts and so the idea of producing a physical art book was created. Drawing inspiration from the 'Taschen' art books in his collection Simon set about creating the book taking care to encapsulate the art and their meaning, resulting in a book of 43 images and more. We were then able to print a short limited edition run of 20 hardcover editions.

Books prepped and ready to launch

We spent the evening chatting with some lovely people, introducing them to Simon's art and by the end of the evening we had sold 3 books. Not knowing what to expect when we decided to put the book together and take the plunge into self publishing, we were both pleased, and surprised, with the reception it garnered. 

At around midnight we began the walk back to the hotel; time to reflect on the evening and enjoy the relative calm of the city in the early hours of the morning. 

Looks like we picked a busy weekend to be in London!

Once back at the hotel and still feeling awake despite the hour we decided to push the button to launch the book online and ensure that social media posts were all set for the morning.

We awoke to messages from both Australia and New Zealand asking if we could ship there...when setting up the online store we had focused on the UK, the US and Europe not expecting to get interest from further afield. We quickly jumped online and created shipping options for down under and by the end of the day we had orders placed for both Australia and New Zealand and a third for the US!

With the admin tasks of the day completed we headed out to enjoy a very bright and sunny day in London exploring the sights and sounds of Shoreditch and Spitalfields. At lunchtime we met Miss Kim and our new friend 'The Barnoness' (who was wearing the most amazing latex skirt!) for lunch at a pub called The Gun just across from Spitalfields Market where we enjoyed a traditional Sunday roast beef. 

After a couple of hours we said our goodbyes and explored the local area before finding a spot for a coffee. After such a wonderful and filling lunch we decided to stop by a Marks & Spencer food hall and pick up some nibbles to have back at the hotel that evening.

Monday was our day of travelling home and we decided that there was no rush and to just take a steady approach to the day. One thing we have discovered being retired is the benefit of making the time our own with no longer a need to be running to a schedule unless it's one we create for ourselves. So once we were ready to check-out of the hotel we grabbed our bags and made our way back to Lantana for another amazing breakfast.

We walked to St Pancras and remarked on how busy it seemed and then we spotted lots of people wearing medals and walking rather delicately which was when we made the realisation that the previous day had been the London Marathon so consequently today was travel day for a lot of those who had taken part. 

We checked the train time home and decided that we had time for another visit to EL&N for coffee and cake before heading to our platform with time to spare. 

As our tickets had no seat assignments we made sure to be at the platform, and the front of the queue, to give ourselves the best chance of finding seats. Sure enough once the gates to the platform opened it was a mad dash to get those precious seats but thankfully by walking a little further towards the front of the train we walked onto a fairly empty carriage and snagged a couple of seats together. It became apparent very quickly that the train was very, very busy and we guessed that was a direct impact of the marathon weekend and likely the reason why no seats had been allocated. The journey home was uneventful with the exception of the train travelling slower than normal so we did end up getting to our home station 22 minutes late (claim for the delay made and compensation a few days later received).

A fun and productive weekend!

And home!