Table for one and time 100% for you
I start Thursday morning stretching wrapped in the soft sheets of my canopy bed at the Blakes Hotel _(33, Roland Gardens) _, in true princess style from the time of Louis XVI of France (can you tell I like movies of Marie Antoinette?). I have chosen this hotel because it is very "cosy", as the English say, because it is in an excellent neighborhood of the city, and because I've been tipped off that it has a great nightlife for a drink at the bar and not feel alone. After a delicious bath in the bathtub, also from the time of Louis XVI, and a tasty à la carte breakfast based on a light and very healthy plate of pancakes (of course it goes with seconds), he threw me out.
Sunrise at the Blake Hotel
Because of its proximity to my hotel, and because a bit of culture never hurts, my first stop is the Victoria & Albert Museum , a spectacular Victorian building that always houses some interesting exhibition, like one about the evolution of underwear (yes, yes, you read that right, but it is more attractive than the title sounds). Then I go into the center and, without meaning to, I run into **one of my favorite decoration shops Skandium**, without a doubt, the paradise of Nordic design concentrated on two floors.
I continue walking along the same sidewalk until I come across the flagship of English shopping, Harrods department store. Despite the fact that 95% of the products they sell are out of my reach, it is becoming a tradition in my life go into the supermarket and gossip about the products on display . I don't know why, but in the end there is always a box of butter cookies made in England. Long live originality and long live the diet! And so, whether it's the butter on the biscuit or my own head, I want to feel one hundred percent London. Where? I make myself a very hot coffee and I sit on a bench in the mythical Hyde Park . It's supposed to be what locals do when they have free time at the office; I take the opportunity to observe the people passing by, and invent the story of their life (I suppose this has to do with my profession of creating articles; imagination is always present ) .
While I am concentrating on creating my particular vision of the life of one of them, two horses pass by, and it seems that every animal has the same right to enjoy the park as humans. After sitting for half an hour, I notice how cold my body is, so I decide to go in search of my ideal house –in my dreams– to live in London. After getting lost in several streets, doubts assail me: I don't know whether to stay with a red brick house in Cadogan's Gardens ; one of colors in Beauchamp Place or, already set to dream, I throw myself into a single house in the neighborhood of Belgravia.
The trip is always a mirror, look at them in this magnificent decoration store: Skandium
And this is where I am when a friend's recommendation comes to mind, that she knows everything about openings, about a new healthy club for very chic girls . As I have the mission of living the experience as a true local –always alone, remember– I plant myself in South Kensington Club . As I am not a member, I explain to the doorman my status as a journalist (this is better than saying that I am touring the city alone), and I enter a space decorated in an excellent British style, adorned with a subtle Caribbean touch. It has a fitness area; of beauty treatments; a hamman; a Mediterranean restaurant, and to a travel club . If I could I would stay here forever, but the day must go on; Besides, they only let me stay for a short visit.
Since it's past noon and I haven't eaten anything since my famous breakfast pancakes, I go straight to The Ivy Chelsea _(197 King's Road) _. It's sunny, so I take the opportunity to ask for a table on its wonderful interior terrace; yes, I will ask for something light, that this place does not stand out for being cheap, but if my mission is to be a girl - alone, I repeat - from London and very lady, I have no choice but to let myself be seen here. The good thing about this city, moreover, is that no one looks at you funny if you occupy a table without company , a point that is greatly appreciated, and that allows you to take your time to enjoy the food without making a ball.
The Ivy Chelsea, delicious
With a full stomach I can better think about my afternoon plan. I believe that I feel like taking a walk along the banks of the Thames to take the occasional photo of rigor, and then inspect Soho shops , where I always find an original gift for Christmas. Time flies by, and so it's time for a great plan when you're alone: cinema and bubbles, or as they call it ** Film And Frizz , at the One Aldwych Hotel **. While you enjoy a movie you taste a glass of champagne. I really don't know if it's very British, but it sounds original and fun so here I go. I've had an old Christmas movie, it's the time, isn't it?, and after a glass of champagne (I don't usually drink this type of drink) I think that filling my stomach before going to sleep will be the best option. It seems that they have listened to me, because when I go out into the street I run into the new restaurant of the Basque chef Eneko Atxa and, I don't know for what reason, an unexpected longing for Spanish food floods me (I also take the opportunity to practice my English), so I agree like a bull and without looking back with the intention of snacking on something and enjoying a good glass of wine Spanish. The waiter recommends me to order Memories of the Bay of Biscay, a combination of crab, oyster and shrimp and I think, why would I contradict this charming boy? Moral: hit the spot, it was delicious.
Let yourself be surprised by Eneko at One Aldwych
Time flies by and it is time to return to my bed with a Marie Antoinette canopy –I guess I must have been a princess in another life–. I ask for an Uber, a service that works perfectly in London and, when I arrive at the hotel, it seems as if the PR is waiting for me at the door to invite me to taste one of the famous cocktails of the hotel. Blake's Below . I think to myself that she must have found out that I am the only woman staying at the hotel who is alone, and she has felt a little compassion. In the end, what else does she give? the invitation has been a detail . The bar doesn't fit a pin, and I think all the good kids in the city are concentrated here. The same I find Prince Harry. Oh wow, what a shame, he just got a girlfriend!
Tate Modern
Friday dawns with very English weather with a gray sky, which makes it clear that some rain is going to fall in the morning. To be safe I decide to take refuge indoors , and getting closer to see the expansion of the Tate Modern , which I confess made me fall in love at first sight. When the rain gives a truce, and since I'm in the East area, I take the opportunity to investigate what's new in the neighborhood. And so I end up on Bermondsey Street, a street that has gained points among Londoners in recent years – perhaps I should be looking at a house in this area, and not in Belgravia. Despite its small size, It is full of shops and restaurants of all kinds , like the French **Casse Croute** in the 109; English with organic roll The Garrison at 99-101, or Village and East in 171, ideal for the afterwork drink.
A stop with organic roll? The Garrison
Being my own Inspector Gadget in search of my ideal house leaves me exhausted, plus it's already three in the afternoon and, once again, I've forgotten to eat. Do not panic , my light bulb just turned on: I'm going to give myself a very English tribute with a famous afternoon tea . I have two options in mind: Sketch or **The Berkeley**. In the end, I opted for the last one, because I want to know their prêt-à-porter cookies and pasta. What does it consist of? It is neither more nor less than a gastro catwalk –the definition is homegrown–, because the pastries are shaped like the most famous bags, shoes and garments of fashion designers . Thus, in the same afternoon you can devour a pair of Louboutins; a Chanel bag; a Gucci bag, or a Burberry trench coat.
Fashion and High Tea at The Berkeley
I leave there wanting to continue seeing, or rather living, new experiences in this city, which tomorrow I return to Madrid and recover my role as a "social woman". Although night has fallen, everything is still open, and I decide that it is a good time to stop being a Londoner for a few hours and become a foreigner . That's why I go shopping in the mythical streets Regent Street Y oxford street , where brands that my pocket can afford are located, such as Uniqlo, Top Shop, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie or Gap. And, to return to my British way, I also take a tour of the legendary Liberty department store.
Warning: entering Liberty creates a hole in time
I must rest my legs for a while, and nothing better than enjoying a delicious glass of wine in a cool place in the city. I go to the bar of the trendy place, sexy-fish _(Berkeley Square) _, and taste a New Zealand reference while taking in the atmosphere. Of course I don't feel, but it's not because I'm alone, it's that in these types of sites it is inevitable to make a reservation , and that little detail I had forgotten. Nothing happens, because in the end I end up totally integrated into a group of Dutch people who share the bar with me and who, seeing me without company, invite me to go have a cocktail at the underground club in Experimental Cocktail in Chinatown. The night goes according to promise, and we end up last call at Soho House. Not everyone has access to these types of clubs, but if a member takes you (as is my case) you are more than welcome. Of course, I can't show graphic material because taking photos is prohibited, which is a shame because the bar on the fourth floor was crying out for a space on my Instagram.
Sexy Fish: London's New Fashion Bar
It's already Saturday and I only have a few more hours. After waking up again in my wonderful Marie Antoinette-style bed –I don't even want to think about the depression I'll have when I return to my functional bed in Madrid– I think there is no better way to say goodbye to the city than enjoying a delicious brunch frequented by Londoners ( I don't know if I've already told you that my mission is to feel like a true Londoner). I get dressed quickly, say goodbye to my bed, leave my suitcase and run towards broadway market , saturday hipster zone . I take the opportunity to take a walk through its peculiar market, and end up sitting in La Bouche, a place where a restaurant and grocery store share space.
Time flies by and it's time to recover my Spanish social life. The conclusion of my journey? I have managed to feel like a true Londoner; I have eaten wonderfully; visited good exhibitions and met interesting people. London is, without a doubt, the perfect city to explore alone.
Broadway Market: hipster moment