London Town

It's hard to believe that we have been living in England since July and this was my first trip into London on the train! Well, there are many new places to discover in and around our little village. I had to go to the Chinese Embassy in London to get a visa to visit China. I need a Shanghai fix and a catch up with some friends, before they too move on! Perfect excuse for a day trip!

Was a quick 45 minute trip into London, then I jumped on the tube to go and meet my friend. My train was packed and I thought I may have to bring in my Chinese learned tactics of 'elbows out and barge through' to get off at my stop. Thankfully the British have train etiquette sorted and I got off easily!

Can feel the history steeping from the old buildings and nice to see some interesting architecture in the new ones too!

Was a beautiful, sunny day and it was lovely to meet my friend, go for a stroll, soak up the history, fast pace and vibe of the city before heading to Jamie's Italian on Threadneedle Street for lunch. My friend had the King Prawn Linguine with chilli, which was delicious and I had the Crab and Scallop Risotto which was lovely and creamy, the crab and scallops were beautifully fresh, lots of flavour and texture. Very nice meal with great company. Diverse menu with something for everyone. Reasonable prices, great atmosphere and set in a lovely heritage listed building it's definitely worth a visit.

King Prawn and Chilli Linguine

Crab and Scallop Risotto

Jamie's Italian Threadneedle Street

We then had a lovely walk to the Chinese Visa office to lodge my visa application. Was quite bizarre to see the flag of China fluttering above the traditional red London phone box.

 Visa application lodged, we headed over to Oxford street to soak up some more London atmosphere.

Christmas Decorations are going up

Love the Carnaby Street take on Christmas decos

Beautiful old building, home of Liberty of London

Was nice to see to see, at a flower shop, the pair of Chinese Lions, guarding the entrance. These Shishi (stone lions) are all over China, guarding entrances to temples, shops, restaurants, hotels and even homes. They are always in pairs, a male and a female. The male on the right and the female on the left as you enter the building.

Female Lion

The female always has a cub under her left front paw, representing the cycle of life. She protects the people in the building.

Male Lion

The male has his right front paw on a ball, representing the earth. He protects the structure.

 The shop even had some very beautiful flowers!

On arrival back at my village station, I was rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the fields. A lovely ending to a wonderful day. I must get into London more often..so many adventures to be had in such a fabulous city!

Jamies Italian
Ground Floor
38 Threadneedle Street
London
EC2R 8AY
Tel: 0203 005 9445