Hello from London - Our Sightseeing Sampler
- Part II: Hyde Park, the Financial
District, the Liverpool Street Station, Dinner at Eat 17, and a
Taste of London Nightlife at Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus
After a
busy morning exploring Smithfield Market, two historic train
stations (St. Pancras and King’s Cross), an enjoyable stroll
through the world-famous Portobello Market, an interview with one
of the organizers of the Notting Hill Carnival which we followed
up with a first-hand exploration of this charming neighbourhood
and a brief excursion to Edgeware Road, London’s Little Beirut
area, we were off to check out another London landmark: Hyde Park.
The bounty of Portobello Market
One of London’s largest parks. Hyde Park is also one of London’s
Royal Parks and connected to Kensington Gardens which is considered
a separate area. Together these two park areas measure a very substantial
625 acres (or 2.5 square kilometers). Hundreds of young people were
sprawling out on the lawns on this warm afternoon, playing Frisbee
or enjoying a picnic.
Relaxing in Hyde Park
Hyde Park was originally a private hunting ground for the Royal
Family until James I permitted limited access to common people in
the 16th century. In 1637 finally the park was opened to the public.
The Serpentine Lake divides the park into two separate areas, and
the park also features restaurants and an art gallery. Of course
Hyde Park’s most famous landmark is Speakers’ Corner,
an area dedicated to public speaking. Hyde Park’s Speakers’
Corner was frequented by such luminaries as Karl Marx, Vladimir
Lenin and George Orwell. Much to our disappointment though, no public
speech was happening today; only two older gentlemen were sitting
on milk crates, quietly conferring with one another.
No big public speeches today
Across from this location is Marble Arch, a triumphal arch built
of white Carrara marble dating back to 1828. It was constructed
to mark Britain’s victories in the Napoleonic Wars. Its counterpart,
the Wellington Arch, is located on the north side of Hyde Park.
Marble Arch was originally intended to be the entrance to Buckingham
Palace, but because it was too narrow to accommodate the width of
some of the most opulent coaches in the 19th century it was moved
to this location in the mid 1800s.
Marble Arch
Our whirlwind discoveries of London continued since I wanted to
get a bit of an overview of this gigantic city. So my local expert
Andrea and I headed back on the Tube and made our way to the Financial
District of London. Along New York City, London is the largest international
banking centre in the world. 50% of all European banking transactions
are processed in London, and metropolitan London’s economy
is the second largest in Europe. London’s banking sector employs
more than 300,000 people. The city’s success in the service
economy is evidenced by the fact that 85% of workforce in greater
London are employed in service industries.
Great architecture in London
Somehow it was strange, but it occurred to me on several occasions
that London reminded me more of North America than continental Europe.
As a European immigrant, I have now been living for more than 20
years in North America, to be more specific in Toronto, Canada’s
financial and economic centre. Over the last few years I have visited
many North American cities including New York City and Chicago.
For reasons I could not completely put my finger on, London just
did not seem like a typical European city.
Taking the Tube to Bank Street
Maybe it was the combination of Victorian and modern architecture
that is so prevalent on the west side of the Atlantic also, that
reminded me of so many of the North American cities I have visited.
This of course became particularly evident in the Financial District
where a combination of classical buildings coexists with modern
creations made of steel, glass and concrete.
Old and new side by side
Andrea and I exited at Bank Street tube station, right in the heart
of London’s financial district, where Prince’s Street,
Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, Lombard and King William Streets
meet. Right out of the Tube station we were impressed by several
major London landmarks: The Royal Exchange, the heart of London’s
commerce; across the street is the Bank of England Museum. On the
other side of the intersection is Mansion House, the official residence
of the Lord Mayor of London. The London Stock Exchange is nearby.
This area is truly the financial powerhouse of Europe.
London - Europe's centre of high finance
In our explorations of the Financial District we came across another
local landmark: Leadenhall Market, a historic market that dates
back to the 14th century. On weekdays it sells fresh fruit, vegetables,
meat, fish and cheeses. Various upscale retail stores are also housed
in the market which features a visually stunning interior. Leadenhall
Market incidentally was designed by the same architect, Sir Horace
Jones, who designed Smithfield Market which we had already visited
earlier today. The centre of the market is the confluence of four
major corridors of stores, and its highlight is an ornate cast iron
and glass roof structure that is painted in a distinctive combination
of cream, maroon and green.
The historic Lamb Tavern inside the Leadenhall Market
A popular destination inside Leadenhall Market is the Lamb Tavern,
since 1780 a gathering place for local city professionals, visitors
and tourists alike. As today was Saturday the market was quiet,
but it must be a hustling and bustling place during the week. Right
next to Leadenhall Market is the Lloyds Building, head office of
the world famous insurance company Lloyd’s of London. Designed
by renowned architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and
1986, many of this building’s features are located on the
outside, for example the elevators, power lines and water pipes.
It shares these similarities with the Pompidou Centre in Paris,
which was also co-designed by Rogers.
Lloyds Building
Just a few steps away is another true landmark of London: The Swiss
Re Tower, much better known as “The Gherkin”. And what
an apt description this is: this blue and silver-coloured 180 m
high tower is indeed shaped like a graceful cucumber and is the
second highest building in London. Its distinctive shape is instantly
recognizable in any image of London’s skyline. Alluding to
its phallic appearance, other nicknames for this building include
the “Towering Innuendo”, the “Crystal Phallus”
and even the “Glass Dildo”. The unusual rounded shape
of the Swiss Re Building provides a tantalizing contrast to the
surrounding angular modern and classic architecture of the Financial
District.
The Gherkin
After our explorations of the City of London our next destination
was Liverpool Street Railway Station since we needed to catch a
train for our dinner appointment. Another one of London’s
big railway stations, Liverpool Street Station is an important departure
point for trains to the East of England. Commuter trains to East
London and Essex also depart from here. Opened in 1874, this train
station is another example of Victorian railway architecture.
Historic Liverpool Street Station
I am always fascinated by historic train stations, and Liverpool
Street Station was no exception. The glass and wrought iron roof
and the historic Victorian façades had me in awe. Since we
had not had any lunch yet and it was already late afternoon, I grabbed
a quick sandwich at one of the shops in the station, and when I
was finished I was struck by the fact that there were no garbage
cans anywhere in the train station. Andrea explained that since
the 2005 London bombings, garbage cans have been removed as an anti-terrorism
measure.
Sculpture commemorating the Kindertransport
Outside the train station there is a memorial sculpture to the
Kindertransport, commemorating the arrival of thousands of Jewish
refugee children in the late 1930s. The United Kingdom took in almost
10,000 children from Nazi Germany and its occupied territories,
and many of them arrived right here, at Liverpool Street Station.
Inside Liverpool Street Station
Now it was already late afternoon, and we were headed further afield
for a special dinner meeting. We were going to meet Andrea’s
daughter Nina and a friend in a restaurant called Eat
17 in Walthamstow Village in North East London. This restaurant
had become a favourite destination of Andrea and her daughter, and
we were headed there to check it out. After a relaxing ride in the
local train we arrived at close to 6 pm in Walthamstow, whose original
name Wilcumestou translates as “The Place of Welcome”.
This part of London was settled mainly during the late 19th century,
after the arrival of the railways. We walked up a pleasant main
street and sat down at a table on the comfortable patio of Eat 17.
Dinner awaits at Eat 17
The owner, Daniel O’Connor, a dynamic 20-something entrepreneur
and a blonder, more handsome version of Hugh Grant, showed me around
the restaurant and explained that Eat 17 is really quite a new business.
After about four years of working as a head concierge for a major
London hotel, Daniel decided he wanted to embark on his own entrepreneurial
adventures and opened Eat 17 in July 2007. Originally its menu was
focused primarily on waffles, but the cuisine has since branched
out to include a wide variety of breakfast dishes, sandwiches, salads,
lunch and dinner items. Of course, for us the waffles still held
a big attraction.
Daniel took me through the busy kitchen into his delicatessen store
which is adjacent to the restaurant and showed me the wide assortment
of gourmet sausages made by the East London Sausage company: varieties
such as Venison, Irish Beef, Wild Boar, Welsh Lamb and Mint, Chicken,
Lemon and Coriander were enticing the taste buds. Delectable cheeses,
organic and locally made cakes are favourites among local gourmets.
All sorts of extravagant delicacies
On my way back to my table Daniel showed me an impressive mural
that was recently completed by a local artist. As a supporter of
local art, Daniel has come up with a new concept called “Gig17”,
which features special events and music performances that are held
at Eat 17.
Obviously this new restaurateur has all sorts of ideas of how to
create a popular venue for the locals.
Funky mural at Eat 17
Finally I arrived back at my table, definitely ready for a great
dinner. I enjoyed a delectable Mushroom and Spinach Risotto while
Andrea had a Bacon and Brie Beefburger. For dessert we shared a
couple of Eat 17’s famous waffles: an Apple and Cinnamon Waffle
as well as a scrumptious Fresh Berry Waffle. Andrea and Nina had
been right on the nose – this was definitely a place worth
visiting.
My favourite: the Fresh Berry Waffle
On our way out we thanked Daniel for a great dining experience
and headed back into the city. We came back into town via the Tube
and exited at Leicester Square. When we got out of the underground
I was absolutely stunned by the amount of people on this pedestrian
square in London’s West End. Young, hip people dressed up
in evening attire were milling about, and we really had to plough
our way through the crowds. Leicester Square is the heart of London’s
cinema district, and many big movies premiere here. It is also home
to several nightclubs, and this Saturday evening the entire area
was absolutely hopping.
Leicester Square is a happening place
From here we strolled through Chinatown which is centered around
Gerrard Street in London’s Soho area. An ornamental gate announces
the entrance into Chinatown, and numerous Chinese-owned shops and
restaurants line the streets. On this warm early May evening, many
patrons were still sitting outside on the restaurant patios, enjoying
the pleasant spring air. We continued our walk on Shaftesbury Avenue,
the centre of London’s West End theatre district, distinguished
by such venues as the Apollo, Gielgud, Lyric and Queen’s Theatres.
London, Europe's theatre capital
The throngs of people throughout the entire area continued and
reached its apex when we arrived on aptly named Piccadilly Circus
– it was truly a circus full of young people in search of
entertainment. With its big colourful neon billboards it reminded
me of Times Square in New York City. Piccadilly Circus is one of
London’s most popular shopping and entertainment areas. Dozens
of twenty-somethings were hanging out on the steps of the Piccadilly
Circus memorial fountain.
Piccadilly Circus - a people magnet
It was absolutely amazing how much of London we had seen in the
last 15 hours. We had criss-crossed the city from east to west and
back, and hopped off at many different destinations. Now thoroughly
tired from a very long day of explorations and so many new impressions,
it was time to head back to our comfortable hotel and rest up for
another
packed day of discoveries.