Tag Archives: Short Break

London Shopping, Art and Bar

Here is my ultimate London shopping, art and bar review: check my spring summer issue! For new comers: my city walks are one of the hallmarks of my blog (you can find all the city walks, full of exclusive address and tips in DESTINATIONS). I walk for hours and hours to capture, watch and take the pulse of the city. This time, I start to Piccadilly Circus, where was my hotel. Not really my usual London, I’m definitely more Portobello and East End than Soho or Covent Garden. Pictures 2 & 7: incredible, after so many trips to London, I’d never been to the National Gallery! I’m a big fan of the Tate Modern and the Victoria & Albert Museum (coming up post and if you like contemporary art, check my interview with Gilbert & George). In the picture 2, this piece of art (in gold or it looks like gold) of Elmgreen & Dragset  is placed in front of the  National Gallery. Honestly I don’t like it and I don’t dislike it, let’s say it intrigues me a bit. Picture 3: don’t miss the Radio Rooftop Bar, located on the top floor of the ME London (a newly opened hotel). For a drink or dinner with a panoramic view of the city … hoping you have a better weather than me (LOL!). Picture 4: totally by chance, on the side of Mayfair, I found in the lobby of a company’s building, my favorite work of the Portuguese artist, Joana Vasconcelos! I had the great opportunity to visit her workshop few years ago and see one of her famous giant sandals under construction! Small world! Picture 6: the most iconic London department store, Liberty! Beautiful wooden interiors,  in addition to excellent fashion selection and home selection, the place has  lots of character. A must do, I had the chance to photograph a famous London based blogger there. Pictures 8, 9, 4 & 1: Anglomania! In Soho, a poster of  the theater that displays a show about the Queen. Picture 9: I’ve always been impressed with all the mix of colors, patterns and materials of the English. Unique! Beautiful or not beautiful, that is not the question! Picture 1: beautiful Burberry‘s window in Regent Street. Where you must stop by the huge store of Anthropologie, if you want to shop for your home. Very nice design both contemporary seriously boho, a little regressive (LOL) and very colorful (plates, bowls, candles, furnitures …). In the store, I also like the great wall covered with plants. Picture 10: This small pedestrian street is full of shops and  leads to a nice place a little apart, with some (crowd out) terraces, St Christopher Place. Enjoy!

Photos : Mademoiselle Le K – copyright 2013, tous droits réservés. 

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DESTINATIONS & LIFESTYLE

Great Britain: Castles & Gardens To Explore

I would like to discover the Great Britain through its beautiful gardens and castles. If I’ve always loved LondonEast Sussex and Kent have made me addicted to the English countryside. As a huge need flowers, old stone and open air, with the arrival of spring, I need to explore more the whole Great Britain. Here are some places that make me dream …

CAWDOR CASTLE : LOOKING FOR MACBETH

For a long time I’ve dreamt to go to Scotland, where I visit Cawdor Castle (photo 1). Why? For its association with Shakespeare and Macbeth! Inseparable from Scottish history, this small medieval castle has three lush gardens, geographically located above Moscow (!), including The Walled Garden dating from the XVII century and a wood The Big Wood

HEVER CASTLE : TO DECLAIM BYRON

In an area that I really liked, Kent: here is the Hever Castel, where grows the famous Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. The castle has beautiful gardens built between 1904 and 1908, a labyrinth and an Italian garden with a loggia on the lake (pictured above), where renting a boat … And declaiming the verses of Lord Byron!      

BATH : FOR A MOVIE SET 

South west of England, Prior Park Gardens (photo above) and Iford Manor really look like movie sets! Actually, I’ve discovred the English countryside by the film adaptations of Jane Austen‘s novels, who lived in Bath. The ancient Roman city is famous both for its Roman baths and hot springs and for its Georgian architecture. 

ALNWICK CASTLE : TO CAST SPELLS 

Harry Potter fans, remember the famous “game of Quidditch,” filmed on the lawns of Alnwick castle! Famous castle in the north of England which houses paintings by Canaletto, Van Dyck and Titian! In the gardens of Alnwick, the Poison Garden and the tree houses connected by wood walkways and lianas, excites my “Harry Potter side” (lol!).

PORTMEIRON : TO ESCAPE WITH No. 6!

Sorry if you’re “not a number“, but back to square one in Portmeiron Village! Location of the cult ’60s series “The Prisoner” and the realization of a life of the architect Clough Williams-Ellis. To “reactivate the No. 6″ in you, get a private helicopter! Oh you don’t locate Portmeiron, it is in Wales.

Informations : www.visitbritainshop.com, www.visitbritain.be  www.visitscotland.comwww.visitkent.co.uk, www.visitbath.co.uk, www.visitnorthumberland.com,  www.visitwales.com        

Related posts : DESTINATIONS 

Sofitel Saint James: A Room With A Breakfast @ The Balcon

Just arrived in London St. Pancras station and 4 tube stops later, I’m on Piccadilly Circus, 2 minutes walk from the Sofitel Saint James located away from the crowd, in a little place that I didn’t know. The hotel is housed in an heritage building: a former imposing bank with incredibly high ceilings! After a warm welcome at reception desk by a French-English bilingual staff, I discover my room: simple, elegant and spacious, in a range of black, white and brown. Lovely bathroom with the old faucet and tiled black and white checkered. What a pity amenities are limited to one soap, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner … all Hermès okay! But for short stays, to lighten my bag I bring the bare minimum like a mini make-up and cleanser, because I usually find everything else in the room. Damned, this time I didn’t take my toothbrush, toothpaste nor body cream (LOL!): thankfully Boots is in Piccadilly Circus! Otherwise leaving my room with its so cozy vibe and “you’re in London Baby!” exotic view (picture 3) and comfortable king size bed, is a huge challenge my dear (lol)! Photo 4: a regressive wallpaper in the entrance to the room (picture 4). And for lasting this cozy atmosphere, a breakfast full of vitamins at the beautiful Balcon, the relaxed chic brasserie of the hotel (pictures 6 & 7). Too hard to leave it to go to my meetings! Picture 5: amazing chandelier ceiling of a hotel suite.

MlleLeK Sofitel Saint James 2

Photos : Mademoiselle Le K – copyright 2013, tous droits réservés.    

www.sofitelsaintjames.com 

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