Reliving our youth in London

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Geo: 51.5002, -0.126236

We really do live it up in London – it is such a great city and so easy to be swept into doing so much when you are here!

We got up and headed out on the Tube to Brompton Oratory for Mass – we'd elected to go to the 9.30am English language mass, rather than the mass in Latin. A tube ride then a nice walk past Harrods to the church, which is stunning. It is also rather old-fashioned (the offering of Mass in Latin should have been the giveaway!) – the kids were very surprised when the priest said Mass with his back to us! It meant that we really couldn't hear what he was saying, but the boys' choir was wonderful. And it was nice to see a church filled with young families!

Then, after Mass, we walked up the road to the V&A Museum. Rita, Georgia and I had been so impressed with it the day before, and we were very keen to show the boys our discovery. The kids' programme was different on a Sunday, so the backpack that had "wowed" Georgia the day before wasn't available, but we were able to tell them about it, and the Sunday activity was lots of crafty stuff with building your own building and stained glass window – lots of fun. We had a coffee in the sun in the courtyard, loving the pink and purple hydrangeas against the red bricks (sometimes the weirdest colour combinations work SO well), then into the museum for a quick look. Rita and Elio took the kids, who had a great time trying on knights' metal gloves, medieval headwear and seeing Leonardo da Vinci's original notebook, complete with mirror writing. Steven and I had a quick look at the plaster casts section – so much of the great art and architecture that we had seen elsewhere in Europe, replicated and crammed into a single gallery. We really could have spent a month there!

Then, we dashed out into the street to grab a taxi to have lunch with Rebecca Fuller and her husband Amit, Kelly Tinkler and his wife Davina and Miranda and Jonathon (who'd come over from Brussels for the weekend). Becky, Miranda and Kelly had all been at uni with Steven and I, and it was so good to all be together! We went to The Ledbury, in Notting Hill – it has just got its second Michelin star, and whilst the food was great, it was even greater to be in the company of old friends, having such a wonderful time. We ate and drank (and drank!) all afternoon – suddenly, the end of the day had arrived, and Miranda had to head back to St Pancras to catch the train to Brussels. We didn't get a chance to meet Becky's little son, Jai, who is 3 – hopefully, she and Amit will bring both their children (she is expecting another son) to Australia soon.

We leapt in a cab with Kelly, Davina, Miranda and Jonathon – both Miranda and I were very teary, realising that we won't get another chance to see each other for years - until either I get back to Europe or Miranda brings Jonathon to Australia!

Kelly came back to our apartment, where we established that the kids had also had a wonderful afternoon – they'd spent ages at the V&A and even had lunch there, and then wandered down to Harrods, to show the boys the Egyptian staircase. When we arrived home, Rita was busy getting dinner ready for the kids, and they were settled in for the night. Some slightly tipsy parents didn't interest the children or excite the grandparents, so we were given a leave pass for the evening, and headed back out to enjoy London!

We first went to Covent Garden, and had a drink at the Punch and Judy bar, overlooking the Market and the church which is the backdrop for Eliza Dolittle in “My Fair Lady”, watching a busker. Then, off to dinner at Sarastros. What an experience that was! The little restaurant is jam-packed, with balconies running around the interior, so we could look down onto the diners, and the performers (opera singers) below. It is opulent and stuffed, with a real Turkish feel – “bordello chic” was how Kelly described it! The meals were lovely. Couldn't take the kids here, though – the artwork in the bathrooms is graphic in its content and anatomically challenging!

Back onto the streets, to find that some places winding down on a Sunday night – we couldn't get into Chez Gerard as the bar was closing. So we scooted down the road to the Lamb and Flag – Steven's favourite pub in the world – and had a couple of last drinks before closing time. What a great night, reliving our youth!

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Photos

Lunch at The Ledbury
Steven & Kaylene, Beccy & Amit, Kelly & Davina and Miranda & Jonathon