A Slice of England

Greetings from London to you all. We made it to London and the city looked beautiful and magical with the snowflakes and festive lights. First stop was the Somerset House; spectacular site with a wonderful ice skating ring in the middle, indeed a hidden jem to be discovered in London. There are wonderful exhibitions, magnificent collection of paintings (by Rubens, Manet, Gauguin and many more), and family workshops. They also host a lovely Deli called Tom’s Deli with great pastries, sandwishes an coffee & tea. The Ice Skate Rimg is open until January 23rd, worth a visit.

One of the things I love about London is that it is a great walking city and you get to see a lot by walking. We walked from Somerset House to Covent Garden (about 15 minutes), which looked very festive with the lovely and huge red bauble decorations. With live opera singing at the background and wonderful markets, an amazing site to see.

And English National Ballet’s Nutcracker; an incredible performance to remember and fill you with the festive spirits. And if you still have some energy, head to the real winter wonderland in Hyde Park with lots of rides and attractions:)

Hope this greetings find you all well. Best wishes for the Holiday Season and New Year, and safe travels to all!

We were at the Bushy Park in Hampton this Sunday. It was a glorious autumn day with lovely sunshine and spectacular autumn colors. I can’t keep my eyes off the colors of the leaves – reds, yellows, orange and purple, a feast to the eye!

A highlight of this wonderful park is the wildlife it hosts. Plenty of deers, swans, ducks and many more, everywhere. Here are some photos, hope it brightens your day too:)

Greetings from Weybridge, Surrey! We have just moved, busy with unpacking and settling down. We don’t have the internet connection yet, so my sister-in-law kindly let me connect to the world and share this with you, thank you Judith!:)

First a little, special tribute to the wonderful town of Malmesbury, which we called home for a year. A very special town packed with incredible sights; 12th century Abbey, the Market Cross, the wonderful Abbey Gardens, the lovely Bell Hotel (England’s first hotel!) and many more. Malmesbury deserves a visit for sure, if you are in Wiltshire, our home county in England. Malmesbury will be a very special place for us with our family connection and with the wonderful friends we made there, we very much look forward to keeping in touch and visit every opportunity.

Another special note goes for our favorite spot, the Potting Shed Gastro Pub, 5 minutes to Malmesbury. The atmosphere is very quaint and the food is superb. We had to have lunch there again just before we left – in between packing!- and what a special break it was. The service is impeccable, very welcoming too. Here are a couple of what we enjoyed: Smoked Salmon with pickled cucumber, crushed garlic and ginger salad; Home made lamb, rosemary and redcurrant burger with chips and mint mayonnaise (what a great idea!) and for dessert, blackcurrant and lemon cheesecake with yoghurt and lemon sorbet – what a great, affordable feast! Highy recommended – www.thepottingshedpub.com

Within 10 minutes drive from Malmesbury, there is wonderful pubs and eateries, here are a couple of our favorites:
The Vine Tree Pub, The Trouble House, The Chefs Table (by the Michelin Starred Chef) in Tetbury and the Michelin Starred Whatley Manor. A visit to Wiltshire will sure be a delight to all senses, hope we all make it there again!