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Le Coin De Mel

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Home » Ramblings » Tourists!

Tourists!

Ramblings

I have always loved discovering new countries, finding out about the people, the customs, trying out exotic food, learning a few words in another language and I was lucky enough to fall in love with a geographer. Hubby and I spent most of our time off (and money!) travelling before we had our children.

London is the first foreign city I visited with my mum when I was thirteen years old. It is also the first place I ever travelled to with no adult supervision for a day trip with my friend Violaine when I was sixteen.

As a student, after many day trips and week-ends to the beautiful city, I moved to London for what was meant to be a gap year. That was almost thirteen years ago. I have never left. For some strange reason, whenever the coach (cheapest way to travel as a student!) was approaching the city and driving past the familiar streets and rows of houses, I had a feeling I was coming home. Odd, considering that I grew up in a tiny village in the middle of the French countryside, but true…

Several members of my family came to visit recently. They arrived on a particularly wet Easter Sunday. We had a lot of chatting and catching up to do so it did not really matter what the weather was like. On top of that, their arrival meant the children had their Easter egg hunt on Monday morning, which was ideal as it was a beautiful, sunny day.

Camden Town

We did not manage to do very much tourism, because I was back at work a couple of days after their arrival, but we drove to Camden town on Easter Monday. We did some browsing, a little bit of shopping and I took lots of photos.
Camden

We also had a day in Green Park, starting with a walk past the Ritz and into Fortnum and Mason, coffee in Starbucks, a stroll in the park up to Buckingham palace, where we spent ages observing the guards.

Buckingham palace

We were just trying to see whether they were really still and had a giggle observing the one above trying to scratch his bottom unnoticed. We wondered whether that kind of job was a vocation. Beanie was really angry when we left because she did not understand why we were not allowed to simply walk in and see the princess…

Experiencing London through the eyes of a tourist rather than a resident was rather refreshing. It opened my eyes again to the architecture of the city, the cleanliness of the tube, the fact people give up their seats readily for pregnant women and young children. I once again saw the abundance of green spaces in such a busy city, the quirkiness of certain areas, the business-like feeling others emulate. I did not need a reminder why I love living here so much, but I got one anyway!

Outside Saint Pancras

 

The Reading Residence

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Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

01/05/2014 · 36 Comments

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Comments

  1. Mel says

    02/05/2014 at 6:55 am

    bla bla bla

    Reply
  2. mummytries says

    02/05/2014 at 7:01 am

    Sounds like a fabulous day out my lovely! Ahhh good old Cold Steel 😉

    I was thrilled to see you’ve been short listed for a BIB! Best of luck lovely xxx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 12:29 am

      Thanks a lot. I did visit Cold Steel a few times in my first years in London, hihi. x

      Reply
  3. Merlinda (@pixiedusk) says

    02/05/2014 at 9:15 am

    I wish I can visit London! Been in the UK for years but I was only able to go there once and dont have a chance to look & walk around #pocolo

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 12:30 am

      You would love London, Merlinda! There are so many great places to take little ones to (most of them for free!); you would have a great time with your little boy.

      Reply
  4. Leanne (@suggys.co.uk/Leanne) says

    02/05/2014 at 10:45 am

    London is FAB ive only been once and absolutely loved it 🙂 #PoCoLo

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 12:34 am

      I bet you did. What’s not to love? Tons to do, beautiful, clean city, polite people…

      Reply
  5. thereadingresidence says

    02/05/2014 at 12:09 pm

    So glad you all had a lovely time. Seeing things through the eyes of others does make everything so fresh x Thank for sharing with #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:44 pm

      It does! We are very lucky to live near the countryside but also so close to central London.

      Reply
  6. katgrant30 (Bumps & Grind) says

    02/05/2014 at 2:00 pm

    I am so pleased that you have made London your home! It is such a special city – like you, I arrived from rural Scotland 12 years ago and never left!

    I also love taking visiting friends and family around the tourist sites – the south bank is a favourite, but also “hidden gems” that they may not have thought of like the Chelsea Physic Garden or Maltby Street Market…

    Great post!
    #PoCoLo

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:12 am

      Funny how you get drawn to some places, isn’t it? I should go to the South bank more often. Mel

      Reply
  7. thenthefunbegan says

    02/05/2014 at 2:46 pm

    Its so nice to hear London spoken of so fondly! As a resident you can definitely become bogged down in the negatives although I just find it wonderful – I especially love Camden (and Covent Garden is another favourite) but having said that I do feel a bit like a tourist when I visit places like that because North London is so different to South London. I’ve voted for you btw! X #wotw

    Reply
    • Mel says

      03/05/2014 at 11:34 pm

      I wanted to take the family to Covent Garden, but we were all tired last Sunday and ended up doing very little. Funny that you should feel like a tourist in North London; I feel the same in South London, hihi! Thank you so much for voting for me! I have no chance (everyone in my category is a ‘real’ food blogger, with amazing recipes!) but being shortlisted has made me incredibly happy.

      Reply
  8. redpefferona@redpeffer says

    02/05/2014 at 2:48 pm

    It’s lovely to see your home through someone else’s eyes isn’t it. I’ve never seen any of the guards move a muscle before so that must have been fun 🙂

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:07 am

      You would have loved that one! I want to go and explore London again after doing that for a few days. Thinking about it, I always take people to the same places. I should be more adventurous!

      Reply
  9. Michèle says

    02/05/2014 at 7:38 pm

    J adhère à ce qui est dit précédement et pour m etre rendue en Angleterre à maintes reprises je puis dire qu’à chaque fois je me fais plaisir à revoir les sites déjà découverts et qui m’émerveillent toujours autant

    Reply
    • Mel says

      02/05/2014 at 8:11 pm

      Merci! Londres est vraiment une belle ville… Bisous

      Reply
  10. Kim Carberry says

    02/05/2014 at 8:05 pm

    Wow! What wonderful photos & a fab word x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:05 am

      Thanks Kim

      Reply
  11. Jaime Oliver says

    03/05/2014 at 1:03 pm

    this is fantastic Mel, sometimes it take looking through new eyes to see what we miss with time.

    thanks for linking up with #PoCoLo

    p.s thank you for your email will get back to you later xx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:00 am

      We do not travel much these days and it was lovely putting my ‘tourist’ hat on for a few days. x

      Reply
  12. Alexandra Mercer (Life of mummy) says

    03/05/2014 at 1:41 pm

    How lovely to read something so positive. So many people cannot see all the good things that surround them. This world is a wonderful place and I believe most people do have a good heart. x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      03/05/2014 at 11:25 pm

      I could not agree more! It is really important to appreciate what we have and where we are. It is all about the little things! x

      Reply
  13. ciwin22 says

    03/05/2014 at 3:54 pm

    Fab photos, one of our favourite cities to visit! #countrykids

    Reply
    • Mel says

      03/05/2014 at 11:44 pm

      Thanks, so much to see and do in London. We never run out of things to do.

      Reply
  14. Sara (@mumturnedmom) says

    04/05/2014 at 3:49 am

    I lived in London for nearly ten years, I met my husband there. We used to book into Last minute hotels for the weekend and play tourist, it’s a wonderful city 🙂

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:45 pm

      It really is! I must take the children to central London more often and explore the city with them, so much to see!

      Reply
  15. Coombe Mill (Fiona) (@coombemill) says

    04/05/2014 at 11:26 am

    Lovely and lively London town – such an amazing city to live in. It’s great when you have visitors then you can also be a tourist for a while too and appreciate where you live. Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:59 pm

      It really is! Your part of the world seems great, too! I have always wanted to go to Cornwall. x

      Reply
  16. Viv'Maman_Bas says

    04/05/2014 at 1:28 pm

    Oh yes I remember this coach day trip to London! Brilliant – happy memories. We don’t go much into London these days but I love it when we do xx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 1:38 pm

      It was a great trip, wasn’t it? Followed by many more together. Can you believe we are both in England now? x

      Reply
  17. Cindy says

    04/05/2014 at 2:31 pm

    Coucou Mel. Quand je lis la manière dont tu parles de Londres, je comprends mieux l’attachement que Valé peut avoir pour cette ville. J’ai hâte de lui faire la surprise en passant un week end à Londres.et de voir le bonheur et l’émerveillement dans ses grands yeux. Bisous.

    P.S: J’ai voté pour ton blog. Bonne chance.

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 2:56 pm

        Merci, tu es adorable! Quand tu auras réservé votre week-end, fais-moi signe, je viendrai faire la touriste avec vous pour une journée. Bises
      Reply
  18. Sharon (@TeenTweenToddle) says

    04/05/2014 at 9:34 pm

    Sounds like a great day out, fab photo’s x #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/05/2014 at 9:41 pm

      It was great, thanks Sharon.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. French Style for Children - Le Coin De Mel says:
    18/03/2015 at 2:02 am

    […] do not feel like an expat at all. In fact, I have never felt like one. In my first year here, I spoke more French than […]

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