London: This and That

I got back last night from the Channel Islands, where I spent two and a half days with Linda wandering around, island-hopping, swimming in chilly water, hiking, and attaining just a blush of sunburn. It was truly wonderful. I'll write a breakdown of costs and a trip overview soon.

But before I get down to that, here are a few gems—objects and experiences both—from the last several days.

1. "Back to Nature," the Guardian's camping supplement, which came with the paper's weekend edition. Editor Sue George begins her introductory note with an ode to camping, which refers to the cozy sensation of being inside a tent in the rain. The supplement includes a primer on tents, camping sites that can be reached by public transportation, and a long list of camping sites in the UK and France.

2. Another Guardian feature, "London for free," a list of ten things to do in London for free, adapted from a cheap activities guide in this week's Time Out.

3. Georgian food at Mimino on Kensington High Street, which I enjoyed with my new friend Unai. Armed with a list of delicacies copied from Marisa's emailed suggestions, we feasted on satsivi, lobio, and cheese-stuffed bread, and drank Borjomi and bright green lemonade, which, the waitress pointed out to us, wasn't really lemonade at all. So tasty.

4. My trip to Green Lanes, which, in its concentration of businesses and energy, reminded me a little bit of the commercial part of San Francisco's Richmond District. In between gazing through travel agency windows at cheap getaways to Ercan (just £58 roundtrip!) I took a few photos.

Commercial district entrance.

Green Lanes street scene.

Comments

[denise Young]

Hi Alex - are you coming to Paris? Denise