Back in London

I've probably said it before but currently I'm finding that the best thing about London is the "winter" weather. In Southern Ontario the temperature -18 degrees today, whereas it got to 13 degrees in London. While I did want a white Christmas I can say that I'm really not missing the shovelling or having to bundle up due to the freezing temperatures. Katy and I took advantage of yet another sunny Saturday during our week off by more sightseeing. 

We visited St. Dunstan in the East which is the site of a former church which was first damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666 but was patched up and then during World War II became almost completely destroyed. The ruins are now a public garden and has a beautiful cobbled paths and vines all around what is left of the building. It's really a gorgeous area that I'm sure is even more breathtaking in the spring/summer when flowers are in bloom. 

  

Katy really likes Agatha Christy so we went to Florin Court which is the building where they filmed Poirot's home in London known as Whitehaven Mansions. The whole apartment is decorated in art deco style. I was taking Katy's picture in front of the building when an elderly woman invited us in the building and took us on a tour. She took us to the rooftop to see the amazing view and the basement which has a pool and spa. Apparently during the filming of the show the residents who lived in first few floors of the building were put up in hotels and their apartments were redecorated to make it look like it was the 1930's and everyone was given a large sum for their inconvenience. The other residents in the building were each given £100 pounds.  

Since we came to London I have wanted to go to Leadenhall Market as it is featured in some of the Harry Potter films - it's actually Diagon Alley.  I haven't been able to visit the market because it is only open from Monday to Friday and closes before I get off work so our Christmas break gave me the perfect opportunity to visit while it is open. The market was one of the numerous buildings that were also damaged in the Great Fire of London but were rebuilt. It is a covered market and pretty small compared to the other markets I've been to. The building's architecture is so ornate and was nice as the Christmas lights were still on which added to it's beauty. My favourite part of the market (which it's quite famous for) is the floating books section. I also really liked the quotes that were lit up "Time Here Becomes Space" and opposite "Space Here Becomes Time."

We ended our day by walking through Picadilly Circus and making our way to Carnaby Street to see the Christmas light display which I thought was super cool and grabbing dinner in a pub nearby. It is good to be back in London!