Last March 15, Kristine Hughes and I arrived in London after two-plus years of the plague or whatever we will eventually call it. We spent a couple of days wandering around to check all our favorite places to be sure no-one had absconded with Hatchards or St. James's Piccadilly while we weren't there. Luckily, we found all was in order. Even the circus was 'as usual' with the Shaftsbury Fountain and the statue usually called Eros but actually portraying another his brother Anteros. Among our investigations, we successfully passed Apsley House on almost every taxi ride. as one does.
Please click on the thumbnails for larger versions. Above, left to right: St James's courtyard with blooming tree; Easter treats in Fortum & Mason; Charing Cross bookstore. Below, more F&M, a visit to the Lanesborough Hotel, and Albany in it proper place.
The Duke of Wellington pub in the Strand; Kristine's latest book, Waterlooo Witnesses, on display on Hatchards, Rowley's in Jermyn Street for a delicious lunch.
But look what happened to the house in Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, where Jane Austen stayed with her brother Henry in 1813-14. Note the plaque above the ground floor. It has been a number of businesses before, but...Mrs. Riot??? OMG! And according to their FB page, the downstairs "pleasure den" is called Kitty's. Guess they haven't read P&P.
We had only a couple of days before taking the Eurostar to visit Waterloo, details coming soon, followed by the Loire Valley before returning for a full week in a Notting Hill house. Nevertheless, our wandering was wonderful. Back in the UK.
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