Off the Beaten Path

For our second full day on London, we decided to explore more of the city we had not seen. We have always stayed in the center to be close to the famous things to do in London. Today we went the opposite way and took a long stroll down the Thames into Chelsea and Hammersmith boroughs. Because it was Sunday, it was very quiet on the streets and by going the way opposite of all the attractions we were able to walk freely without all the crowds.

After walking for awhile, we decided to go for brunch in Chelsea. We found a little cafe called Charlotte's Cloud. This cafe seemed pretty typical of the area with a small seating area and also catering to take away orders. The coffee was excellent and so was the food. I had smashed avocado on sourdough and Darren had pancakes and bacon. They were not what we think of as pancakes, they were thicker and more like biscuits. Darren really enjoyed them.

We then continued to explore and worked our way to Putney Bridge station in the early afternoon to head back to the area around Victoria station. Next we decided we'd earned a pint (or 2!) with all that walking. We went to the Duke of York pub, NOT named after the current duke! I had the apple cider on tap and Darren started with a cherry fruit beer (to quote, "it was lovely") and he also had an extra stout. We also took a picture of the inside to show the feel of many pubs, dark and lots of wood.

Of course we could not come to London and skip afternoon tea. We booked at our hotel, the Clermont. We have had tea there before and loved it. It did not dissapoint. My favourite part is always the scones and clotted cream.

As we have an early flight the Bergen out of Gatwick airport tomorrow, we decided to book a hotel at the airport to avoid the Monday rush, and to get a little more sleep. We prebooked our tickets on the Gatwick Express. It took about 30 minutes.

Tomorrow we are off to Norway to board our boat! Travel tip: If you are planning on taking trains in Europe, staying at the station makes it very easy to get to your train with all your luggage. We have found many great hotels around train stations.