London Day 1: House of Bondage, Duck Coquettes, Garlic Mushrooms and a Side of Bugs.

 

 A Side of Bugs from Leicester Square Garden

After visiting London numerous times, it now serves as a gateway to other European Cities. This allows us to travel to the UK from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, saving ~ 10 hours of flying per round trip from Canada.  We take in special exhibitions at museums and galleries as well as musicals and plays. This trip was a much-needed break from the personal challenges of 2024 and day 1 was the ideal start to our fall 2024 trip. 

Day 1 Route

A recent find (thanks to hubby) and now favourite stop is the Photographers' Gallery (Photographers' Gallery), which has fantastic exhibits. It demonstrates that pictures can convey more than words and is a definite must for photography lovers. The exhibition we saw was House of Bondage by Ernest Cole, featuring his 1950s and '60s photos from a 1967 book documenting apartheid horrors.  He was one of South Africa’s first black photojournalists.  The exhibit was moving and thought-provoking (Ernest Cole). The exhibitions change every couple of months, in fact, a new exhibit commenced less than a month after we visited.

The next stop was an accidental find: the Royal Institution (Royal Institution) of Great Britain. As we passed by, we decided to visit on a whim. It was a delightful surprise and an interesting way for two retired scientists to spend ~ an hour.  Their library made me smile, as we once had bookcases filled with similar books in our home (donated to a local science library).

Library at the Royal Institution.

Photometer and Optometer at Royal Institution

Early dinner was next on the agenda.  We stopped at The Clarence, a Nicholson's pub I had discovered on an earlier visit with a friend. The reasons for the repeat visit were the lovely rose wine, the slow-cooked pulled duck croquettes and the garlic mushrooms on sourdough.  Though I must admit a couple of the pies did catch my eye, specifically the chicken & truffled oyster mushroom pie and the wild boar & chorizo pie.  Maybe next time! 

Our path to Leicester Square Station passed several beautiful and whimsical bronze sculptures. We passed the Beau Brommell sculpture just outside the Picadilly Arcade, the Horses of Helios on the corner of Coventry St. and Haymarket, and various bronzes in Leicester Square Garden. 

  

Beau Brummel on Jermyn Street 

Horses of Helios on the corner of Coventry Street and Haymarket

Bronze Sculptures in Leicester Square Gardens

Charlie Chaplin

Gene Kelly - Dancing in the Rain.

Harry Potter

Mary Poppins

Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean

Paddington Bear

Laurel and Hardy

If you look up at the buildings you will see Batman on the roof of the Odeon Theatre.  Alas, we were unable to spot Wonder Woman,  but it was a fun way to finish day 1. House of Bondage, duck croquettes, garlic mushrooms with a side of Bugs describes day 1 in London to a "T".