The problem with living in London, and always having done, is that you can take this amazing city for granted. You stay at home instead of exploring, you stick to your locals rather than travelling around too much, you think you know somewhere so well but actually places are always changing and there are new things to discover.
Last Sunday when I was offered a stay at the Thistle City Barbican with my mum for an early Mother’s Day treat I jumped at the chance because I knew I’d only be spending the afternoon at home and where’s the fun in that? It was an opportunity to spend a bit of uninterrupted time with my mum and relax a stone’s throw away from home.
I met my mum in the lobby of the hotel and we dumped our bags and went for a stroll in the late afternoon sun. The streets were dead, the blossom was out on the trees and we wandered over to the Barbican centre.
I have always loved this huge austere place and its dreary concrete. It’s a bit of a magical haven in the middle of the city and I would give pretty much anything to live in one of the amazing flats that over look the water here.
We then met up with my sister, who also lives just down the road, and we went for a lovely early supper. It felt so relaxing to be eating out on a Sunday night knowing that we were going to fall in to the Barbican cinema afterwards and fall in to a hotel bed after that.
The film finished late at about 11pm and we walked the short distance back to the hotel and did not see another person or a car – honestly, this part of London is a ghost town on Sundays. Our beds were comfy and the room silent so I slept very well, which never happens when I’m away from home!
In the morning we had a swim and a steam in the hotel’s spa (the perfect way to start a Monday morning!).
We didn’t have to check out until midday so we took our time over a full breakfast, chatted, drank coffee and I leisurely checked my emails in bed rather than rush home to my desk – why can’t every Monday morning be like that?
Thank you so much to Thistle hotels for the stay and the chance to take a bit of time out of normality. The only problem is my mum is going to expect this every year from now on!
Katy x
Delightful!
What I wouldn’t give to be having that Mondsy morning today! Sounds lush.
Gorgeous! I love Thistle hotels, they have such character. Anyway there are a few places in London that are truly marvelous. Glad you enjoyed it.
Alina from lifestyle blog – The Fairytale Pretty Picture
Lovely photos. The Barbican is one of my favourite places in London – it’s like a big concrete jungle. Agreed, its easy to miss out on the best things when you live somewhere.
We got married when we were still living in London and spent half of our honeymoon… in London! We had a few days in NYC and then came back and did the tourist thing in London – saw a couple of shows, went to restaurants we’d always wanted to go to but never had. Loved it.