It was a sunny day today though chilly as…
Tolpuddle Street and Culpeper Park
…this picture perhaps indicates. We walked along Cloudesley Road beside the park and then cut through Cloudesley Place into Liverpool Road.
Old Royal Free Hospital
We came to the Old Royal Free Hospital, now a residential estate.
Passing through the estate
We passed through the estate. It contains buildings of several different periods though, I think, with fairly happy results.
Caffè Nero
This brought us to Islington Green in whose branch of Caffè Nero we spent some time, drinking coffee and chatting.
Cass Art
Afterwards, we crossed Essex Road into Colebrooke Row where we paid a visit to the Islington branch of Cass Art, where Tigger had some purchases to make.
Inside Cass Art
It is an impressive store on two floors with everything that an artist night need.
Aboard the 38
We next boarded a number 38 bus for the first stage of our journey.
Piccadilly at Green Park
This took us along Piccadilly to the bus stop at Green Park.
Le Pain Quotidien
From Green Park, a number 14 bus brought us to Kensington where we started prospecting for lunch. Everywhere was crowded (perhaps the sunshine had encouraged people to come out) but we eventually tried our luck at the local branch of Le Pain Quotidien, though we had to wait a few minutes for a table to become free.
Inside Le Pain Quotidien
Photo by Tigger
We had seats at the restaurant’s long, multi-place table – this “communal table” is a feature of this Belgian firm’s restaurants though they have conventional smaller tables as well. Le Pain Quotidien used to be one of our favourite restaurants and we breakfasted often at the St Pancras branch until the pandemic curtailed our activities so it was interesting to renew our acquaintance over lunch.
Walking in Kensington
We walked a while in Kensington which I think used to be considered a fairly posh area but it seems rather more cosmopolitan these days. Because the French Consulate, the French Institute and the Lycée Français are here, the area has a number of French (real or imitation) shops and cafes.
Inside Page’s French bookshop
One of these is La Page French bookshop. We went in for a look round. The shop is quite big with a huge array of books in French on all subjects. It would take quite a while to become familiar with it all.
Aboard the 39
We started our journey back by catching a number 39 bus.
Kensington Arcade
We made a brief pause at Kensington Arcade. We had vague ideas of having a coffee break but everywhere was crowded so we continued on.
Burlington Arcade
A couple of buses later, we arrived back in Piccadilly and exited the bus near the famous Burlington Arcade.
Burlington House
Here too is Burlington House, home to the Royal Academy of Arts and to several important learned societies.
Church of St James Piccadilly
We passed in front of the 17th-century (designed by Christopher Wren) Church of St James. It was damaged in the Second World War and restored in the 1950s.
Kahve Dünyasi
Our destination was another of our favourites, the Turkish coffee house, Kahve Dünyasi. As was only to be expected, it was very busy but we were lucky and found a table.
Inside Kahve Dünyasi
Photo by Tigger
Everything served is Turkish, as you would expect.
Turkish ice cream with chocolate sauce
Tigger chose Turkish ice cream with chocolate sauce.
Turkish coffee
I chose Turkish coffee. It is served with a glass of water and a chocolate, which is a product of the firm. Turkish coffee has a unique taste and comes with a thick layer of coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup. If you don’t know this, it provides an interesting surprise the first time you order Turkish coffee!
Aboard the 38
After this agreeable interlude, we crossed the road to the bus stop and caught a number 38 bus.
Back at the Angel
The bus carried us through the busy streets back to the Angel. Although the sun was still shining, it was by now low in the sky, giving the scene a distinct “evening” feel. It was good to return home and relax.
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