The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Feelingalotlike Christmas in the ‘Big Smoke’
Michael Alexander discovered why Holiday Inn Express at Southwark was an ideal base for a festive 48 hours in London
There are two types of amateur ice skater, it seems. There are the show-offs who birl around the rink with effortless ease, spinning and zooming without a care in the world and making the whole darn thing look dead easy. And then there are the slippery ice-phobes, clutching the barrier at the side and strutting like a drunken penguin while trying to work out how to traverse a gap in the barrier that might as well be as wide as an alpine crevasse.
I’m afraid I fell (thankfully not literally!) into the latter category of skaterdom as I stepped gingerly on to the ice for some festive skating magic at the famous Somerset House outdoor rink in Central London.
But with Christmas music blaring, and the festive lights sparkling, it was impossible not to grin from ear to ear as I made my way around the periphery of the arena – getting ever more confident, and even letting go of the sides, as the half-hour session slipped by.
Trips to London are always special. But when the opportunity arose to visit the “Big Smoke” and join a small group of UK/Irish regional journalists on a special “48 hours in London” trip to experience what the capital has to offer tourists at Christmas, I jumped at the chance and enjoyed some seasonally enchanting experiences.
Having let the train take the strain from my home in Fife to King’s Cross, it was a short tube journey to our base – the Holiday Inn Express at Southwark – which is conveniently located in the heart of London near local attractions including the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. The hotel – with its modern, air-conditioned, non-smoking guestrooms equipped with free Wi-fi and flat-screen TV – is a short walk from Southwark and Blackfriars tube stations, making it an ideal base for business stays or leisure trips.
Our two-day itinerary was tailored to incorporate some of London’s most iconic cultural sites, festive pop-ups and dining experiences.
Armed with our pre-paid Oyster cards to get around on the convenient-asever Tube network, our first stop after Somerset House was dinner at the Tandoor Chop House in Covent Garden.
Combining the ambiance of a North Indian communal eatery with a classic British chop house, we shared a variety of tasty starter snacks including a delightful beetroot Seekh kebab. For my main I enjoyed a fiery and very tasty masala boti ribeye steak and nimbu masala fries.
Then it was a short walk to the highlight of our evening: a night watching one of the West End’s most popular musicals, Aladdin, at the packed-out Prince Edward Theatre.
With prime seats just eight rows from the front, this was the West End at its best – a genuine top-quality, colourful masterpiece with absolutely fantastic sets, a fabulous cast led by the brilliant, show-stealing Genie (Trevor Dion Nicholas) and all the memorable songs from the classic Academy Award-winning Disney film of the same name, including A Whole New World and Arabian Nights. (If anyone knows how the flying magic carpet scene was staged, please let me know because I couldn’t see the strings!).
Returning to the hustle and bustle of central London, there was time for a nightcap or two in a trendy bar close to our hotel. But this was just the halfway point of our adventure. Feeling remarkably fresh the next morning, and boosted by a hearty breakfast at the hotel’s self-service buffet, day two of our London experience was like a scene
from The Apprentice as we trooped out to a waiting cab that whisked us to Chelsea for a festive wreath-making workshop.
Located at the Chelsea School of Botanical Art, and bringing a whole new meaning to made in Chelsea, we joined a bunch of London housewives for the two-hour class run by former theology student turned botanical artist “Smudge”.
Starting off wiring piles of moss on to a wire frame, we were shown how to overlay this with branches of Scots pine which we had to trim to fit – some, like mine, ending up more on the bushier side than others.
Then it was a case of “getting creative” as we chose from a range of gold and silver leaves, pine cones and dried fruit to make them really festive. The final challenge, of course, would be getting them home in one piece.
Jumping back in a taxi, we negotiated the bustle of city centre traffic for lunch at the iconic John Lewis Oxford Street and Mypie rooftop gardens. A fine selection of pies and festive drinks was on offer. After bamboozling my English colleagues on how to ask for “Twa pehs, please, an’ an ingin ane in aw”, I opted for the venison, chestnut mushrooms and juniper option with Maris Piper mash. I was reliably informed that the minced beef and free-range chicken pie options also hit the spot, as did the Sipsmith hot gin!
There was time to lap up the atmosphere down iconic Carnaby Street – currently displaying special Christmas lights paying tribute to the late Freddie Mercury and the recently released film, Bohemian Rhapsody.
We were then picked up, again by taxi, to visit the famous Christmas lights in the south-west of the city at Kew Gardens. In many ways it was similar to Perthshire’s Enchanted Forest. But the scale of this colourful light and sound extravaganza was astounding with highlights, for me, including the Cathedral of Lights and the Laser Garden, which reminded me of something from a mid-1990s Dundee nightclub. It was a cold, crisp night and the mulled wine on sale added to the festive cheer.
A Christmas turkey dinner at the trendy No 1 Duke Street pub in Richmond, near Kew Gardens, followed. And after getting the train back to Waterloo, reluctant to let the night end too soon, there was time for cocktails in the trendy Rumpus Room rooftop bar on the Southbank with magnificent views over the Thames towards St Paul’s Cathedral and Canary Wharf. It was a fine place to reflect on a trip that undoubtedly got us into the festive spirit. But was that really Lord Of The Rings actor Andy Serkis at the bar?!