London

Two months have gone by since my last trip to London. On the desk, right beside me, “Virginia Woolf. Art, Life and Vision” is patiently waiting to be read. My photographs too, are patiently waiting after being chosen and organized.

So, on a gray and rainy Sunday at the end of November, the backwards journey in my beloved London starts.

We begin our trip in some places that have now become familiar, and that I never miss to visit every time I go back to this city. A walk in South Bank, the famous and unavoidable Portobello market on Saturday morning with a stop at the Hummingbird Bakery (the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted), a relaxing stroll in Hyde Park, some shopping in Oxford and Regents Street, a longed for rest to catch some breath (and put on some more weight) at the Nordic Bakery, then Covent Garden and a coffee break at Monmouth Coffee.

In London you could never get bored, not even it you tried hard. This time, no theatre and Shakespeare, but we always remain in the literary field just moving forward in time to get to Virginia Woolf, with a beautiful exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, of which I jealously treasure its catalogue.

From Trafalgar Square to Marylebone, we immerse ourselves even more in the beauty of words and art. For all of you who love books as much as I do, Daunt Books is a little corner of heaven. A bookshop where time and the noise of life halt just before the entrance door, and getting lost in printed characters becomes a moral duty.

Our journey closes in Islington, with a Sunday brunch at The Modern Pantry. I found it by chance while looking for gluten free restaurants, and decided to try it not only for their menu but also for the beauty of their website (I so confess my being frivolous). A choice that has totally been up to what I expected, and even more. Another sign on a map that has become one of those places I shall not miss during my future trips.

Are you ready to pack your bag and go?