Saturday 27 / April / 2024
From the descending aircraft, I saw the Thames flowing along in its unhurried journey, as the grey light of a winter’s morning uncovered the city’s silhouette in the vanishing darkness through which we had flown.
Cold winds would rise up and sweep through the bare trees and frosted landscapes of London’s parks. There would be rain almost every day, but I cared not as I happily set out to rediscover London.The city’s magnetic appeal is best encapsulated in iconic monuments such as Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye. The capital’s stately architecture speaks of empire, of the nation’s enduring pride in past glories. And new monuments such as the spiralling glass ‘gherkin’ stand testament to the city’s continuing sophistication.
The Wedding Reception
I had come for an Omani wedding reception at the Mandarin Oriental — and there could not have been a better start to my sojourn in London. The exclusive entrance hall was glittering with candles in a garden-like showering of roses. At the top of a grand staircase, a band was playing romantic and charmingly hip music. This was harbinger to a grand, yet intimate reception, dinner, and dance — as magical an evening as one could desire, with the best and most brilliant speech a loving father could give the bride.
Harrods and the V&A
Billed as the world’s most famous department store, Harrods is as glamorous as ever. After marvelling at the astonishing array of luxurious things on display, I had smoked duck breast with rhubarb and cucumber chutney in Harrod’s elegant Georgian restaurant which presents gourmet cuisine in a sumptuous atmosphere.
Next I went to the nearby Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum to see the fabulous Al Thani jewels, a royal collection from India presented in illustrated historical context. Imperial in size and pristine in quality, turban brooches with diamonds, rubies and emeralds in exquisitely crafted settings made onlookers dream of being a Maharaja.
History through Portraits
A red double-decker bus took me seamlessly from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery where British history unfolds through the faces of the men and women who reigned, fought wars, strove mightily for significant causes, wrote great literature, created memorable works of art, or were notable for some other reason. There you meander through the centuries, while, from the protection of their immortalised moments of glory, defeat or reflection, heroes and villains look you out nobly, engagingly or indifferently. One feels how fleeting life is and the importance of worthwhile human endeavour.
Tate Britain, Monet to Matisse
At the Tate Britain, I drowned in the richly coloured romantic imaginings of painters like Rossetti and Millais, drifted into the mists of Turner’s seascapes, and admired Constable’s naturalistic clouds. It is said that a meteorologist could forecast the weather by observing the clouds in a Constable painting.
After walking through the lovely gardens in Regent’s Park where bright yellow daffodils and delicate snowdrops had already emerged out of the cold earth, I went to the Royal Academy of Arts to see Painting the Modern Garden — Monet to Matisse. This exhibition offers more than a rapturous experience of beauty — from the shimmering light and floating inspiration of Monet’s water lilies to the modernistic, flattened flowers of Kandinsky, and Matisse’s bold bouquets — it sketches the emergence of modern art and provides a scholarly treatise on horticulture.
Phantom and Flight
Still going strong thirty years after the premiere, the fabled musical Phantom of the Opera proved to be as good as its reputation. Beautifully sung to powerful music and impressively staged, this enthralling mystery offers a magical experience of theatre at its best. My last day in London was action-packed in a thrilling tour by private car through the gorgeous panorama of historic architecture, covering everything of interest. Among the highlights were The Wallace Collection, tea at the Savoy, and an art installation at St James Church, Piccadilly. Titled Flight, the exhibition by Arabella Dorman featured an inflated raft used by refugees who made it to Lesbos. It was suspended from the ceiling along with dangling life jackets, including one of a child. Near the altar are sculpted figures lamenting the loss of human life. Set in a place of prayers and hope, the art makes a powerful impression. I arrived back home in Muscat enriched by my experience of London and grateful for the peaceful life with which we are blessed in our sunny city.
Hotels
Blakemore Hyde Park
30 Leinster Gardens Westminster, London W2 3AN, minutes from Paddington Station.
Twenty minute walk to Harrods and the V&A Museum.
Four Stars, homey, nice staff, good service, reasonably priced at OMR67 per night.
Haymarket
1 Suffolk Place (200m from Trafalgar Sq), Westminster, London, SW1Y 4HX.
Five stars, elegant, in the heart of London, OMR184 per night.
Superior amenities and services, excellent location.
The Pelham
15 Cromwell Place, Knightsbridge, London SW7 2LA
Boutique hotel with old world charm and all amenities, very reasonable for a 5 star facility (OMR125).
All three hotels have free Wi-Fi and good restaurants
Restaurants & Tea Rooms
The Brumus
An elegant and chic, yet friendly, restaurant in the Haymarket Hotel very near Trafalgar Square (see Haymarket Hotel above).
Conversations are low key, in keeping with the refined atmosphere — offers a restful change from, and is hardly any more expensive than, the many other restaurants in the area which tend to be noisy and crowded .
An excellent three-course
gourmet pre-theatre dinner
for 20 GDP.
The Halepi
18 Leister Terrace, neighbourhood restaurant, a couple of blocks from the Blakemore Hotel (see above). Good Mediterranean-style food, generous home-cooked servings, excellent lamb; Friendly ‘Mom and Pop’ place – not quiet, lively, frequented mainly by Arab clientele, including young families.
Afternoon Tea
at the Dorchester (53 Park Lane — overlooking Hyde Park)
Old world elegance in the grand Promenade Lobby with live piano music, graceful palms and freshly cut flowers. Regal service and exquisite food with traditional, extremely tiny cucumber sandwiches and scrumptious bite-sized scones with pure Cornish cream and homemade jam, feather-light pistachio macaroons, and rich chocolate brownies. Of the many teas from which to choose, lemongrass and the Dorchester blend of fine black teas are the most popular.
Thames Foyer at the Savoy (near the British Museum and the Royal Opera House)
The Thames Foyer is full of light from a grand glass dome beneath which a pianist plays classical pieces in a winter-garden gazebo. The décor is a contemporary interpretation of the old Edwardian style in pale antique green and cream. Crisp linen table cloths and fine silver. The tea is traditional and similar to that of the Dorchester, but with unique specialties from the Savoy’s Executive Pastry Chef.
Popular Shows
Les Miserables — Based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo about injustice, rebellion and redemption, this is longest-running and most popular musical in London is at the Queens Theatre (51 Shaftsbury Ave, West End, in Westminster).
Phantom of the Opera — Famous musical, mystery and love story at Her Majesty’s Theatre near Trafalgar Square.
Billy Elliot — Long running musical and comedy about a boy who loves ballet at the Victoria Palace Theatre (West End, opposite Victoria Station).
Lion King— Dramatic Disney musical about a Lion on an epic journey to become King of the Pridelands at the Lyceum Theatre (West End, Wellington Street just off the Strand).
Thriller — A Michael Jackson spectacular at the Lyric Theatre (West End, 27 Shaftsbury Ave, Westminster).
