HEARD in London - History, Eat, Art, Refresh and Discover
As things in London start to open up again, what are you most looking forward to?
I'm yet to go to a restaurant or pub - mainly because I'm one of those people who are always cold, so I'm still patiently waiting for the 17th of May when we can sit inside!
But perhaps even more important/exciting for me is the opening of art galleries and museums. I promise to never take the National Gallery, the British Museum, Tate Britain and Modern for granted again.
So do I book tickets to see all the new exhibitions which will be opening very soon, or do I plan to see my old favourites which I haven't seen in over a year?
To be honest, I'm not going to plan much during May. I'm still waiting for my vaccine, but I think soon after my first dose I might start venturing out. Nevertheless I've come up with some suggestions which will hopefully appeal to those brave souls venturing out as well as those staying in.
History
A few online lectures/talks which have caught by eye include;
11th May - An online talk on Searching for London's lost rivers with Dr Tom Bolton at 18.30pm (free).
14th May - City of London 2525 Vision at 10am. As a resident of the City the next few years are surely going to be very interesting as we emerge from the repercussions of Covid (free).
21st May at 2pm - Readeption and Revenge: The final years of Henry VI (free).
28th May at 18.30pm - Alternative Kings Cross with Chris Foster (another free event).
If you're fed up of zooming and are ready to get back to museums, the British Museums' Thomas Beckett murder and the making of a saint exhibition opens on the 20th and Nero the man behind the myth opens on the 27th.
Eat
Many restaurants and bars are now open but as mentioned I'm waiting to be able to sit inside in the warm!
But that being said, I do plan to order a meal kit every two weeks or so as I've really enjoyed them. One of my favourites recently was Thai Apron for authentic (and super spicy!) Thai dishes. Norma seem to be carrying on they feasting boxes in May too which is good. These are an absolute bargain and the food was really good quality (complete with a few bottles of drinks as well!). And lastly Home DIY Burger kits from Honest Burgers were a real hit and I'd definitely get them again.
Art
Art galleries open in a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited. I never got to visit any in-between Lockdowns last year so sadly I missed quite a few exhibitions which is a shame. When the National Gallery opens mid may I'm hoping to pay a visit to Sensing the Unseen - Step into Gossaert's 'Adoration'. Did any of you get to go?
Over at the V&A, Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser finally opens on the 10th, as well as Epic Iran on the 29th.
Masterpieces From Buckingham Palace on at the Queen's Gallery opens on the 17th and Turner's Modern World at Tate Britain opens on the same day too.
Refresh
Wine tastings are definitely not slowly down (well at least not for me) which is good! This month I've got two booked with Tipple Talk, a Chablis tasting with Caviste, one with the Online Wine Tasting Club and of course a few with West London Wine School. It's all in the name of studying - honest! I used these four companies for the past year and couldn't say a bad thing about any of them - so get booking!
Discover
And for my 'Discover' suggestion for the month of May, it's I Spy London Tours! Me and two of my friends and fellow Blue Badge Guides are launching six brand new tours across London and I'd love to have you along! From a wander through the City of London, uncovering some interesting characters in Bloomsbury, to delving into the colourful history of the East End - we are now taking bookings on our website!
I honestly can't wait to get back to showing people round London and I hope you feel the same!
Anyway, have a good May, and as always if there's anything I've missed which you think I may be interested in please leave a comment or drop me an email.
Heard in London
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