Is there anything better than a sunny London spring day? Luckily, we Londoners enjoyed a few in April. You might even say we enjoyed some summer days, as a heatwave swept through the capital mid-month. London in April was filled with fun, art and flowers.
London in April
We started the month in Slovenia, and once we returned to London spring was in full swing. Spring in London is truly lovely – flowers spring up everywhere and the once wintery grey streets come alive in the brilliant colors of tulips, daffodils, wisteria, magnolias and more. After a very wet March, the flowers and greenery were out in full force.
Even the pubs got in on the flower action, see the Churchill Arms covered in tulips.
Andrew took me to the Searcy’s at the Gherkin and it was awesome. It was incredible to be in this iconic London skyscraper. I highly, highly recommend. The view and ambiance are stunning. Check their website for openings, generally only select Friday evenings each month.
The mid month heatwave was perfect for a picnic in the park…
…complete with fantastic sunset. The heat was less perfect for sleeping, but what we lacked in sleep, we savored the sunshine!
I finally made it to blogger favorite Farm Girl Cafe in Notting Hill. Their açaí bowl was just the thing during the heatwave!
Andrew got a plus one to one of his work events, so I got to tag along to the opening of Rodin and the art of Ancient Greece at the British Museum. It was such a treat to get to experience the museum at a time when hardly anyone was there. Without the crowds, there was such a tranquility and peacefulness to the space.
The exhibit was fantastic. Seeing Rodin’s sculptures paired with the pieces that inspired them was a fascinating way to view his work. He was greatly inspired by his visits to the British Museum and the collection from the Parthenon and it was so special to view his works in a place he loved.
One of my best friends from college visited this month (hooray!) and we made it over to the Tate Modern to see their Picasso exhibit, Picasso 1932 – Love, Fame, Tragedy. It was incredibly well-done and interesting to see the evolution of his work over what was a very big year for Picasso.
During this trip to the Tate Modern, we went up to the deck! I hadn’t been before and it offers lovely views over London (and its free!).
Also, I didn’t manage to snag a pic, but we had dinner at Andina in Shoreditch during her visit and it was fabulous. In lieu of a photo of that, here’s a peacock strutting its stuff in Holland Park.
Bits and Bobs from April
On a more personal note, this month was the ramp up to the start of an insane series of weeks filled with visitors, travels, and more visitors and travels (and in the less glamorous side of expat life, lots of work projects for all my clients!). Expat life has really helped me learn to take things one day at a time. Instead of constantly thinking and worrying about what was to come this month, each day was a day to make progress and enjoy leading up to our busy period. I didn’t overwhelm as easily as I have in the past, and to me that’s a huge accomplishment! The expat experience has definitely spurred personal growth and this month I saw that growth put into action. Woot woot!
As part of my prep for our crazy period, I’ve been inspired in the kitchen and tried several really great recipes this month. This roasted cauliflower risotto is darn near perfect. Great for a weekend meal at home, it pairs wonderfully with chardonnay and tastes like you’re at a restaurant.
We make stir fry often, since it’s quick and easy. I tried Budget Byte’s Dragon Noodles recipe and this sauce with the green onions really takes it up a notch. Delicious!
Since I shouted out a game changing app in last month’s recap (I’m writing this on my 5 minute brain break, hehe), I’ll shout another this month. I downloaded Aaptiv for something different at the gym and I am loving it. I’ve been doing the stairclimber workouts as part of my hike training and they are awesome. It’s like a fitness class or a personal trainer in your ear! Email me if you want my referral code.
Jenn is an American expat living in London, spending her time freelancing, traveling and writing on this here blog. Thank you for reading. Are you planning a trip here? Tell me your plans in the comments!
