I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I really love Penhaligon's. I love how exclusive their shops feel when you walk into them, I love their pretty, old fashioned looking bottles, but most of all I love their perfumes. I also love that you won't find that every other person in the street is wearing the same smell as you. Both Husband and I are big fans, and we have a little collection of bottles now. Ellenisia has been my favourite for the last few years, but when I got pregnant it didn't smell the same on me anymore, so I haven't worn it for a while. So the other day I acquired a new smell in my collection; Lavandula. A lovely floral smell, not too sweet, perfect for summer!

If you're ever in England I would definitely recommend a visit to one of their shops, it's the perfect way of experiencing a proper British boutique with lots of tradition!

Wishing you all a good start to your week!

My London Alphabet: D

Daunt books is in my opinion the best bookshop in London. It's not the biggest, but stepping in to Daunt is like stepping in to a world of fairytales and magic. I could easily lose myself in there for hours, looking through different books, dreaming the day away. It is located on Marleybone high street, the closest tube is Baker Street.

The Dove is one of my favourite pubs in London. When we lived near Hammersmith it was only a short walk away, but these days it is quite a journey to get there. Sadly. It is one of these lovely English pubs with a fireplace, great traditional pub food, lovely ales and beers, and it has a terrace that overlooks the Thames. On a hot summer evening it is great to sit on the terrace with a nice pint of beer and good friends, and in the winter it is lovely to have a steak pie near the fireplace.

Dipali is an Indian restaurant we go to whenever we feel like having a curry for dinner, and their food is in my opinion a little different to the stuff your get in other Indian restaurant. It is not exactly located in central London, it is in Palmers Green, but if you are in the area it is a good place to visit! If you like Indian food the area around Brick Lane is very famous for its curry houses, so it is worth looking around there too!

My London Alphabet: C

Apologies for the lack of photos in this post, I always forget to take my camera with me when I go to town. I promise to provide lots of photos for the next one!

Cabbages and Roses is an expensive but great shop. They sell mainly clothes, but also things like tea cups, cushions, table cloths etc. Their clothes are like taken out from a fairytale; long dresses with pretty collars, pastel colours and rose patterns. They remind me of long summer days in the garden, eating fresh strawberries, paddling in the fjord and sleeping in the hammock. Their main shop is in Avery Row close to New Bond Street, but they also sell their clothes in Jigsaw shops all over London. (www.cabbagesandroses.com)

Canal walk (Camden- Regent's Park). It's lovely to walk along the canal, and particularly if you are tired of all the tourists you find along the Thames. A good place to start is Camden, as you could have a lovely lunch in one of the restaurants by the canal before you head off. Then walk down towards Regent's Park. It's a really pretty walk, it's hard to believe that you're walking through the middle of London! Quiet and calm, and a nice break from the busy life in the big city.

Covent Garden is a nice area, in spite of all the tourists and particularly if you manage to go at a time when you'll avoid the crowds. Weekdays are usually good, and Saturdays a nightmare. It's a great area for shopping, many of my favourite shops are located here. Neal Street is great for shoes; you'll find shops like Office, Camper, The Natural Shoe Store, Dune and Birkenstock. Seven Dials and the surrounding streets are also great, and my favourite cheese shop Neal's Yard is situated in Shorts Gardens. One of my favourite restaurants, Belgo, is also in this area, and Le Garrick (another favourite) is nearby.

Cath Kidston is loved by many women and hated by many husbands. Thankfully, Husband doesn't mind it too much. This is the shop where absolutely everything is covered in either polkadots or flowers, the most 'girly-girl' place I have ever been to! They sell anything from clothes, shoes, towels, aprons and tablecloths to teacups, handbags, baby equipment and gardening accessories. They have shops all over London, and also a website: www.cathkidston.co.uk.

My London Alphabet: B

Belgo Centraal is a Belgian restaurant/beer house in Covent Garden (there is also one near Holborn and one in Clapham) with fantastic beers and great food. If you like Belgian beer this is the place to go, as they have a very diverse menu. The food is traditional Belgian; mussels, roast chicken, sausages and different types of casseroles, all served with chips and mayonnaise. The best one, as far as I am concerned, is the one in Covent Garden, which is situated in a dark basement, and all the waiters are dressed in long monk robes.

Borough Market should be familiar to anyone who has read my blog for a while, it is definitely one of my favourite spots in London. Situated not far from the bank of Thames between old warehouses, under a railway bridge, it is full of lovely culinary treasures. They have recently done it up really nicely; planted lots of flowers and decorated walls. Go there for a nice coffee and cake or cheese or to have your lunch, choices are difficult when presented with so many delicious alternatives. Or, if you simply enjoy nice food, just enjoy the different smells, look at the beautiful cakes and find lots of inspiration for cooking.

Breakfast Club is a place I have written about before, but it's worth mentioning again. Lovely food, great cocktails, tasty cakes, good atmosphere and music just to my taste. Their breakfast menu is extensive and mouth watering, but it's also great for lunch or late night drinks. A great place to sit down with a book or a sketch book, or just study other people.

Beyond Retro is a chain of vintage clothing shops, and they have three shops in London; one in Brick Lane, one in Chalk Farm (Camden) and one in Soho. They have a huge selection of vintage clothes, the shops are full of little treasures. You can find yourself some really great bargains there, and it's absolutely worth a visit!

London love

Some days I love London, sometimes I hate it, and sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that I have actually lived here for almost five years now. I had a wander around the city yesterday on my day off. I went to Tower Bridge to pick up my new glasses, and as the tube station was closed due to a fire, I decided to walk up to Oxford Circus. It was pouring down with rain, warm summer rain streaming down, and all around me people were seeking shelter in shops, under trees and in doorways. I had my lovely spotty umbrella, and I don't mind getting wet, so I was enjoying walking down the empty streets all on my own. It was one of those lovely days, when you suddenly notice pretty little details on buildings, see someone helping an old lady across the street, someone smiles at you on the tube (which is pretty rare, I can tell you) and the world seems like such a nice place. I walked from Tower Bridge along the river to Borough Market, along the Southbank past The Globe and Tate Modern, to the National Theatre and the Southbank Centre.

Outside the Southbank Centre there is a temporary 'sea side', as a part of the Thames Festival, and they have put up little beach huts with different exhibitions in them. I really loved this one called 'Literature of the sea'. Why not sit down and read for a while?

Walking along the Thames is really one of my favourite things to do in London, and particularly if it is the middle of the week and you can avoid all the tourists. Worth doing if you're in London!

Hope you are all having a good week!

My London Alphabet

I have decided to slightly change my London guide, and from now on I will be making my own London Alphabet! My own A-Z. Stay tuned.

London guide. Part 2: Cafés

Second part of the London guide is a list of cafés I think are worth visiting in London. Over the last few years the number of independent cafés has gone down drastically, and the number of big chains cafés gone up. What a shame. When you're wandering around London hunger tends to hit you hard and quick, and you end up going to whatever place is nearest to get some food. Maybe it will be helpful to know of some good places to go? Anyway, here are my favourites.

Victoria & Albert Museum café, Cromwell Road, South Kensington. This place is just down the road from where I was studying for four years, so I used to be quite a frequent visitor. The café is situated in the middle of the museum, which is also worth looking around, and in the summer you can enjoy your coffee outside in the courtyard. I prefer the inside however, as the rooms in the café are really pretty, with stained glass windows, beautiful wall paper and really cool lamps hanging from the ceiling. The food is absolutely brilliant, and you can get anything from a hot meal, sandwiches, salads, cakes, scones, biscuits, wine or a wide range of teas and coffees. It is also the perfect place to 'people watch', as there are always lots of different people there, from lonesome eccentrics to old ladies having their afternoon tea with their girlfriends. (You can find their website here)

The Breakfast Club, Camden Passage, Angel. (You can find a map here) The Breakfast Club also has cafés in Soho, Hoxton and soon in Spitalfields, but I think the Angel one is my favourite. It is really cosy, with lots of random things on display and funny photos on the walls, and the atmosphere is really lovely and has the feeling of a 'student place'. They have a wide range of food (always difficult to decide!!), and everything I've ever eaten there has been really tasty. Fancy a full English breakfast? Or a hamburger? Salad? Pancakes with berries, bacon, cheese or bananas? Or French toast? Cake? Coffee? Cocktails? Then this is your place. Definitely one of the places I visit most frequently, and I always take visiting friends here. Also, Angel is a really great area for shopping, if you want to avoid the great crowds. The tiny little street this café is located in has lots of little vintage shops, and market stalls that sell second hand things on Fridays and Saturdays. In Upper Street you will find many of the bigger shops, like Oasis, Monsoon and Hobbs. You can find The Breakfast Club website here.

Le Pain Quotidien. I don't really like big chains, but I have a weakness for Le Pain Quotidien. It is a French chain, they have cafés all over London, and most of their food is organic. It has a really lovely rustic feeling, with big wooden tables and always a huge 'community table' in the middle of the room. They serve great coffee and French pâtisserie, in addition to salads, soups, great cakes, cheese, wine and they have a very tasty breakfast menu. You can find their website here.

Scandinavian Kitchen, 61 Great Titchfield Street, close to Oxford Circus. I guess this café is mainly for Scandinavians living in London, but I think it's worth going to even if you're a Scandinavian only staying for a few days. They serve really great food based on foods from all the Scandinavian countries; hot dogs, open sandwiches (smørbrød), eplekake, lussekatter (when it's season for that), cinnamon buns, Solo, julebrus etc etc. There is also a little shop at the back, where they sell food for Scandinavians who really miss home and need a little stock of their favourites like Grandiosa, Smørbukk, kaviar, sursild, saltsild, knekkebrød (cracker bread), Bamsemums and similar things. You'll often see people in there with a little tear in their eye, hugging a packet of Rødkål and missing home. The Scandikitchen website can be found here.

Rays Jazz, Charing Cross Road, near Tottenham Court road tube. This cafe has been one of my regular places since I moved to London. It used to be both a café and a jazz cd shop, but they have now moved the jazz shop to another floor to have more space for eating costumers. It is situated in Foyle's Books, one of the biggest and best bookshops in London, but it also has a separate entrance from the street. Ray's Jazz is almost always full of people either eating, reading, writing, studying or having loud discussions. They serve great sandwiches, salads, cakes, biscuits and coffee, and they also have a big selection of juices and drinks. Absolutely worth a visit, and a great place to sit down if you want to read!

The Vintage Emporium, Bacon Street, near Brick Lane. Visiting The Vintage Emporium is like stepping into a different time entirely. Downstairs is a vintage shop with beautiful clothes from the Victorian area to the 1950s, and upstairs is the café serving coffee, cakes, salads, soups and sandwiches. Last time I was there, which was last weekend, there were to men singing and playing the double bass and accordeon, passing their hat around. It is a really fascinating place to go, full of beautiful vintage bits and pieces everywhere, eccentric and inspiring people all around and great coffee. Otherwise, the Brick Lane area is full of vintage shops, street markets and really interesting things to sea. You can find The Vintage Emporium website here.

Apart from these places I can also recommend the café at British Library, and if you're in Soho there are lots of lovely little independent cafés around.

Hope this list will be helpful, or at least inspirational!

London guide, Part 1: Markets

Here it finally is; my London guide! I will do it in several parts, focusing on different things every time, and I'll give you a little taste of the things I think are worth doing in London. I'll write about well known London favourites, but I'll try to concentrate on things that most tourists don't know about. In this first part I will write about markets.

There are so many fantastic markets in London, it's hard to know where to start! I absolutely love going to markets, either on my own or with friends. I love looking at all the things and people, feeling the atmosphere and getting inspired to go home and be creative. Here are some of my favourite markets.

Cabbages & Frocks

in Marleybone Village, situated at the top of Marleybone High Street, which runs parallell to Baker Street up from Oxford Street. Closest tube is Baker Street.

Open on Saturdays ca. 11- 5.

This market is quite new and small, but very worth visiting! You'll find anything from vintage clothes and accessories, to new designs made by young and often unknown people. I find a lot of inspiration in just looking around, and I often get new ideas for what I can make myself at home. There are also quite a few food and coffee stalls that sell delicious food to keep you going for the afternoon! The area around is also very nice, Marleybone High Street has lots of great shops and lovely cafés (I will write about cafés later on) and is perfect if you want to avoid the stress of Oxford Street (which I always do).

Southbank Book Market

Situated under the Waterloo Bridge, on the Southbank. Easiest way to get there is taking the tube to Embankment and walking over the bridge.

Open every day ca. 11-6.

This little bookmarket is often very overpriced, but you can sometimes find good bargains here. I still think it's great to look through the big piles of books that are laid out on the table, even if you don't find anything you want to buy. The area is also worth visiting; it's great for a Sunday afternoon stroll. The skyline is impressive, you can see Big Ben, Westminster and St Paul around you, and the South Bank area often has little stalls set up on weekends, selling food, coffee, clothes or arts and crafts.

Portobello Road

Open most days, but the biggest market is on Saturday ca 8-5.

Nearest tube is Ladbrooke Grove, but you can also walk down from Notting Hill.

I used to live ten minutes from Notting Hill a few years ago, and spent a lot of time in this area. Portobello Road is probably the most famous market in London, and it's very popular. Saturdays are crazy down there, so I normally try and avoid going there on that day. I find that Friday afternoon is a good time to go, as it's quiet, with fewer tourists standing in your way, but a lot of the stalls are still open, and so are all the shops. At this market you can find almost anything your heart desires, if you're willing to look for it! Most famously they have antiques, but they also have clothes, accessories, shoes, food, arts and crafts. You'll find young artists trying to sell their art or jewelry, stalls with second hand clothes and accessories, old china, or just random 'knick-knack'. The stall keepers are lovely and often very chatty, and they are willing to give you advise if you ask them nicely. A vibrant and exciting market to visit, and one of my favourites! Just be aware that a lot of the antiques can be overpriced, so check the prices in different places!

The market continues all the way down Portobello Road, under the West Way bridge through to Cambridge Gardens.

Northcote Road

Situated in Northcote Road, close to Clapham Junction. The train from Victoria to Clapham Junction takes about 10 mins. You can also get the train from Waterloo. To find it you have to walk through Clapham Junction (which doesn't look all that nice) up to the beginning of Northcote Road.

Open Monday to Saturday 9-5 (Wed. 9-1)

I lived in this area for a couple of years, and really fell in love with Northcote Road. It's got really great independent shops and lovely cafés with great food. There are quite a few kitchen and home-ware shops, in addition to antique- and clothing shops. The stalls at the market (which is situated alongside the road) sell flowers, food, photos, clothes and furniture. If you keep walking up the road there is a lovely antique shop just across the street from Cath Kidston (another shop worth visiting!).

Borough Market

Situated close to London Bridge, just off Borough High Street. Follow the signs from London Bridge.

Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

This has been my favourite food market ever since I first moved here. Sadly a lot of it has closed down because of the Thameslink Project, and a lot of the old historic buildings in the area have been or will be knocked down. This includes the building in which Bridget Jones has her flat in the films.. But the market has moved over a little, and is still going strong. You'll find food from all over the world, both prepared and fresh, and most stalls will let you have a little taste of what they're selling. You can walk around and try cheeses, olives, chocolate, cured meat, or buy your lunch from Greek, Indian, German, Italian, English, South American or Spanish stalls. Other stalls sell fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, smoothies, coffee, glasses of wine or hot cider. Try the Cranberry stall, where they sell umpteen sorts of chocolate covered fruit and nuts, or the one that sells a hot apple and cinnamon drink.. Walk around and look at all the exciting things, enjoy the smells and chat to the nice people behind the stalls.

The area around is also very nice, with lots of little cafés and restaurants. The cheese shop Neal's Yard is one of our favourites, and absolutely worth a visit. Shakespeare's Globe is only a ten minute walk along the river from Borough.

Greenwich Market

A very big market situated in the Greenwich area.

Closest tube is Cutty Sark.

The whole market is open Saturday and Sunday, but different parts are open at other times as well.

This market is almost too big to describe in a brief manner. Here you'll find anything from clothes, antiques, food, drink, toys, music, arts and crafts and general 'bric-a-brac'. Great place to just walk around, suck up the atmosphere, look at things and people and then sit down for a nice lunch or coffee. The markets are situated mostly inside big market halls and in tiny little narrow passages in between. If you're in the area make sure you also take a walk around the impressive Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum up to Greenwich Park.

Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane

Spitalfields Market is situated close to Liverpool Street Station (follow the signs), and Brick Lane is a 5 min walk away.

Spitalfields is open Thursday (antiques and crafts), Friday (crafts) and Sunday (all).

Brick Lane and markets around are all open on Sundays.

Spitalfields is probably my favourite of all the markets in London. It's quite a big area with lots of different market stalls, and it's less famous than Portobello, which means fewer tourists and often better prices! In the surrounding area there are several market halls similar to Spitalfields, which are also worth looking around, but I find that most of them have similar things to offer. There are also lots of interesting shops around, particularly second hand clothes and shoes shops, and lovely cafés and restaurants. The Brick Lane area is quite 'up and coming', which I guess it has been for quite a while, but this means there are lots of fascinating people to watch, and lots of things happening in the streets!

Sunday is the best day to go, as that's the day when all the markets and shops are open. The markets are full of young people trying to sell their own designs, both clothes and accessories like handbags, earrings and hats, and the prices are often quite reasonable. You'll also find lots of stalls selling second hand clothes, accessories and home- ware, and also their prices are often good. In between all these there are food stalls where you can buy your freshly prepared lunch, and lots of different nationalities are represented.

To me this area is the perfect place to spend an afternoon, strolling around, sucking in all the impressions and inspiration you find everywhere.