In October 2025, Shane and I visited Angers, France and London, England for 10 days of performances and adventures. These posts capture the details of our trip.
The next three stops of our London running route were tourism of a different kind. We had found a handful of filming locations to check out from some of our favourite BBC shows.
Red Lion Square Gardens (where Nicola Walker’s Hannah meets absent father Oscar aka Anthony Stewart Head in The Split pilot)
Kozzy Cafe (where Nicola Walker’s Cassie forgets a case file in Unforgotten Series 3)
We grabbed a small pain au chocolat and water at the cafe, since we were starting to feel the pangs of a full morning of running. (I should have brought some Shreddies, ha.)
The very table where Pete Carr’s file was found! (dun dun daa)
Then it was westward to Denmark Street. During the past year, we have been reading and watching J.K. Rowling’s Strike book / TV series, and this street hosts the main characters’ office in both versions.
Strike & Ellacott office location (for anyone in the know, there is in fact a real Tom’s guitar shop here!)
The new Strike series was actively filming at the time, so we suspected the parking signs were in preparation for shooting the show
From here, we headed toward a toy store called Hamleys.
Pedestrian shopping stretch along the way
We knew nothing about Hamleys beyond it being recommended to us by a fellow skating fan in Angers. For context, its location was along a stretch of average London-looking shopping.
Scene outside Hamleys
Our first step inside the store was like entering another dimension: there were shelves upon shelves of stuffies bursting out of every wall, staffers doing demos of electronic toys and tricks in between, and kids losing their minds absolutely everywhere.
Multiply this stuffie wall by 15 for a sense of the atmosphere (there was even a Halloween section since it was October)!
Naturally, I was delighted and would have been content if that’s all there was to it.
One whole section was just British-themed
But oh my goodness no.
We quickly discovered there was an escalator going up.
Stairway to heaven?
…and it continued up for another SIX STORIES. Including the basement we discovered last, that made for a total seven floors of toys. It was bonkers, yet in an organized fashion.
Every floor had a theme and was split into sections devoted to specific types or brands. Each display offered varieties in the colours, sizes, and (happily for parents I’m sure) prices to select from—including specialty teddy bears in the hundreds of pounds! It was a true smörgåsbord of toys. (Mmm.)
Good luck, children, selecting from the hundreds of horses on hand!
Our experience of ascending floor after floor of fun and cute things was surreal. I half expected to wake up and learn I’d passed out along the run and dreamt the whole thing up.
So. Many. Bunnies.
Shane of course loved the Lego section and could not resist a London-themed souvenir.
Respectfully meeting the Queen
Getting more chummy with His Majesty
The perfect little Lego souvenir
As we reached the top floor, the ceiling was sparkling, the flying toys were buzzing around, and the colourful candy walls were calling to us.
By this point, part of me thought we’d find a secret door to continue ascending into the sky
Pounds (harhar) of sugar on hand
Our hungry selves gave in to the tempation of a few gummies and jelly beans. Then it was back downstairs to check out the Harry Potter-themed basement.
The man himself (with a perfectly positioned little lightening scar)
A full wand shop was set up in one corner and kids were agonizing over their choices
Shane with a life-sized Hagrid
Honestly it was hard to leave! Everyone inside was so high on the joys of play and candy and and commerce; the vibe was electric throughout. I imagine working there may be exhausting, but as a visitor it was quite the unexpected thrill.
Back in the regular world, we had about a mile left to run before our lunchtime stop.
In my tired state, even whatever this was started to sound good
We (rather literally) ran into this Bomber Command Memorial
We also passed Wellington Arch
Smaller statues were almost always about somewhere too
Finally we reached the end of our route—and lunch!
Never has there been a better time for a cold one
Shane had found this quintessential pub near our hotel and couldn’t wait to treat himself to a post-running pint.
The ambience (complete with cricket on TV) could not have been more British
About to enjoy a refreshing local lager
…with a classic order of fish and chips (plus mushy peas on the side!)
A second pint, this one a cask bitter
My fruity friends from Hamleys joined us at the table: Little Ben-anana and Pickle the watermelon =)
It was a perfectly fitting end to a fitness-filled morning.
Next up: back to Westminster Abbey, this time for a visit on the inside!
In October 2025, Shane and I visited Angers, France and London, England for 10 days of performances and adventures. These posts capture the details of our trip.
Arriving in London late on Monday, we decided to forego transit in favour of a taxi ride. This experience was more fun than we anticipated: first, because we were in an iconic and spacious British black cab, and second because we were of course going down THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. It was a bizarre sensation, particularly since the driver kept turning into (in our minds) incorrect lanes!
Although it was dark out, we were already amazed at the twistiness of the streets and the size and congestion of the city. People often say that Vancouver is sort of a “small-town” big city and being in London made me understand what they mean.
Check-in went fine, our room—though still claustrophobically European-sized—was a big upgrade from Angers (carpet! chairs! a bathroom door!), and it was a huge relief to put down our bags after another long day of travel.
Amusingly the main hotel lift looked like a library
Since the cheaper eateries were closed, we opted for another convenience store dinner. We discovered two exciting new flavours of Shreddies (a Canadian cereal staple like Life but hardier) apparently only available abroad, as well as other fun “foreign” snacks like Jaffa Cakes and sour-cream-and-chive pretzels.
British Shreddies: taking up where French Special K left off (and definitely unlocking my morning energy)
The next morning we laced up our running shoes and went out to explore the new city. In our continuing efforts to save money (particularly in England, where the currency exchange made everything basically twice as expensive), we had decided to pass on the ~5 billion companies offering to transport us around for a fee and instead mapped a ~9-mile route of places we could visit on foot for free.
Approximation of our Tuesday running route around London
We lucked out with perfect weather again: cool and dry, with spots of sun. Since London is a lot like Vancouver this time of year, we were super grateful to avoid rain the whole day. It also made taking photos with Shane’s work phone much easier.
The first thing we had to (very quickly) figure out were the crosswalks. Because traffic continued to insist on confusingly going in THE WRONG DIRECTION, it was important to either wait for the signal each time or follow the convenient curbside instructions.
With the many streets and medians, these boxes were everywhere
Crossing instructions for all us dummies coming from other countries, ha
Our first stop was Buckingham Palace. Having recently finished watching The Crown, it was extra surreal to see this famous location in person.
Just like on the TV!
Queen Victoria looking regal on her monument
We loved the four figures with lions that surrounded the memorial, especially this bad-ass lady (representing apparently ‘Agriculture’)
Then we were off to Westminster Abbey. It. Was. Enormous. I could hardly believe how high the top spires reached!
Simply stunning
It was also interesting how we initially spotted the building rising up behind modern-day rush-hour traffic. This trend of intermixing old and new would continue to pop up throughout our time in London.
The even more spectacular abbey North Door
Just behind the abbey was Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Bridge. We did not run much on this stretch because of the tourists—holy cow was it busy (and for a Tuesday in October no less)!
Big Ben is indeed very big (and seems pretty Ben-ish?)
British Parliament (hilariously, someone nearby at this moment was discussing how hard the building is to maintain and the less beautiful aspects that brings, e.g., mold and mice)
Westminster Bridge with an iconic red double-decker bus passing over (on THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BRIDGE)
Once we got past the giant London Eye (ferris wheel-ish ride) on the other side of the river, the crowds thinned and we could pick up the pace again. Or that is, we could in between the random stretches of cobblestones along the waterfront! Walk breaks were good, though, and always presented welcome opportunities for pictures.
Views from the southern waterfront along the River Thames
Our next stop was Globe Theatre. This theatre is a re-creation of what existed in the same spot during Shakespeare’s time and where many of his plays were performed in the 1600s. You can attend new performances here today.
The rebuilt Globe Theatre
It remains an open-air theatre in the middle, with the roof you see running just along the edges
We crossed back over the Thames on the iconic Millenium Bridge, perhaps best known to broader audiences for its starring role in a Harry Potter movie. (We recognized it more for being in Nicola Walker’s The Split!)
Millenium Bridge and me, with St. Paul’s Cathedral behind (and thoughts of Christie in my head hehe)
From here, we headed to London Tower and the adjacent Tower Bridge.
London Tower grounds (so strange to encounter this structure when surrounded by modern skyscrapers and office buildings!)
Yet more crowds lining up at the main entrance
The bridge towers were indescribably massive in person. I also hadn’t realized that you can cross the walkways connecting the two towers (for a fee naturally), and it was cool to see people moving above due to the partially glass floor.
Puts Burrard Bridge to total shame, ha
Now that’s a tower
Looking from the bridge toward the Tower of London (in the foreground) with a modern London skyline in the background
Looking from the bridge down the River Thames, with well-known skyscraper The Shard on the left
Shane of course loved the challenge of being navigator on our long and winding route through London
The bridge was our farthest point east, so from here we turned around and started making our way back toward the hotel (and lunch!).
We never really knew what to expect around each corner
St. Paul’s Cathedral was our next stop. It was quite a(nother) sight to see in the midst of present-day towers and traffic.
1700s St. Paul’s Cathedral in the midst of a modern workday
Beautiful fountain across the street
We continued along curving and increasingly congested streets as late morning hit. It was clearly approaching lunchtime for folks! We were getting hungry (as well as tired legs), but with so much to see and marvel at, the miles were flying by.
Classic black cab + double-decker bus along another busy London street
Impressive buildings continued to pop up randomly
As well as quainter styles
And more modern architecture
Shane participating in mixing the old with the new
Next up: filming locations, a toy store surprise, and a post-run pub!
In October 2025, Shane and I visited Angers, France and London, England for 10 days of performances and adventures. These posts capture the details of our trip.
On Sunday night, we wrapped up our in-person skating events with the 2-hour Grand Prix de France gala. A fairly regular cap to skating competitions, galas invite competitors to perform fun exhibition programs: routines with no requirements, designed for enjoyment rather than judging.
Without the stress of competing, galas offer a chance to see more personality from the skaters. Some use these exhibitions to show off dance moves, others to skate to favourite songs, and still others to bring a bit of comedy or cheesiness to the ice.
Because it’s an Olympic year, several gala programs were repeats from the previous season. We didn’t mind at all, as many of the repeats are among those that amuse us most! We had several favourite moments:
The Canadian ice dancers doing their country western number (in cowboy hats!) to the slightly perplexed French crowd. (Everyone was on board with Romain spinning Marie-Jade on his head like hat, though.)
The Georgians ice dancers skating in Chipmunks costumes, and Georgian men’s bronze medalist Nika donning his Deadpool attire. The three of them ended Nika’s performance with a choreographed dance to *NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye”.
Our Grand Prix experience really wouldn’t have been complete without a chipmunk curve lift (screen capture from official broadcast)
Switzerland’s Lukas Britschgi expertly moon-walking on the ice during his Michael Jackson-inspired number.
Kaori treating us to her magic one last time, with a new retirement gala program (also to “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”).
Kaori before her gala skate
Adam receiving a hero’s welcome before another beautiful performance, which of course included his trademark back-flip and knee slide.
Riku and Ryuichi letting loose during their familiar JT “Can’t Stop the Feeling” program, including Riku being swung around in the air by one leg at the end!
The gala completed with a short finale, where all the skaters came out for one last element and applause. Often the disciplines coordinate together to re-enter the rink. The ladies this time chose to come out with a spin…and so that is how we would close out our experience of watching Kaori live on ice. Ahh.
The women in the Grand Prix de France 2025 gala
All the gala skaters take another well-deserved bow
As the event wound down and Coldplay’s jubilant “Viva La Vida” overtook the applause, I was overcome with gratitude. We had been unbelievably blessed in France: safe travel, (relatively) good health, well-timed weather, stunning architecture, gifted athletes, once-in-a-lifetime skates, fellow fan chats, shared celebrations, and bienfaisance for days!
As she often does, Kaori took charge of the group photo
Merci beaucoup to Angers IceParc, its employee and volunteers (and their valiant efforts to speak English for us), and everyone who was part of this Grand Prix. Much to our surprise, we had one of the best times of our lives.
The 2025 Grand Prix de France gala participants [photo credit ISU Figure Skating / Kaori Sakamoto]
I’ll never forget it.
A last look at the rink
The next morning we fit in one more run, a trip to a second bakery (Ma Petite Boulangerie, so Shane could pick out a few more French treats), and a drop-in at local toy store (Le Petit Souk, where I picked up a French fox). Then we finished packing our bags and set off for the train station and England!
Big French meringue by bigger French door
Shane’s assorted breakfast pastries
A last walk around town
Final courtyard stroll
We left Angers in style: on the top level of a double-decker train.
Boarding in Angers (and Shane doing his best anger-ed expression, ha)
Traveling during daylight this time meant getting to view the French countryside (although I couldn’t look for long because of motion sickness!). Shane had downloaded a new episode of one of his skating podcasts, so we enjoyed re-living all the Grand Prix de France highlights through other fans’ eyes.
It was another rainy day, so once again we were grateful for the good weather when we needed it!
We thought the landscape looked quite Midwestern
Back in Paris, we struggled again with the language barrier in navigating the Metro to the Eurostar train station (aka the giant Gare du Nord). But we arrived with plenty of time to leave French customs, cross through British customs, and complete the train security. (Phew!)
Boarding the Eurostar
The departure was on time, so we anticipated getting to London for a late dinner. What no one has anticipated, though, was the deer that jumped in front of the train that proceeded us! We ended up parked motionless on the tracks for two hours before moving again.
Although a delay for this leg of our trip was preferable to any other, the added travel time was a bummer, especially since our visit to London was going to be so short already. That said, it did increase our excitement (and odd sense of accomplishment) when the conductor finally announced we’d crossed the international border. (It also got us a partial refund, woohoo.)
The British part of our adventure was officially underway!
Next up: arriving in London, the first miles of sightseeing, and no more nerding out about skating (you’re welcome)!
