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.
Leaving the National Gallery late on Wednesday, we were pleased to find continued sunny weather. We took a leisurely stroll through St. James’s Park en route to our next destination.
Duke of York Column
Through St. James’s Park
Even the geese had a real non-Canadian look about them (I think they are Greylag geese?)
After looking at art all afternoon, it was easy to spot the beautiful shapes and colours in nature
A feel of fall was definitely about
View crossing the Blue Bridge in the park, with London Eye peeking out in the distance
I love the spectrum of warm colours here
When we exited the park, we found two fun, very British-y businesses. One was a fully Harry Potter-themed shop, complete with chandeliers and owls overhead.
Absolutely everything was related to the series
The other was a curvy corner pub with the greatest of names.
Bag O’ Nails: just where I’d want to have a post-work pint
Unrelatedly, we also popped into a bakery just so I could take a picture of its awesome array of Halloween-themed cupcakes
We reached our next stop at ScandiKitchen in late afternoon. It was ideal timing. I’d continued having trouble eating, but I desperately needed some real (non-cereal) food. This place had exactly that: simple, Scandinavian fare that I could easily digest.
I ordered a chai, cardamom bun, and two of these soft, chewy, homemade rolls filled with just butter and cheese, and I swear they were the best sandwiches I’ve eaten in my entire life! Seriously, I could have cried from the relief.
Shane nearly cried too after finding that the cafe also had a grocery area including the impossible-to-find-in-Canada brunost Norwegian cheese! Of course he had to get some, along with crackers and other little goodies to sample in our hotel later that night.
Shane strikes brunost gold!
Even the cafe loo was a delight
On our way to Kensington Palace, we couldn’t help stopping at another of the beautiful churches that popped up along our walk.
St Mary Abbots Church (current building completed around 1872)
Entrance to the church
Beautiful vaulted walkway to the side doors
Inside looking toward the altar
Example of the lovely statuary scattered throughout
Looking toward the back
And another name sighting!
Departing the church, we soon arrived at Kensington Palace and surrounding gardens.
Kensington Palace
Magpies messing about in the front lawn
The aptly named Round Pond (which sits just in front of the palace)
One thing we noticed about London was how sparse the nature could be when walking around. Athough the public parks were large, well-spaced, and filled with greenery, they also acted as concentrated oases in an otherwise concrete desert.
So it was very relaxing being at the pond, enjoying the openness and watching all the wildlife. We spent a good chunk of the evening just appreciating the respite from city life.
Gradually, we made our way back to the hotel (and the second night of the play).
‘Physical Energy’ sculpture
Pure nature sculpture
The Long Water (another aptly named feature, haha)
Tunnel heading toward The Serpentine and Hyde Park
‘Serenity’ sculpture
Neat waterside cafe
As dusk descended, we enjoyed seeing the city illuminated with lights.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel
Shopping stretch along Brompton Road
It was interesting how many places were dog-friendly
…and that included pubs, restaurants, and the Tube!
Iconic London mailbox
Equally iconic department store Harrods
Holy Trinity Sloane Square church
And thus concluded our last full day out and about in London.
Next up: leaving London and post-trip reflections!
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 Wednesday morning, we rode in another black cab (down THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD) to the neighbourhood of Kensal Rise.
Here we had breakfast at a special GAIL’s Bakery location: the place where Nicola Walker’s Cassie from Unforgotten makes a life-changing decision for the suspects and herself in the final episode of Series 2. (Yes, the BBC nerdery continued.)
Paying my respects to the great Cassie Stuart
Where Cassie and Sunny have that late-night chat that changes everything!
A very traditional breakfast: pot of Earl Grey tea + scone with raspberry jelly and clotted cream
Shane shows off his collection of change
After breakfast (with no chats that changed anything), we walked from GAIL’s to catch the Tube over to the Piccadilly Circus area.
It was nice to get a stretch of non-city walking along the way
…especially when it had a British bent like this mossy lychgate
Just east of Piccadilly Circus was our intended destination: the Leicester Square Lego store! While not as big or wild as Hamleys, this 2-level store was a delight for Shane.
Big Ben replica
Basically what Shane would like his office to look like
James Bond’s Aston Martin car
Partial double-decker bus (with appropriate Halloween sign)
Equally appropriate ghoulish Harry Potter figurines
We headed next toward Trafalgar Square. Along the way were a few memorable detours.
We popped into a huge M&M store for a bathroom break and this shot
More fun architecture
St Martin-in-the-Fields Church (current building completed in 1726)
As we passed the church, I spotted a simple, two-word ad I couldn’t resist: “Crypt Café”. Following the signs, we descended a staircase, traversed a short hallway, and arrived at a glowing, brick-vaulted tunnel. Spooooky.
Shane looking back at me knowing I’m about to enter my own version of a Lego store
Exactly as advertised, cafeteria-style food and seating were available in an actual underground crypt, complete with dramatic lighting above and tombsones below!
It was awesome. We decided to have an early lunch just to enjoy the ambience.
View of the super cool Café in the Crypt from our table
I couldn’t help but wonder what the dead thought of having a dining room as a final resting place
We then spent time enjoying the sights and sunny skies over Trafalgar Square.
A Trafalgar Square fountain
The towering Nelson’s Column
We once again were drawn to the lions around the monument
This sign made me laugh out loud both because a) I wanted to do exactly that and b) the possible misinterpretations (no mane-braiding?)
Amazing mermaid sculpture
National Gallery
Shane knew he wanted to go to one big museum while we were in London. Since all are free to public (yay!), the deciding factor was only what was on offer. Once we were at the National Gallery, he decided art was what appealed to him most. So we spent the bulk of the day checking out the famous paintings inside.
I am not much of an enthusiast and probably recognize fewer works than others. But even I was impressed by what we saw! The rooms were organized by era/theme, and many paintings throughout were genuinely astonishing in their use of techniques, details, and colour.
Example room within the National Gallery
A few favourites are highlighted below, with a wider variety in the slideshow at the bottom.
George Stubb – Whistlejacket
Caspar David Friedrich – Winter Landscape
Pierre-Auguste Renoir – The Skiff
Vincent van Gogh – Long Grass with Butterflies
Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers
Vincent van Gogh – A Wheatfield, with Cypresses
Claude Monet – Lavacourt under Snow
Claude Monet – Water-Lilies
Claude Monet – The Water-Lily Pond
Ferdinand Hodler – The Kien Valley with the Bluemlisalp Massif
Hendrick Avercamp – A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle
Leonardo da Vinci – The Virgin of the Rocks
Shane was thrilled by the experience. He felt that seeing these works in person was a million times more engaging than any digital version online. I definitely agree. (And it’s pretty amazing that we could visit all this for free!)
Next up: back to nature, a Scandinavian mini-break, another sacred stop, and our last London landmarks!
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.
What had drawn us to London was of course the chance to see Nicola Walker perform in a brand new West End play. We attended The Unbelievers at the Royal Court Theatre on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
(If you have never heard of Nicola Walker, let me suggest watching Unforgotten, Annika, and/or The Split to get acquainted immediately. She is sublime!)
Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End
Full cast of The Unbelievers [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Holly Revell]
Play program and script (by Nick Payne)
The theatre has a cozy little bar in the basement, which we checked out on Tuesday before the show. Soon we were contorting into our tight upstairs seats, looking almost directly down at the stage!
View from our balcony seats on the first night (the second night we sat one floor below a few rows back)
Between the program that we bought and the ushers who greeted us on our way in, we knew very little about the play before it started:
The story would focus on the reaction of a mother (and family) to her teenage son’s disappearance.
The performance would run for 1 hour and 45 minutes with no interval (aka intermission).
There would be a complete moment of blackout in the theatre.
Here is Nicola herself summarizing what to expect:
Nicola being her charming self talking about The Unbelievers
That ride she promised started with bang: the blackout moment opened the play, and when the lights came on and there was Nicola already on stage, her character midway through a conversation. It was initially a bit hard to focus simply because a) Nicola! Walker! In! Person! and b) everyone was speaking very rapidly while also being very British (or, in one case, Scottish).
Arranged non-linearly, the story also unfolded in three timelines. So for each scene change, we had to suss out if it was a week, a year, or seven years since son Oscar’s disappearance, with little cues in dialogue and lighting to help.
The story was intense and engaging. Nicola’s role as suffering yet sarcastic mother Miriam was a perfect fit, allowing the actress to showcase her skills in dramatic performance and comedic timing alike. Some dark-humour moments even had the audience (and us) laughing out loud.
Police arrive at the family home to get details of missing Oscar’s disappearance [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Brinkhoff-Moegenburg]
Miriam reluctantly comforts estanged husband (and Oscar’s father) David [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Brinkhoff-Moegenburg]
Miriam relied in turns on anger, sarcasm, action, and optimism to deal with the loss of her son [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Brinkhoff-Moegenburg]
Miriam hesitantly tries prayer with ex-husband and vicar Karl [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Brinkhoff-Moegenburg]
Miriam insists on keeping a seat for Oscar at a full family dinner in the final scene of the play [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Brinkhoff-Moegenburg]
Nicola was as mesmorizing on stage and she is on screen. I loved being able to see the play twice, because the second time I didn’t have to work as hard at following the storyline and could just enjoy her performance.
Miriam’s big breakdown scene that second night (where she confronts the thought that Oscar might not be alive) was even more intense than the first. And Nicola was clearly still feeling the emotional fallout in the subsequent (time-shifted) prayer scene, which made that moment all the more powerful too!
The cast take their final bow to plenty of cheers and applause
The only frustrating part of the play was how it never revealed what happened to Oscar. Instead, we were left to ponder the family’s various responses to living perpetually with the unknown—as well as Miriam’s insistence that not giving up on her son is worth the cost of nearly everything else in her life.
This story choice was quite deliberate, as playwright Nick Payne explained in an excellent Q&A talkback with the audience after Tuesday night’s show.
Nick explains the core theme of uncertainty in his play The Unbelievers
We were at least certain of one thing as we left our live theatre experience: Nicola Walker is indeed an incredible talent. It’s amazing that she was doing a play of this intensity almost every night from early October to the end of November.
What a privilege to be in presence of this British legend for 3+ hours [photo credit Royal Court Theatre / Brinkhoff-Moegenburg]
Our thanks to Nicola, Nick, and the Royal Court Theatre cast and crew for this (fortuitously timed) chance to see something so special to us, well done, and thought-provoking. I will hold this performance in my heart for a long time.
Next up: a traditional British breakfast, more Legos, lunch with the dead, and amazing art at the National Gallery!
