Published: 5th May 2024
I could not get enough of Madame Tussauds as a kid. It was like a family tradition to go every year and take pictures with whatever new royal waxwork they’d created.
The only thing was, I always found the Chamber of Horrors terrifying and for many years had to take the detour, avoiding it. The first time I was brave enough to go through I had to hide behind my brothers just staring at the floor! To be fair, I’m still like that as an adult.
Because we’re spread out all over London, North, West, South and East, central London is our go-to and particularly The Southbank. Giraffe has saved the day a number of times. It’s kid-friendly and there’s something on the menu for everyone.
I’m a fan of And Other Stories. It’s a bit of a mishmash but has really stylish clothes, it’s inexpensive but you can put together an entire outfit without breaking the bank. It’s the sort of store where if I see one, I find it almost impossible not to pop inside at least for a quick browse.
A summer afternoon at The Southbank would be lush. Perhaps sampling tasty morsels at the food market, strolling along the Thames down to London Bridge or up to Westminster, stopping at the London Eye to take a bird’s eye view of the city.
Like most, everyone in my family is always running here, there and everywhere doing a million things so taking time to just hang out in a nice part of town is as good as any big day out.
I usually only take buses outside of rush hour or when I’ve got time to spare but I love being above ground and seeing London from a different perspective. Again, the tube is great as long as it’s not rush hour and your face isn’t pressed into someone’s armpit!
Since the Lockdown, I’ve taken to walking my neighbourhood a lot more and it’s really refreshing to just go for a walk with no destination in mind. I’ve made some great discoveries and seen some fab local architecture, murals and even parks that I didn’t know were there.