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7 (+1) bookshop cafes in London
Today, 7 March 2024, is the World Book Day. To mark the occasion, I’m visiting 7 bookshop cafes in London, as well as one bookshop bar. London Review Bookshop & Cake Shop The London Review Bookshop is located a stone’s throw from the British Museum. As the name suggests, The London Review Cake Shop serves cake, but also many savoury items. There is indoor seating, as well as an outdoor seating area in a courtyard, the latter being perfect for those rare (for London) summer days. Caffe Nero, at Blackwell’s Bookshop High Holborn Located inside the Blackwell’s Bookshop on High Holborn, this café is almost halfway between Chancery Lane and…
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20 cafes for remote working in Central London
It’s been 2 years since we first went into a national lockdown in the UK. Since then, a lot of things have changed. For instance, many of us no longer have to work from the office. Although working from home has a lot of advantages, it can also be quite isolating. Since some of the restrictions were lifted, I have been spending my afternoons going for a swim, and then working remotely (writing reports and doing admin) from cafes in London. Today, I’d like to share my 20 favourite cafes for remote working in Central London. My 20 favourite cafes for remote working in Central London This list is by…
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10 London restaurants with panoramic views
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s been almost two years since my friend Greta and I had lunch at Duck & Waffle. Back in March 2020, Greta was in London for a few days, attending a medical conference, pregnant at the time, whereas the news talked about that new virus that was coming over to Europe from China. Neither of us could imagine the global pandemic that would soon follow. Thankfully, Greta’s pregnancy went well and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy a few months later, soon after the UK came out of the first lockdown. In the meantime, inspired by our lunch at Duck & Waffle, I started working…
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Where to eat & drink in Oxford
Hello! It’s the 1st of November and it’s been 4 months since my last post ‘The Traveling Psychiatrist is ready to travel again’ (published on 26 June). So, what have I been up to in these last 4 months? First, I flew to my home country, Greece, where I stayed until the beginning of October, combining holidays with work (it’s so great that I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have a computer and internet access). Whilst in Greece, I did a bit of island-hopping (keep an eye on my blog for tips for all these beautiful Greek islands I visited), but I also spent…
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7 places in the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire
I recently went on a road trip to Cornwall and visited some of the places where the G7 Summit is currently taking place. I combined this road trip with a visit to the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire is a county located in South West England. The county town and the only city in Gloucestershire is Gloucester, whereas Cheltenham is the second-largest town of the county. Both have a population of just over 100,000 (each). The Cotswolds is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that lies across the boundaries of several English counties: mainly Gloucestershire, but also Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The beautiful landscape is not the only…
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The G7 summit and 7 places in Cornwall
The G7 Summit will take place on 11-13 June 2021; it will be held in Carbis Bay, a seaside resort and village located in west Cornwall. Other parts of the region will also play a key role in the Summit, including Falmouth and neighbouring St Ives. Carbis Bay lies one mile southeast of St Ives, on the western coast of St Ives Bay, on the Atlantic coast. Having recently visited Cornwall myself and in light of the current international travel restrictions, I’d like to share my tips for a road trip to the westernmost part of the South West Peninsula of the island of Great Britain. I would recommend following…
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A weekend break in Norwich
It’s been almost a year since I visited Norwich, a beautiful medieval city located 100 miles (161 km) north-east of London. With a population of 143,000, Norwich is a relatively small city; yet, it used to be England’s second-largest city after London up until the 18th century it was. Norwich is the most complete medieval city in the country. Elm Hill, a historic cobbled lane located in the city centre is lined with buildings dating back to the Tudor period. Not far from there, there’s the imposing 11th-century Norwich Cathedral. The River Wensum flows through the city centre, towards the castle; founded soon after the Norman Conquest (in 1066), the castle is now a museum.…
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Best London bookstores, tsundoku & bibliotherapy
Today is the World Book Day. To mark the occasion, last year, I went back to ancient Greece and shared my reflections on ‘Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life’, a book by Edith Hall. This year, however, I am going to discuss my personal relationship with books and reading, rather than focus on a specific book. I’m therefore going to stay home and simply visit some of my favorite London bookstores. I will then go to Japan to discuss the concept of tsundoku, as well as Marie Kondo’s tips on how to tidy up books. I will also visit Greece to discuss the concepts of bibliomania, bibliophilia,…
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My 10 (+1) favorite Asian restaurants in London
I kicked off this year with my recommendations for 5 (+1) Japanese novels to read in 2020, followed by my suggestions for 5 more books from, or about, Japan. Then, earlier this month, the South Korean film ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, not only won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, but also the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. So, last week, I embarked on a cinematic journey to South Korea. Today, I am going back to London, but at the same time I’m staying in Asia. This sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Well… being a foodie and a Londoner, I love…
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A classical music journey to Great Britain
I recently came across ‘The Classical Music Map of Britain’ written by Richard Fawkes and originally published in 2010. In this book, Fawkes takes the reader on a classical music journey to Great Britain, visiting places with connections to classical music composers, both British and from abroad. The book is divided into five sections: England, London, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Within each of these five sections, the author visits a great number of places (houses, churches, museums) in alphabetical order. This makes it rather difficult for the reader to follow in Fawkes’s footsteps. I would have personally preferred it if the journey followed a geographical, or even thematic, order…