London Travel: Exploring Hyde Park, Financial District, Liverpool Street Station

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After a busy morning exploring Smithfield Market

, two historic train stations (St. Pancras and Kings Cross), an enjoyable stroll through the world-famous Portobello Market, an interview with one of the organizers of the Notting Hill Carnival which we followed up with a first-hand exploration of this charming neighbourhood and a brief excursion to Edgeware Road, Londons Little Beirut area, we were off to check out another London landmark: Hyde Park.

One of Londons largest parks. Hyde Park is also one of Londons Royal Parks and connected to Kensington Gardens which is considered a separate area. Together these two park areas measure a very substantial 625 acres (or 2.5 square kilometers). Hundreds of young people were sprawling out on the lawns on this warm afternoon, playing Frisbee or enjoying a picnic.

Hyde Park was originally a private hunting ground for the Royal Family until James I permitted limited access to common people in the 16th century. In 1637 finally the park was opened to the public. The Serpentine Lake divides the park into two separate areas, and the park also features restaurants and an art gallery. Of course Hyde Parks most famous landmark is Speakers Corner, an area dedicated to public speaking. Hyde Parks Speakers Corner was frequented by such luminaries as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell. Much to our disappointment though, no public speech was happening today; only two older gentlemen were sitting on milk crates, quietly conferring with one another.

Across from this location is Marble Arch, a triumphal arch built of white Carrara marble dating back to 1828. It was constructed to mark Britains victories in the Napoleonic Wars. Its counterpart, the Wellington Arch, is located on the north side of Hyde Park. Marble Arch was originally intended to be the entrance to Buckingham Palace, but because it was too narrow to accommodate the width of some of the most opulent coaches in the 19th century it was moved to this location in the mid 1800s.
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Our whirlwind discoveries of London continued since I wanted to get a bit of an overview of this gigantic city. So my local expert Andrea and I headed back on the Tube and made our way to the Financial District of London. Along New York City, London is the largest international banking centre in the world. 50% of all European banking transactions are processed in London, and metropolitan Londons economy is the second largest in Europe. Londons banking sector employs more than 300,000 people. The citys success in the service economy is evidenced by the fact that 85% of workforce in greater London are employed in service industries.

Somehow it was strange, but it occurred to me on several occasions that London reminded me more of North America than continental Europe. As a European immigrant, I have now been living for more than 20 years in North America, to be more specific in Toronto, Canadas financial and economic centre. Over the last few years I have visited many North American cities including New York City and Chicago. For reasons I could not completely put my finger on, London just did not seem like a typical European city.

Maybe it was the combination of Victorian and modern architecture that is so prevalent on the west side of the Atlantic also, that reminded me of so many of the North American cities I have visited. This of course became particularly evident in the Financial District where a combination of classical buildings coexists with modern creations made of steel, glass and concrete.

Andrea and I exited at Bank Street tube station, right in the heart of Londons financial district, where Princes Street, Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, Lombard and King William Streets meet. Right out of the Tube station we were impressed by several major London landmarks: The Royal Exchange, the heart of Londons commerce; across the street is the Bank of England Museum. On the other side of the intersection is Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. The London Stock Exchange is nearby. This area is truly the financial powerhouse of Europe.

In our explorations of the Financial District we came across another local landmark: Leadenhall Market, a historic market that dates back to the 14th century. On weekdays it sells fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and cheeses. Various upscale retail stores are also housed in the market which features a visually stunning interior. Leadenhall Market incidentally was designed by the same architect, Sir Horace Jones, who designed Smithfield Market which we had already visited earlier today. The centre of the market is the confluence of four major corridors of stores, and its highlight is an ornate cast iron and glass roof structure that is painted in a distinctive combination of cream, maroon and green.

A popular destination inside Leadenhall Market is the Lamb Tavern, since 1780 a gathering place for local city professionals, visitors and tourists alike. As today was Saturday the market was quiet, but it must be a hustling and bustling place during the week. Right next to Leadenhall Market is the Lloyds Building, head office of the world famous insurance company Lloyds of London. Designed by renowned architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986, many of this buildings features are located on the outside, for example the elevators, power lines and water pipes. It shares these similarities with the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which was also co-designed by Rogers.

Just a few steps away is another true landmark of London: The Swiss Re Tower, much better known as The Gherkin. And what an apt description this is: this blue and silver-coloured 180 m high tower is indeed shaped like a graceful cucumber and is the second highest building in London. Its distinctive shape is instantly recognizable in any image of Londons skyline. Alluding to its phallic appearance, other nicknames for this building include the Towering Innuendo, the Crystal Phallus and even the Glass Dildo. The unusual rounded shape of the Swiss Re Building provides a tantalizing contrast to the surrounding angular modern and classic architecture of the Financial District.

After our explorations of the City of London our next destination was Liverpool Street Railway Station since we needed to catch a train for our dinner appointment. Another one of Londons big railway stations, Liverpool Street Station is an important departure point for trains to the East of England. Commuter trains to East London and Essex also depart from here. Opened in 1874, this train station is another example of Victorian railway architecture.

I am always fascinated by historic train stations, and Liverpool Street Station was no exception. The glass and wrought iron roof and the historic Victorian faades had me in awe. Since we had not had any lunch yet and it was already late afternoon, I grabbed a quick sandwich at one of the shops in the station, and when I was finished I was struck by the fact that there were no garbage cans anywhere in the train station. Andrea explained that since the 2005 London bombings, garbage cans have been removed as an anti-terrorism measure.

Outside the train station there is a memorial sculpture to the Kindertransport, commemorating the arrival of thousands of Jewish refugee children in the late 1930s. The United Kingdom took in almost 10,000 children from Nazi Germany and its occupied territories, and many of them arrived right here, at Liverpool Street Station.

Now it was already late afternoon, and we were headed further afield for a special dinner meeting. We were going to meet Andreas daughter Nina and a friend in a restaurant called Eat 17 in Walthamstow Village in North East London. This restaurant had become a favourite destination of Andrea and her daughter, and we were headed there to check it out. After a relaxing ride in the local train we arrived at close to 6 pm in Walthamstow, whose original name Wilcumestou translates as The Place of Welcome. This part of London was settled mainly during the late 19th century, after the arrival of the railways. We walked up a pleasant main street and sat down at a table on the comfortable patio of Eat 17.

The owner, Daniel OConnor, a dynamic 20-something entrepreneur and a blonder, more handsome version of Hugh Grant, showed me around the restaurant and explained that Eat 17 is really quite a new business. After about four years of working as a head concierge for a major London hotel, Daniel decided he wanted to embark on his own entrepreneurial adventures and opened Eat 17 in July 2007. Originally its menu was focused primarily on waffles, but the cuisine has since branched out to include a wide variety of breakfast dishes, sandwiches, salads, lunch and dinner items. Of course, for us the waffles still held a big attraction.

Daniel took me through the busy kitchen into his delicatessen store which is adjacent to the restaurant and showed me the wide assortment of gourmet sausages made by the East London Sausage company: varieties such as Venison, Irish Beef, Wild Boar, Welsh Lamb and Mint, Chicken, Lemon and Coriander were enticing the taste buds. Delectable cheeses, organic and locally made cakes are favourites among local gourmets.

On my way back to my table Daniel showed me an impressive mural that was recently completed by a local artist. As a supporter of local art, Daniel has come up with a new concept called Gig17, which features special events and music performances that are held at Eat 17. Obviously this new restaurateur has all sorts of ideas of how to create a popular venue for the locals.

Finally I arrived back at my table, definitely ready for a great dinner. I enjoyed a delectable Mushroom and Spinach Risotto while Andrea had a Bacon and Brie Beefburger. For dessert we shared a couple of Eat 17s famous waffles: an Apple and Cinnamon Waffle as well as a scrumptious Fresh Berry Waffle. Andrea and Nina had been right on the nose this was definitely a place worth visiting.

On our way out we thanked Daniel for a great dining experience and headed back into the city. We came back into town via the Tube and exited at Leicester Square. When we got out of the underground I was absolutely stunned by the amount of people on this pedestrian square in Londons West End. Young, hip people dressed up in evening attire were milling about, and we really had to plough our way through the crowds. Leicester Square is the heart of Londons cinema district, and many big movies premiere here. It is also home to several nightclubs, and this Saturday evening the entire area was absolutely hopping.
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From here we strolled through Chinatown which is centered around Gerrard Street in Londons Soho area. An ornamental gate announces the entrance into Chinatown, and numerous Chinese-owned shops and restaurants line the streets. On this warm early May evening, many patrons were still sitting outside on the restaurant patios, enjoying the pleasant spring air. We continued our walk on Shaftesbury Avenue, the centre of Londons West End theatre district, distinguished by such venues as the Apollo, Gielgud, Lyric and Queens Theatres.

The throngs of people throughout the entire area continued and reached its apex when we arrived on aptly named Piccadilly Circus it was truly a circus full of young people in search of entertainment. With its big colourful neon billboards it reminded me of Times Square in New York City. Piccadilly Circus is one of Londons most popular shopping and entertainment areas. Dozens of twenty-somethings were hanging out on the steps of the Piccadilly Circus memorial fountain.

It was absolutely amazing how much of London we had seen in the last 15 hours. We had criss-crossed the city from east to west and back, and hopped off at many different destinations. Now thoroughly tired from a very long day of explorations and so many new impressions, it was time to head back to our comfortable hotel and rest up for another packed day of discoveries.

by: Susanne Pacher

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