Zurich - Trip to London

Close Up of Exhibit at Summer Exhibition

I decided last-minute to take a quick trip to London. The main reason was to attend the AGM of a company that I’m invested in (Iofina, IOF), since I felt it would be interesting this year as they’ve just done a fundraise, are planning to finally execute on their expansion plans and also possibly to enter the Cannabidiol market. It’s also been over a year since I was last in the UK and actually I can’t remember when I was last in London.

The more I looked into it, the more excited I got – the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition was on. I used to go there as a child / teenager with my parents, so it would be a trip down memory lane. There was also a BP National Portrait competition on at the National Portrait Gallery. Then I noticed that Cinderella was playing in the round at the Royal Albert Hall as a ballet. There’s just so much to do in London and I was fired up with excitement.

“Unfortunately” (well, not really the right word), I was booked for the ballet in Zurich on Saturday so I was unable to stay for the weekend. However, I decided it was still worth the quick trip.

I’d forgotten how expensive hotels were in London, but I got a room at the Assembly Hotel on Charing Cross Road for around 155 GBP a night, which was just 20 minutes’ walk to the AGM venue. I was delighted at being so central; I don’t think I’ve ever stayed right in the middle of London before and it was so convenient. Even better, there were a couple of chippies round the corner and a good Indian restaurant just two doors down. This was everything I wanted.

When I went in the chip shop to indulge my desire for proper British chips, I was confronted by the fact that it had been ages since I was last in the UK. I pulled out two coins that I thought were pound coins, but it turned out they weren’t. Then I gave the guy serving me a five pound note, having given up on the coins. He looked at me and commented that it was obvious I hadn’t been in the country for a long time. The five pound note wasn’t valid as they’d switched to plastic instead of paper notes. I had heard about this from a friend, but had forgotten. Subsequently, I tried a twenty pound note (for a bag of chips!), and apparently that was OK. I felt like a foreigner in my own country.

I was pretty much on the go the entire time. The AGM was well worth attending even if I didn’t really get the chance to meet anyone. I dashed straight off to the Summer Exhibition afterwards. For those who don’t know, this is an open art competition that happens every year. Your grandmother can submit a painting alongside Banksy. The submissions are judged anonymously; indeed one 12-year old boy had a self-portrait with dog accepted (and Banksy had his entry on Brexit accepted). The exhibition is crammed with art of different styles and most of the pieces are available for sale. It’s a fun place to go.

I thought it might take me all day, but actually I had enough time afterwards to see the BP portrait competition. This was smaller and comprised only around 42 portraits. The National portrait gallery was only 3 minutes’ walk from my hotel; the Summer Exhibition was about 10 minutes’ walk in the other direction. Really, it couldn’t have been better. And there were plenty of cafes around for me to stop and gather up my energy again.

Just walking round London reminded me of so many things – the New Year’s celebrations I’d had with Rachel, Alastair and Sheila, my student days in the second hand bookshops on Charing Cross Road, the time when I was young and shocked that a cup of coffee cost 60p in London, and when my dad bought us all tickets to see a ballet one Christmas. It was quite strange to reconnect with my younger self.

In the evening I went to see Rosmersholme at a theatre just five minutes’ away. The play was good, but I was quite tired after my busy day and the play was quite heavy, so I might have preferred something a bit lighter. I didn’t really have enough brains left by then. But I’m not complaining – the acting was brilliant and it was wonderful to soak up the London theatre life.

The next day, someone at the AGM had recommended the Science and Magic exhibition at the Wellcome Foundation, so I went there. I used to work in this kind of area, so again it was a trip down memory lane and it was nice to see names of people I know and to learn a bit at the same time. It made me a little nostalgic for the academic life.

After that, I went off to the Royal Albert Hall to meet Geraldine as we had the ballet booked. I got there early as I didn’t want Geraldine to have to hang around unnecessarily, but the bar where I said I would meet her wasn’t open yet. I went for a coffee and walnut cake (another thing ticked off my list of things to do), then headed back to the entrance. I popped into the toilet and lo and behold, there was Geraldine!

After the ballet we went to see the Diana memorial park, which neither of us had seen before. And after that, we went for a curry. I was really surprised to discover how close Green Park was to Picadilly Circus and how close Picadilly Circus was to Leicester Square and I’d forgotten that Charing Cross is that same area as well.

But for all that, the thing that most impressed me about London, weirdly, was the underground system. I’d read beforehand that I could now just use my debit card on the card readers by the entrance and exit gates and you’d pay a cheaper fare than getting a normal ticket. Moreover, you would be charged a maximum of a day ticket if you travelled several times and used the same debit card. It made using the tube so easy. I didn’t have to queue for tickets or stress about what ticket to buy, nor did I end up with loads of change. I felt a surge of happiness each time I used my debit card in the station – such a sense of freedom to travel around without worrying about what ticket I’d bought. It was great.

It was a full-on two days, but I’m so glad I did it.