Charmless Chelsea

A morning of culture at the Saatchi Gallery left me full of culture and wanting to explore this district of London more. Chelsea is an instagrammers paradise ( if you enjoy following the trends). The terraced houses are beautiful and ornate. I really enjoyed wandering through the streets with no real destination in mind. I find the more I travel to cities, the less I rely on maps to take me places. Hidden destinations are often the best ones.

I could have wandered for hours if not for two things; a severe lack of free time and the crazy London traffic. What I thought was a pedestrianised road was in fact traffic optional, provided you didn’t run over a human. Back Alleys led me out on a rather famous department store, Harrods. One of London’s iconic sites and a must visit when in the city. My photographer and I rode the elevator to the top floor. They are old fashioned and still have all of the original features; as do the bathrooms. After a morning learning about the Egyptians I loved seeing the themed escalators in the middle of the store.

My favourite part of the store (and only place I could afford anything) was the food hall. The deli style set up was lovely, the bakery areas smelt divine as did the coffee in the centre of the room. The cakes on the counters were more like works of art than food. Sadly, I hadn’t enough time to stay and eat. Nor could I justify paying £8 for a cake and £6 for a coffee.

Unable to convince the doorman to let me try his hat, I was back to wandering the streets of Chelsea; this time in search of coffee. I let my intuition guide me through the streets and came across Pavilion Road. A small street filled with cafes and shops. Half way down there was a bakery calling out my name. Bread ahead is a small bakery which sells pastries and coffee. There are a few seats inside and a few unhelpful humans behind the counter, maybe they can’t eat the pastries which surround them each day. I had an argument with one of the staff who refused to tell me how much a cappuccino was until she had my money. Be warned I roar when hangry. £3:30 later and a scowling human I had time to sit with my coffee. Until another human decided I was not small enough and kept ramming their chair into mine. I can honestly say I have never drank a coffee so quickly, just to leave and calm down.

Back outside I was also wrong, instaposers were everywhere. I think I might be in several people’s posts in the upcoming days (please tag me!). Back outside the Saatchi Gallery, I decided to sit near the grass until it was time to get back onto the bus.

I enjoyed my time in London, but at the same time I hated the city. I’ve never had conflicting feelings about a place before. I think I liked the city in itself but disliked the attitude and vibe coming from the place. You’ll either love it or hate it; a phrase which couldn’t be more true for England’s capital. A whirlwind of a visit which I am glad I did, my trip to the Saatchi Gallery was a once in a lifetime experience, as was embarrassing my photographer with the help of Buckingham Palace Guards. I can’t say I will be rushing back but never say never; there are lots of new countries to visit first!

For a daily dose of dinosaur, feel free to visit my Instagram Vegan0saurus