• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Anna S. E. Lundberg

Coach, Speaker, Writer

  • About
  • Work with me
    • Coaching
    • Speaking
    • Writing
  • Contact
  • One Step Outside

My Top 10 in London: These are a few of my favourite things

15 September, 2015 By Anna S E Lundberg Leave a Comment

To celebrate having been in London (well, sort of) for two years now, I thought I’d collect the top ten favourite things that I’ve done in that time. Thank you to everyone who has been apart of it all!

1. Midnight matinee at The Globe

Espresso martinis and The Globe TheatreI spotted this earlier this year and booked two tickets right away. As the date drew closer, however, the idea of staying awake until midnight to then sit outside to watch Shakespeare, let alone staying awake until my first train home at 5am that morning, grew less and less appealing. My friend and I loaded up with fleeces and blankets and downed espresso martinis before the performance started – but we needn’t have worried. It was a fantastic experience, a warm night, and a fabulous cast performing my favourite play (Much Ado About Nothing)… I went to bed at 6am and woke up at 12.30pm fresh as a daisy! Top tip: espresso martinis, definitely, but also avoiding the standing tickets (I have no idea how people stayed upright all night) and instead going for seats on the back row as we did so that you have something to lean against.

The Globe (They ran three Midnight Matinees this year; you’ll probably need to wait until next summer to get tickets for the next one.)

2. The Royal Albert Hall

Another iconic location for culture in London that I’ve made the most of since living here: the Royal Albert Hall. My mum dragged me along to what turned out to be a memorable evening with French singer Charles Aznavour; we went to an evening of the Best of Broadway; and we saw a performance of Madam Butterfly with an absolutely fabulous set. Another new experience was to see films “live”, with the old film playing on a big screen but the music performed by the orchestra. West Side Story had me in tears even though I’ve never really liked that musical, while I even persuaded my dad to come along and watch Titanic. The famous Proms would be another one for the bucket list, I think.

Royal Albert Hall

3. Night-time kayak under Tower Bridge

Kayaking under Tower BridgeThis was an unusual Monday evening; it was a unique experience to see London from the water, and there were plenty of opportunities for selfies as we paddled under the bridge (the guide only getting a tiny bit annoyed at us for dawdling). We even stopped for fish and chips at an old pub, climbing out of our kayaks and up the fire escape to get inside. It’s best if you go with a friend as the kayaks are for two people and you’ll be spending the evening in each other’s company. In fact, why not go with a date? There were at least three new couples there on the evening that I went, two of them on surprise dates. Top tip for the men, though: at least tell the girl to change out of her work dress and heels!

Secret Adventures

4. Stand-up paddle boarding down the Thames

stand-up paddle boardingMy first experience of paddle boarding (SUP) but definitely not my last. This has become popular in the last couple of years and it’s a great way to explore an area from the water. I was pretty wobbly when I started but the beginners among us soon got the hang of it enough to be able to paddle two full days down the Thames. Two of our group had already done the full length of the river “from source to sea”, while two more have done so since. I did some more paddling in Stockholm this summer and I’m going to be going down the Mississippi in a couple of weeks.

This weekend trip part of Dave Cornthwaite’s summer series, which is now over. If you’re lucky, he might do it again next year! If not, just google SUP in London and you’ll find plenty of providers.

5. Running in Hyde Park

Running in Hyde ParkHow fabulous to be able to put on your running shoes and have the whole of London at your doorstep! Living in south London, I would run along the Thames past Big Ben and the London Eye, turn and pass through Westminster and Knightsbridge and then run around Hyde Park. Yes, the tourists were a little bit annoying, but that comes with the territory of living in an awesome sightseeing destination. I could even run to Wholefoods and get the bus back home loaded with a bag full of healthy goodies. In addition to the running, I even joined a high-intensity bootcamp in Hyde Park, which had me doing burpees galore on an otherwise lazy Sunday. Although this one cost money, there’s so much free fitness available in a big city like London – I particularly recommend Project Awesome, which runs sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.

Prestige Bootcamp
Project Awesome

6. Membership at the V&A

Having been to see the Hollywood Costume exhibition a few years ago, I bought membership plus guest at the Victoria & Albert Museum and got value for my money already in my first visit, going to three different paid exhibitions on one day. Over the past year, I’ve been to see Wedding Dresses 1775-2014, Constable: The Making of a Master, The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014, and most recently Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, as well as various permanent exhibitions. Another favourite has been the British Museum, where I’ve learned about the Vikings, Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, and Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Columbia. Aren’t I cultured?!

V&A Museum
British Museum

7. Lucia at St Paul’s

St Paul'sA traditional Swedish celebration on 13th December, Saint Lucia is the day that we eat saffron buns and gingerbread. It’s also a day when both children and adults dress up as Lucia with candles in her hair, a train of maidens following her along with various other elves and gingerbread men, and sing Christmas carols. In 2013, my mum and I went to the celebration at St Paul’s and it was magical, the imposing cathedral filled with beautiful song enjoyed by a full audience that brought together Scandinavians from around the city. It’s something special to be experienced, even for all you non-Nordics!

St Paul’s Cathedral

8. Alice in Wonderland

This was like nothing I’ve done before. From choosing whether to “eat me” or “drink me”, we were allocated a card suit and then led in small groups through an interactive experience of the well-known story. The Mad Hatters’ Tea Party was a highlight, and I thought it was very clever when we got to the final court scene and found that each of the suits had had a different experience. We were the black clubs, the revolutionaries, while the spades had been eating the Queen’s tarts! And the reds were loyal to Her Majesty, who would have expected such royalism?! A fun evening made even better, I think, with some pre-theatre drinks to add to the hallucinogenic effect.

Although Alice has finished, the theatre group Les Enfants Terribles will be back next year. For a similar experience, try Secret Cinema or Punchdrunk.

9. Food and drink

Speaking of drinks, the other benefit of London that I’m particularly aware of after spending nine years in teeny tiny Geneva is the huge range of bars and restaurants available. I don’t think I’ve made the most of this at all, but there have been a few good ones: pre-Globe espresso martinis at Dion, of course; cocktails at the Experimental Cocktail Club in Soho; a three-course meal plus cocktails at the Ice Bar; cocktails and dinner at Mews (erm, I seem to have had a lot of cocktails this year!); and Venetian tapas at Polpo.

Dion
ECC
Ice Bar
Mews of Mayfair
Polpo

10. ….?

A complete list of ten feels too final, so I’m leaving the last one blank. What’s going to be that magical number 10 on the list? I already had plenty of suggestions last summer when I thought I would be leaving London, and I’ve yet to do all of these… Any more ideas?

Filed Under: Europe, Travel, United Kingdom Tagged With: england, London, lucia at st paul's, royal albert hall, the globe theatre, things to do in london, top 10 things in london

5 Films that Will Make you Want to Live in London

16 June, 2015 By Anna S E Lundberg Leave a Comment

We’ve already established that I like London more than I’ve wanted to admit to myself. I’ve apologised for not wanting to live here, been on a secret adventure north of the M25, and done a mini-bucket list to make the most of my time in the city. If that’s not enough to make you want to live there, here are five films you should watch to convince yourself of why London is the place to be…

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins outside St Paul'sDisney’s Mary Poppins is a dream for children and adults alike: she lets you tidy your room by snapping your fingers, she gives you medicine that tastes of whatever you want it to, and she takes you on all sorts of secret adventures throughout London. Who doesn’t want to climb a staircase made of smoke and go dancing on the city’s rooftops, or jump into a painting and go riding through the fields on a merry-go-round horse? And it’s simply impossible to go by St Paul’s Cathedral and not sing Feeeeeeed the biiiiiiirds, tuppence a bag… Plus, everyone’s out flying kites at the weekend, even the boring bankers. What a fun town!

Notting Hill

Ah, to work in a little travel bookshop in west London and to encounter a huge film star and then live happily ever after together… Isn’t that everyone’s dream? You imagine that if you only had the opportunity to meet them they would see how amazing ordinary little you were and fall madly in love with you. (Leo, George, Brad, why oh why did we never cross paths?) Hugh Grant also has a lovely group of fun and supportive friends. On top, as we know from Jamie Oliver, Notting Hill has a fabulous food market where you can get incredible fresh ingredients so all in all it’s just a great place to live.

My Fair Lady (and, to some extent, Oliver)

Oliver mainly shows the seedier side of London and Bill Sykes still terrifies me, but there is a nice scene with the flower girls, Who will buy on this wonderful morning? that takes place in a beautiful London crescent (which Google tells me was built entirely from scratch at Shepperton Studios). My Fair Lady, which shares the flower girl aspect, also has a handsome young man who’s thrilled just to be standing on the street where you live, while the film offers the perfect song to sing after a night of clubbing: I could have daaanced all niiiiight…! Not quite London, but the depiction of Ascot in My Fair Lady is enough to make anyone want to don a huge black-and-white hat and scream MOVE YER BLOOMIN’ ARSE! at the races.

Made in Chelsea

Okay, it’s not a film, and it’s incredibly embarrassing to even admit that I’ve watched this. But. In Made in Chelsea, it’s always sunny whether they’re walking their dogs in Battersea Park or rowing down the Thames; they have amazing fancy dress parties all the time and they’re constantly in different bars and clubs; and the only work they do is now and then to design a shoe, or sell some leathers, or create a new flavour of sweets… Not to mention the fact that Spencer will take you out in a Bentley and fly you to Paris for your date (then cheat on you – but, hey, you can’t have it all…).

Love Actually

LondonMy favourite and the ultimate advertisement for London, especially at Christmas, I’ve watched this almost every year since it came out and it’s never failed to make me want to move back to this great city. There’s one scene in particular with Liam Neeson and his stepson sitting on a bench by the Thames with a view across to St Paul’s… Hugh Grant is Prime Minister, Rowan Atkinson works at Harrods, and there’s a hot Brazilian who’s also sweet and sensitive – who wouldn’t want to live in such a city?! The film even makes arriving at Heathrow seem romantic, which is an impressive feat in itself.

 

Are there other films that show off the best of London to the cinema-going public? What did I miss? Let me know your favourites in the comments below!

Filed Under: Travel, United Kingdom Tagged With: London, love actually, mary poppins, my fair lady, notting hill

The Parks of Central London: From Peter Pan to Big Ben

10 June, 2014 By Anna S E Lundberg 1 Comment

Following last week’s epiphany that I need to make the most of being in London, last weekend I took the opportunity of a gorgeously sunny Sunday to kick things off with a walk through some of London’s parks.

It’s interesting how people flock to green areas as soon as the sun comes out. Modern architects fill the city with concrete areas and metal sculptures, but as human beings we seek out nature to get away from it all.

I took the tube to Lancaster Gate, on the north side of Hyde Park. One of London’s eight Royal Parks, Hyde Park covers 350 acres that began as the private hunting ground of Henry VIII. The park is probably most well known today for Speakers’ Corner up in the northeast corner, but I chose instead to walk along the man-made lake in the centre of the park.

It’s actually not the centre of the park because as it turns out the west end of Hyde Park is, in fact, Kensington Gardens, after William III bought the area back in 1689 (yes, I’m a bit behind the times). Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace, on the far west side of the park, while The Albert Memorial was unveiled on the south side in 1872 to commemorate her husband.

The Italian Gardens in Hyde Park
My walk began at the Italian Gardens at the top of The Long Water, the first man-made lake, which was created by Queen Caroline, wife of George II, in the 1730s…
Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens
The next sight along the way is the Peter Pan statue, commissioned by the author J. M. Barrie himself.
The Serpentine Bridge, Hyde Park
The Serpentine Bridge divides the lake. The top end is called The Long Lake, while it becomes The Serpentine east of the bridge.
Deck chairs in Hyde Park
That chair on the left definitely had my name on it…
The Rose Garden, Hyde Park
How many kinds of sweet flowers grow / In an English country garden?
The Huntress statue, Hyde Park
Another statue: this time The Huntress
Queen Elizabeth Gates, Hyde Park
Is it just me, or do the Queen Elizabeth Gates look like Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage?
Duke of Wellington
To cross into Green Park, you need to take the subway (no not the underground, but the walkway that goes under the roads) where you can see historical people and events painted onto the tiles on the walls. Here you have the Duke of Wellington…
Wellington Arch
A rather more grand memorial to the Duke of Wellington, the Wellington Arch.
The Memorial Gates, Green Park
I entered Green Park via The Memorial Gates, which commemorate the men and women from the Indian sub-continent, Africa, and the Caribbean who volunteered to fight with the British in the two World Wars.
Buckingham Palace
I left Green Park via The Canada Gate and suddenly found myself peering out at Buckingham Palace…
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns, since 1837. In front of it stands The Victoria Memorial. I’d like to think that Albert comes to visit her from his seat in Kensington Gardens from time to time…
St James's Park lake
From Buckingham Palace, I walked down The Mall and through the Marlborough Gate into St James’s Park, the third and last park on my Sunday walk. Standing on The Blue Bridge, I could see the London Eye (another visit still to tick off my list!).
St James's Park lake
Is that Cinderella’s Castle? A walk through the parks of London is a walk through a fairytale!
My final destination: Big Ben and Westminster Station. A lovely walk through three of London's Royal Parks. What's next on the list? ...
My final destination: Big Ben and Westminster underground station.

All in all, a lovely walk through three of London’s Royal Parks!

So, what’s next?…

Filed Under: Europe, Travel, United Kingdom Tagged With: buckingham palace, from hyde park to green park, green park, hyde park, italian gardens hyde park, kensington gardens, London, serpentine bridge, st james's park, the long lake, the mall, the serpentine, victoria memorial, walk through london parks

London Countdown: What do I still need to do?

3 June, 2014 By Anna S E Lundberg 11 Comments

On Sunday, my mum and I finally went to the Viking exhibition at the British Museum. I have to say I was disappointed. I had read so many articles about this whole new take on Vikings, the eye liner and the harem pants, the lasting impact on the British isles, all brought to life in the first major exhibition for over 30 years… But it was a pretty standard museum exhibition, except for the high price tag and the hoards, not of Vikings but of visitors, who crowded round the displays.

Instead, the surprise highlight of our Sunday outing in London was the Aznavour farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Now, I have to be honest, I had very low expectations. Up until the previous day, I had thought that we were going to listen to some Czech violinist. Oops. I’m not entirely sure how I have managed to be so completely oblivious to the “Frank Sinatra of France” who was named Entertainer of the Century. The only song I recognised was She, and that was from Elvis Costello’s cover on the Notting Hill soundtrack.

The whole experience of being in that venue was special. The Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871 and has over 5,000 seats. Those seats were gradually filled with hard-core Aznavour fans as the 90 year old came on stage and his voice boomed out into the hall. One of my favourites was Je voyage, which he sang with his daughter Katia. A young woman meets an old man sitting on a bench, and she asks what he’s doing there. He answers that he’s travelling through his memories. He asks what she’s doing there. She replies that she’s travelling too, travelling into her future.

Many thoughts were going through my mind as the music filled the hall. Most of all, I thought about how many amazing things there are to do in London. I’ve already written about how much I’m enjoying London – but I know it’s only temporary, and I feel like there’s so much I could do to make the most of being here.

So I need your help! What do I need to do? I’ve started a list, and I hope you’ll all finish it for me…

-Watch the Last Night of the Proms
-Go up in the London Eye
-Sing karaoke at Lucky Voice
-See a play at the Globe Theatre
-Take a boat up the Thames
-Go to a Rocky Horror Picture Show sing-a-long

………………………….

Help please! What do I still need to do? Will you join me?

 

Je voyage, je voyage, vers les lieux bénis de ma vie
de voyage en voyage, à travers erreurs et acquis
sans bagage, par images, par le rêve et par la pensée
de voyage en voyage, sur les vagues de mon passé 

Je voyage, je voyage et je cours pour aller de l’avant
de voyage en voyage, sac au dos, cheveux dans le vent,
parfois folle, parfois sage, refusant les idées reçues
de voyage en voyage, dans l’espoir de trouver un but

Filed Under: Life, United Kingdom Tagged With: charles aznavour, je voyage, katia aznavour, London, royal albert hall, things to do in london, vikings british museum

Dear London: An Apology

20 November, 2013 By Anna S E Lundberg 4 Comments

Dear London,

As you know, I have made some changes in my life this year. I’ve changed jobs, I’ve changed countries.

When people asked me where I was going, I said, “Oh, it looks like I’m ending up in London,” nose wrinkling, tongue tutting, shoulders shrugging.

Now it’s not that I didn’t like London. I have fond memories of growing up here; of going to Ernest Read Concerts for Children at the Royal Festival Hall, my sister and I wearing matching M&S coats; of queuing up outside nightclubs in a short skirt and open-toe shoes (when I was a little older); of shopping at Topshop at Oxford Circus when I started spending my pocket money on clothes.

And every time I watched Love Actually I would, for a few hours, consider making London my home again.

But when you’ve lived somewhere for two-thirds of your life, it just doesn’t seem so exciting to go back there.

I wanted to go to New York, or to Singapore, darling. Dreams of Broadway and Central Park, of orchids and weekend trips around Asia.

After nine years in quality-of-life bubble Geneva, I wanted excitement. I wanted action. I wanted hot men (or just different men really). I wanted to leave the familiar behind and enter the wide unknown. To begin a new adventure. To infinity and beyond. Or something.

My point, dear friend, is that I misjudged you. Or maybe I misjudged myself. Nine years away have given me a new appreciation of what you have to offer. You are not a second choice or a back-up plan. You are a numero uno, a lead option, a goal to strive for.

Life here is so convenient. Shops are open on Sundays. There is more than one high street, there are more than two department stores. You don’t have to go to the same restaurant every weekend. There are English TV channels as standard. I have access to BBC iPlayer. In fact, people speak English even off the telly.

So much for the basics. But there’s more.

Oh, West End, how could I have forsaken you for the neon lights of Broadway?! Cameron, Andrew, will you ever forgive me?

St Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, you are just as beautiful and impressive as the architectural delights of Manhattan and Singapore.

And there are as many songs to be sung in this city as in New York – London Calling, Streets of London, Waterloo (okay not actually about London), Piccadilly Circus (another Swedish one but a goodie), not to mention the classic, Feed the birds, tuppence a bag… London’s Burning as well if you’re feeling dark. Plus, you can say “London, baby!” everywhere you go.

All in all, not a bad place to be.

So London: I’m sorry. I shall speak ill of you no more. I hope you will accept my apology and continue this great new friendship that we have just (re-)begun.

I can’t promise to stay forever, but for now you’ll do nicely.

Affectionately,

Anna

P.S. The apology still stands, even though you tried to kill me with a hail storm this afternoon.

A November afternoon in London
Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Peter Pan fans will notice the second star to the right. Yes, London is magic.

Filed Under: Life, Travel, United Kingdom Tagged With: London, united kingdom

More about Anna

Anna Lundberg is a success coach and business strategist who helps experienced corporate professionals reimagine success outside of the 9 to 5.

Find me on social

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Apply for a free ‘one step’ call

Apply for your free ‘one step’ call with Anna, to get you started on the path towards more freedom, flexibility and fufilment, here >>

  • About
  • Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 Anna S. E. Lundberg · Log in