London in Snow Photo Post

London rarely gets snow, but this year, we were in for a snowy treat at the end of January and nearly an entire week in early February 2021. 

 

When it snowed on Sunday morning on January 24th, it felt like a fairytale. We wandered over to Battersea Park and then over to Brompton Cemetery in Chelsea. Londoners acted like little kids out in the magical dusting of snow. Soon, the dusting turned into fat, fluffy snowflakes. 

 

Even though I grew up with several winter months of snowfall in the US, I still enjoy having a few days of snow. The several days of snow we experienced in London was just enough to (almost) forget that we're still living through an international pandemic.

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Wisteria Wanderings in Chelsea in London

Spring in London arrives first with the pink magnolia trees and then the cherry blossoms.

But what seems to set the Instagram scene on fire is when the wisteria vines start blooming! There’s even a hashtag called #wisteriahysteria where you’ll find thousands of photos of plush purple wisteria blooms. These lovely vines typically start blooming in late April and continue through mid-May.

A classic scene in Chelsea - wisteria vines over bay windows on an old row house.

Since I started working full-time in the Chelsea neighborhood, I’ve had more time to walk a bit after work or sometimes even in the early mornings on my way to work. There are quite a few fancy houses in this area and many feature some amazing wisteria vines.

If you have time, you’ll want to wander around the Chelsea Gardens area and head to Sloane Square. Even if the wisteria isn’t blooming, you can admire these historic, fancy houses.

Enjoy my wisteria wanderings through Chelsea!

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Safari Hunt for Chelsea in Bloom

I never thought I would end up hunting for lions and elephants in Chelsea, one of London’s posh neighborhoods!

But since I missed out on snapping up 350-pound tickets to see the famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, I decided to take a walk on the wild side and attend my first Chelsea in Bloom event. Earlier this week, I read about the event in my weekly Timeout magazine on my evening commute and instead of forgetting to check out said event as I usually do, I went on my day off yesterday. Chelsea in Bloom has returned for its 12th year, transforming this posh neighborhood into a street flower show with a “Floral Safari” theme in honor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The event is only set up through Sunday, May 27th.

Local boutiques (such as Jimmy Choo, Club Monaco, Rag & Bone and Kiehls) have transformed their storefronts into a wild parade of elephants, monkeys, lions, giraffes and more. I started at Sloane Square, where the information kiosk is located, and then walked along both Sloane Street and King’s Road and past the landscaped Cadogan Gardens. (Map here.)

The amazing displays seem to be crafted from a mix of fresh and dried flowers and grasses. I love taking photos of gardens, so I had fun with my camera, but was annoyed to find so many people in the middle of my free day. Ha!

Anyway, I thought you all might enjoy seeing what these creative florists got up to in central London this year. Cheers!

Which animal is your favorite?

One of the cool giraffes in front of the Rag & Bone shop - one of my favorite displays.

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