I love London!

It's always good to have someone to come and stay to remind you of how great your city can be. Last week Tatsuya, a very good friend from Japan came to stay and we had a fab time gallivanting around the city with him. He is an art lover and a foodie, a great combination in a city that has so much of that to offer. Every day was filled with gallery visits and restaurant samplings and we were more than happy to tag along and enjoy it all with him.

I'm embarrassed to say that it's been a long time since I've visited the National Gallery, but going with Tatsuya made it a lot of fun.  I homed in on the fashions from the Renaissance period where there were many beautiful embroideries and vibrant colours. Check out those bright pink tights and cut-out sandals! These were all outfits worn by men.

Food was an important part of Tatsuya's visit and we had a fab brunch at the Shard one morning. The views of London were stunning and it was great to see so much of the city from above. This was followed by a trip to Borough Market, an amazingly vibrant place with so much to see and eat! We managed to sample quite a lot, considering we had just come from brunch at the Shard!

 Afternoon tea in London is a must and we decided on the Wolsely which is reasonably priced and has a great atmosphere. We only managed to get through half of the selection before getting a sugar low and having to stop. We even got to see someone famous - the beautiful actress, Natasha McElhone.

If you're an art lover, no trip to London is complete without a visit to the Tate Modern, an awesome structure on the south bank of the River Thames. It is housed in an old power station that stands proudly in place. Views from the balconies include St Paul's Cathedral across the river.

We had just enough time to whiz around the permanent collection, which always amazes me.

 A quick trot through Chinatown and we saw this pile of bright red lanterns on the footpath.

Tatsuya even had time to pick up a Chinese snack on his way through.

A trip to the Design Museum was interesting. We got to see an exhibition on the architect Louis Kahn.

This was painted on the wall outside the museum.