DAY 17 – WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026
We decided today was the perfect day to take a break from museums and palaces. With temperatures expected to reach the upper 60s, it seemed like ideal weather to explore a few new-to-us London neighborhoods. So after a hearty breakfast, we set out on foot for another day of adventure.
As it turns out, we were in London during the same week as the famous Chelsea Flower Show, purely by coincidence. This massive annual event draws visitors from around the world. While we did not have tickets to the flower show itself, we had read that nearby neighborhoods celebrate with elaborate floral displays throughout the streets and storefronts.
We began our “tour” with about a 30-minute walk to the Belgravia neighborhood. Once there, we followed a self-guided walking route through charming residential streets lined with elegant white townhouses and tucked-away garden squares. Along the way we passed several storefronts decorated with lovely floral displays. We ooohhhed and ahhhhed, not realizing that this was only the warm-up act for what was ahead.
During our walk through Belgravia we came across another one of London’s historical markers, this one noting the house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived while visiting London as a child. Remarkably, Mozart was only eight years old when he composed his Symphony No. 1 there in 1764. It is hard to imagine creating a symphony at that age when most eight-year-olds are still working on elementary school homework! Moments like this are one of the things we have loved most about London. Around almost every corner there seems to be another fascinating piece of history hiding in plain sight.
We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and were lucky to grab the last two seats at the bar. As we looked around, we noticed the restaurant was absolutely packed, and most of the customers were women dressed in colorful floral dresses and hats, clearly showing that this flower show must be a really big deal!
After lunch we walked about 10 minutes to the Chelsea neighborhood, where we had read about a free public event called “Chelsea in Bloom.” Apparently, we were not the only people who had heard about it. The streets were absolutely thronged with people.
Greg, who enjoys carefully setting up the perfect photo, was slightly frustrated by the constant stream of people walking directly in front of him at all times. That minor challenge aside, we were completely wowed by what we saw. There were five large floral installations spread throughout the neighborhood, each more creative than the last. In addition, many of the shops and restaurants had elaborate floral displays decorating their storefronts.
This year’s theme was “Out of This World,” so we saw enormous floral suns, moons, planets, astronauts, galaxies, and even a few aliens. It was genuinely stunning, and we felt incredibly lucky that our timing happened to line up perfectly with the event.
After several hours weaving through crowds and admiring flowers, we were ready for a quieter activity and realized it was tea time. We were determined to enjoy one more cream tea before leaving the UK. During our time in the Cotswolds, nearly every village seemed to have multiple tea rooms, and even the pubs happily served tea and scones. London, however, proved a bit different. There were countless places offering elaborate and expensive traditional afternoon teas, but finding a simple cream tea with just scones and tea took more effort than expected.
Thankfully, persistence paid off. After another 20-minute walk, we found a small tea room where we could finally sit down and rest our feet for a bit. The scones were not the best we had during the trip, but at that point we were simply grateful for tea, chairs, and a moment of peace.
With renewed energy, we decided to explore one final area before dinner. This time we hopped on the Tube and headed to Little Venice. Hidden within the middle of London is a peaceful canal area lined with colorful narrowboats and houseboats. Some boats offer canal tours or act as water taxis, while others have been converted into floating cafes, coffee shops, or even hotel accommodations. We passed one boat available to rent overnight and another operating as a puppet theater barge.
Just as we wandered farther along the canal, it began to rain. London doing London things. We quickly ducked into a Tube station to regroup and plan our next steps.
Another nice bonus of our trip coinciding with the Chelsea Flower Show was the opportunity to briefly catch up with two close friends who used to live in West Hartford and now live in North Carolina. They were in London for the flower show, so we met up with them for a drink at their hotel bar. It felt funny that we all had to fly to London in order to see each other!
Afterward, we took the Tube back toward our hotel and stopped at a cozy neighborhood pub just a block away for a late dinner. It was the perfect ending to another wonderful day in London.
Another great London day in the books. Only one more day before our England adventure comes to an end!
Hammond Adventures 