Chelsea

If you haven't already noticed, Alex and I are trying to visit different neighborhoods in London while we are here.  We've found it a great way to explore the city and to see how each place has its own feel and charm.  

Last week, we made our way towards Chelsea in west London.  It is bordered by the Thames River to the south.  Chelsea is up there as one of the most affluent neighborhoods in London with lots of shopping and beautiful Victorian homes.  

The first stop of our visit was to the Saatchi Gallery.  The Gallery is free to enter and the exhibition they were hosting is "From Selfie to Self-Expression".  The exhibit looks at the history of the selfie from the old masters (they included portraits of Vincent Van Gogh and other painters!) to today.  It also featured how our mobile phones are now being used as an artistic medium.  Both Alex and I really enjoyed it and found it very interesting.  Alex even commented this may have been his favorite gallery he's visited in a long while!  I was too busy looking at everything to take pictures inside, but did grab a shot from the outside!

After the gallery, we walked to the Bluebird Cafe for lunch.  It had a cute little patio area where we were able to eat outside.  Although, at one point we had to move under a cover for about 10 minutes as it started raining!  The food was good, but the restaurant itself felt a little "sceney".  Much too cool for Alex and I! ; )

After lunch, we walked around the more residential part of the neighborhood to admire the homes and gardens.  Except for a bit of rain during lunch, it was a beautiful sunny day.  The side streets were very quiet compared to the main drag and it was nice being able to wander around.  

Love the checkered steps and mint green door!