On our first morning in London we made our own way on the Circle Line to Liverpool Street Station to meet the young ones for breakfast a short walk away at Shoreditch House in Ebor Street.
Shoreditch House is very unassuming on the outside, but its a revelation inside - no photographs allowed - so you'll just have to believe me when I say it is about the coolest place I have every been (in fact it is a wonder I was even allowed in - it was so cool). Eddie dreamed of having a swim with his Daddy in the rooftop pool - and that happened despite how cold it was.
Saturday mornings are quiet at Shoreditch House, but there was no shortage of staff to provide a beautifully prepared breakfast for us, with all the trimmings. I loved checking out the eclectic retro vintage aesthetic of this iconic (and very cool) London club.
The young ones had things to do after so we checked out the William Morris inspired range at House of Hackney before going for a stroll up Redchurch Street to Brick Lane.
We stopped to admire the cakes and decor at Franze & Evans
and found the famous Beigel Bake was still doing a great business on Brick Lane....
Rod showed us the way to one of his favourite hidden streets in London (Wilkes Street) - still largely intact as it would have been in Victorian times..and one of the streets Jack the Ripper could easily have stalked in his day.
This building still had its original "wavy" glass windows.
It was not too far then to walk to the old Spitalfield Market...
...past the old Ten Bells Pub (where Jack the Ripper met some of his victims)......
Spitalfield Markets was hosting London Cocktail Week. It was very crowded with everyone sampling a lot of the hard stuff, leaving us with the impression that many young people in East London enjoy the good life despite stories of difficult economic times.
East London reveals great views of the Gherkin too!
The best thing about the last day and a bit we've spent in East London is the chance to spend some time with the London branch of the family - especially Mr E and Miss I.
Mr E knows exactly what to do when he has a camera pointed at him by a recently arrived family member.......
We were in the very elegant Mast in Redchurch Street and Mr E was in charge of this very delicious (and quite expensive) chocolate cookie. He laughed heartily at this shot....
The chocolates at Mast are wrapped and presented (like the precious objects they are) almost as beautifully as they taste.....
By yesterday afternoon Mr E was a lot more relaxed about the camera. He was great fun to observe and play with - over a sticker book and some socialising time with Papa and Rob (and Miss I).
Mr E and Miss I both have seriously long eyelashes....
Miss I is heading up to being 12 weeks old. She is a relaxed baby with great big dark blue eyes (and very long eyelashes), very ready to smile and interact with everyone around her - especially Mr E!
Eddie had a lovely time at Shoreditch House in the morning and was super proud (justifiably so) of the pencil case and butterfly hook he made and encrusted with "jewels". His focus and fine motor skills are amazing, although those pesky jewels prove hard to keep track of when they roll into the cracks of the floorboards in this lovely old house.
We chose a perfect 23oC day to take the ferry from Cais do Sodre to Cacilhas, the ferry port of Almada, the densely populated city located on the southern margin of the Tagus River....yet still connected to Lisboa commuters by the massive 25th April Bridge (and various ferry services). The ferry ride proved to be a great way of getting stunning views of Lisboa's waterfront.
Once over at Cacilhas, we stopped to admire the old frigate Dom Fernando 11 e Gloria, on display in dry dock...the last sailing ship to serve in the Portuguese navy, mainly on the "India run". She was launched in 1843 and in the next thirty years sailed over 100,000 nautical miles on the "India run".
From the port we walked through some pretty depressed parts of this far flung bit of current day Almada, through the crumbling old town.......
....until we reached this great vantage point on the cliff overlooking the old abandoned port buildings and the city of Lisboa beyond.
Once we'd descended the steep cliff (there were old (but safe) stone stairs luckily) we found ourselves in this idyllic spot.
A friend had told us about this little hidden gem...and yes we found it today.....
With a view to die for, a classy menu and a great wine list (although it was beer weather for us!).......
Back in the city again we met up with Maxie & Rod who'd been exploring the downtown area while we were in Almada.
We ended off a perfect day with probably our last taste of Pasteis de Nata & Jesuitas from our favourite little pasteleria in Lisboa (Chiado Caffe) a 2 minute walk from our apartment (although watch out Little Portugal in Petersham in Sydney - here we come!)
Here is a view of our lovely home away from home in Rua das Salgadeiras (Minha casa em Lisboa).......
Shoreditch House is very unassuming on the outside, but its a revelation inside - no photographs allowed - so you'll just have to believe me when I say it is about the coolest place I have every been (in fact it is a wonder I was even allowed in - it was so cool). Eddie dreamed of having a swim with his Daddy in the rooftop pool - and that happened despite how cold it was. 
The young ones had things to do after so we checked out the William Morris inspired range at House of Hackney before going for a stroll up Redchurch Street to Brick Lane.
We stopped to admire the cakes and decor at Franze & Evans
and found the famous Beigel Bake was still doing a great business on Brick Lane....
Rod showed us the way to one of his favourite hidden streets in London (Wilkes Street) - still largely intact as it would have been in Victorian times..and one of the streets Jack the Ripper could easily have stalked in his day.
This building still had its original "wavy" glass windows.
It was not too far then to walk to the old Spitalfield Market...
...past the old Ten Bells Pub (where Jack the Ripper met some of his victims)......
Spitalfield Markets was hosting London Cocktail Week. It was very crowded with everyone sampling a lot of the hard stuff, leaving us with the impression that many young people in East London enjoy the good life despite stories of difficult economic times.
East London reveals great views of the Gherkin too!
