Latest Walk News

Latest Walk News

News about what's new and items of interest around all our walks. 

To help you quickly find the tips for the cities you are planning to visit we have tagged the entries with a picture:

Westminster Abbey is one of the gems on our Westminster Walk

We are very proud of our Westminster Walk, after all the Houses of Parliament and the area of Westminster around it is the heart of British Government and Westminster Abbey has been the site of many Royal wedding ceremonies. If you would like a peek inside Westminster Abbey we found this beautiful picture on the National Geographical web site recently. It's such a great picture you could almost be there in the nave. http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/westminster-abbey-london-richardson/

 

Amazing Pictures of the construction of Tower Bridge found in a skp

The London Bridges Audio Guide ends at the iconic Tower bridge. Recently a number of amazing pictures of the bridge during it's construction were found in a skip. To read the full story see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertypicturegalleries/8923147/Photographs-of-Tower-Bridge-being-constructed-are-found-in-a-skip.html  

 

 Now where to have afternoon tea after the Cuban Cigar Walk?

Afternoon tea is one of Great Britain's greatest institutions and doing it properly when you are in London is very important. On the Cuban Cigar Walk London we pass the wonderful Browns Hotel and how many other London hotels have a room specifically dedicated to tea? For me enjoying this most British of experiences in the wood panelled “English Tea Room” at Rocco Forte’s luxurious Brown’s Hotel in Albermarle street I am immediately transported back to a more gentile age.

Browns is London’s oldest 5 star hotel Brown’s having first opened it’s doors in 1837.  Agatha Christie stayed here and during the second world war Sir Winston Churchill was such a regular in the restaurant that the hotel built a special secret bomb shelter for him.

It’s famous guests have also included Theodore Roosevelt who stayed here and walked from the hotel to his wedding at St George’s Hanover square and Franklin D Roosevelt spent his honeymoon at Browns in 1905. 

Personally, in the afternoon I plump for Lapsang Souchong, a taste learned at my grandmothers house. At Brown’s you will be offered a choice of 17 different teas and in addition to the traditional  and a range of  5 fruit teas you can also sample the first English grown tea, an Assam like tea grown at the Tregothnan tea plantation near Truro.

You can relax in this palace of English elegance and enjoy your tea accompanied by finger sandwiches, pastries, the peerless fresh scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream (always my favourite) with a choice of beautiful freshly baked cakes.

This is also a great spot for a special occasion. Champagne is a great drink any time of the day and with afternoon tea it’s just perfect if you are ready to splurge.

I am seriously thinking about signing up for a “Tea-Torial” where one of the Brown’s chefs will show you how to make the perfect scones, Victoria Sponge and Macaroons.

By the time tea time comes around I am usually ready to let someone else do the hard work and put my feet up and Brown’s is the perfect spot to do that after a hard day shopping or walking the streets of London in search of a good Cuban cigar.

 English Fashion Designer and good chap Paul Smith was born on this day in 1946

On the route of the Cuban Cigar Walk London you will pass some of London's finest 'Retail Therapy", in the Royal Arcade is the tiny Paul Smith shop. 

 If you pull back the leg of your suit to reveal a pair of Paul Smith’s zany trade mark striped socks it is guaranteed to get you admiring glances at the stodgiest of meetings and in times of recession, if you have to cut back on your spending on clothes everyone can afford a really great pair of socks.

The window display at the relatively new Paul Smith men’s accessories shop at the Albemarle street end of the pretty orange Royal Arcade drew me in and even though I only purchased one pair of these wacky psycadelic hose it cheered up my day as I walked off down Bond street with my iconic striped Paul Smith bag looking for all the world like a real big spender.

For most days of the week I may reach for some dark blue or grey chain store numbers that no one will ever notice but when you have these babies on they will never fail to raise an eyebrow if I let a little ankle show, which I have to say, I now tend to do on rather more occasions than I used to.

The now ennobled Sir Paul is known for quintessentially British design style and he has stores all over the world taking the gospel of his design to the masses. 

I dream of the day when the financial clouds lift and I will be able to walk the streets in one of Paul Smiths exquisitely tailored suits but until then I will just have to make do with a quick flash zebra stripe ankle.

 30^th June On this day in 1894 Tower Bridge was officially opened to traffic by the Prince of Wales. 

Tower Bridge, possibly the most recognisable bridge in Britain, is one of the world’s iconic landmarks. One of London’s principal attractions, it is as famous as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Coliseum in Rome, and the Statue of Liberty in New York. It is the easternmost of all London’s bridges and links Tower Hill on the north bank with Tooley Street in Southwark.

This double-bascule bridge was originally built to accommodate both sailing ships with tall masts and passenger liners using the Upper Pool of London beside the bridge. Sadly, the era of these ships was coming to an end as the bridge was completed. 

Increasing traffic congestion over London Bridge at the end of the 19th century meant that an additional bridge was needed to the east. More than fifty different submissions were put before parliament and the City Council.  

Some suggested building a new bridge, while others proposed widening the existing London Bridge. Finally it was decided that a competition should be held to design a new bridge.

There were two fundamental requirements: there had to be a minimum of 160 feet of clear water in the middle of the river throughout construction, so that there was no disruption to shipping in the Pool of London, and large ocean going ships must be able to pass underneath the bridge. It seems that the name Tower Bridge originally came from Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s design for a huge single-span iron bridge.

 Unfortunately, Bazalgette’s submission didn’t win the competition, that honour going to Sir Horace Jones, albeit in very strange circumstances. As an architect, Jones was sitting on the panel of judges evaluating the submissions, where he had the distinct advantage of seeing all the entries. In fact he was even asked by the other judges to give a technical appraisal of Bazalgette’s design, which they eventually rejected because the approaches were believed to be too steep for horses. Jones’s design, with some modifications, was accepted, and in August 1885 it was approved by parliament, with an estimated building time of five years and a cost of £750,000.

Construction started in 1886, though it actually took eight years to complete the project and cost over £1,000,000. Five major contractors and 432 workers were employed, 57 of whom lost their lives while working on the bridge.

Sir Horace Jones died from heart disease a year after work started and didn’t see his bridge finished. His chief engineer, Sir John Wolfe Barry was given responsibility for the finishing project. His team of engineers included Henri Marc Brunel the second son of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. They sank two huge piers, each 185 feet long and 70 feet wide, into the riverbed with over 70,000 tons of concrete, while 11,000 tons of steel were used in the framework of the towers and walkways. The towers are clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone in an ornate Victorian gothic style.

The 200-foot central span is split into two bascules, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass through. The bascules, which work like a see-saw, indeed bascule is the French word for see-saw.

The Cities in Sound London Bridges Walk will tell you all about the briges from Big Ben to Tower Bridge

 28/6/2011 On this day in 1838 The coronation of 19 year old Queen Victoria took place at Westminster Abbey. 

You may not be aware but Zadok the Priest by George Frederick Handel was written for coronation of George II in the 1720s and has been the coronation anthem ever since.

Westminster Abbey is normally open for visitors  during the week and also Saturday mornings. You should know that most of the Cathedrals in Britain now make a distinction between a worshipper and a visitor.

If you are a visitor then an entrance charge is made  - which helps to keep the church standing. If you wish to attend a church service, these are held at various times during the week and throughout the day on a Sunday. There is no charge for services and you enter through the Great West door.  

If you had been here on 2 June 1953 - a rainy day –– you would have witnessed the last coronation procession – the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II – aged 27 years old. She is the 40^th monarch to be crowned here. The first was William the Conqueror on Christmas Day 1066.

If you were standing here on 6 September 1997 –– you would have seen the gun carriage stop – just next to you – and 6 soldiers lift off the coffin carrying Diana, Princess of Wales and proceed into the Abbey.

Her funeral cortege was followed on foot  by her two sons, Princes William & Harry – her ex-husband, Prince Charles – her younger brother, Earl Spencer and her father-in-law, the Duke of Edinburgh. This was the site of her funeral. Then she was driven to her childhood home, Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, for a private burial.

If you were here in 2001, you would have witnessed the coffin of the Queen Mum – God Bless Her! – being brought across from Westminster Hall escorted by the Bag Pipes of the Scots Guards – the Queen Mother being from the Scottish Bowes-Lyon family. She is now buried beside her husband, George VI at Windsor Castle.

Above the West door you will see that there are statues. These were put here in the 1990s and are modern Christian martyrs. Their names are carved below them and probably the easiest one to recognise is Martin Luther King who is near the middle with the child sitting at his feet. He was the human rights activist who was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennesse.

To learn more about Westminster download the Cities in Sound “Power & the Glory” Westminster audio guide.

 

 9/6/2011 I love Paris, but to make it even better....

Paris is a magical city all year round an Le Marais is one of it's most beautiful arrondissements. To make it even better on the 21st of June the streets of Paris will be filled with the sounds of music. Its a day of musical celebration created 25 years ago is now a world event, but still very exclusive in le Marais. Here many of the beautiful hôtels, particuliers and mansions open their gardens for classical music concerts. If you would like to find out more about individual  locations and times go to www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr.

13/5/2011 A Hotel with a it's own Tea room, and on the route of the Cuban Cigar Walk London, topping!

The Cuban Cigar Walk London is an Audio guide which walks you through some of the most civilised streets in London and the advantage of an audio guide is that you can stop when you wish. So should you fancy a glass of champagne or a cup of tea we know a nice little place. How many other London hotels have a room specifically dedicated to tea? For me enjoying this most British of experiences in the wood panelled “English Tea Room” at Rocco Forte’s luxurious Brown’s Hotel in Albermarle street I am immediately transported back to a more gentile age.

Browns is London’s oldest 5 star hotel Brown’s having first opened it’s doors in 1837.  Agatha Christie stayed here and during the second world war Sir Winston Churchill was such a regular in the restaurant that the hotel built a special secret bomb shelter for him. It’s famous guests have also included Theodore Roosevelt who stayed here and walked from the hotel to his wedding at St George’s Hanover square and Franklin D Roosevelt spent his honeymoon at Browns in 1905. 

Personally, in the afternoon I plump for Lapsang Souchong, a taste learned at my grandmothers house. At Brown’s you will be offered a choice of 17 different teas and in addition to the traditional  and a range of  5 fruit teas you can also sample the first English grown tea, an Assam like tea grown at the Tregothnan tea plantation near Truro.

You can relax in this palace of English elegance and enjoy your tea accompanied by finger sandwiches, pastries, the peerless fresh scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream (always my favourite) with a choice of beautiful freshly baked cakes. This is also a great spot for a special occasion. Champagne is a great drink any time of the day and with afternoon tea it’s just perfect if you are ready to splurge. I am seriously thinking about signing up for a “Tea-Torial” where one of the Brown’s chefs will show you how to make the perfect scones, Victoria Sponge and Macaroons.

By the time tea time comes around I am usually ready to let someone else do the hard work and put my feet up and Brown’s is the perfect spot to do that after a hard day shopping or walking the streets of London.

Our audio guides will teach you all about hidden London but we also need that it's tyring out on the streets and we all need a cup of tea!

 12/5/2011 There are some great shops on the route of the Cuban Cigar Walk but this is probably one of our favourites.

The Cuban Cigar Walk London guided audio walk winds it's way through some of the very finest shopping streets in London and periodically we will open the door and pop our heads in. The Pullman Gallery in Kings Street has got to be one of our favorite London shops. If you are a cigar lover this is the spot to find the very finest antique and collectable humidors. Our eye was recently drawn to this wonderful Louis Vuitton 1925 trunk humidor. The store is packed with the most beautiful and stylish items from days gone by. Everyone has their own favourite cocktail, mine happens to be a Negroni, and if you are going to make one at home an elegant cocktail shaker is absolutely de rigueur.

If you don’t own one then the Pullman Gallery is the place to go. They specialise in all sorts of splendid Art Deco bar accessories and cocktail shakers. So take a firm grip your quivering credit card firmly and plough on. The store is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of serious toys. There are magnificent Champagne and ice buckets, original Louis Vuitton travel trunks from a bygone age bearing stickers from exotic hotels in far away lands and to top it all the most wonderful collection of fabulous Automobile ‘objets deluxe’ including racing trophies, fantastic scale models of exotic marques and posters from Grand Prix of years gone by. 
Store owner Simon Khachadourian has written a book on cocktail shakers which is now considered to be the definitive work on the subject so you will be in safe hands if there is something special you are looking for. 
Finally, just in case you have read all of this and you have no idea what a Negroni is I will provide a very short formula for you; pop a few ice cubes in your shaker and add 1 measure of good gin, I measure of Campari, ¾ of a measure of red Martini, shake and serve with a twist of burnt orange peel. This is a really great Friday night cocktail after a hard week at work, stiffens the backbone and prepares you for the gruelling weekend ahead.   

Pop along on the Cuban Cigar Walk guided audio walk to get in the mood for a little light shopping at the Pullman Gallery.

 6/5/2011 The Club of Churchill & Dickens, the Iron Duke's 'leg up' and the German Ambassador's dog, The Cuban Cigar Walk is about more than Cigars! 

You will discover a lot more than London’s finest Cuban Cigar stores and places to smoke Cuban cigars in London on the Cuban Cigar Walk London Audio guide.

Waterloo Place on the route of the Cuban Cigar Walk Audio Guide has some magnificent buildings and a couple of the hidden gems that are so delightful to discover if you know where to look in London:

On the west side of the place is the magnificent portico and columns of the Athenaem club which was founded in 1824. It has had many famous members including Kipling, Dickens and Sir Winston Churchill’s who is reputed to have written many speeches in the library here. Looking up above the entrance you will see a wonderful frieze and beneath it the gilded figure of Athene who was the goddess of knowledge.

Then just beyond the club are two of London’s hidden gems; On the kerb side near the club you will see some stone blocks. These were placed here at the request of the ‘Iron Duke’ the Duke of Wellington who  asked for some mounting blocks to be placed near his club to help him mount his horse.

Then as you head towards the Duke of York steps between the magnificent Carlton Terrace there is a curios reminder of the past on the small patch of ground between no 9 and the Duke of York steps in what used to be the garden of number 9. Here you will see a small case with a glass front marking the grave of the Alsatian dog of the German Ambassador Dr Leopold von Hoesch. The inscription, translated into English reads Giro, a true companion.

Discover a lot more than London’s finest Cuban Cigar stores and places to smoke Cuban cigars in London on the Cuban Cigar Walk London Audio guide.

 

 6/5/2011 Nic Wing of Cities in Sound lists his Ten favourite Shops in London for this feature in Country Life

In addition to producing some very fine Audio Guides Nic Wing is also a feature writer. In a recent feature in Great Britain’s Country Life magazine he highlighted his favourite Ten shops in London including James Smith & Sons the amazing umbrella shop, Geo Trumper; Gentlemans barber, Turnbull & Asser; shirt maker to Winston Churchill, Prince Charles and James Bond, Allens of Mayfair; a proper butcher in the heart of Mayfair, Maison Bertaux; first French patisserie in London, John Lobb; still hand making shoes in the heart of London’s club land, Davidoff; the cigar store in Jermyn Street, Daunt Books; a temple of reading matter, Berry bros & Rudd one of London’s oldest stores a wine merchant supplying royalty for generations, Lock & Co ; milliner and hat maker. 

Four of these wonderful Retail establishments are on the route of the Cuban Cigar Walk London Audio Guide, but all ten come highly recommended!

 

5/5/2011 In the week of the Royal wedding we remember a former Royal couturier 

In addition to visiting four suppliers of the finest Cuban cigars the Cuban Cigar Walk audio guide also includes lots of London history including the Salon of the fashion designer Norman Hartnell who was the Queen’s couturier and is famed for his creation of the dress for her Coronation in June 1953.

Having started designing clothes while studying architecture at Cambridge University he went into the fashion trade. He had many famous customers including Merle Oberon, Noel Coward, Vivienne Leigh and Marlene Dietrich.

In 1935 he got his first commission for the Royal Family producing bridesmaid’s dresses for the young princesses. He went on to produce many commissions for the Royal Family and he continued to design for the Queen. We don't just talk about cigars on the Cuban Cigar Walk Audio Tour, come and join us and find out.    

 

  4/5/2011 Celebrate Mr Punch's Birthday in the heart of London's Theatreland

Our Theatreland Audio Guide through the heart of Covent Garden walks through the very heart of London’s Theatreland and uncovers many of London’s hidden secrets. These include the Gardens of the “Actors Church” St Pauls’s Bedford Streetwhich is all too often closed. But on Sunday 8^th May it’s certain to be open for the 36th Annual Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival. It will be held in the garden of St Paul's Church, Bedford Street, London,WC2 - the actors' church - near the spot where Samuel Pepys first saw Mr Punch in England in May 1662.

Punch and Judy Professors and Puppeteers from all over the country will be coming to perform throughout the day. Sounds like a great day out with shows to enjoy and a celebration of the art of puppetry on Mr Punch's 349th birthday. Festivities start at 10.30, Oh no they don’t…oh yes they do!!!

Download the Covent Garden Theatreland Audio Guide from our web site.

 

 4/5/2011  Everything you need to know about Tower Bridge and live web cam feed

The Cities in Sound London Bridges  Audio Guide is based on the wonderful book London’s Bridges, crossing the Royal River by Ian Pay, Sampson Lloyd and Keith Waldegrave Published by Artists’ and Photographers’ Press. We have just discovered that there is a live web cam pointed at the bridge 24 hours a day so to celebrate this and the arrival of the summer a few months early we thought it was a good time to tell you a little about London’s most iconic bridge.

By the end of the 19th century London’s increasing size and traffic meant that an additional bridge was needed to the east of London Bridge. There were more than fifty different submissions to Parliament and the City Council. Finally it was decided that a competition should be held to design a new bridge.

There were two fundamental requirements: there had to be a minimum of 160 feet of clear water in the middle of the river throughout construction, so that there was no disruption to shipping in the Pool of London, and large ocean going ships must be able to pass underneath the bridge.

It seems that the name Tower Bridge originally came from Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s design for a huge single-span iron bridge. Unfortunately, Bazalgette’s submission didn’t win the competition, that honour going to Sir Horace Jones, albeit in very strange circumstances.

As an architect, Jones was sitting on the panel of judges evaluating the submissions, where he had the distinct advantage of seeing all the entries. In fact he was even asked by the other judges to give a technical appraisal of Bazalgette’s design, which they eventually rejected because the approaches were believed to be too steep for horses.

Jones’s design, with some modifications, was accepted, and in August 1885 it was approved by parliament, with an estimated building time of five years and a cost of £750,000.

Construction started in 1886, though it actually took eight years to complete the project and cost over £1,000,000. Five major contractors and 432 workers were employed, 57 of whom lost their lives while working on the bridge.  

Sir Horace Jones died from heart disease a year after work started and didn’t see his bridge finished. His chief engineer, Sir John Wolfe Barry was given responsibility for the finishing project. His team of engineers included Henri Marc Brunel the second son of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

They sank two huge piers, each 185 feet long and 70 feet wide, into the riverbed with over 70,000 tons of concrete, while 11,000 tons of steel were used in the framework of the towers and walkways. The towers are clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone in an ornate Victorian gothic style. The 200-foot central span is split into two bascules, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass through. The bascules, which work like a see-saw, indeed bascule is the French word for see-saw.

Tower Bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales on 30 June 1894.

The Tower Bridge Web Cam is available here we will be looking out for you crossing the bridge after you complete the London Bridges Audio Guide. To purchase the wonderful book this Audio Guide is based on go to Amazon

 2/5/2011 Additional bonus on the Westminster Audio Tour

You have until May 6^th  to get to Westminster Abbey to see the flowers from the Royal Wedding and the brides bouquet.

Following the Royal wedding last week the bride's bouquet and the avenue of trees which flanked the aisle are on display at the abbey for a week.

In a tradition which was started by the Queen Mother to mark the death of her brother in the first world war and the Duchess of Cambridge’s bouquet containing lily of the valley has been placed on the tomb of the unknown warrior in the Abbey.

Queues of up to 300 people mean that you will need to wait a while to see the flowers but with some 30,000 flowers and those wonderful field maple and hornbeam trees lining the nave it is a unique site.

An ideal time to visit the Abbey either before or after the Cities in Sound Westminster Audio Guide which tours the sites around the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and ends at the Churchill War rooms near Horse Guards parade.  

 

 14/2/2011 Rome's stunning and historic Colosseum is to be restored.

Fox News has reported that Rome's iconic Colosseum is to be given a makeover thanks to a donation of $34 million from a philanthropic businessman. Although this is a monument visited by millions every year and the culmination of the Cities in Sound Guided Audio walking tour of the Forum and the Colosseum it is in a poor condition and in recent years lumps of mortar have fallen from the structure which is blackened by the pollution of this busy city. The restoration will take over two years during which the Colosseum will remain open. It is a must see for any visit to the Eternal City and our Guided Audio walking tour will guide you through from the Forum to the Coloseum at your own pace and allowing you to pause where you wish. On a sunny day it is a truly extraordninary sight.

 11/2/2011 There are some wonderful sites on our Covent Garden/Theatreland walk including the Bridge of Aspiration

"Always look up", wise advice when you are walking around London and in Floral street just at the start of our Theatreland audio walking tour, if you look up you will see one of a quite amazing bridge which links the Royal Ballet School to the Royal Opera House. The Bridge of Aspiration is a 30 foot structure which appears to rotate 180 degrees although inside the structure the floor is totally flat. This award winning bridge was completed in 2002 and is formed of 23 alluminium frames.It is one of the many iconic land marks on our Theatreland audio walking tour.

 10/2/2011  The newly renamed 'EDF Energy London Eye' is gearing up for Valentine's day

It's a bit confusing I know, first it was just the London Eye, then it became the British Airways London Eye and now we have to learn to call it the EDF Energy London Eye. But what every it's called it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in London. The good news is that Cities in Sound have an Audio guide for the London Eye called Flightseeing which will tell you about the sights you will see as you climb high above London. And for Valentine's day, what could be more special than a champagne trip high above London. Champagne flights are available all year round but if you want to treat someone special on the 14th of February this is certainly special. 

   9/2/2011 50 years ago the Beatles played their first gig at the Cavern, how could that link to the Cuban Cigar Walk I hear you ask?

It's exactly 50 years since the Beatles first played at Liverpool's Cavern Club but the Cuban Cigar Walk Audio Guide detours slightly from it's route between London's finest Cuban Cigar stores to pass the spot where the Beatles played their last gig. They played on the roof of the former Apple building in London's home of London's finest bespoke tailors; Savile Row. They caused a bit of a stir at the time as you can see here  and here and here. In fact Maxwell Hutchinson, who narrates the Audio Guide, says he was in London that day and heard music but didn't realise until he go home that evening exactly what he had missed. 

 9/2/2011 It's not just about introducing you to the finest retailers of Cuban Cigars in London you know. There is so much more, like Berry Bros and Rudd.

The Cuban Cigar walk London is an Audio Guide which winds through Mayfair and St James and passes some of London's most exclusive shops and Gentlemens Club. The Gentlemen of London didn't just want the finest Cuban Cigars, they needed shoes, clothes and fine wines. What are now the Gentlemens Clubs of St James's grew up from the original coffee shops and London's merchants flocked to the area to open premises to supply the clubs members. 

Berry Bros. & Rudd at 3 St. James's Street is one such store. The business was established in 1698 by the Widow Bourne and the store has changed very little since that time.The shop front, which was built in the 1730s, is one of the few surviving 18th century shop fronts in London. The impressive wine cellars stretch beneath St. James's Street and Pall Mall. In 1852 the cellars had to be shored up for the Duke of Wellington's funeral due to the enormous weight of the funeral carriage.Winston Churchill was a valued customer and he bought wines and Pol Roger champagne from Berry Brothers. His earliest invoice on record being from 1908 when he was buying the 1892 and 1898 Pol Roger Vintages.Today members of the Berry and Rudd families continue to own and manage the family-run wine merchant.The 'Sign of the Coffee Mill' which still hangs over the door indicates it’s origin as a supplier to the fashionable 'Coffee Houses' later to become Clubs such as Boodles and Whites.Berry Brothers began a tradition weighing customers on giant coffee scales. Records of customers' weights span 300 years, including those of Lord Byron, William Pitt and the Aga Khan. Today the scales are considered too delicate to be used except on very special occasions. Berrys first supplied wine to the British Royal Family during King George III's reign and has continued to do so until the present day. Berrys holds two Royal Warrants for H.M. The Queen and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales.  So as well s being the best place to get a personal introduction to the purveyors of  Cuban Cigar in London our Audio Guide takes you around some of Londons living history.

  8/2/2011 More hidden delights in Le Marais - Vintage fashion shopping

We are really proud of our Audio Guide of Paris's Le Marais district. A friend who has a flat near by and has been coming to this area of Paris for many years recently walked our Audio Guide and found at least four hidden delights that she had never found in her time here. We love discovering new hidden spots and our friends at the Lebestof Paris website have recently published a fantastic guide to Vintage Fashion shopping in Paris. Vintage fashion is particularly hot at the moment and Parisien Vintage fashion is particularly wonderful. So for the best place to pick up a classic little black number of a beautiful turtle neck cape check out their guide to the best spots to shop for classic Parisien fashion.  Vintage fashion in Le Marais.

  7/2/2011 The Tate Modern and it's origins.

The Cities in Sound Bank Side Audio Guide winds it's way through historic Southward, past Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market to the wonderful Globe Theatre ending at the Millenium Bridge near the Tate Modern . You may not be aware that the Tate modern started life as an oil fired power station finished in 1960. This industrial building on a mammoth scale in brick was the work of architect Giles Gilbert Scott, who was also responsible for the iconic Battersea Power Station. He also designed the iconic British red telephone box. The Powerstation finally closed in 1981 For many years the building remained derelict until Tate decided to convert it for its Modern Collection . Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron won a competition for the scheme to create what is today one of London's most poular attractions. The collections in Tate Modern are works of international modern and contemporary art dating from 1900 onwards. The Collection is displayed on levels three and five of the building,. Level four houses large temporary exhibitions and a small exhibition space on level two houses work by contemporary artists.

 4/2/2011 Sir Winston Churchill's Club

Towards the end of the Cuban Cigar Walk in London, on the way to Sir Winston Churchill's war time headquarters at the Churchill War Rooms we pass Sir Winston's club in Waterloo place. The magnificent portico and columns of the Athenaem club which was founded in 1824. In addition to Sir Winston it has had many famous members including Rudyard Kipling and Charles Dickens. Sir Winston Churchill is reputed to have written many speeches in the library here.If you look up above the entrance you will see a wonderful frieze and beneath it the gilded figure of Athene who was the goddess of knowledge.

30/1/2011 The funeral of Sir Winston Churchill took place on this day in 1965

On this day on 1965 thousand of people lined the streets of London for Sir Winston Churchill's funeral. The funeral took place at St Paul's cathedral, which is close to the route of two of our Audio guides. After the funeral Sir Winston's coffin was taken down the river Thames on a launch and the arms of the cranes dipped as a mark of respect. You can learn all about Sir Winston Churchill's life and his cigars in the fantastic book Churchill's Cigar which we borrow from extensively in the Cuban Cigar Walk London. The walk also passes on of his houses, his shirt maker and one of the suppliers of his favourite Pol Roger Champagne and of course visits two of his cigar suppliers; JJ Fox and Robert Lewis and Alfred Dunhill.  
The BBC "on this day" web site has some further information on the funeral and some very evocative film of the day.

 20/1/2011 Globe Theatre announces special multilingual performances for the 2012 Olympics The Globe Theatre on the South Bank of the River Thames will host a very special event during the London Olympics. Every one of  William Shakespeare's 38 plays will be performed in a different language to mark the 2012 London Olympics. These will include a Cantonese adaptation of Titus Andronicus and The Tempest in Arabic. More Information.

 17/1/2011 Amazing time lapse photography - Rome When you head out to the 'Eternal City' be sure to take plenty of memory cards for your camera because if you are anything like me you will find lots and lots of beautiful sights to photograph including the wonderful Piazza Farnese, the Piazza Navona and the amazing Bernini statues and fountains. Check out this wonderful time lapse film which will give you some more ideas of more photogenic Rome locations.

 29/12/2010 Pictures of St Pauls after the Blitz on the 29th December 1940 St Paul's is an iconic sight on the London skyline. You will pass it on both the Bankside and London Bridges audio walking tours. It stands proud in the City of London opposite the site of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. After a Christmas lull in the German air attacks on London in 1940, the bombers returned in force on the night of the 29th of December and incendiary bombs rained down on the city of London destroying many famous buildings. Miraculously despite being hit by many bombs, St Paul's was saved by a large group of volunteer fire wardens. They had a very hard task as the raid coincided with a very low tide so it was very difficult to draw water from the River Thames. This story from the BBC web site shows amazing pictures of the Cathedral including the wonderful picture taken from the roof of the Daily Mail building showing the dome of St Paul's surrounded by the smoke of hundreds of fires in the surrounding buildings.    

 20/12/2010 Hogmanay in Edinburgh   There is nowhere better in the world to celebrate New Years Eve or Hogmanay than in Edinburgh. You will find a great reception awaiting you from the friendly natives and the Edinburgh Spotlight site is a great place to catch up on what's going on (when you have completed your Cities in Sound Old Town or New Town Audio Tour).

 19/12/2010  Will the River Thames freeze in the current cold spell?  It is incredible but in the current cold snap it is being reported that bookmakers William Hill have reduced the odds on the Thames freezing over between Westminster & Tower Bridge to just 33/1. As little as three weeks ago the odds were 250/1. As you will discover when you walk our London Bridges walk, back when London Bridge had many piers the water flowed much more slowly and would freeze over in the coldest winters allowing "Frost Fairs" to be held out on the ice. Watch this space for updates. 

 18/12/2010 The snow in London is throwing up some great pictures via Twitter.  The winter snow in London has the photographers out in along the River Thames and we have found some great pictures of the Millenium Bridge (or the wobbly bridge as you may know it) http://twitpic.com/3h2qwa, The Ice Cream kiosk at Bankside (ICE CREAM???) http://twitpic.com/3h2qo0, Bankside looking towards Blackfriars bridge http://twitpic.com/3h2pv5 and finally a great picture of Tower Bridge from the Scoop near the City Hall http://twitpic.com/3h55zt. You can see all of these sites on the Cities in Sound London Bridges Walk and if you decide to walk at this time of the year, be sure to check out our list of places to stop to grab a warming drink from the web site.

 17/12/2010 Dolce Vita is 50 It is incredible to realise that the iconic film La Dolce Vita (which is Italian for the good life) is now 50 years old. The 1960 film was made by the critically acclaimed director Federico Fellini. The film is a story of a journalist's week in Rome, and his search for happiness and love. The film is widely considered one of the classics of 1960s cinema. If you are nostalgic for the time of the La Dolce Vita and are planning to head to Rome be sure to watch the film before you go and then when you get to Rome you can  enjoy the 50^th birthday of this worldwide famous film and lifestyle. The Cities in Sound Spanish Steps Audio Guide visits many of the sites from the film and with our Forum and our award winning Heart of Rome Walks they make the ideal partners to find your way around the eternal city.            

  17/12/2010     The Coburg Bar at the Connaught Hotel  The wonderful Coburg Bar at the delightful Connaught Hotel in Mayfair has reopened this week after extensive work. It is definitively one of the most stylish bars in London and the ideal place to start an evening in London or a pleasant spot to pause on the Cuban Cigar Walk London.

They have a fantastic choice of Champagne including some amazing vintage Pol Roger Champagne. I don't know about you but if I ever stop drinking I will never be able to refuse a glass of champagne. I love a glass any time not just on special occasions and I can’t think of anywhere better place to drink it than the Connaught Bar. It's incredibly stylish with a wonderful ‘Champagne menu’ with wines from three great houses; Ruinart, Pol Roger,and Krug. Many of the selected Champagnes are also available by the glass as well as by the bottle. In addition to Champagne the wonderfully named Bacchanology menu also includes a selection of the cocktails of the world each comes with a short write up. The Connaught Hotel was built in 1897. It was originally known as the Coburg Hotel, named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. In 1917 The Hotel was renamed The Connaught after Queen Victoria’s third son, Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught. During the Second World War the hotel was the London headquarters of General de Gaulle. I have a feeling that de Gaulle would have approved of the choice of  Champagnes at the Coburg Bar.  

 16/12/2010 Christmas at the London Eye This year you can add to the wonderful experience of the London Eye by visiting the Ice Skating Rink which will be open through to Jan 5 2011. For more details call the London Eye on 0871 781 3000. If you are heading up on the London Eye don't forget to download your Flightseeing audio commentary for your 'flight'. 

 5/12/2010   St Paul's Cathedral at Christmas Just a very short step off the London Bridges Walk when you get to the Millenium Bridge (known by some as the wobbly bridge) there will be a carol service at St Paul's Cathedral on the 18th of December at 1pm. It will be sung by  the Cantate Alumni and Cantate Senior Choirs. They will sing many Christmas favourites and the service lasts 45 minutes. Children especially welcome

 3/12/2010  Some great pictures of Edinburgh Castle in the snow. If you can't get there we thought we would share some great pictures and then some more that we  found of Edinburgh Castle in the snow. It looks quite beautiful and if you are walking either the Cities in Sound Edinburgh Old Town or New Town audio guides we are working on a "Where to get a Dram Plan" for winter walkers. This will give you details of our favourite spots for a quick warming dram when it's cold outside.

    2/12/2010  The American Bar at the Stafford Hotel Completing the Cuban Cigar Walk in the winter months can be a chilly. So when you get to JJ Fox and Robert Lewis on St James's street it's probably a good idea to pop across to the snug American bar at the Stafford where they will be serving mulled wine throughout the winter months.

 29/11/2010   The Roma Pass - A great deal for Rome  If you are heading to Rome you will need to think about how to get about transport and entry to the sites. The Roma Pass is a three day ticket which gives you free access to the cities public transport. That includes buses, trams and trains, on underground lines (but excludes transport to the airports). You also get free entry to the first two museums or sites and reduced prices for the sites and museums after that. There is also a useful map and various other great tips in the folder the pass comes in. For more details go to the Roma Pass web site.