We are staying in the Southwark/Bankside area of London, which is on the southern side of the Thames, about a ten-minute walk east of Waterloo Station. It’s a former industrial area that’s become trendy over the past few decades, but many signs of its grittier past remain, including numerous arched brick railway overpasses.
We are staying at the CitizenM hotel, the London offshoot of an Amsterdam-based chain.
The hotel is very hip and modern with hi-tech rooms where all the lights, television, blinds, heat, wake-up alarms and other things are controlled via tablet app. There is a distinct lack of stuffiness, with efficient friendly service and minibar fridges stocked with free (non-alcoholic) beverages and snacks that are replenished each day.
We chose a room that looked down into the courtyard, and it seems nice and quiet.
In the lobby, the bar and café area expands into the courtyard. There is free wi-fi everywhere and people use their laptops inside and out.
The citizenM hotel is one of the few where we regularly started the day with coffee and pastries in their café, and even visited in the evening for a few drinks. This is an early morning shot before the hordes awoke.
After checking in and getting our bearings, we ventured a few blocks west to Ev, a Turkish restaurant located underneath the railway bridge arches behind the Southwark tube station.
We ended up ordering a bit too much food, but thankfully it was very tasty. Our feast included marinated chicken skewers, rice with diced lamb, a potato and veggie salad, and an apple almond salad.
