Hi, Welcome to my Summer "Carnets"!

London is getting ready for the Olympics, something has already changed in the air (not yet in the weather...) and a few delegations and supporters can already be seen throughout the City. Yesterday, I saw a group of Koreans near Trafalgar Square. Today a group of Malaysians in Swiss Cottage. The Jubilee line will be more and more crowded, no doubt about that...

If you can take some time off this week (even a lunch break), here are "a trio" of suggestions:

1.Stop at Leicester tube station and combine two free exhibitions: the BP Portrait Award 2012 at the National Portrait Gallery (some of the portraits are amazing this year) and Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 at the National Gallery featuring work from Chris Ofili, Conrad Shawcross and Mark Wallinger in response to 3 of Titian's paintings including the famous Diana and Callisto recently acquired by the museum.

2. Stop at Green Park tube station, go for a quick choice of delicious salads at Rose Bakery (top floor of the designer shop of Dover Street Market) and walk a few steps to the Royal Academy of Arts to admire the magnificent group of paintings from Renoir currently shown in the exhibition  From Paris A Taste For Impressionism, Paintings from the Clark. Just cross the street to Fortnum & Mason and taste the full assortiment of marshmallows sold at one of the counters (the rose flavoured one is simplement délicieux)

3. stop at Old Street tube station and walk to Rivington street in Shoreditch to eat a chicken or steak at Tramshed. Cock and Bull(2012) specifically made by Damien Hirst for the restaurant is welcoming you  (in case you do not have time to see his exhibition at Tate Modern...).I am not saying it is the best chicken I ever ate (the quality was excellent but it was lacking some spices..) but I love the concept as well as the venue and the presentation of the chicken.

Try to  add to any of these, an evening at the Young Vic to see Ibsen's A Doll's House featuring Hattie Morahan and Dominic Rohan. This is a great production and they have added extra shows until the 4th of August.

The links:

http://www.npg.org.uk/index.php?id=9112

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/metamorphosis-titian-2012

http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Restaurant/Rose_Bakery/69f9/

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/from-paris-a-taste-for-impressionism/

http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-342-ground-floor-fortnum-and-mason.aspx

http://www.chickenandsteak.co.uk/

http://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/a-dolls-house