Trip taken in August, 2007
Day 1
Cheerio from Jolly Old England! If you want a truly decadent experience, just take the Virgin Atlantic "upper class" flight to London. Our 10 hour journey seemed like a friendly little pajama party with the 8 passengers all wearing Virgin Atlantic black pj's, sharing the 2 bathrooms, each having a "pod" area which was made up into a flat bed (with cushioned pad) by the flight attendant. The two of us shared our dinners on a table set up in Ethel's "pod"; we could have had a massage if we hadn't been asleep when the masseuse came around! Such is life with frequent flyer miles! Colin says maybe it is worth the monthly bills which earn mileage points.
Not only was the flight a treat, but prior to boarding we spent time in the Virgin Atlantic lounge at San Francisco airport (the best one we've ever been in) which offered a meal or light dining. Fortunately we ate light and saved room for our "real" dinner later.
Our flight arrived early and we cleared customs quickly, only to discover our ride wasn't there! The driver did eventually arrive and drove us to the Aster House hotel (which sister-in-law Biki had recommended), a row house in South Kensington. Location is great, near the Underground, and with neighborhood stores and restaurants nearby.
Our first destination (after a nap) was to visit the Queen. Now she wasn't home, but unlike our visit last year to Brodie Castle, in Scotland, they did let us in. We viewed all the formal rooms, a display on the royal wedding (Elizabeth & Philip's in 1947), and plenty of opulance. We then trooped across the royal garden in the rain when we exited. True English weather but we were assured it was going to be fine this week-end.
We ate in a real English pub, and enjoyed the ambiance and the food. Our neighborhood has several eateries ranging from the pub to Middle Eastern to Chinese to Starbucks! Many choices.
Day 2
Second day we started with the War Rooms which Churchill used during WWII and a museum on his life. Fascinating memorabilia but in true British fashion -- that is, not exactly easy to follow. We wandered around the museum in a more or less random order but got the gist of the story. From there we headed to Westminster Abbey; toured the beautiful church and viewed the memorials to dead kings, queens, poets, and people with money to buy their final resting place.
Nearby is the Thames River and we settled in for a cruise to see the sights. It was amazing how many new buildings had gone up since our last cruise on the Thames, 12 years ago. We were now over any "jet lag" and beginning to relax and enjoy the London experience.
We have passes for the Underground (subway) and we have become adept at using it to get wherever we need to go. Our next stop was the British Museum (which has a new entry area since we were last there). We once again checked out the Rosetta Stone, and are now certain we can translate all Egyptian hieroglyphics (sure we can -- ha, ha). We also saw the Elgin Marbles which were missing from the Acropolis when we were in Athens. So that's what the Greeks are fussing about! And we totally enjoyed the African section -- in anticipation of our upcoming January trip to Tanzania, Victoria Falls, Zanzibar and Cape Town.
Then it was on to the theatre and the Muppet musical for adults -- "Avenue Q." Clever/R-rated/with a message on relationships, that ended up being very timely and helpful to Ethel and Colin!
London is busy right now, lots of tourists although not an abundance of Americans -- God bless the Queen, but what are we going to do about the weak dollar?
Day 3
Well, we spoke too soon yesterday when we said we had the Underground figured out. This morning we felt like the old Kingston Trio song -- "Oh, they'll never return, no they'll never return, and their fate is still unlearned, they will ride forever 'neath the streets of London, they're the ones who never returned." We were with some people from Perth, Australia, going back and forth on trunk lines out of Earl's Court station -- managing to through that station "4" times! Finally the engineer came into the car and told us when to get off (again), change trains (again), and then by some miracle, we made it (at last) to our destination!
After Churchill's War Rooms yesterday, today we toured the "Battle of Britain Experience" which featured rooms filled with memorabilia from WWII. Since we both like history, it was interesting. They had a bomb shelter made with a tin roof which shuddered when the simulated air raid took place, and there was a "blitz" dramatization that was surreal. Many hardships and plenty of destruction on British soil during that time. May we never have to go through anything like it again.
Next stop was the Vinopolis, a tour of wine around the world with 5 tastings included. Colin tried a few but didn't like too many and Ethel only tried one -- a standard Reisling that she knew she would like. There were, however, many videos of wine regions and we watched the one on South Africa as we will have the opportunity to visit there during our January trip. The tour guide at Vinopolis told us the area is spectacularly beautiful and really a treat to see, even if we don't like the wines. She was from Melbourne so we had a delightful conversation about that area of the world. London is filled with workers from all over, especially the EU countries. We found this to be true last year in Ireland also. Many come from former British colonies (like Australia) because the jobs are better in England. It is expensive to live here however, as right now the pound (Brits are not on the Euro like the rest of Europe) costs over $2.00 in American money (the Euro would only cost about $1.50). But there is still plenty of work and people keep coming.
Transportation continued to challenge us today and we ended up walking more than we had intended, which tested our limits. The weather, however, was a "10": sunny, warm (75), and clear. Everyone in London and all the visitors were out and so we had crowds everywhere. We walked along the Thames to the Shakespeare Theatre only to find out we were too late for today's tour so we will go back tomorrow. Ethel walked through the museum district near our hotel and tried to tour the Royal Albert Hall (like Carnegie Hall in NYC) but they were having a concert and she missed the last tour there, too!
We still have tomorrow to do several planned activities and we WILL do better on the Underground!
Day 4
A question -- is there anybody working in London who is from England? It seems everyone we meet is from somewhere else -- Venezuela, Washington, DC, Australia, Germany, Italy, Africa, India etc. London truly is a melting pot and the languages on the Underground are like a mini-United Nations. Another beautiful day and just right for our tourist destinations: First to the reconstructed Globe Theatre of Shakespeare which is open air with three tiers of 1600 seats and standing room for 700! The exterior has a thatched roof and the interior looks like the movie set from "Shakespeare in Love", although we discovered it was not filmed here but on a Hollywood set. Many interesting facts about the history of this theatre, but one of note: the theatre was seen as a place of "sin" and nice women didn' t go there. If the men got bored with the performance, there were ladies known as "white geese" who had white powdered faces, wore white aprons, and waved white handkerchiefs to let it be known that they would provide "alternate" entertainment.
It seems that the millenium project called the "London Eye" has turned into a major tourist attraction. It was built (not unlike the Eiffel Tower) to be a temporary structure to commemorate the year 2000. But the draw has been so great, and we can attest to the crowds and huge lines waiting to board, that it has been granted continuation for at least 20 more years. We had Fast Track tickets, thank goodness (there is something to be said for booking on-line ahead of time) and had a very brief wait unlike those who bought tickets today who were waiting a couple of hours. The continually revolving giagantic farris wheel, with "enclosed gondola cars", takes 30 minutes to circle with spectacular views of London. We opted to take one with a guide (from Venezuela) who described what we were seeing -- along with an after ride personal discussion about current Venezuelan politics.
A quick stop at the very neat London Aquarium which Colin likened to his snorkeling adventures. There were fish from all of the world's areas, most fascinating a land/water fish from Africa -- it actually breathes for short periods and has fins that can double as legs.
Each time we walk from the Underground to our hotel, we pass several car dealers and Colin is now convinced that he wants a Lamborghini silver convertible. It is "only" 155,000 pounds (about $320,00.) Ethel decided we might get two! (Ha!) This is our last day in London as tomorrow (Monday) we pick up our car and head for the countryside. Unfortunately we go back to driving with "a hope and a prayer" -- due to driving on the left side of the road! But again, we have a GPS "Colleen" to guide us! One other advantage for Ethel will be that she will be positioned in the backseat directly behind Colin, as was the case in Ireland and Scotland. She figures the survival rate* will be much better there as she will be unable to see the road ahead and therefore will not "explain or gasp to Colin the pitfails that lie ahead". Because of this Colin is much less likely to commit murder (*ergo the better survival rate!)
Day 1
Cheerio from Jolly Old England! If you want a truly decadent experience, just take the Virgin Atlantic "upper class" flight to London. Our 10 hour journey seemed like a friendly little pajama party with the 8 passengers all wearing Virgin Atlantic black pj's, sharing the 2 bathrooms, each having a "pod" area which was made up into a flat bed (with cushioned pad) by the flight attendant. The two of us shared our dinners on a table set up in Ethel's "pod"; we could have had a massage if we hadn't been asleep when the masseuse came around! Such is life with frequent flyer miles! Colin says maybe it is worth the monthly bills which earn mileage points.
Not only was the flight a treat, but prior to boarding we spent time in the Virgin Atlantic lounge at San Francisco airport (the best one we've ever been in) which offered a meal or light dining. Fortunately we ate light and saved room for our "real" dinner later.
Our flight arrived early and we cleared customs quickly, only to discover our ride wasn't there! The driver did eventually arrive and drove us to the Aster House hotel (which sister-in-law Biki had recommended), a row house in South Kensington. Location is great, near the Underground, and with neighborhood stores and restaurants nearby.
Our first destination (after a nap) was to visit the Queen. Now she wasn't home, but unlike our visit last year to Brodie Castle, in Scotland, they did let us in. We viewed all the formal rooms, a display on the royal wedding (Elizabeth & Philip's in 1947), and plenty of opulance. We then trooped across the royal garden in the rain when we exited. True English weather but we were assured it was going to be fine this week-end.
We ate in a real English pub, and enjoyed the ambiance and the food. Our neighborhood has several eateries ranging from the pub to Middle Eastern to Chinese to Starbucks! Many choices.
Day 2
Second day we started with the War Rooms which Churchill used during WWII and a museum on his life. Fascinating memorabilia but in true British fashion -- that is, not exactly easy to follow. We wandered around the museum in a more or less random order but got the gist of the story. From there we headed to Westminster Abbey; toured the beautiful church and viewed the memorials to dead kings, queens, poets, and people with money to buy their final resting place.
Nearby is the Thames River and we settled in for a cruise to see the sights. It was amazing how many new buildings had gone up since our last cruise on the Thames, 12 years ago. We were now over any "jet lag" and beginning to relax and enjoy the London experience.
We have passes for the Underground (subway) and we have become adept at using it to get wherever we need to go. Our next stop was the British Museum (which has a new entry area since we were last there). We once again checked out the Rosetta Stone, and are now certain we can translate all Egyptian hieroglyphics (sure we can -- ha, ha). We also saw the Elgin Marbles which were missing from the Acropolis when we were in Athens. So that's what the Greeks are fussing about! And we totally enjoyed the African section -- in anticipation of our upcoming January trip to Tanzania, Victoria Falls, Zanzibar and Cape Town.
Then it was on to the theatre and the Muppet musical for adults -- "Avenue Q." Clever/R-rated/with a message on relationships, that ended up being very timely and helpful to Ethel and Colin!
London is busy right now, lots of tourists although not an abundance of Americans -- God bless the Queen, but what are we going to do about the weak dollar?
Day 3
Well, we spoke too soon yesterday when we said we had the Underground figured out. This morning we felt like the old Kingston Trio song -- "Oh, they'll never return, no they'll never return, and their fate is still unlearned, they will ride forever 'neath the streets of London, they're the ones who never returned." We were with some people from Perth, Australia, going back and forth on trunk lines out of Earl's Court station -- managing to through that station "4" times! Finally the engineer came into the car and told us when to get off (again), change trains (again), and then by some miracle, we made it (at last) to our destination!
After Churchill's War Rooms yesterday, today we toured the "Battle of Britain Experience" which featured rooms filled with memorabilia from WWII. Since we both like history, it was interesting. They had a bomb shelter made with a tin roof which shuddered when the simulated air raid took place, and there was a "blitz" dramatization that was surreal. Many hardships and plenty of destruction on British soil during that time. May we never have to go through anything like it again.
Next stop was the Vinopolis, a tour of wine around the world with 5 tastings included. Colin tried a few but didn't like too many and Ethel only tried one -- a standard Reisling that she knew she would like. There were, however, many videos of wine regions and we watched the one on South Africa as we will have the opportunity to visit there during our January trip. The tour guide at Vinopolis told us the area is spectacularly beautiful and really a treat to see, even if we don't like the wines. She was from Melbourne so we had a delightful conversation about that area of the world. London is filled with workers from all over, especially the EU countries. We found this to be true last year in Ireland also. Many come from former British colonies (like Australia) because the jobs are better in England. It is expensive to live here however, as right now the pound (Brits are not on the Euro like the rest of Europe) costs over $2.00 in American money (the Euro would only cost about $1.50). But there is still plenty of work and people keep coming.
Transportation continued to challenge us today and we ended up walking more than we had intended, which tested our limits. The weather, however, was a "10": sunny, warm (75), and clear. Everyone in London and all the visitors were out and so we had crowds everywhere. We walked along the Thames to the Shakespeare Theatre only to find out we were too late for today's tour so we will go back tomorrow. Ethel walked through the museum district near our hotel and tried to tour the Royal Albert Hall (like Carnegie Hall in NYC) but they were having a concert and she missed the last tour there, too!
We still have tomorrow to do several planned activities and we WILL do better on the Underground!
Day 4
A question -- is there anybody working in London who is from England? It seems everyone we meet is from somewhere else -- Venezuela, Washington, DC, Australia, Germany, Italy, Africa, India etc. London truly is a melting pot and the languages on the Underground are like a mini-United Nations. Another beautiful day and just right for our tourist destinations: First to the reconstructed Globe Theatre of Shakespeare which is open air with three tiers of 1600 seats and standing room for 700! The exterior has a thatched roof and the interior looks like the movie set from "Shakespeare in Love", although we discovered it was not filmed here but on a Hollywood set. Many interesting facts about the history of this theatre, but one of note: the theatre was seen as a place of "sin" and nice women didn' t go there. If the men got bored with the performance, there were ladies known as "white geese" who had white powdered faces, wore white aprons, and waved white handkerchiefs to let it be known that they would provide "alternate" entertainment.
It seems that the millenium project called the "London Eye" has turned into a major tourist attraction. It was built (not unlike the Eiffel Tower) to be a temporary structure to commemorate the year 2000. But the draw has been so great, and we can attest to the crowds and huge lines waiting to board, that it has been granted continuation for at least 20 more years. We had Fast Track tickets, thank goodness (there is something to be said for booking on-line ahead of time) and had a very brief wait unlike those who bought tickets today who were waiting a couple of hours. The continually revolving giagantic farris wheel, with "enclosed gondola cars", takes 30 minutes to circle with spectacular views of London. We opted to take one with a guide (from Venezuela) who described what we were seeing -- along with an after ride personal discussion about current Venezuelan politics.A quick stop at the very neat London Aquarium which Colin likened to his snorkeling adventures. There were fish from all of the world's areas, most fascinating a land/water fish from Africa -- it actually breathes for short periods and has fins that can double as legs.
Each time we walk from the Underground to our hotel, we pass several car dealers and Colin is now convinced that he wants a Lamborghini silver convertible. It is "only" 155,000 pounds (about $320,00.) Ethel decided we might get two! (Ha!) This is our last day in London as tomorrow (Monday) we pick up our car and head for the countryside. Unfortunately we go back to driving with "a hope and a prayer" -- due to driving on the left side of the road! But again, we have a GPS "Colleen" to guide us! One other advantage for Ethel will be that she will be positioned in the backseat directly behind Colin, as was the case in Ireland and Scotland. She figures the survival rate* will be much better there as she will be unable to see the road ahead and therefore will not "explain or gasp to Colin the pitfails that lie ahead". Because of this Colin is much less likely to commit murder (*ergo the better survival rate!)
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