London, August 23, 2014, Saturday
The flight to
London was quick, about an hour and 40 minutes. My seat mates were two
young men from Poland, who spoke very little English. Ann had the luck
to sit next to a pilot from Amsterdam who gave her some advice on what
to see in London. We arrived at Heathrow for the second time in our
journey.
Because we gained an hour, it was only about 4:30 when we
landed. We went through security and customs, claimed our checked
bags and headed outside to find a taxi.
We gave the driver the address
of our hotel, 27 Devonshire Terrace and started off. There were very
dark clouds and it started to rain. Our driver said he was a native of
London, and that the area we were headed for, was in a good neighborhood
and an easy place, from which, to travel around London. Most of the ride was
along a highway, but we could see houses and buildings. The rooftops had Mary Poppins chimneys.
Finally we were
on the city streets and our driver pointed out Hyde Park and told us
that our hotel would be in walking distance.
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| BW Shaftesbury Paddington Court |
When we got to the hotel, our bags were carried in by staff while we paid the driver. We think he must have taken us for more of a ride than necessary. Our fare was £64 and we had read it would be about £50-55 but what can you do?
Ann checked in for our first two nights.
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| Hotel Lobby |
We had an additional
reservation that started on the 25th and went through the 1st. We
thought it best to see what our room was like before we committed to a
longer stay. Two young men took us, and our bags, to our room on the
first floor. It was a twin club room with a window that looked out over
the street.
We
had read that hotel rooms in London were small so we were not surprised
that our did not have a lot of extra space. We were pleased that it
was clean. We explored the room and hotel and then went out for a walk
around the neighborhood. We
walked around the block and found that we were at the edge of a
residential area. Block after block of four story townhouses, most
divided into several apartments on every street we took. We have discovered that Charles Dickens, once lived across the street from our hotel. It is so amazing to walk the streets, knee deep in history. We were just
around the corner from Craven Road.
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| Craven Road |
We walked the few blocks up Craven
Road to Paddington (tube) Station. We went inside and asked about how to get an oyster card. An employee walked us through the process at one kiosks and we put £30 each on our cards. Lots
of restaurants, markets, hotels, and shops near Paddington Station.
There were a lot of people out on the streets. We were both in awe,of
the fact, that we were walking the streets of London. Most of the
restaurants had menus posted out front and we stopped to look at
couple. We stopped in front of Bizzarro's, an Italian restaurant about 3
blocks from our hotel.
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| Bizzarro, Craven Road |
The maitre de convinced us to go inside. We
were tired and hungry. I ordered Petto di Pollo ai Funghi Porcini which was a roasted chicken breast served with a very tasty mushroom sauce. Ann had Petto
di Pollo con Ricotta, Spinici e Salsa al
Funghetto which was a roasted chicken breast stuff with ricotta and
spinach and mushroom sauce. The food and the service was very good.
We
left for our hotel, full and ready to settle in for the night.
London, August 24, 2014, Sunday
I
slept very well and woke up hungry, about 7. We got ready for the day
and headed to the dining room, which was in the basement.
There we found a buffet, with scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, beans,
roasted tomatoes, roasted potatoes, croissants, hard rolls, and
chocolate pastries.
There was cold cereal, milk, orange and apple
juice, cold cuts of cheese and ham, and sliced fruit, melon or
pineapple. A choice of coffee or tea was offered.
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| Kensington Palace |
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| Kensington Palace |
We
went inside to get information and decided to become members of
Historic Royal Palaces. Our membership card will admit us to several places, including the Tower of London, without having to wait in line.
The
oldest part of Kensington Palace dates to 1605 and it was once known as
Nottingham House.
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| Kensington Palace |
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Kensington Palace
If there is a family tree around you know I will find it.
|
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| Kensington Palace |
Over the centuries the palace was expanded and has
been home to many members of the Royal Family. Queen Victoria was born
at Kensington Palace and spent her early years there.
Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth lived at Kensington Palace for many years. This
was the palace where Princess Diana lived when she was first married to
Prince Charles. She kept her home here, after she was divorced and her
sons, Prince William and Prince Harry were raised here. Prince William
and Kate and their little son Prince George live at Kensington Palace
today. Prince Harry also has an apartment in the Palace.
There was a special exhibit of dresses worn by Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Princess Diana.
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| Queen Elizabeth |
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| Queen Elizabeth |
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| Queen Elizabeth |
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| Princess Margaret |
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| Princess Diana |
We left Kensington Palace and walked back to Kensington Park Gardens Road, and continued to the end, at Kensington High Street. This was a great street, very busy, with lots of shops, stores and restaurants.
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| Kensington High Street |
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| Kensington High Street |
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| Kensington High Street |
About a block down we came to St. Mary Abbotts and walked through the church yard which was paved with grave stones.
There
were many great old buildings along Kensington High Street and down the side
streets. We went into a few stores. One was TK Maxx, which we had also
seen in Berlin. I asked why it was called T K instead of T J. A
clerk told me there was a chain of stores in Europe called T J Hughes
and so as not to cause confusion the name TK Maxx is used there.
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| Kensington High Street |
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| Kensington High Street |
It
was getting late in the day and we stopped at a restaurant, the
Spaghetti House, to eat. We had an appetizer of Nocellara del Belice
olives on ice. We both ordered Lasagne bolognese pasticciata and bread
for our meal. I was quickly learning, when I ordered water, that I
needed to ask for still water. Otherwise I would be served sparkling or
carbonated water. Preferred by Europeans, it tastes terrible to me, a
bit like drinking vinegar.
After
dinner we found that Kensington Park Gardens Road was closed. We
walked back through Kensington Park, along the Broad Walk, past
Kensington Palace. We saw the larger than life, marble statue of a
young Queen Victoria, created by her
daughter, Princess Louise.
We also passed the Diana Memorial
Playground. We left the park at Bayswater Road, just across from
Queensway Tube Station. We walked east on Bayswater, turned north at
Craven Hill Terrace and back to our hotel.
London, August 25, 2014, Monday
We
had our breakfast at the hotel and then started out for the day. It had
to happen, rain in London. We were prepared with umbrellas and rain
jackets. Our destination was 84 Charing Cross Road, in London's famous
West End. We walked to Paddington and took the tube to Tottenham Court
Road Station on Oxford Street. Charing Cross Road was nearby. We
walked along Charing Cross Road, passing lots of theaters, restaurants
and pubs. In 1970 I went to Zibart's Book Store on Church Street and
purchased the book, 84 Charing Cross Road.
I had read an excerpt of the
book and fell in love with it. The story took place, in part, in a
bookstore, Marks & Co, located at 84 Charing Cross Road in London.
The book store is no longer there but a plaque on the outside wall
commemorates Marks & Co. and the book by Helen Hanff. In 2014 there
is a Belgium restaurant at the location,
Léon de Bruxelles.
.JPG) |
| Leon de Brussels |
I never imagined I would stand there on that
spot. Something to cross off my bucket list. Just across the square
which was actually sort of round in shape and called Cambridge Circus,
was the Palace Theater. The Palace
Theater was built in 1891, and was originally the Royal English Opera
House.
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| The Palace Theater |
I looked up the definition of circus as it
applies to areas in
London. It simply means, a rounded area where several streets meet. I
guess we have our own Five Points Circus in Nashville, haha. As you take a turn to look at the buildings around the square,
they all appear to be late 19th century. The Cambridge, a pub built in
1887, is across Charing Cross Road. A building in the opposite direction
with 1889, over the door is home to a Pizza Hut. There were a number
of book stores in the area. We didn't take a lot of photos because of
the rain. We
walked around the area, just looking at the architecture and shops of
all sorts.
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| Cambridge Circus |
Many book stores in the West End. Still in Cambridge circus at the corner of
Shaftesbury Ave.was a sign pointing toward the Picadilly Theater where
Jersey Boys was playing and just across was the The Ape & Bird pub.
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| Ape & Bird Pub |
The buildings are amazing and there are red double decker buses
everywhere. There were also a couple of adult shops, Harmony and Soho
Original Books.
We had not yet gone into a pub but
passed many, such as the Montagu Pyke, formerly the Marquee Club.
We
traveled along Shaftesbury Ave toward Great Russell Street to the
British Museum.
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| British Museum |
It had been raining all morning and we were happy to go
inside. The place is huge and very old. We went into the
Enlightenment Gallery where there were artifacts, books and sculpture
from many cultures and countries.
There was a marble sculpture of Paris
of Greek and Roman mythology, holding the fabled golden apple, which
dates to the 2nd century.
A bust of the Roman goddess Minerva, found in
Rome in the 18th century, was also from the 2nd century. It would take
days to see and read about everything in this room.
There was jewelry
carved from stone. Weapons from the Bronze age, on display, thought to
be about 4,000 years old, were found in peat bogs in 1741. We saw 16th
century maiolica pottery and dishes from Italy.
We both wanted to see
the Parthenon Gallery and the Elgin Marbles. Nashville's Parthenon
houses replicas of the
Elgin Marbles, made from casts of those in the British Museum.
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| British Museum - Elgin Marlbles |
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| British Museum - Elgin Marlbles |
We also wanted to see the
Rosetta Stone. We went through many of the 95 galleries. It was overwhelming to see so much in such a short time.
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| Rosetta Stone |
We
left the museum and found our way to Oxford Street. We walked to the
Oxford Circus tube station and headed back toward Paddington Station.
It had rained all day and my thin rain jacket was wet all the way
through.
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| Did I mention it rained? |
We went to our room and put on dry clothes. The rain had
nearly stopped so we walked to back to Paddington station and went to
Garfunkels for supper. Ann and I both had meat pies and shared a pot
of tea. Mine was chicken leek and ham pie with mashed potato, broccoli
and
and carrots. It was good, warm, comfort food.
London, August 26, 2014, Tuesday
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| August 26, 2014, Tuesday - Our Route |
Started
out in the rain again this morning but lighter than yesterday.
Londoners are used to the rain, I guess. Saw many folks with bare heads
and no umbrella. Guess you just have to deal with what life gives you.
We walked to Paddington Station and took the Bakerloo line all the way
to Charing Cross Road tube station. We got off at the opposite end of
Charing Cross Road from where we were yesterday.
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| Charing Cross Underground Station |
Most of the time we
were babes in the wood, until we would come up on
one of the handy street corner maps and get our bearings. We should have
invested in a guide book for London. We missed so much that was near
the areas we visited. You learn as you go, maybe we will go back
someday. We were at Tralfagar Square, but had no idea. We did see
Nelson's Column, figured it out later with the internet. The giant blue
rooster could not be missed. Wish we had known more about where we
were at the moment. We wandered around the square, trying to take it
all in and at the same time keeping our heads low because of the rain.
We headed off down Whitehall Street, our destination being the
Banqueting House. As we walked, we passed Great Scotland Yard, the
original location of the London Police Department.
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| Scotland Yard (Old) |
The area is covered
with government buildings. We had purchased a membership to the
Historic Royal Palaces when we were at Kensington Palace and the
Banqueting House was included. We arrived a little early, and stood in
line for a few minutes, as the doors did not open until 10 am.
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| Banqueting House |
The
Banqueting House, constructed in 1622, is all that remains of the Palace
of Whitehall, which was destroyed by fire in 1698.
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| Banqueting House and Palace of Whitehall |
It was here that
King Charles I was executed. He stepped through a window, onto a
scaffold, and was beheaded. (
Charles I)
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| King Charles I |
At his death, the monarchy was abolished and a republic called the Commonwealth
of England was declared.
The monarchy
was restored in 1660 to Charles's son, Charles II.
The hall,
within the house, was used not only for banqueting but royal receptions,
ceremonies, and the performance of masques,which involved music and dancing,
singing and acting.
The entertainment given here would have been
among the finest in Europe, for during this period England was considered the
leading musical country of Europe. (
Banqueting Hall)
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| Banqueting Hall |
The ceiling of the hall is adorned with huge paintings by Sir Peter
Paul Rubens. The paintings, on canvass, were installed on the ceiling
in 1636. (
Ruben's ceiling) There was an interesting film to watch
detailing the history of the building and an audio guide is included
with admission.
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| Banqueting Hall - Rubens ceiling |
The final stop on the tour is the basement level or the Undercroft. This area was designed as a drinking den for James I and his friends.
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| Undercroft - Banqueting House |
On our visit there was a small cafe located in the Undercroft which open only in the summer months. We didn't stop but it appeared they served breads, pastries and tea and soft drinks. The hall is used for events of all sorts and has been visited by many heads of state. President George Bush and wife Laura were here in 2003.
It was still raining when we went back out to the street. We continued down Whitehall and passed Downing Street. We didn't take the short walk down to number 10, to view the Prime Minister's residence.
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| Downing Street |
I suppose the rain kept us moving. Richmond House, the headquarters for the Department of Health was on our way. As we walked, Big Ben came into view.
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| Big Ben |
We arrived at Bridge Street and were just across from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
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| Parliament |
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| Westminster Abbey |
We circled Parliament Square and found another of the street post maps that give locations of tube station and bus stops. We found the maps also point the way to area landmarks. This one directed us down Great George Street towards Buckingham Palace. We soon found ourselves on Birdcage Walk, at the edge of St James Park. We walked through St James Park, which has an interesting history.
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| Chinese Bridge - St James Park |
It was once very marshy land and was the site of lepers hospital in the 16th century. After the hospital was closed, King James I opened a menagerie here, where he kept all sorts of exotic animals and birds, hence Birdcage Walk.
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| St James Park - Eurasian Coot |
In the 17th century, King Charles the II, had the park transformed into formal gardens, in the style of the gardens at Versailles and opened the park to the public. (
St James)
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| Flower Beds - St James Park |
We came out of St James Park, back onto Birdcage Walk and had our first real view of Buckingham Palace.
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| Buckingham Palace |
It is huge, has 775 rooms. We looked for the flag on top of the palace and saw it was the British Flag which indicates Her Majesty was not at home. We walked around the east front of the palace, peering though the fence and making a few photos.
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| Buckingham Palace |
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| Buckingham Palace |
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| Buckingham Palace |
The rain must have soaked into our brains. I don't think either of us thought about getting tickets to go inside.
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| Buckingham Palace |
Out in front is the Victoria Memorial, dedicated to Queen Victoria in 1911.
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| Victoria Memorial |
Across from the palace is another royal park, Green Park.
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| Green Park Gates |
It has 19 acres and lies between St James Park and Hyde Park.
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| Green Park |
You can literally walk for miles through the adjoining parks, from St. James Park at Whitehall to Kensington Gardens at Notting Hill. We crossed to the Victoria Memorial, and went to the other side and over to Green Park. Walking around the edge of the park we came to the Mall which is a busy roadway.
The Mall is closed to traffic on Sundays and holidays. It is a beautiful tree lined road with wide walkways on both sides. We passed by the Stable Yard Road and stopped to make a photo of the guards there.
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| Guard at Stable Yard Road |
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| Guard at Stable Yard Road |
This gated road leads to Clarence House, the London residence of Charles, Prince of Wales. His grandmother, the Queen Mother, lived at Clarence House until her death in 2002. We continued on until we passed under the Admiralty Arch, which
looks like a monument, but is
an office block with rooms inside. It was commissioned by King Edward VII to
commemorate the death of Queen Victoria.
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| Admiralty Arch near Buckingham Palace |
The inscription along the top reads ANNO
DECIMO EDWARDI SEPTIMI REGIS VICTORIÆ REGINÆ CIVES GRATISSIMI MDCCCCX, which is
Latin for In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most
grateful citizens, 1910.
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| DAVID ILIFF - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Admiralty_Arch,_London,_England_-_June_2009.jpg |
We were back at Trafalgar Square and we were hungry. There were several restaurants and they all looked very busy. We settled on Little Frankie's on Whitehall. It was a diner, decorated with autographed photos of celebrities.
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| Little Frankie's |
We both ordered soup, that was served with garlic dough balls floating in the bowl. I had a cheeseburger and lemonade.
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| Ann - Little Frankie's in London |
The food was not memorable, but the soup was warm and welcome after walking in the rain. We left the restaurant and went towards St Martin's Theater, walking about a half mile.
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| St. Martin's Theater |
There was a matinee at 3 pm of The Mousetrap.
The Mousetrap has been showing in London since 1952 and has been playing at St Martin's since 1974. The theater was wonderful, just what you want to find inside an old theater.There was dark polished woodwork and paneling. The wallpaper was red and gold as was the carpet. The seats were upholstered in red velvet.
We were in the dress circle and had a great view of the stage. The play was wonderful and it is one of my best memories of London.
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| Mousetrap |
The rain had almost stopped when we came out of the theater. It was after five and we wanted to go back to Oxford Street and find Selfridge & Co. We walked through Litchfield Street to Charing Cross Road and over to Oxford Street. We walked along Oxford Street, passing Oxford Circus tube station. The buildings are not as old here, as in some other areas we have walked in. There appears to be a lot of 19th century and some 20th century structures along the street. This is a very busy shopping district. We reach Bond Street tube station and Selfridge's is just ahead. Ann watched the Mr. Selfridge, Masterpiece Theater series on PBS and seeing the store up close was something she wanted to do. We went inside and walked through for a few minutes and then exited back on Oxford Street.
We took the tube back to Paddington and walked to our hotel. Later we went around the corner from the hotel to Chelsea Deli. We were not very hungry and did not want a full meal. I ordered something that was labeled, potato chicken. It was chicken with potatoes, flavorful enough and Ann got a different chicken dish. The price was fair and we left satisfied. The rain was gone and we walked around the neighborhood awhile, before going back to the hotel.
London (2)
London (3)
Our Grand Tour - Berlin
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