Statelady & Chezp's London Adventure: COMPLETED!!! About This Page:

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We then headed straight for the river cruise and this was nothing short of fantastic. As we were waiting, it got a little darker and much windier. I began to regret my decision of leaving my heavy wool coat at the hotel. Kevan continually offered me his windbreaker but I just kept on without it. We boarded the cruise boat and I was thrilled to see a staffer come around with a drink cart. Cheryl noticed right away it was one that had to have come from a British Airways plane- it was sort of funny. Kevan and I had coffee and it did a great job in warming me up.

The weather looked iffy but held out for the 45 minute journey. Our guide on this cruise was fantastic- not only was she incredibly knowledgeable and humorous- she had what I guess most Americans would consider a quintessential British accent – she announciated beautifully and I made sure to take enough video to hear her. ( The video camera had charged 2 bars back so I was in good shape!)

Tradition dictates that as you pass under the famous Tower Bridge and wave to people on it and they wave back- you will have 5 years good luck. We did well and I hope it holds true!


Tower Bridge

As we were coming to the boarding dock, we felt a few drops of rain and incredibly lucky for the timing. The Thames River Cruise was a unexpected highlight for me- it was relaxing and yet I felt like I learned and saw so much in a short amount of time!


Globe Theatre as seen from the river cruise


A Quick Snap in front of the Thames River

Shopping was next as we made our way to Oxford and Regents Streets. Some lights were on and some were not. What began to really strike Kevan and I were the crowds, the decorations, the busy feeling of the place- people were in the middle of Christmas rush. We felt like it was December 15, not November 15! We relayed these observations to Cheryl and Mark- who shocked us when they told us they were nearly done with their holiday shopping!


Christmas Lights

Department stores in London are, in my eyes, very different than in the States. Could you imagine having little mini areas featuring Prada, Fendi, Chanel and Armani in say, JC Penneys? That’s how it seemed to work in London! We bought a Spode Christmas plate for my mother in law at John Lewis on one floor while those aforementioned wares were being displayed on another! Out of all the different stores we ventured into, I fell in love with Debenhams- one Cheryl seemed to like very much as well. It was trendy but not stuffy. Upon entering, Cheryl and Mark suggested eating dinner which sounded fantastic as Kevan and I were starving.

I remember as a child eating at cafes in department stores in Florida where I grew up, but that seems to have all but disappeared in most of the major US ones. The Debenhams restaurant served the food cafeteria style but it was presented beautifully and efficiently. Mark, Kevan and I enjoyed a traditional Christmas meal- roasted turkey with cranberry stuffing, along with roasted veggies and gravy, as well as cranberry sauce. In addition, there were parsnips, which were very good- Kevan really loved them and was happy to hear that it was on the menu for our home cooked meal at Cheryl and Mark’s the next night! The two entrees and beverages came to just about $20 and it certainly seemed a bargain to us- it was a wonderful meal. Again, happy conversation flowed between all of us and we continue to enjoy spending time with Cheryl and Mark- making for a wonderful night.

After leaving Debenhams, we checked out several stores including the Disney Store of course. It had two floors but unfortunately, I did not find one thing that appealed to me- which really had me disappointed. It was absolutely packed so I probably missed some stuff but overall, nothing jumped out at me enough to purchase.

Into Selfridge’s, another department store, where Cheryl and I made the claim for a stop at the Haggen Dazs café. Mark and Kevan didn’t seem to interested so we were off to check out the offerings ourselves. I was having a hard time and so was Cheryl. We came to the conclusion we should split a cookie sundae- it was sooo yummy and lots of fun to share!


Ice Cream At Last

We had to go to the toilet (remember, verbiage different here) so after what seemed like forever to find it – we made a pit stop and back out into the London night.

We were all absolutely bushed at this point and I was determined to try out that Jacuzzi bath as well so we agreed to call it a night and head back to the hotel.

We bid each other good night- Kevan and I got busy packing one of our Pullmans for our trip to Maidstone and our stay with Cheryl and Mark- I was very much looking forward to this part of our trip and felt overwhelmed we were going to be welcomed into their home.

I asked Kevan to draw me the jacuzzi bath and I heard a few expletives a few minutes later. Evidently he did not let the water fill up enough and turned the jets on to have them spray all over him! I was snickering as I got in and it was heaven- and did wonders for my tired and one somewhat blistered foot.

I also wanted to charge our videocamera battery when I discovered a problem. The adapter had a circle of plastic around it and my charger had a rectangular box on the plug- so it wouldn’t get past the circle to plug it in! I just gave up and hoped that it being off for a long while would give us just an eensy weensy bit more video taping time.

We enjoyed some more of the BBC and another channel ITV before lights out and sleepy time.