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

[chezp]

Friday 14 November – part six: “I want an ice cream!”

My first impression was that it was very sparsely furnished and very modern. There were long wooden benches with seats either side and everyone was seated next to each other. I find this sort of seating a little odd, but as there was no one next to myself or Mark until the end of our meal, it didn't bother me too much. The menu was full of exciting options and I went for Japanese style noodles with seafood (I can't remember the exact name of the dish) and Mark went for something similar with beef instead. Once our server took our order, she wrote down the number of each order on our placemats, which were paper, a clever way of ensuring the orders were right and as a customer, if something came back wrong, you could easily show them what you had actually ordered.

We barely had time to draw breath before our food arrived. It was less than five minutes, I was serious impressed with that and with Kevan's use of chopsticks. And I thought it was his first attempt as well! I did manage to eat a couple of mouthfuls of food with the chopsticks on my first attempt, but then it was back to the trusty fork! The food was wonderful and very tasty and I enjoyed every mouthful. It was a quick, efficient meal and excellent food, but even better company.

We wandered up to Oxford Street and did a little bit of shopping, but the majority would be saved for tomorrow. When we got up to Oxford Circus, we turned and headed down Regent Street and soon we could see lots of lights, Hamley’s, the toy store. The first Hamley’s opened in London in 1760 and it first opened in Regent Street in 1881. The current store opened 100 years later in 1981 and it’s now established as one of London's biggest tourist attractions, supplying Royalty over the years, including the current Queen and two of her children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

When we got inside, we headed upstairs to the Thomas the Tank Engine section for one of Maureen and Kevan's children, who’s a big fan of Thomas. Maureen's eyes literally lit up like a child’s when she saw the display. They then had to make some quick choices, as the store was closing at 8 p.m. and we only went in about 20 minutes beforehand, but Hamley’s struggled to get everyone out, as they just didn't have enough tills open. Kevan ended up queuing for about 10 minutes to make a couple of purchases.

Then we walked back towards Piccadilly Circus to catch the Tube back to our hotel. As we got off the Tube, I decided that I liked the idea of an ice cream, so I asked Maureen and Kevan if there was a McDonald's near to the hotel. They walked up to Harrods on their first afternoon in London and remembered seeing one on the way there, so that sounded good to me. We started walking and could see the lights of Harrods. From where we were, it didn't look that far off, but appearances can be very deceptive and it was a long walk.

Sure enough, we found a McDonald's on the way to Harrods, but when we got there, the cupboard was bare. Their ice cream machine wasn't working! I couldn’t believe it and we left there without getting anything. Well, Harrods wasn't that far along, so we decided at least to go that far, so I could take some photos. We had an unexpected bonus when we got there - the owner of Harrods, Mohammed Al Fayed, was doing an interview with a TV crew in one of the shop windows, the last thing I expected to see.

So did we return back to the hotel and give up on the idea of an ice cream there and then once I’d got my photos of Harrod’s? Of course not! Maureen and I still wanted some, so we thought we'd walk a little further to see if we could find the next McDonald's. We reached the next Tube station and that was where we thought about turning back, but Mark kept saying that he'd just have a look around the next corner to see if he could see a McDonald’s and then if he couldn’t, we’d go back and of course so it carried on like that. Eventually we did give up and went back to the station to go one-stop back to where we’d started from about half an hour earlier. We had sense of deja vu as we came out at South Kensington station, considering we'd walked back to the hotel once already!

Once back at the hotel, we went our separate ways to bed. It was a great first day in London, we certainly managed to do enough on and it was lovely the way we all got on so well together.

The weather today was in the mid-fifties and windy, but dry.
The best thing today was the Tower of London.
The worst thing today was was Kensington Palace.
The funniest thing today was the ice cream saga in the evening! In the following days, Kevan's favourite phrase became “we’re not talking about the ice cream AGAIN”!
Today we tried Satsumas
And the result was it was excellent food, very fast service and a very enjoyable meal.
The most magical moment today was meeting Maureen and Kevan for the first time.

Next: “what does that button on the bath do?”

[statelady01]

It did take a bit of searching but we did find Satsuma. When we entered, the tables were full and I mentioned we probably wouldn’t be able to get a table- but the hostess led us downstairs to a whole other seating area.



I am a pretty finicky eater when it comes to ethnic cuisine but I found Chicken Teriyaki with a side of rice that sounded good. Kevan had some type of noodle dish. Cheryl and Mark had similar offerings as Kevans- and everything, we all agreed was fantastic- both the food and the company. By this time, we were really enjoying each other’s company and it felt like we had been friends for years. I really had wanted to try the tempura-fried ice cream but it would have been hard as I was so full. It was a fantastic time- great to sit and talk together while enjoying well prepared and tasty food.





Kevan at Satsuma (great photo Chez!)



We had to walk off our dinner so we did that by heading towards Piccadilly Circus. There were some lights that resembled Times Square and the place was hopping! People going and coming in every direction and the night was just bright and busy. Really neat!





We also hit a part of Oxford Street and when we laid our eyes upon Hamley’s Toy Store- we just had to go in. Mark made the comment my eyes were bright when we entered and with good reason: Hamley’s is floors and floors of kiddie bliss. The bottom floor was filled with teddy bears and stuffed friends- and the basement was entirely devoted to Legos! Up on the 4th floor to find Thomas for Matthew- our 4 year old, and Teletubbies for Katie our 7 year old. We were not disappointed and found many things not available in the States as these are British lines. We found some great take home surprises for them and then were being shooed out as they were closing. I found a fetching elephant puppet for our youngest, Emily, but Kevan didn’t like it as well and was sure we would find something better eventually (he was SO right- more details on that later!)





Making friends with Matthew's beloved Thomas



As we headed back to the hotel after getting off the tube- Cheryl said “ I think I fancy an ice cream “ and I kid you not- she read my mind. We saw McDonald’s on our first day on the way to Harrod’s but couldn’t remember exactly where it was. It was a bit of a walk but as we walked in I saw the pictures of the McFlurry and thought alls well that ends well. Until Cheryl told me the ice cream machine wasn’t working. Not good and frankly, I think we both were just irritated and disappointed after walking that way! Mark encouraged us to walk just a bit farther and as we passed Harrod’s windows, we noticed Muhammed Al Fayed doing an interview with Japanese TV. I remembered seeing on Fox News that Geraldo Rivera was also doing an interview with Al Fayed but we must have missed him. I am sure this was all in response to Princess Diana’s butler’s recent book and the controversy it was generating that her death was not an accident. Muhammed Al Fayed is the owner of Harrod’s and his son Dodi, was killed along with Princess Diana in the car crash in Paris.



We were absolutely beat and made our way back on the tube to head to the Hotel for the night. After saying our good nights, Kevan and I returned to the room where I considered taking to the Jacuzzi bath but deciding I needed to get to sleep as quick as possible, I hopped in the shower and then into my lovely terry cloth robe and slippers as provided by the Rembrandt.



Within minutes, I was sleeping soundly- resting up for our third day in London!



Weather: Mid Fifties and miraculously dry!

The best thing today was the Crown Jewels and Princess Di’s dresses

The worst thing today was the audio phones at Kensington Palace

The funniest thing today: The Ice Cream Affair

Today we tried Japanese food

And the result was a great experience!

The most magical moment today was meeting Cheryl and Mark!

[MegglesMom]

WOW! That's all I can say, wow! It sounds like you guys are having a wonderful time. Maureen, I totally teared up too when you saw Princess Di's dresses. Someday I'll get over there! Looking forward to more...

[Colexis Mom]

What a great night I'm not sure where you all are getting your energy, I think you would have lost me somewhere around the afternoon Keep it up, looking forward to more

[goofy4goofy]

Now I'm hungry for ice cream!!!

Another couple of fantastic installments! Love the pic of Kevan eating is noodles. LOL

Kelly

[joyjoy]

Love the trip report, wow! It brings back some fond memories - I visited London as a teenager and saw many of the same things ya'll did your first day. It makes me want to go back! Excellent, excellent job.

[AKLRULZ]

Ya'll this is an amazing report - thank you for the time and attention you've given it thus far!

[CRCrazy]

Loving this dual report - it's great to see both perspectives. I'm only sad it will soon be coming to an end - you guys will have to do another trans-atlantic meet!!

[chezp]

Saturday 15 November – part one: “what does that button on the bath do?”

We had arranged to meet in the lobby for breakfast at 8:30 a.m., but we were awake at around 6:35 a.m. Bear in mind that because I had been ill, we hadn't had a decent night's sleep in about a week. Well we were both out for the count at around 10 p.m. last night and then the next thing I knew it was the morning. A few more night's sleep like that and I'll be fine again!

As we were getting ready, Mark went to run a bath and discovered that the bath had a whirlpool/Jacuzzi. If only we had known that last night, we would've made good use of that facility! Well, we certainly made good use of it this morning and it helped to relieve my aching feet no end.

Breakfast was a buffet with a choice of fruit, cereal, pastries and cooked items, such as bacon, sausages, tomatoes and mushrooms, all very nice, but not worth the price they were charging of £15! If this hadn't been included in our room price, then I think we’d have been off to McDonald's!

We were both surprised by how little Maureen and Kevan ate. We kept telling them to make the best of it and treat it like a Disney character breakfast. Both Mark and I went back a couple of times, but we were only able to persuade Kevan to have seconds. Mark was making the best of it, as I’m a veggie and he doesn’t often get to have a cooked meat laden breakfast – well, not unless he cooks it!

After breakfast, we headed back out to the Tube station as today's plans were to go to Westminster Abbey, a flight on the London Eye, followed by a cruise down the River Thames and then finally some shopping. We got off at Westminster station and this really is my favourite part of London. The Houses of Parliament are beautiful and I never tire of seeing them or taking photos of them, as one look at my photo album over the years will testify.

The Houses of Parliament, otherwise known as the Palace of Westminster, were built between 1840 and 1888 and were designed to blend in with nearby Westminster Abbey. The two imposing towers, well-known landmarks in London, are the clock tower, named after its thirteen ton bell called Big Ben, and Victoria tower, on whose flagpole the Union Flag flies when Parliament is sitting.

As we exited the Tube into Whitehall, we walked a little way up to show Maureen and Kevan the Cenotaph, the nation's main war memorial. As the previous Sunday was Remembrance Sunday, all the wreathes of poppies laid there by Royalty, Heads of the Commonwealth states and the military were all there, along with various flags. Usually you wouldn't see any of this – it’s only for a couple of weeks of the year each November.

Our next stop was 10 Downing Street, the official home of the British Prime Minister in London. Unfortunately, because of the IRA terrorist attacks of the 1980’s and 1990’s, you can't get anywhere near it these days. You used to be able to walk right past it, but the mortar bomb attacks in the early 1990’s changed all that. Now you can catch a glimpse of 10 Downing Street on the right hand side of the road, but you can't walk down Downing Street at all. If I'm honest, you get a better view of the White House than you do of 10 Downing Street.

From there, it was back down Whitehall towards the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately the sun was just in the wrong position, so getting shots of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament wasn't really possible.

Work is underway to clean up Westminster Abbey and the difference it makes is amazing. Only the front of the building has been done so far, but this is what St Paul's Cathedral should look like once work is completed there. The front looks like a totally different building from the rest of it.

Next: “you can’t film in here!”

[statelady01]

I slept soundly until 7:45. Kevan had been ready since 6:30 so he had to wait on me and we got down to the lobby just before Cheryl and Mark at 8:30.

As we were eating breakfast, Cheryl had mentioned the price of the breakfast buffet and I think we all agreed it was good that it was included in the room because there was no way it was worth what they were asking! Yesterday, my coffee was too strong so I switched to the traditional tea and really found that to my liking. Again, I stuck to my basics of pastry and fruit and Kevan to his choices.

I had mentioned to Cheryl in our phone conversations and the day previous that Westminster Abbey was high on our list so it fit in perfectly to do this morning before our afternoon activities. We took the tube to the Westminster station and as we exited up onto the sidewalk I was a little disoriented – I think Kevan picked up on that and immediately pointed out Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament- which were just too beautiful for words. Photographs did not do them any justice- both had a commanding presence over the area as did Westminster Abbey.

We took a quick detour to head down the street to visit 10 Downing Street, the residence of PM Tony Blair and the PM’s before him. As we went, we saw the Cenotaph, the country’s war memorial and there were lovely poppie wreaths everywhere. Turned out, this only happened during a few weeks in November as the country celebrates Remembrance Sunday- we felt lucky to get to see this lovely yet somber display.

I was anxious to see 10 Downing Street but it was sort of a Downing, oops, I mean downer as you could not get very close to it at all- and it shocked me that we weren’t pushed back farther as we had sensed since our arrival President Bush’s visit was not highly welcomed and the mood tense. We still took a few pictures anyway, as best we could. It seems quite modest from the outside although I am sure it is expansive from the inside.


(No pictures for this particular installment- there will be several with the next one)

[ncgal]

This is a great trip report. I was in London for Remembrance Sunday a few years back. It is a wonderful event to see. Thanks for evoking so many memories...

[kimdisneynut]

Great Report, thanks

[ProChristo]

Girls, this continues to be an excellent read. Thanks for telling us all about your travels together. Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

[statelady01]

It really was- I still can't believe we have been there and back!

[chezp]

Saturday 15 November – part two: “you can’t film in here!”

Westminster Abbey is probably my second favourite building in London after the Houses of Parliament. It dates from the mid-13th century and every King and Queen of England has been crowned there in a Coronation since 1066, as there was an Abbey on this site from that time. King Henry II decided to pull it down and have it rebuilt in a new architectural design. They are only two Kings and Queens of England who haven't been crowned here, the most recent being King Edward the eighth, who abdicated in 1936 to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.

When we walked into the Abbey, there was a sign which told us there was no food or photography. That’s fine, so I got out the video camera instead, as I assumed that was okay. Wrong. I was pounced on almost immediately by someone who told me “no cameras” and started waving his arms around. Fine. But why didn't the sign make that clear? He made such a scene in front of everyone that I felt quite humiliated. I didn't need that, just a quick quiet word would have done the trick. It was such a shame you couldn't take photos or video footage as it was truly beautiful in there.

I love church architecture anyway and this didn't disappoint. The stained-glass windows were superb and the tombs of the various kings and queens were amazing and very intricate. The monarchs who’ve died more recently aren’t buried there, nowadays they tend to be buried at places like Windsor Castle, but many of the mediaeval (12th to 14th century) and Tudor (15th to 16th century) Kings and Queens were buried there. Names such as Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, Henry VII, along with prominent politicians such as Winston Churchill. There are also monuments to other famous names buried elsewhere, such as William Shakespeare and the composer Handel.

Originally the abbey was a Monastry and once was even home to our House of Commons, but the MPs had to leave, as they were too loud and disrupted the lives of the monks. I see nothing has changed since then! After the first half of the Abbey tour, we went into the Monastery and you can just imagine the monks there in the 11th and 12th centuries. The museum there was fascinating with full details of Coronations over the years. The last one was in 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. The abbey was closed for five months to prepare for the occasion, I joked that they couldn't do that nowadays, as they couldn't afford to lose the visitor revenue, well not at £6 per head anyway! The museum also contain the funeral effigies of various monarchs and gentry and included a corset believed to have been used on Elizabeth I’s funeral effigy in 1603. The costumes in here were amazing.

Our tour continued through the rest of the original Monastery, including the Chapter House, which was where the Commons were once based. In here is original tiling from the 13th century and on the walls are pictures hand painted by the monks, dating from about the same time period. Fascinating that it’s survived so well.

Then it was back into the nave of the Abbey for the final part of our tour, which included the tomb of Winston Churchill and the tomb of the unknown soldier, which was surrounded by poppies, again because of Remembrance Sunday last weekend. The last time I saw this was just after Diana's wedding in 1981. I remember it clearly as her bouquet was laid on the top, even though they had married in St. Paul's Cathedral. Of course her funeral was also held at the Abbey. That's another use of the Abbey, major funeral and Royal weddings. In recent years that’s included Prince Andrew in 1986 and Princess Anne in 1973. As Mark commented, both now long since divorced.

And then it was all over. I really did enjoy this and thought it was worth the £6 admission charge, but not being able to video or take photos did leave a sour taste in my mouth. I don't mind if there’s a good reason, but I couldn't see one. Sure no flash photography, but otherwise what's the problem? I thought it maybe so that they could sell more guidebooks and photos in the gift shop, but the selection in there was, quite frankly, appalling and I didn't even get a guidebook, they were that bad. They didn't have that many photos in and one was very out of date. That was really the only disappointing part of our visit there. I would have loved some photos of the inside of the building, as it so beautiful, but all I have is my memories.

Once outside, we took a few more photos and then set off to try and get an adapter for Maureen and Kevan, as their video camera battery needed charging. We soon found an Army and Navy store, a department store and sure enough they had exactly what they were looking for. It turned out to be the bargain of the day at just £4. They told us that in the States that would cost around $20!

Next: “keep close to the person in front of you like a member of your family!”