Cheerio... mmmm Cheerios... honey nut are my favorite!
Oh, wait! Wrong topic! Now where was I? Ah yes, the continuation of my travelogue...
Sunday, May 14th -- Across the Pond
Well, really it's across the Channel. Cassey and I had a few moments to relax, check out the duty-free shops, eat a snack, etc. They finally called our section of the plane and we boarded, finding seats across the aisle from one another -- which actually worked just as well as sitting next to one another. Cassey started plotting our itinerary for London and I dozed. No free drinks or snacks on this plane -- everything costs, so we made do without.
We had gotten instructions from my cousin Suzanne about how to get to her flat and it all went like clockwork... that is until "Milky White" -- my suitcase (Bway fans of "Into the Woods" may understand why I called my bag that) bit the dust. Or its strap did anyway. I could no longer pull it behind me (drag it?). It would have to be carried. Um... it was really heavy!! But we found a nice taxi driver who was willing to cart it about for me, and we finally made it to Weymouth Court.
OMG! If we thought staying in a Paris flat with a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine was wonderful... this was luxury! Like a five-star hotel! I knew Suzanne & Howard's flat would be very nice, but this was the balm we needed after a week of rushing in France. Our body-clocks immediately slowed down and we savored the nicities. S&H took us to dinner at a local pub. I wish I could remember now, the name of it. I had Fish & Chips with a hard cider and Cassey had Bangers & Mash. Once we got back, Suzanne helped us figure out what we wanted to do for the week and offered the phone for us to call our mothers since it was Mother's Day in the States. Of course, the house was full at home, so I spoke to just about everyone! :-)
Monday, May 15th -- *YAWN* *STRETCH*
Well, we didn't get the early start that we might've if we'd still been back in Paris. We took our time getting up and moving. Suzanne had scones and fruit for us for breakfast. We talked some more about our plans -- specifically that we wanted to go to afternoon tea. Sue said there were all sorts of places from which to choose and what kind of experience did we want? Cassey deferred to me on this, since it was something I really looked forward to doing. I told Sue that I didn't care about big and flashy (The Ritz) so much as something really authentic and lovely. She had a few ideas but pondered it more over the day. She had a tennis match with a friend, so she left Cassey and me to our own devices. Since we took it easy in the morning, we decided we didn't really have enough time to do anything big that day. However, we both had some shopping-type errands to take care of. Cassey's camera had gone wonky on her, so we went to the Snappy Snap camera shop to see if they could fix it. Cassey had thought it was a battery issue, but it turned out to be a film issue. They reloaded the camera with a new roll of film and all was well! As for me... I had to give up Milky White and look for a new suitcase. Sad, but I found one at a good price that is much more manuverable. So we came back, victorious with our errands, to a lovely homemade dinner by S&H. Conversation was as wonderful as the food! During the day, Suzanne had come up with the perfect place for us to have tea -- The Milestone across from Kensington Gardens. So she made a reservation for us and our Tuesday plans were all made.
Tuesday, May 16th -- One lump or two?
This was a big day for us! Much to do to make up for lost time the day before. After coffee and juice, we headed out to the National Gallery. There are, of course, many museums in London to visit, but we had been talking about all the Impressionists we had seen in France and I mentioned how much I love John Singer Sargent -- and lo and behold! Suzanne said we must go to the National Gallery because the special exhibit there was "Americans in Paris" -- paintings from all the Americans during that period. So American painters, in the French style in an English museum -- perfect! And the exhibit was wonderful and I got to see as many JSS to my heart's content. The museum is also well laid-out and easy to follow. We took a turn in the regular galleries as well to see a few artists we had, believe it or not, missed in France!
Now the National Gallery is right on Trafalgar Square -- and so is the church of Saint Martin of the Fields! So we hopped on over there to check it out (Cassey and I both being fairly musical and familiar with SMITF's reputation). Bought a few things at the gift shop and discovered that they would be doing the Mozart Requiem on Friday. We had talked of getting tickets to another show at the West End, but this clinched the deal. We went and bought our tix for the concert. Once outside there was a man selling tix to the Big Bus tour, so we decided to get a pair to use the next day. The tour is great because you can hop on and off all day at all the sights, plus get commentary along the way -- but more on that later...
So luncheon... what did we eat? Something quick for sure since we'd be having tea later in the afternoon. I think that was the day we stopped at the Pret a Manger (Ready to Eat). You go in buy a sandwich or a bowl a soup and take it with you. It's sort of fast food, but the food is WAY better. I had a Chicken Caesar sandwich and Cassey had a Hoisin Duck wrap. Both were VERY good! So we came back, ate and relaxed a few moments, then got ready for the evening. Once we were all dolled up, Sue took a picture of us in our finery and we set out for the hotel.
The Milestone... what can I even say about this place? This is how all hotels should be. We were greeted at the door by a doorman -- but not some suspicious sort that gives everyone the fisheye to see if they belonged there. You come up the steps, you surely must belong! He held the door and ushered us in to the concierge desk. Since we weren't sure where to go, we asked the concierege for guidance. He not only pointed us in the right direction, he got up and showed us! We had occasion to ask this man several questions and each time he gave us personal attention in this manner. The tea was exquisite. Normally I wouldn't drink tea -- I'm not a big fan, but for some reason it tasted wonderful. We each got our own pot so we could drink the type that best suited us. Mine was a blend with lemon peel in it and Cassey drank Earl Grey (hot!). They also brought out the three tiered plate: sandwiches on the bottom, strawberry tarts and eclairs on the middle, and scones & clotted cream on the top. YUM-O! Since this was our dinner, we took our time and made the most of the food (it also wasn't exactly inexpensive). The room was cozy with sofas and window seats -- no formal table and chairs here. It was like having tea in the parlour of some duchess's apartments. Sigh...
Once we finished our tea, we set out for the theatre. This was something I was looking forward to even more than the tea because we'd gotten tickets in advance to see Dame Judi Dench in the Noël Coward play "Hayfever." It was sparkling and witty and wicked and great fun. Dame Judi was her usual amazing self! This was a real treat!! The theatre was beautiful too -- plush blue velvet seats and gilt decor. We were in the balcony, but still fairly close to the stage. No need for opera glasses here! :-)
When we got back, we gave S&H a brief recap of the evening and then headed off to bed.
Wednesday, May 17th -- *Hack* *Wheeze*
Well, naturally since I allowed my body to slow down all the nasties decided to attack! I started feeling it Monday night into Tuesday, but we had so much planned that I wouldn't let myself stop. But come Wednesday morning Cassey & Suzanne both decided I needed to stay in and rest. And to be honest I was relieved... so Cassey went on the bus tour without me. The tickets are good for awhile, so I could still use mine later. In the meantime, I dozed awhile... had a nice cousinly chat with Suzanne... read... coughed... blew my nose... you get the idea. Suzanne fixed another nice supper for us and we headed to bed early since the next day would prove another busy day.
Thursday, May 18th -- Not all who wander are lost
No, we didn't get lost at all. I just had to use that quote because it's a Tolkien quote and our host this day reminded me very much of the dear Professor. I felt a bit better on Thursday, but I rallied to take the train to Bath with Cassey. We've been so looking forward to get to the countryside. Rex Savidge met us at the train station, and as I mentioned, looked very much the English gentleman. Crisp shirt, ascot, courderoy jacket... He first drove us around a bit to see the Cotswold -- actually now that I think of it, we did get a bit turned around! But that was part of the fun. The English countryside is quite beautiful -- and the weather changeable! We had drizzle, sunshine and puring rain within an hour's time! We stopped in the town of Lacock, a pretty, typical village. Lots of Tudor-ish buildings and churches, including the one where Lady Camilla's daughter recently married in. Rex is the perfect guide on such a tour as he's an architect and had insight to all the structures we visited.
After our tour, Rex took us to his home to meet his lovely wife Audrey and to eat lunch. The house is quite wonderful. Though it looked very much the English village house on the outside, he had renovated it all inside and you could see that Frank Lloyd Wright had been an influence on his design style. It was very open with clean lines and large windows to bring the outside in -- and yet, like FLW's style it was very warm and inviting since he used so much natural material. Lunch was a delicious soup and bread -- and we sat right next to the Aga stove, which was toasty warm on a chilly day! (Check out what an Aga is here: http://www.aga-ranges.com/aga/ )
After luncheon we piled back in Rex's cute little scrunched Mercedes (I don't know the model name, I don't think we can get it here) and headed to Bath. They showed us the "crescents" and we walked the town, including stopping at Bath Abbey where the very first King of England was crowned! But no trip to Bath is complete without stopping at The Pump Room to "take the waters." Cassey & I both indulged and our hosts were eager to see how we fared with the metallic-tasting water. We both shrugged and said it tastes like well water at home and drained our cups. LOL! The entrance to the ancient Roman baths are also here, but we did not really have the time to tour them. We did, however, take a few photos.
We did a bit of shopping in the town. We were determined to check out a tea shop after our experience at The Milestone, and we both found cups and pots, etc. to take home. Once we checked out all the sights of Bath (we didn't have time at the Jane Austen museum either -- it seems we must come back!), we headed back to Rex & Audrey's for tea. Before we went in, however, Audrey took Cassey & me across the street to show us their village church. She is very fond of it and we were honored to be able to see it.
By this time, I was feeling pretty worn out and our hosts took great care of me! They added a little "extra" in my tea and gave me cough drops for later. While at the house, Rex gave us a full tour, telling us of all the changes he made. We also got a look at the garden, which has the loveliest view of the hills of the countryside. Conversation was lively and interesting and ranged over many topics, including architecture!
Before our trip back to London, Rex & Audrey took us to dinner at a charming local inn called The White Hart. I opted for pasta, but Cassey and our hosts went for the more traditional fish & chips and mushy peas!
Finally though, it was time to head to our train. We had the most delightful time in Bath and I would be eager to go back given half a chance (and a full pocketbook!)!
Friday, May 19th -- Big Ben isn't that big!
Well, it's still big -- but I was somewhat surprised that it wasn't a bit taller. Today Cassey and I split up in the morning again. She explored Portobello Road and Nottinghill and the flea markets while I finally got to take my double-decker bus tour. It really is a great way to see the city and I stayed on the bus until late in the tour when it stopped at Westminster, which is where we planned on meeting up.
I got there a little early, so I checked out the gift shop (I think I've been in every one in France & England!) and found a few last minute souveniers, including a jam spoon which we'd both been looking for. I got one for each of us!
Finally we met up and went inside. It is a huge place and seems more of a crypt than a church now. So many famous names -- heads of state, kings & queens, poets, composers... I was particularly excited to see the tomb of King Henry V! Oh, and Queen Elizabeth I! Not to mention Handel, Sir Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, Winston Churchill... not all were actually tombs, but memorial plaques. We heard a bit of a rehearsal of the choir singing. And the cloisters there are almost as lovely as Mont-Saint-Michel.
After we'd seen our fill of famous graves, we went searching for Temple Church, which is featured promiently in The DaVinci Code. We could see on the map where it SHOULD be, but couldn't find a major thoroughfare to get to it. Finally we found a sort of alley-street that was gated off. It seemed to be the only way in, so we took it on as an adventure and went in! We guessed right and if you go see the movie, you will see Langdon, Sophie and Teabing go down the very same street as we did! The church itself is rather interesting as the more ancient part of the church is round and very bare with only the effigies of the Templar Knights on the floor. The actual sanctuary (which is quite pretty) is of a much later period.
After that it was pretty late in the afternoon, so we headed back to the flat to freshen up to go to the concert at Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields. We had pasties while searching for Temple Church, so didn't eat any dinner as we thought we'd try to catch something after the concert.
Mozart's Requiem is a beautiful piece and it was well-done, but honestly it really wasn't anything stellar. We had expected a bit more from them. Still, we enjoyed it -- and the chamber group that opened the concert was quite, quite good. The atmosphere was very cool too, as they lined the church with votives and turned off the "house" lights.
We were both hungry, but I wasn't up to tromping around in search of a restaurant, so we went almost across the street to Garfunkle's. The place is actually quite American and we told ourselves that we were transitioning back to our usual customs. Back to the flat to pack for our departure in the morning and into bed.
Saturday, May 20th -- Adieu, Au Revoir, Ta-ta, Cheers!
Got up in plenty of time to repack in hopes of keeping our baggage manageable. Suzanne took us to the train station, which would then in turn take us to Gatwick Airport to catch our flight home. Most of our transportation (apart from that mishap with the taxis in Paris) had gone smoothly. Nothing went wrong at Gatwick, but it did take us quite some time to get our boarding passes and checking our luggage and getting through Customs and carting our carry-ons, which had grown exponentially... still, the flight was fine. We watched "Narnia" on the way to Minneapolis. And I tried to doze, but I was coughing quite a bit still. I hated being the passenger that everyone was afraid was contaminating everyone else -- but hey! Someone did it to me first! Anyway, we got back into the US with no problem... just had to wait in a long line to get through Immigration and Customs. Strangely while waiting in line, I noticed a woman in a wheelchair being pushed by a man -- and wouldn't you know it was a couple I knew from my home parish?? They had been to Poland touring all the Pope JPII sights. The layover in Minneapolis seemed interminably long, but finally we boarded our plane and headed home at last. Mom & Dad met us at Baggage Claim and I think we were both very glad to be home!
It was an awesome trip!! And we learned some lessons while traveling. I think on the whole we did a great job on our own. We saw a lot and did a lot! But next time I'll be much more aware of transportation costs. I don't know if we could've been more frugal with that, but we certainly didn't expect it. Thank goodness we didn't have to worry about lodging! My pix turned out great and I'll be posting some of them here on my 360° page, but in the meantime if you want to see them and haven't already, shoot me an email!
