Paddling my kayak alone, day three

Sunday mornings in London always start slower for me. Usually, I stay out late on Saturday evenings, photographing the beautiful London night. I like to sleep in on Sunday mornings, paying homage to the Grosvenor House bed monster.

Once I got up and around, I decided to head to the Sunday morning art market that runs along Bayswater Street. Not much had changed from the February market, except the artist I was looking for wasn’t there! I was so disappointed. From there, I decided to soak up the beautiful London weather in Hyde Park. It was seriously a beautiful day – the whole weekend was beautiful. I bought an ice cream cone from a vendor, and I sat for hours, legs stretched out, watching the families and children enjoy the beautiful day. It was so relaxing. I just wanted to stay out there forever.

From Hyde Park, I caught a bus and headed to Westminster Cathedral – there is a difference. It’s beautiful, too, but not quite as stately or ostentatious as Westminster Abby. It was nearing time for vespers though, so the bells were ringing. From there, I walked back towards Victoria Station and headed off in the direction of Buckingham Palaca, hoping to jog my memory from my layover in London. I found the Royal Mews, but nothing else looked familiar. After visiting Buckingham Palace, I walked along the mall through St. James Park, which is quite a bit larger than I thought. It’s an interesting walk along the path though – many beautiful buildings.

As I made my way to Westminster, with hopes of watching the sunset over the Thames, I encountered a writer who stopped me to talk about how I had the most positive energy surrounding me. We chatted for awhile – photographer to writer, and I continued on my way. I bought postcards from a vendor, found a bench in front of County Hall, and spent another hour, soaking up the beauty of everything. From there, I decided to head down to the Tower of London, another beautiful place to sit and enjoy. I love the Tower Bridge, and on late Sunday afternoon, it seems like you have the place to yourself. Lovely.

As the night started to cool down, I hopped on a bus to St. Paul’s. It was completely deserted. Rarely will you ever be able to stand in front of this beautiful structure and feel as if you are the only person in the whole world experiencing its beauty. I made it Trafalgar Square (again) as the sky was beginning to turn purple, and I watched twilight overcome Big Ben in the distance. Beautiful, beautiful moment.

It was time to look for dinner by then, so I hopped on a bus until I found Chinatown. I proceeded to follow my nose from place to place until I had my fill of Asian street foods. I must have walked miles that day, but never even felt them pass. I decided to call it an “early” night, stopping off at a grocery for my last bit of chocolate before retiring to the hotel around 10:00.

London is such a beautiful city, because the old favourites are always standing strong, tried and true, but there are always new neighborhoods to explore. This time it was Chinatown. Last time it was Seven Dials. One day I’ll make it to all the places in London – or perhaps I won’t. That way, I’ll always have a reason to return. I did a lot of thinking on this trip and I made a lot of decisions about my personal life.

There’s no better place for contemplation than a park in London when it’s 70 degrees and sunny.

Oh, beautiful world.

Paddling my kayak alone, London Day 2

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling well rested and ready to take on another day in London. First order of business: a memory card! I decided to head to Piccadilly Circus, because I figured I would be able to find something there since the tourists are out in droves. I found an independently owned photo shop, and I chatted it up with the owner. He knew my camera and told me a lot of things about it – then he showed me what he had in the way of memory cards. 40 pounds later, I had a 2 gig memory card. OUCH. I have learned to never make that mistake again.

However, he was a kind soul, and I felt better patronizing a local business. He even took a couple of pictures of me with my camera to show some different features and lighting.

My second stop was, of course, Leicester Square, for Saturday evening theater tickets. Again, I got hosed, lol. They advertised the tickets as being discounted, but the price I paid was higher than the face value. GRRRRR. I ended up with tickets to Sister Act, which was schedule to open a week later at the Palladium theater – another massive theater by London standards. I did get a good seat though – row L, front and center.

My third stop was Waterstones books, on a mission for the lovely Julie. Her daughter, Ava, loves the Ladybug books, and apparently they are really expensive in the US. They are 2-3 pounds in the UK, so Julie sent me a laundry list of the books she wanted for Ava. Two stores later, I had collected all of them. I decided to wander down Oxford Street to get back to my hotel, and there was a festival going on for the release of Night at the Museum. It was crazy! There was a parade and vendors and TONS of people. It was fun to see how caught up it everyone got, though it made navigating the streets a little difficult.

From there, I dropped off the books at the hotel and decided to head to Kensington Palace and Gardens. I had walked through this area on my first trip to London and embracing my inner nostalgia, I decided to head back. It was a beautiful day in London, and I wanted to be outside, soaking it all up! The gardens were BEAUTIFUL, and I loved photographing the beautiful flowers. There were also a few sweet old couples muttering sweet nothings to each other, so I just sat and watched. What a beautiful moment to share. You just wonder what their stories are and how they ended up there, too. At least, I do. ;-) I did spend quite a bit of time trying to stay far, far away from the bees though. They were out in numbers! I guess they enjoy beautiful weather, too.

I headed back to the hotel to rest my feet and get ready for the show. I always have a hard time remembering that London has a 7:30 curtain time for most shows. I headed down Regent Street to find an Italian restaurant that was written up in my guidebook, but I couldn’t find the side street for the life of me. I decided to see what was around the Palladium, and guess what I found? Wait for it… Bella Italia, again. I realized that I was probably bordering on the absurd visiting the same restaurant again, but they had outdoor seating and I knew the food was good. So, away I went. I did decide to order something different this time – I ordered their pizza, and it was excellent! Light and tasty, just like Italy! After dinner, I had a bit of time to kill, so I headed to the Apple store to check my email for free and ponder the beautiful iMac.

Sister Act was absolutely nothing like the movie with none of the same music – that was disappointing. BUT, as a standalone show, it was AWESOME. The cast was PHENOMENAL. The woman who played Delores, played by Patina Miller, had a set of pipes. She was SO talented. She is going to go FAR, trust me. It was a really fun show with beautiful sets and costumes, though it was inappropriate in the way that only British musicals can be inappropriate. It worked though – the show was excellent. I don’t know if it will make it to Broadway or not, but the London theatre scene LOVED it. They were on their feet before curtain calls even started. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a show that was as well received as Sister Act. The notable exception being Guys and Dolls, but the critics HATED that. It may not have any humdingers, but it’s still an entertaining show, once.

After the musical, I boarded a bus for Westminster Abby for my evening photo rounds. Unfortunately, I seemed to get off at the wrong stop, so I had quite a trek. Luckily, I know my way around fairly well, and I managed to get over there. I spent awhile taking pictures of Big Ben, wandering on both sides of Westminster Bridge. A guy and I made eyes at each other, but I started to get uncomfortable, so I headed off. He was probably a nice enough lad, but I was just dubious. I’m so not that girl. I don’t do well with it, at all.

I hopped on a bus shortly after midnight to head back to the hotel, knowing that the fountains at Trafalgar Square usually turn off at midnight. I stopped again at the Tesco Station and bought chocolate to enjoy back in my room. When I arrived at the hotel, there was clearly a big event going on – men in tuxes and women in the most gorgeous evening gowns I’ve ever seen. I pondered going to sit in the hotel bar and people watching, but I decided I really didn’t have the appropriate attire, so I retired for the night. Another beautiful day in London… and beautiful men before bed to boot! ;-)

Friday in London -- paddling my kayak alone...

Friday in London always starts the same for me. Heathrow Express to Paddington, black cab to Grosvenor House, and off to the West End for theater tickets and to email my mom from the visitor's center. I had planned to see what was available at the TKTS booth and play it by ear. When I arrived, there wasn’t much of a line, but there wasn’t much of a selection either. I headed across the street to another ticket outlet and picked up tickets for Wicked. I had hoped to see Dirty Dancing or Jersey Boys, but the seats weren’t too great, so I chose Wicked. Haven’t seen it in London, so it seemed like a good choice.

From Leicester Square, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and head to Kensington. On my first overnight trip to London, I stayed in a little hotel off Kensington High Street, and I wanted to go back and make sure everything is the same. There’s also some fun shopping off the High Street, including Laura Ashley. Everything is still the same – and The Muffin Man is still there! I was thrilled! The Boots (think CVS or Walgreens) over there is really nice, too. They even carry YSL cosmetics. Unfortunately, they didn’t have their prices listed, so I couldn’t compare costs. I wandered along Kensington High Street, pondered purchases at Laura Ashley (if I had only remembered that there’s a VAT refund!!), found a TJ Maxx (in London? Really?!), and eventually hopped on a bus headed towards Harrod’s for lunch. Believe it or not, Harrod’s has food stalls that are reasonably priced and tasty! I also wandered through the beautiful children’s department and lamented the fact that Kimberly is having a boy. They had the sweetest little girl clothes! It’s so fun to just wander around in there – I’ve been multiple times, and I always get lost, and I’m confident I haven’t seen a FRACTION of the whole place.

I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the show, with the idea that I might just grab a pre-theater snack, and do a meal after the show. However, my stomach was disagreeing with that idea from the get go. The Apollo Theater isn’t as close to the West End as the other theaters, so I didn’t know of anything near the theater. As I started to wander, a branch of my little Italian restaurant found on my last trip caught my eye. Bella Italia it would be.

I decided to start with an appetizer of the Garlic Grossini, which was basically breadsticks served in olive oil and sprinkled with garlic. They were fairly tasty, but I know they have to be terrible for me. It did help to curb my appetite a little though. I ordered my standard – the linguine rustica. It was very fresh, warm, and the flavours were WONDERFUL. This is the best pasta dish – rich with flavor. One thing I love about the Bella Italia restaurants is how cosy they are. You just get a warm feeling from the moment you walk in the door. I spent the meal reading a newspaper and enjoying the company of myself. The waitress was incredibly kind.

Wicked. Oh Wicked, what can I say? I love you so much, but you just don’t seem to work with British accents. The staging was beautiful, the music is incredible, but the cast with British accents just doesn’t work. That being said, my discounted ticket was center stage, row T, and I had an excellent view of everything. The Apollo Theater is HUGE by London standards, so you’ll want the best seats you can afford. They had a water globe for sale that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and I seriously considered buying it to commemorate my trip. I decided it might be a hassle with TSA though.

After the show, I figured I’d walk from Victoria to Trafalgar Square to Westminster on a photo walk. Switched on the camera to photograph the Billy Elliott Theater and it started flashing at me: “NO CF card”. I FORGOT MY MEMORY CARD.

I wanted to cry. And kick myself. And I knew exactly where it was. Back home in my card reader.

First item on Saturday’s agenda: buy memory card.

I headed back to Grosvenor House by bus, stopping at the gas station for a PowerAde and a chocolate bar. Oh how I love European chocolate.

Luckily, my comfortable bed and beautifully appointed room soothed my feelings about forgetting the memory card. Grosvenor House is seriously the happiest place on Earth, though I am disappointed they got rid of the free computer in the lobby. You can now use the business center upstairs -- at a price.

"No minute gone ever comes back again. Take heed and see ye nothing do in vain." -- clever saying on a clock tower off Marlborough Street (shown above).

Paddling my kayak alone, London 2009

This was my second trip to London this year, and I ended up paddling my kayak alone, as Mary Beth had plans to visit a spa for the bank holiday weekend, and no one else wanted to come with me. I had originally planned a trip to Copenhagen, but when AA offered their DEQM promotion again, I changed my ticket and headed to London town.

I ran by DFW early Thursday morning to check about an upgrade. No dice. I headed back to the airport around 4:00 that afternoon and asked about standing by for the 7:15pm flight. No standbys on international flights. (It's worth asking, right?) So, I headed to Reata for dinner, bought a day pass for the Admirals Club, and settled in for a couple hours of reading and email checking in the lounge.

Head down to the gate around 8:00pm. See my name on the upgrade list. Go ask agent if it's my name. She confirms it is and says they really need my seat. Asks me how I'd like to pay. I offer up the least expensive option -- denied. My ticket is booked into a different class. I offer up cold, hard cash. Denied. It's $5600. I mention the six magic words. She smiles, hands me my new boarding pass, and I'm on my way. No cash left my pocket. Incredible. Absolutely incredible.


We boarded around 8:30, and I settled into my biz seat, visions of being able to rest peacefully and waking up refreshed dancing in my head. I've said it once, I'll say it again. American Airlines' business class far eclipses the business class I experienced on United in February. The menu is better (though on this trip I only managed to barely stay away and enjoy my ice cream sundae), the IFE is exceptional, and the service is stellar. I cannot say enough good things about AA business class. The lie flat seats are comfortable, the blankets are soft on the skin, and the new amenity kits are GREAT! This girl has been converted to an AA flyer for life. They definitely have the superior product and service when it comes to AA vs. United.

As I said, I managed to stay away just long enough to enjoy an ice cream sundae before falling asleep. I can promise you we weren't even two hours in flight by the time I nodded off.

I woke up just in time for breakfast and I enjoyed my fresh fruit and yogurt before filling out my arrivals forms. We landed at Heathrow around lunchtime, which is a bit later than I like to start my day, but the sun was shining and within minutes I had boarded the Heathrow Express to Paddington.

Final Destination: Grosvenor House -- my favourite hotel in the world.

Chelsea Flower Show -- London

Closing weekend of the Chelsea Flower show will occur while I am in London. I will have to attend.