JN

We just returned from six days/nts in London and I thought I'd share a few highlights. I'll probably do several installments, rather than a single tome.

Left on June 7th--flew NWA from Iowa to Detroit-Gatwick. NWA is a slice--air conditioner didn't work when the aging DC10 was on the ground, so it must have been 100 in there when we took our seats--it was in the 90s in Detroit. We, though, had it easy compared to the flight crew, who had been on the plane for over an hour before we boarded.

I had a bulkhead seat due to recent back injury. Thought I'd be golden, but it seemed like seats were 2" apart. This is the first time we've flown to Europe in coach on NWA. Can't say it was the worst, though last year's flight on American seemed more comfortable.

The flight was more than eventful. A person seated next to me, who had to be about 6-4, 225, was having a rough time--talking aloud to himself, exhibiting unusual mannerisms, became annoid with the person on his other side (who eventually asked to be moved) when their arms touched, and eventually argued with the cabin crew when they asked him to calm down and later to keep his cell phone off. He finally went to sleep, though and after a rocky start, things calmed down.

Long lines at passport control (wish I had been British--much quicker) and chaos at the luggage area (where our airplane friend described above was seen alternatingly to take pictures of random travelers with his cell phone, spin wildly and laugh aloud for no apparent reason. My conclusion was that he had significant mental health problems and was not on his meds. We eventually found a porter that we had arranged for after a helpful tip from FlannerUK, headed to the Gatwick Express and made it to Victoria Station without a hitch.

Surfergirl

Starting off with more of the lowlights than the highlights (as my hairdresser would say)! Hope actually being on the ground was better for you. I'm starting to get shades of the Griswolds in London and their encounter with Eric Idle!

JN

Our London experience itself was wonderful. The weather on several days was sunny and in the 70s; we had a few mixed sun/cloud days in the 60s and no rain to speak of. Only needed to wear a jacket twice--which I thought beat the odds.

Trip Highlights:
--Windsor Castle: I realized that I had little knowledge of how expansive and elegant the state rooms were and even less about the charming town of Windsor itself. Had a pint of Caffreys Irish ale at the Royal Oak pub next to the train station, which had a nice beer garden.

--St. Paul's Cathedral: The major cleaning/restoring project was completed just before we arrived and the results were stunning--this is a beautiful cathedral and we were lucky to latch on to a student tour group and learned more than we might have from just the travel books and brochures

--Greenwich: Went to the former Royal Naval college, Royal Observatory and Maritime Museum. This was a fun trip. Besides the beauty of Greenwich itself, each of these places proved to either have beautifully adorned rooms (Naval College) or fascinating displays about how longitude for ships at see was finally determined (Observatory) or information on ships/naval warfare (Museum). Of course, it's fun to stand with one leg in each hemisphere at the Observatory. For only one GBP, you can even get a printed receipt showing the exact date and time of your historic visit--hokey but fun to do. Did you know that Halley, from Halley's comet fame, was the second royal astronomer at the observatory. It's true; Brochures never lie

JN

I'd have to say that one of my goals this trip was to make as many Pub visits as I could. Our friends have a flat in Westminster, right next to the Cathedral (unlucky them and us :+)), so I had made a list of area pubs rated "3 Pints" or higher by Fancyapint.com. I am proud (or should I be embarrased?) to say I made most of them. Our favorites:
1) Cask & Glass just off Palace street--cozy, tiny pub with small town feel and very friendly staff and customers. Lots of flowers outside, a few outdoor tables and horse racing on the television

2) Two Chairmen on Dartmouth Street--cool interior, friendly staff and good food. Go down/up the narrow steep stairways to the mens/womens room at your peril if you've tipped a few pints.

3) The Cardinal, just off Thirleby behind Westminster Cathedral--local pub that is a beauty inside. Serves Sam Smith and, surprisingly, Ayinger Pils and Weissbier from Germany. Interestingly, the famous Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in the city also serves Samuel Smith and Ayinger products.

4) Westminster Arms--not surprisingly, on a sidestreet near Westminster Abbey. Cool, angular bar area, outdoor seats and serving many beers--including Adnams Broadside, my favorite ale on the trip.

5) Coach and Horses near Westminster Abbey--best steak and ale pie--nice outdoor beer garden

Actually, I probably could list almost all of the many, many pubs we visited as having something good to offer. When I grow up, I hope to become an alcoholic.

JN

As far as artsy stuff, we loved both the National Gallery and Tate Britain. I enjoy JMW Turner's scenes of ships at sea and the latter had literally dozens of these, along with some Constable's and other British artists. We had alotted too little time for the National Gallery had to get to more pubs, you know) so focussed on the impressionist era works and a few others.

Saw Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace. Fortunately, I'm an anal planner and had gotten tickets as soon as they were available. It paid off this time: 6th row seats on the center aisle. The music and dancing were wonderful. The youngster playing Billy, the boxing coach, the grandma, and Billy's older brother were terrific. I kept comparing the dad to the excellent performance of the movie actor, and felt it came up short. My spouse said I was just trying to out-curmudgeon the art critics.

Surfergirl

Doing an entire report on pubs would be good. I don't think anyone has done that on this site.

I worked in a little office by St. Paul's some years ago, and in a four year weekly pub crawl period, I still didn't discover all of them, although did find several good holes in the wall (in some cases, literally).

JN

Alas, after six very fast days, we had to return. Flight to Detroit was uneventful--thankfully. Seats were actually better--a bulkhead aisle with about 10' of legroom.

This good fortune felt too good to be true--which it turned out to be when it was announced that our flight to Iowa was cancelled. So, after about 2 hours of waiting for things to be sorted out, we experienced firsthand the charms of the airport Best Western. Actually, the bed felt good, as did the shower, and they had a nice breakfast, all courtesy of NWA. Had I chosen to wait for them to pull our luggage, I could have had a clean outfit for the next morning's flight home. Nothing like wearing the same outfit two days in a row--I'm sure my fellow passengers enjoyed it.

In all, we enjoyed our visit to London and came away even more in awe of the amazing sights, history and venues. In that way, it's a lot like Iowa. LOL.

Bree

Strangely, the only person from Iowa I've ever been personally acquainted with said the same thing about the state!

One question: how crowded was Windsor Castle when you were there? I'm thinking of going when I'm in London later this month, but I've read horror stories about 45-minute waits to get into the state apartments, and I don't think I want to deal with that.

JN

We were there on a weekday in early June and the weather was cool, so it was not very crowded--no wait whatsoever. I'm told that summers, and weekends in particular, are a different story. The multiple snaking rope dividers outside the royal apartments suggests that there are indeed times with long lines.

janis

JN: What a great report. Enjoyed reading every word of it. I could go to Tate Britain for the Turners every trip and not tire of them.

Bree: The queues for both the State Apartments and Queen Mary's Doll House can indeed be VERY long. 45 - 60 minutes is not unusual. But if you go in the morning before the crowds arrive you probably won't find any lines at all.