DAY 1 - On September 28 I finally left on my trip to London and Paris!! I left Portland Saturday morning, flew through Dallas and on to London Gatwick. Arrived at Gatwick about 8:00am. I went to the hotel to meet my folks that had arrived earlier. They were not in and the room not ready so I went for a walk around Mayfair. Pretty quiet on a Sunday morning. Went back to the hotel and had some breakfast. Mom and Dad came back and we waited a bit for the room. We finally got to the room and it was not adequate for the property and proice being paid. Stained carpets and leaky plumbing fixtures. We called another place and they had room so off we went. My folks belong to an upscale timeshare program and the place we were at originally was not living up to their claims. We got into another place called 51 Buckingham Gate. They have apartment homes with hotel amenities. Very upscale and they treated us like royalty! We got checked in and unpacked and went off exploring. We bought our tube passes on the way to dinner. We ate at The Albert Pub and then afterward took the Tube to Trafalgar Square. We took pictures by the fountain and walked up the street to check the plays being shown. After this we headed back to the hotel and were in bed by 9:00pm, an exhausting day 1!

DAY 2 - We get up and have breakfast in. The hotel staff has stocked the kitchen with groceries that we ordered. We look at the maps and decide what to do this day. We hop on the tube for Covent Garden. It was very busy and we came accross a crowd watching a street performer. We look through the shops in the area and head back towards Trafalgar Square. We looked through the British Museum Portrait Gallery. After this we find a place for lunch and I forget what happens next. I am winging it here as I didnt keep a journal and am going by memory. The folks went to a play that night and I partied in SOHO. I want to LIVE in SOHO, I loved it to pieces. What a great place! More to come.

DAY 3 - Today I went off on my own. I took the tube to Picadilly Circus after breakfast and took a walk around SOHO. I bought a 2 day pass on the Open Tour bus. I rode around the city beginning in Picadilly Circus. I met a nice couple from Boston that had just arrived that morning. They were getting the feel for the layout of the city by taking the tour. I got off at St. Pauls Cathedral and walked through there. Walked up to the dome, and on up more to the outside balcony. Great view of the city. Walk back down to the main level, and down to the crypts. Had lunch in The Crypt Cafe...how apetizing..Got back on the bus and toured around some more. Got off the bus at Tower Hill and took the tube back to SOHO. After another walk around SOHO, went back for a nap and then out to dinner with the folks. After dinner, more nightlife exploring the clubs.

DAY 4 - After breakfast, take the train to Hampton Court Palace. Took the audio tour. I liked this because it was self paced and I could skip the parts that were uninteresting. It was cool to see how they lived back in the day. Took 3 hours or so there then back to town. I stopped in to Harrods and had some lunch, did some shopping. What an amazing store! Very upscale and each department carried every brand you can imagine, and some you never would.

Day 4 - continued

I could have spent the day in Harrods. I was amazed at the size of the departments. They were larger than most stores and included a very large selection. When you went to the Armani section, you saw the ENTIRE LINE. I dont think there is anything they don't carry. After this I went back to the hotel for a nap before dinner.

Hi Cole,

Sounds interesting.

Sounds like you enjoyed seeing the city, anxious to hear the rest of London and your Paris experience! Thanks for sharing.

DAY 5 - This was my Stepmom's Birthday so we went to Harrods for Afternoon Tea. I had originally wanted to go to Brown's because I had heard it was so great, but we had a good time at Harrods. It was quiet and leisurely and the service was good. After this we shopped a little and looked at the antiques and the food halls. We also looked at the jewelry. It seems like you are in a store within a store.

The same afternoon we took a London Walk through the Mayfair District. Very interesting tour of some old homes of the wealthy in London. There were also some quaint old squares and side streets that we might have otherwise missed, including the red light district. The tour started at Green Park tube station.

DAY 6 - Tower of London. This was one of my favorite outings on the trip. I got there first thing at 9:00am and went straight to the Jewel House. I had the room to myself as I went round and round again to see the Crown Jewels, no queues. After this I went back for a guided tour that lasted about 2 hours, then I wandered around the grounds and different buildings. After this I hopped back on the Tube and met the folks for lunch. After lunch we went to see Mamma Mia. What a great play! It went too fast and before we knew it it was over, about 2.5 hours with intermission.