HeatherH

One warning before I even begin - I had tons of fun and loved my trip, so I am going to share a LOT of it - as in bunches of stupid little details! So, it will be LONG!

We (my sister and I) were supposed to fly out of Memphis International Airport at around 3:00, and land in Chicago a little over an hour before our flight to London would be boarding. TIGHT connection, we thought, but the airline customer service rep assured us it would be fine. It wasn't. We had to stay overnight in Chicago, fly to Dulles airport the next morning, then spend a long, mindless, boring day there before flying to London. The airline (of course) refused to pay for a hotel room for us, but they did (thank you United customer service rep in Chicago whose name I don't remember) upgrade us so that we could actually sleep all the way to London. We finally landed at Heathrow on Sunday morning at 6:30 (about 24 hours after we were supposed to land), and found our driver (booked through justairports.com, good price, driver that picked us up was a bit of a ______, but return driver was great), and got to our hotel (Days Inn Westminster) around 8. The hotel was MUCH more than I had hoped for (I was afraid it would be like a Motel 8 or Super 8 or whatever they are called), but it was fine. Plain, but rooms were fairly good sized, it was VERY clean, and the Victoria Station was a 10 minute walk down the road and the Pimlico Station was even closer, with a bus stop less than 20 feet from the door. We both got "refreshed" (yeah, as in showers, fresh makeup, etc) and headed out to Victoria Station, where we bought 7 day travelcards and took the tube up to Camden Market.

Camden market was fun, fairly crowded, but we had a good time. The canal was fun to watch (hadn't seen a lock fill with water before) and the people were cool. I don't think we really bought much, just walked around mostly. After about 3 hours, we started looking for the bus stop so we could go to Highgate cemetery, but the bus stop that the london transport website said to go to didn't show the bus we were supposed to take. We were tired of walking (and freezing cold) so we gave up after about an hour and took the tube to Piccadilly Circus for the end of the St Patrick's Day parade, which was pretty funny. It started to rain, so we went into a Tesco Metro and bought stuff (a Cadbury milk tray because I wanted to see what Bridget Jones kept harping about and a box of Kleenex because we had never seen Kleenex for men before, etc) and then went to meet a friend at some weird themed restaurant called The Rainforest Cafe. We couldn't find it (I think our brains were dead by this time) and got really sick of riding escalators to different levels in the Trocadero, so we gave up (again) and just went to Planet Hollywood (still can't believe we actually ate here. stupid, I know) and got a burger, then went back to the hotel via tube, stopping at Sainsbury's to buy a phone card. Crashed around 9, got up next morning about 6:30 - YAY no jet lag!

HeatherH

Sorry - I'll try to cut down on the length some, if anyone is even still reading after that overly long intro.

Day 2
Left the hotel around 8:15, walked to Victoria Station, and got tickets for The Original Tours hop on/off bus ride. Well worth the 15 GBP! We stayed on until we got to St Paul's Cathedral, hopped off, but there was a funeral going on, so we walked to the Museum of London, stopping on the way at a cafe for a late breakfast (cappucino and croissant - the only breakfast I can eat!). We loved the Museum of London - very interesting, loved the layout! I think our favorite was the 1920's exhibit (which we had to pay to get into, not much though, and worth it!). Then, walked back to St Paul's, which we also enjoyed. There was a service going on, which I listened to as DS climbed up to the dome. She thought it was interesting, but I still think I got the better end of it (beautiful service, despite the people walking around talking). We hopped back on the bus, got a very funny commentator this time, and then got off at Trafalgar Square, where we took the requisite photos of us perched on one of the lions back and between the paws. Then to St. Martin-in-the-fields for a quick peek about, then I spied Waterstone's. (I love books, love to read, so this was heaven. Then again, all book stores are heaven). After W's, we headed back to the hotel because we were completely loaded down. Dropped off our (my) bags, then got ready for the theatre. We were running late, and ended up with less than an hour to eat before the show, but starving. We went to Galileo's (I think) right next to the theatre, it was ok, not great, but not really expensive either. Saw Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre - LOVED it. I was ready to be disappointed because I loved the book and liked the movie, but it was GREAT! We were about ten rows back, right behind the row with the chandelier above them. I'm still amazed! Then, took a taxi back to the hotel, called home to talk to my darling daughter, then slept!

Ohno! I did it again! I promise I'll try to make the rest shorter!

HeatherH

Day 3
Walked from our hotel to Waterloo Station (should have taken a bus or the tube, but wanted to have a look at some non-tourist destinations), met up with Richard from London Walks for the Salisbury/Stonehenge Explorer Day. Paid our 42 GBP and on our way we went! Explorer Days are kind of like two separate walks, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. We started in a park in Salisbury, and worked our way to Salisbury Cathedral. Salisbury is absolutely lovely, and the cathedral was stunning. The park was charming, there were swans swimming in the River Avon, and the 14th century houses (well, the backs of them) were so pretty! Anyway, we loved Salisbury, and the cathedral, and then we were off to Stonehenge. I have to disagree with people who didn't think it was worth the time to visit it - we were so glad we did. Maybe it was because of Richard, our guide. He was wonderful! Very informative, funny, and charming. (FYI: He also runs a bed and breakfast - if anyone is interested, I will dig up the info - his rates seemed VERY reasonable!). After Stonehenge, it was back to Salisbury for some more "free time" - we spent our lunch hour time going through the cathedral and the cathedral museum (if you are there, see the dead mouse!), so we were hungry. We went to Polly's Teahouse and got tea and scones - not very impressive I must say. Anyway, then it was back to the station, back to London, and back to the hotel because my knee was killing me (had surgery on it several years ago - it never healed right - the 5-10 miles of walking and the dozen + flights of stairs a day were already wearing on it.) So, when we got back to Waterloo station, we went to Boots for the english version of an Ace bandage and to Marks and Spencer to get a picnic supper, then to the hotel, and to bed.

Well, this part was a LITTLE shorter!

cigalechanta

Thanks Heather, I'm glad you had a great time but the weather was worse here. I love bookstores also. It was a sad day for me when Waterstone closed its doórs here. The last few days with the half empty shelves was sad as the last day, Peter Mayle gave the last reading there.Did you find the price for food high there?

sxn675

Thanks for posting! I'm leaving for 10 days in London and Paris on Sunday, so I appreciated all of the detailed information...

SueBee

I also love to read. Don't worry about this being too long.

HeatherH

Day 4
We took the bus to Westminster Abbey - wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! My favorite was Innocent's Corner or the Poet's Corner. Then, another bus to Piccadilly so we could go to Waterstone's (again), Hatchard's, Burlington Arcade (I think that is what it was called), and last but far from least - Fortnum and Mason. Ooh, that was Fun! We had tea in St James Restaurant - very nice! - then bought some wonderful biscuits and chocolates (plus some amazing preserves, tea, and coffee) then we went to the National Gallery where I wish we had been able to spend more time, but we did get to see the Sunflowers and the Waterlilies.

HeatherH

Day 5
Thursday, I went to the Globe Theatre. There wasn't a show going on, but I wanted to see the theatre (big Shakespeare fan) and it was great to go and see it, but now I want to go back and see a production there! The tour is definitely the most interesting part (wasn't crazy about the exhibit, but it was ok), the guides tell some funny little background stories. The painting on the ceiling of the stage were great - I wish I could do that! Then, after the Globe, I went to the Tower of London - wonderful tour! The guards were so nice and friendly. The tour was (again) a highlight of the visit. There wasn't a line for the crown jewels - if there was I probably wouldn't consider it worth the wait. Anyway, after spending all day at the Globe and the Tower, I was exhausted and just stopped by Sainsbury's that was near our hotel to get a sandwich instead of going to a restaurant.

HeatherH

Day 6
This was the only day of our trip that it really rained hard - so it was a good thing that we had planned indoor things to be doing!

We went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, very interesting. Loved the (glass?) design hanging over the information desk - think it was temporary. The pieces that were in the room just to the right of the entrance were my favorites. Then, we went to Harrods (yes, I know - but we couldn't resist!) We surprised ourselves and actual picked up a few things there. A bear for my darling daughter, and few clothing items. It wasn't really as expensive as I thought it would be (not that it is anywhere near cheap!) After shopping for clothes, toys, and books (yes, again!) we ate at a pizzeria in the food halls - pretty good, not great. We had so many bags, and it was raining really hard, so we just took a taxi back to the hotel. We ended up staying there for a while, then headed to Victoria Station (there is a shopping center attached, with a few stores and restaurants) for dinner. We ate at Garfunkel's (yes, it is a chain, but not really bad - there are lots of them, they aren't expensive, and the food was always pretty good) for like the second time. After that, more shopping at Sainsbury's (I love grocery stores!) to buy chocolates and stuff to bring home. DS is crazy about mint, so she got a collection (Bendick's?) that was really good. We ended up getting some for people as gifts - and I STILL haven't opened my milk tray. I have had it two weeks now and haven't gotten to it yet! Oh well, just something to remind me of my trip when I finally open it.

HeatherH

Day 7
It's saturday - so we get up early and go to the Portobello Road Market. Walking to it from the tube stop, we go into this little cafe (don't remember the name, but it is right next to a Starbucks outside the Notting Hill Gate tube stop) and had the ONLY bad meal of our trip. And it was BAD! We didn't even finish our coffee before we left. Anyway, the Portobello Road Market was my favorite market! We stayed for about 3 hours til it started getting crowded. Around ten, the floodgates opened! So, we left and headed to Paddington station to get a picture of the famous bear ( ) and get on a train to Windsor. We had lunch the Cinnamon Cafe (?) in the arcade of the train station, then headed up to the castle. We were in luck - the Queen was there! It was EXTREMELY windy, so we left the tour group to walk around by ourselves (we couldn't hear anything she said), and toured the state apartments (I thought they would be closed since the Queen was in residence, but maybe they only close if she is using them?), then saw the changing of the guard outside. Then, we saw the Queen's dog (or one of them anyway!) which was kind of cool - don't know why . We spent about an hour walking around the town, then got on a train back to London. Went to the hotel to drop off our bags, then headed to the Criterion Theatre at Piccadilly Circus for the Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). This was hilarious (and, yes, I bought an "I love my willy" tshirt for a friend back home!) The actors were so funny, but I am so glad we were far enough back that they didn't pull us onto the stage. We wondered around Piccadilly Circus for a while after the show, but left by midnight cause it was starting to get a little "iffy" - lots of people out looking for a fight that night!

HeatherH

Day 8
Slept in a little later on Sunday than other days - left the hotel around 10 to go to Hyde Park - just walked around for a while. I had to see Peter Pan and then we went to the north side (?) of the park for the Bayswater Road artists market. There was one artist who had the most gorgeous "nature" paintings - one with a small wooden bridge in a wood, one with a waterfall, and one with a stream. I would have bought the lot (I think the three combined were about 350 GBP - well worth it!) but had NO idea how to get them home and didn't want to ruin them trying to lug them back to the hotel. I could kick myself for not getting the artist's name and phone number! I have looked on the Bayswater Road site, but didn't see what I was looking for. ANyway, I ended up buying a small (maybe 12x15 inch) watercolor for about 30 GBP - a bargain! After the market, we took the tube and then a bus to the British Museum. This was actually my least favorite of the museums we went to - I think because it was so large, I couldn't seem to get a grip on it. I would have liked it a lot more if we had been able to spend a week or so going through it!

HeatherH

Day 9
Our last day We went to the Tower of London (my second visit this trip) so that DS could see it. The second visit, I am pleased to say, was just as interesting as the first! After that, we went shopping on Bond, Oxford, and Regent Streets. I spent way too much money, and bought way too much stuff. My favorite, a Burberry scarf (so cliched, I know!) and, surprisingly, my 10 GBP FCUK body spray! After this, we went to a Tesco Metro and bought all kinds of goodies to take to friends (and for ourselves) before walking through St James Park and being stalked by a squirrel. This squirrel kept following us and we thought it was going to attack us - then this gentleman comes out, leans down to it, sticks out his hand, and the little squirrel would just take food straight from his hand! It amazed us, then we realized that's what the ducks were trying to do to. We aren't too used to ducks, so we kind of steered clear of them. Anyway, we took our bags (LOADS! of bags) back to the hotel, then out to Garfunkels for one last treacle sponge pudding with custard.

HeatherH

Wow, this really has been long!

Highlights: I would have to say that the yeoman warder's tour of the Tower of London, seeing Stonehenge, Portobello Market, and Salisbury were the best. Oh and the shopping.

Regrets: Not making it to Highgate Cemetery, not having more time to spend, not having food for that little squirrel in St James Park

Favorite things that I brought back: books ( ), Buck's Fizz Truffles plus some chocolates from Fortnum and Mason, my new scarf, and, of course, my photos!

cigalechanta - the food wasn't really that expensive, but we aren't foodies or anything. We ate at Garfunkels several times (cheap, good, convenient), at Sherlock Holmes (upstairs in the restaurant) once - was pretty good - not too expensive, and then we got sandwiches from Sainsbury or delis, plus we ate Marks and Spencer's food a couple of times. The only bad food we had was at a cafe in Notting Hill, and Pizza Express wasn't very good, but other than that, the food was ok (or better) even though we ate (fairly) cheap.

HeatherH

Oh, the new armouries cafe at the Tower of London - food wasn't very good, was fairly expensive for what we got.

I think I said on another post - everyone says portion sizes are smaller, maybe it's because of the places we went, but the portions we were given were huge, especially at Sherlock Holmes restaurant.

I wonder if anyone is actually going to read this whole long thing to the end?

Anyway, thanks to everyone on this board - you were a great help in my planning of the trip! I had a wonderful time (despite the delay in getting there) and can't wait to go again. First, though, there are other cities on my itinerary. This year, London. Next year, PARIS!!!

Bobbie737

Heather...We are staying near Victoria Staion this Fall....what Hotel did you stay at?

sandy_b

I read every word . . . I LOVED it . . . can't wait to read the Paris version next year!

Thanks for posting.

Sandy (in Denton)

SUNSHINE1223

Thank you for posting your trip. It brought back memories of when my sister and I traveled there last May. I just took her to Paris on St Patrick's Day for 6 days. We had a great time. Thank you again for the memories. I now have to go through and look at my scrapbook of our trip.

Kari

flanneruk

The idea of buying goodies for friends at a Tesco Metro probably strikes all us Brits as extraordinary. I mean "I love my Willy" t-shirts, or Burberry scarves, fine.

But what does Tesco offer by way of souvenirs? Do your chums really get off on chicken tikka sandwiches or bite-size Scotch eggs?

I think we should be told.

PS: PLEASE stop apologising for the length of your report. It's fascinating, concisely written and not a single word should be taken out. Terrific stuff.

Dave_

HeatherH, I agree with flanneruk - please don't apologise for the lentgh of your report, it was great to read (and I live in London, so it acts as a gentle reminder for me to see a few of the things I haven't got round to yet!).

I'm sorry you weren't overly taken by the British Museum. I think it's shear size does daunt most people. I think the only way to do is to only tackle a couple of sections in one visit. There's just no way anyone could see a lot more in one go and take much in.

Anonymous

Heather, thanks for the outstanding report, it was NOT too long, fodorites love vicarious travel!

flanneruk, it makes complete sense to me to do gift-shopping at Tesco's, as I did it myself. Americans can get Burberry scarves by mail order or in most large American cities (there's a Burberry just 5 miles from me), but Tesco's carries hundreds of items that Americans have never seen before.

My nephew collects packages of odd foods, and my sister and I were just beside ourselves, trying to choose. We settled on a packet of prawn-flavored (potato?) chips, and bought a package of frozen "pork faggots" which turned out to be meatballs, we just brought him the empty box. For my niece, we bought the paperback edition of the latest Harry Potter book, which wasn't available in the US yet and was of course furthermore the British version of the book. My daughter who's a fan of lemon curd got 5 different kinds.