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Seetheworld's Trip Report: Highlights of London & Portugal - Including One very HOT day in Seville, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Cambridge, and a Bout with Homesickness
O-) Although the cobwebs have not entirely left my brain, I will attempt to begin my report before "life"” gets in the way. I wish to express my (ours really, as Mr. STW has come to know Fodorites as very helpful travelers) thankfulness to all the people who have written previous trip reports and answered my various queries. Of course I also send hugs and kisses to my Fodor Friends who gave their support during a couple of hairy moments during the planning of this trip <i>Thank you! </i> :-x :-x
While the guidebooks were helpful, they could never replace the first-hand information received on this forum. Cheers to you all! ((d)) In order to keep this report readable, I will try to organize information as neatly as possible by city. First some general information… <b>BACKGROUND INFORMATION:</b> Originally this was to be a family trip, but as life would have it, it turned out a bit differently. Mr. STW and I settled for an adventure for just the two of us. Amazingly we had a fabulous time and are still on speaking terms, lol. ;) England is not foreign to us, but our trip to Portugal was a first. This created not only excitement, but a little angst – however, that did not last long. ((l)) <b>TRAVEL RESOURCES:</b> <i>London:</i> DK Eyewitness Travel Guide – London Streetwise London Map TimeOut London 2006/07 <i>Portugal:</i> Fodor’s Exploring Portugal DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides – Top 10 Algarve DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - Portuguese Phrase Book & CD Map of the Algarve (borrowed from BIL) ...more to come... |
I’m hoping that the sugar boost from the liquorice Allsorts will enable me to wake up and continue. Ahhh, I love Bassett’s Allsorts – I picked up a huge 900g box at Heathrow. I hope I finish this report before I finish the box, LOL…. :-d
<b>Off to London…July 11th – July 15th 2006</b> <b>FLIGHT INFORMATION:</b> NYC, JFK to London, Heathrow British Airways Since we did not know if our sons would be able to go with us, we pretty much booked our flights the last possible moment. So there were no special deals to be had. In fact, I gently twisted my DH’s arm (well actually I promised him wild passion during the trip) and convinced him that since we were only purchasing two tickets instead of four that we should splurge and travel BA’s World Traveller Plus (at an additional $200 per ticket). :-"It was well worth every penny. The service was wonderful – free drinks and lots of food. However, it was difficult to enjoy eating so late at night, well for some of us at least. Our flight was to depart at 10:30 p.m. Over the course of the week prior to our trip, I had been tracking our particular flight only to discover that it did not have a very good on-time departure record. Our flight was no exception. We departed about 1 or so hours late, but since we were in the BA lounge we just took the time to stretch our legs and rest. It didn’t hurt that there were plenty of snacks to keep us occupied, which is probably why I wasn’t hungry. Time passes so slowly...((O)) Why is it that some people can sleep during flights and I cannot? :-? Of course this is purely a rhetorical question. My DH, as usual, was sound asleep before we took off – I loathed him and poked at him a few times just for good measure (I can be an evil person, on occasion >:-) ). I was told to go to sleep. I donned my sleep mask and tried very hard, all the while thinking that this must be what it feels like when you tell your toddler to go to the bathroom before a car trip and they cry "I can’t!" Well I couldn’t…..that is until somewhere around 3am I started to fade...until the man next to me started to make a commotion. Yes, that man was my husband! =-O I look up at him and noticed that something was not right. :-B Ahh, he wasn’t wearing his glasses! <i>Hmmm, where are they?? =-oYikes! Don’t move! Too late! </i> Yes, sadly, he stepped on them. Well, this is when you realize that no matter how much room you think you have on a plane, it is never enough! Mind you now that my husband is blind as a bat and it was necessary to retrieve the glasses from the floor (hoping that the damage was minimal and hoping not to inflict more). The little light had to go on (I hang my head in shame) and we found them – the frame came apart and the lenses popped out so he couldn’t wear them. Luckily he packed another pair in the overhead. I was *this* close to getting some sleep, but it was not meant to be. I will seek revenge, you can be sure! :(( |
Can't wait to hear more. I'm so excited I don't think I can sleep tonight!! :-d
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Hi stw,
I confess, your title hooked me! Great job on that one :-) Also love your writing style and I can't wait to read more! I never get any sleep on planes either... something always interferes :-(( |
seetheworld, I'm already loving your trip report. And Portugal is on my (very long) list of places I really want to visit so I'm looking forward to the rest!
Tracy |
<b>AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION:</b>
Just Airports Chauffeur Service Because of our luggage, we decided against taking the Tube. We booked a car (online) through justairports.com. We requested an Estate vehicle which came to 31£ (cash) to take us to the Ritz London on Piccadilly. We made it through immigration with remarkable speed. When we arrived at the terminal, the driver was not present. After waiting for 10 minutes, we called the dispatch who stated that the driver would be there shortly. We waited about 20 minutes in total. The driver was young, short on patience, enjoyed tailgating and throwing his arms in the air...often. Welcome to England! :D As we approached the hotel location, the driver did not know where to drop us off. He stopped in what appeared to be the front of the Ritz where the Rivoli Bar is located on Piccadilly, but could not let us off. At this time, he took out his roadmap and took a glance. This is where the fun begins. He proceeded down Piccadilly trying to circle around to the main entrance (the side street - name escapes me for now), but his efforts were always halted by one-way streets. Traffic on Piccadilly did not help matters – stop and go, stop and go. We did this three times before he finally figured the proper way. This added an additional 30 minutes to our journey. Worse yet, I started to feel a bit green in the face from going ‘round and ‘round. :& My husband still gave him a tip, which the driver refused to accept – we thought that was decent of him. As hard as I tried, it was near impossible to walk into the Ritz feeling daisy fresh, but thankfully I did not "lose my cookies", as the saying goes lol. <b>HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS:</b> The Ritz London in Piccadilly - 5 Stars 190,000 American Express Points for 3 Nights Nearest Tube Station: Green Park Only one word to describe the Ritz…Posh...make that two words...<i>Very Posh</i>. We booked a Superior King Room and were pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to a King Executive Room (quietest room we have ever been in). ((S)) We were escorted to our room by the reservationist who subtlety mentioned that there was a dress code in the formal areas of the hotel. Not to worry, we were well prepared! (they are certain to send you emails stating this as well) I love to dress up and because my DH loves me, he does too (wink, wink). But I will confess, more than three nights would become a bit of a bore, okay...who am I kidding! This was a splurge of points and a very pampering experience. We would do it again, truly. ((f)) Entering the room there is a hallway – extremely large and used to store our luggage. Off the hallway is an enormous bathroom – quite surprising actually. The walls and floors covered with marble, lots of beautiful lighting and comfy warm towels. We find a wonderful soaking tub as well as a shower (a little small but amazing water pressure). Of course the room décor was ornate, beautiful colors and fabrics, antique furniture, 24-carat gold leaf throughout the room – stunning and very British. Although I was “dead on my feet”, I was able to manage my usual little happy dance. \:D/ We had arrived! We showered, unpacked our “London” suitcase and headed out to Fortnum and Mason for tea...this would become one of my favorite places to visit. :) Next up...Jetlag and its evil twin... |
YIKES, circling the block added 30 minutes to the trip? :-O Thank God it was a flat fee and no meter was running.
I'm glad there was plenty of room to store your luggage. It's possible that they saw your luggage and decided you needed that bigger room. What an ingenious plan!! Hi 5!! =; |
WOW, your room sounds amazing! Good for you for pampering yourself (and for writing it about it so the rest of us can enjoy it too :-)) ).
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Hi there STW, I have been waiting for your trip report. Feeling "green" is not fun! But having an upgraded room is priceless. More please..
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P_M, yes 30 minutes, can you believe it?! Another go around and I would have jumped out the car window, LOL. And regarding the room...I think I said to my DH "Lookie here a little room for all our luggage, how thoughtful!" I just love when things work out. :D
TexasAggie, glad you are enjoying! I will try not to get too wordy -- can't make any promises though. :D Tracy, I can't wait to write about Portugal! It's truly an amazing place. |
Hi LoveItaly! I think you know by now that I turn green very easily, lol. Driving in England is challenging enough (we didn't have to drive ourselves this trip), but being driven around by others is an experience all its own. Speed is the name of the game! :-o
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What could be nicer than having a posh room at the Ritz waiting for you at the end of a long trip--sweet! Great report, STW! And I love that you included reference material! Look foward to reading more...
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stw~ you ARE my lost twin, even the way you relate to Mr. stw! Can't wait to read more. do tell..
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Hey stw, I wrote you a lovely poem on your shameless plug thread. :-D
Is it OK for me to post a shameless for plug for your shameless plug? :-? |
PM, you are poetic. :)
My oh my, is there a cure for jetlag people??? I was ready to fall asleep at 4pm, now I'm wide awake! Where's that darn sleep mask? |
Wow, the Ritz....ahhh...maybe someday :)
Keep typing, STW and I'll keep reading. |
Interesting report. Great thought to use AmEx points for the lodging, as they sure are hard to use for airfare - especially on that last minute type travel.
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LOL, my pace for writing this report will most likely resemble the pace of our trip – slow and steady! We kept very late nights (never changed my watch from NY time, tsk, tsk) and had late starts in the morning. It would have been very easy to complain about all the things we did not see, or the time we lost by resting here or there, but instead we decided to peacefully enjoy the things we could.
<b>FORTNUM & MASON</b> – www.fortnumandmason.com St. James Restaurant (4th floor) 180 Piccadilly London Thinking ahead and realizing that we would both probably be famished, I booked a 3pm reservation at F&M on OpenTable.com. As hard as I tried, I could not get a reservation at the Ritz for afternoon tea. I procrastinated too long, not believing their website - indeed they were booking 4-6 weeks out. However, I read very nice things about F&M here, so I wasn’t too concerned. I will admit, it was quite a chore to drag our tired bodies down the street for tea, but we did. My DH was in better shape than I was as I had already been a bit under the weather and in my mind I was thinking a nap would be a good idea. I was surprised to discover that F&M was relatively empty and that the reservation was most likely unnecessary. John and I both ordered the Classic tea selection (24£)without the champagne and were both pleased. I could have just scoped the clotted cream up with a spoon …in fact I think I did! The chamomile tea was very soothing and I was glad to see my DH enjoy the tea sandwiches. An hour later we both walked away very full...and tired. Shopping would have to wait for another time. We headed back to the hotel and decided that we would no longer fight our sleepiness – we took a nap. We set the alarm for 6:30pm but were awaken by sister at around 5:30, laughing at us for taking a nap. It was a short nap, but boy it was the best nap I ever had!! We decided to get the blood flowing again and took a walk to Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, and then to Piccadilly Circus. It didn’t take long to get our bearings. It was such a lovely stroll and the added daylight in the evening gave us a full day. Shortly after 9pm, our mobile phone rang...it was our youngest son, sounding upset. Apparently (and this was later confirmed) a F2 tornado came through parts of our area back home, an extremely unusual occurrence – the roads were closed because of down trees and power lines and he was having difficulty maneuvering through the area. Thankfully he found our home in order, but it was unsettling to all of us. He would call a couple more times that evening. It’s nice to know that as parents we were missed. But it makes you feel so very far away. :-< I think after the call our adrenaline took over, we were no longer tired. So we continued walking and were getting hungry… it was now 10:30pm and thought we would backtrack to a pub we saw along our walk, but found they were closing. So we headed to the Meridian Hotel on Piccadilly and ordered dinner. The restaurant was very nice, empty for that hour. We both started with salads and sparkling water, John had cheeks of monkfish, which he raved about and I had saffron risotto which was very tasty. I believe our bill came to 45£. Headed back to the Ritz to make a few phone calls and called it an evening. This concludes our very, very long first day in London! From this point on or until we reach Portugal, I will write only highlights (with some impressions) of our activities and restaurants and spare you every detail. You’ll thank me, I’m sure, lol. :D |
seetheworld:
Enjoying your clear and easy to read trip report. Looking forward to more. Sandy |
Enjoying your report, STW! Looking forward to more. :) Sounds like you had a great time.
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