Thursday, April 11

We had breakfast in our spot around the corner with no sign. In trying to plan the things we needed tickets for ahead of time and also work with the weather, we had Churchill War Room tickets for Thursday at 11am. The original reason was that day looked like rain but the forecast changes constantly and it was sunny but that’s how it turned out. We got to the area really quickly via the Tube and decided to run into Westminster Abbey. We had an hour and while that’s a short time in the Abbey, we headed in. It did not take too long to get tickets and we were on our way to visit all the famous “residents” of the Abbey.

It’s certainly always busy at Westminster and they were filming something that day, as well. The Abbey is truly beautiful and like taking a walk right through British history. We were able to move pretty quickly and while it wasn’t the ideal way to see Westminster, it was still good. It’s a magnificent church and I had just finished reading an Elizabeth I bio (plus watching all things British history) and the gang was all here. Poet’s Corner reminds me of Senior English and my terrific teacher, Sylvia Bond, and I was glad to visit Elizabeth’s space in Westminster Abbey. It’s hard to visit Westminster and not remember Princess Diana’s funeral and that blistering eulogy from her brother, Earl Spencer. Fast forward some 14 years to William’s wedding to Kate Middleton at Westminster for a much happier occasion. But make no mistake, no one does a ceremony and procession like the British. The amount of history that takes place at Westminster Abbey is staggering to think about and there will be more state funerals, weddings and coronations to come. It wasn’t the most complete visit and we did not visit the new Diamond Jubilee gallery but it was worth stopping in for even an abbreviated visit.

Then we were off to the Churchill War Rooms. I had visited before but there were new exhibits and more detail on Churchill before and after the war than on my previous visit. I can’t think of anyone with more great quotes. I think my favorite was in losing the election after the end of the war (what a slap in the face, I have to say). The story goes, at luncheon my wife said to me, ‘It may well be a blessing in disguise.’ I replied, ‘At the moment it seems quite effectively disguised.’

Love him or hate him, he was a force of nature. I was reading a book about his mother while we were in London, so I was a little immersed in the Churchill world. I can’t imagine who lived a more interesting life than Winston Churchill. We enjoyed the war rooms and its amazing the impact those rooms and what happened there had on all of us.

As we left, we decided to head toward St James’ Park for a bit and got a glimpse of the pelicans living there. One of our taxi drivers told us about them. I would not have expected to see pelicans living in a pond in the middle of London, but there they were. Then we headed toward the Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall and got a look at one of the beautiful black horses and his magnificently uniformed mounted guard.

It was lunch time and we found our way to Walkers of Whitehall. Sampling pub food was great fun for us. I got fish & chips as we were still sampling and looking for the best in London and Chaz went for the burger. Really good food. Not the best pub food we had in London but very good.

From there, I really wanted to get to Greenwich. It’s not that easy to get to but I wanted to see the Painted Hall. I had seen it on Insta and the fact that a renovation had just been completed and the hall reopened. Our time was coming to a close and it was time to push it to see as much as we could.

We made our way via Tube and changed to the Dockland Light Rail at Canary Wharf. It’s great to see the more modern London from the light rail train as you make your way to Greenwich. It’s a short walk from the station to the visitor center where we purchased our tickets for the Painted Hall. For other parts of the Royal Naval College, there is no admission fee. Another slow ticket purchase process with a lot of questions (what country, what city state and zip code and I had to sign a blank piece of paper which absolutely made no sense). We continued on to the Painted Hall where we declined the tour that was beginning as we walked in.

This is absolutely beautiful to see. Very detailed, a lot of trompe l'oeil technique. The hall was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and painted by Sir James Thornhill and many refer to it as the Sistine Chapel of the UK. It is gorgeous and not crowded. The story here is the power of the English Navy and a bit of celebration of the English protestant monarchy vs the oppressive Catholic rest of world.

On our way out we talked to an older gentleman who proudly told us more about the Royal Naval College and offered that he cleans the Painted Hall every morning. I think everywhere we went the staffs at these wonderful museums, monuments, castles, etc…were very helpful, enthusiastic and proud of their history. He directed us to the chapel of St Peter and St Paul, which is exquisite and still a functioning place of worship today. The neoclassical ceiling is gorgeous and a Wedgewood blue and cream which suits the naval theme. Again, we were pretty much alone in this chapel and it’s lovely. I hated that we didn’t have a lot of time to spend in Greenwich as we did not get to the market or to the Observatory. I wish the former palace was still there! I had visited previously and it wasn’t at the top of Chaz’ list. We just had such a gorgeous day and it seems like a great place to spend a day. Across the Thames, the view of London is great and there are lots of green, park areas to enjoy. I think a glass of wine and lunch with that view would be just about perfect.

I knew that I was pressing my luck with Chaz as I had drug him all over London (without a nap) and getting back to Kensington would take a bit. We had earlier dinner reservations at The Wolseley and would want to pop back into Hide for a cocktail before dinner. So, we headed back to the DLR station and took a quick look at the Cutty Sark on the way.

We cleaned up and classed it up a bit for our night out. I had in mind that we should pop in for a nightcap at Claridges , The Connaught or Rosewood after our dinner. As the close of the trip was coming fast, I started realizing how much we hadn’t seen yet.

They remembered us at Hide and I got a variation of a whiskey sour (which was excellent but I don’t remember the name of it) and Chaz got Root of all Evil (Bulleit Rye, Apricot and Sunroot). I could spend forever at this place. Great drinks, relaxing d�cor and a great staff. The Wolseley was just a block or two away and we headed there for our reservation.

This really is a beautiful space and has a very European feel to it. We ordered some Champagne and settled in. We didn’t see any celebrities (that we recognized) but you can tell that many of the diners are regulars who live nearby.

I got the souffl� Suisse and Chaz got Entrecote steak with fries. Both were excellent and we had no complaints about the service or food. As we can rarely turn down dessert, we asked for suggestions and were stunned to get a recommendation for the banana split and the eclairs. Chaz chose a banana �clair and I went with the roasted banana split. Both delicious choices and very well done. I still can’t believe I got that for dessert but it was a great recommendation. No sticky toffee pudding here.

After paying the check, we decided to extend the night to The Connaught. We were both very full but I wanted a nightcap. We did not go upstairs (although I wish we had a second nightcap upstairs). I got a glass of Champagne and Chaz, an old fashioned in the downstairs bar. Excellent service, as you would expect and it’s quiet and low key. The flower arrangement as you walk in was beautiful! We probably should have explored more but were happy just having our nightcap and the bar is lovely. We had such a great day even though it was a bit rushed. Sunny weather again and we saw some spectacular things today in London - time was flying with no way to slow it down even a little

We luckily caught a taxi quickly when we headed out. It was chilly but we didn’t have to wait long for a taxi and our short trip back to the apartment. We turned in with one more full day in London and the Dior exhibit at the V&A as our first stop in the AM.

Churchill's real "luck" was to be out of office for so long. This gave him time to study European battles, to understand the geography and logistics of European warfare so that he could really see places in his mind's eye when generals were describing situations to him.

Still catching up but just caught this bit >>Once we got there, they told us how much it was with the donation included. I don�t like that. I get that they want donations but I don�t like being pushed into donating. Please tell me what the ticket cost is and what it is if I add the donation. Then there were all kinds of questions related to the donation and I just wanted to get our tickets and get going. <<

That was probably for Gift Aid -- That is very very important for attractions/sites. If a visitor pays the regular price (without the donation) the charity or entity cannot claim any tax relief/benefit from the Government. But if the visitor pays the extra 10% - then the charity/entity receives a % credit (not sure how much) of the entire entrance fee. Many stately homes, gardens, castles, etc could not survive without the Gift Aid.

. . . Now back to the last two installments . . .

Wonderful - you packed in a LOT with the Abbey/War Rooms/ St James's Park / Horseguards / Greenwich / the Wolseley AND the Connaught but it sounds like a perfect day.

How interesting and great insight, Bilbo. I am looking for a Churchill biography to read next when I finish "Matriarch" (about Barbara Bush). Hopefully, I will improve my knowledge and understanding if I choose the right biography.

@janisj - It really was a great day. As I was "selling" Greenwich to Chaz, I was very much in the mindset that we are rarely sorry when we cram a few more things in to a day (and often a tad bit sorry for some things that we just missed or skipped because we were lazy. I do totally understand the importance of donations to so many of these sights. I can't imagine the cost to maintain and improve these places and we almost always make the donations, even when not required and often donate to on sight boxes when we them. I'd just like it laid it out and explained a bit differently. In the end, my fault that we got there without tickets (and I still cannot imagine what I was thinking but I guess I was putting off making a decision on which day to go because of the weather and convinced myself that it was free. I may be losing my mind).

Link to the Greenwich photos:

Painted Hall and Royal Naval College - Greenwich

Nice pictures!

During the restoration of the Painted Hall I got to take a tour of the ceiling. It was amazing. There was a false ceiling waaaaaay up there and the small groups got to climb up and walk around about 8 feet beneath the ceiling. We could lay down and look straight up at all the details.

https://www.ornc.org/blog/ghostly-de...9z2jz7uC4A6.97

https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london...-a3503256.html

I'm just speaking generally as I have no idea what happened at this specific attraction. However, what is very important for attractions/sites is that they abide by tax laws.

My understanding is that the charity must make the prices with and without Gift Aid very clear and also make it clear that the Gift Aid donation is entirely voluntary. I believe this is the tax law/regulation. If it's not a clear voluntary donation, then the full, gift aid included price becomes effectively what they are charging for admission and if the charity makes Gift Aid claims, they could be looking at a fraud case as there was no proper voluntary donation as required for Gift Aid.
Funny the OP mentions this because over the last couple of months, I have personally encountered admission situations at different venues (which I shall not name and were not related to the one discussed on this thread) where I felt like they were playing fast and loose with Gift Aid in terms of lack of transparency and clarity similar to what the OP describes. Seemed like they were just trying to push sales through with Gift Aid.

I'm not a tax or legal expert so simply stating my lay man's understanding of the law for discussion purposes. And again, I have no memory of anything to do with Gift Aid at the venue referenced on this thread so speaking generally.

>>My understanding is that the charity must make the prices with and without Gift Aid very clear and also make it clear that the Gift Aid donation is entirely voluntary.<<

I think that may be why the ticket purchase took so long - Kew was trying to explain things.

Let me clarify, the agent at the ticket booth at Kew first told me the price that included the donation amount and then quoted the admission price without the donation (after a long pause and a puzzled look back from me as I was waiting to be told the price of the ticket alone). She did later tells us she was new, as well.

What I would have liked to have been presented is the adult ticket cost without the donation (first and upfront), then the ticket cost with the small donation included and maybe a statement that explains how important the donations are and then ask me to purchase tickets that include the donation. Maybe once this agent gains some experience, her "pitch" will improve. I would also be the first to admit that I am not the most patient person when waiting in line.

The way it was presented was (IMO) with the assumption that we would be making a donation and the cost without the donation was mentioned as almost an after thought. I didn't feel like they were breaking any regulations but they could have been less presumptuous. That's would I would change. I don't remember if there were signs around that explain the gift and its importance or not. So for me, this was a tad annoying to me but didn't feel/seem illegal. I am quite sure that they are very reputable at Kew Gardens and based on our enjoyment of their magnificent property, I wish them well in any fund raising efforts and felt the ticket cost plus donation cost was worth it.

Our last day (sigh), Friday, April 11

We had been waiting for the Dior exhibit for months (or at least I had). We missed it in Paris a few years ago and I was extremely excited to find it would be at the V&A during our trip. I watched the ticket sales and once the exhibit opened, they started going quickly (and the exhibit sold out in a few weeks). I decided the first time slot on our last day would be perfect.

We had one last light breakfast at our caf� around the corner from the apartment and started the walk over to the V&A. We passed the Museum of Natural History and took a few photos of the exterior as we passed. When we got to the V&A there was already a pretty big line for those hoping to get a same ticket. Once we finally realized the line was for those without tickets, we felt a bit better and got in a much shorter line to await the museum opening. Once that happened, it was ON to get to the gallery for the Dior exhibit. I wanted to get in early to avoid crowding and hopefully, get good photos without random people in them.

We entered and got the background on Christian Dior’s birth and growing up and then started to see some of the early designs which are beautiful. It’s amazing that with his unexpected early death, he only designed 22 collections over 10 years.

As you walk through you get a great look into the transformation of the line over time and especially the work of the successors that took over after Dior’s death, starting with the incomparable Yves Saint Laurent. He is one of my favorite designers and I love what he did in his short time at Dior (The Chicago collection black crocodile jacket with fur trim is gorgeous). So young and filling such big shoes – the pressure must have been immense. The exhibit also does an amazing job at commenting on the impact of travel had on all the designers at Dior, including Dior himself. Mexico, India, Egypt, Japan, and my favorite Dior designs that were influenced by China. While my absolute favorite Dior dress was not part of this exhibit, a similar dress designed by John Galliano was part of the exhibit (Alcee – Spring-Summer 1997).

My favorite, the “Chinoiserie dress” worn by Nicole Kidman, on the Oscar red carpet in 1997. An unlikely color (Chartreuse), the embroidery and the mink trim up the slit of the dresses it still stands out as one the best dresses ever and I still love it. As I write this, it sounds awful but it was amazing. The only thing that was awful about that red carpet look was that Tom Cruise was hovering next to her the whole red carpet and it’s hard to find a shot of her in the dress without him.

Chinoiserie Dress

Back to the exhibit. There are stunning pieces by all the Dior designers the Promesse de Fleurs – Summer 1996 dress by Gianfranco Ferre is also a stunner. The exhibit also focuses on the impact of the garden on Dior designs and the display to shows this is magical.

There is a section on the Ateliers and pieces in muslin only that shows the detail in these dresses that has to be perfect before the dress is done in the actual fabric. I could never do what they do.

The end of the exhibit goes from fabulous to pure fantasy.

There is a beautiful section in a rainbow motif to show miniature designs, shoes, bags, perfume bottles in every shade of the rainbow but grouped by color that I loved. This leads to this amazing display that groups some of the most spectacular gowns you have ever seen. The lighting changes in the room every few minutes and it changes what color the dress is to your eye. There are graphics being displayed on the ceiling that also change and the room is pure fashion fantasy. You can’t ask for more than this. Impeccable. This section includes Dior designs (confections, really) seen on Jennifer Lawrence and the spectacular J’Adore dress worn by Charlize Theron.

The exhibit is just visually stunning and if you enjoy fashion just a little bit, you would love it.

Dior exhibit photos

I’d like to take this time to thank my husband for tagging along to this exhibit. He was the only guy in the exhibit (except security guards), so not only is good about shopping with me and encouraging me to buy things, he will go to fashion exhibits at museums on vacation. I didn’t try to push the Mary Quant exhibit at the V&A as I know when to quit. And I wanted to see the newly reopened jewellery gallery and Queen Victoria’s coronet, so that was the next stop.

But first, the gift shop and I decided (for once) to pick up some exhibit memorabilia. We have a long standing inside joke at how well all of the museums and monuments do at funneling you through the gift shop before you can leave. I think Chaz was a little stunned that I was going to buy something. I got a little canvas tote and a book on the entire exhibit which is great to have!

We made our way through the magnificent silver displays at the V&A on our way to find the jewellery gallery. This is really gorgeous. There are some amazing tiaras, brooches, necklaces, watches and more. It’s a very sleek gallery and worth a visit. The sapphire and diamond Queen Victoria coronet is beautiful and apparently is quite a versatile piece. Prince Albert designed it, as well. I loved the ring display at the back of the gallery and they also have Beyonce’s butterfly ring in the gallery, as well.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/jewellery

We were starting to get hungry and headed to see some of the Japanese art displays and then that led us into the terrific cast court. What an interesting idea and way to “see” other famous pieces of sculpture. We also caught a glimpse of more Chihuly glass hanging from the ceiling. As we saw more of the V&A, the more we realized we should have made a point of popping in a few times while we were there. There is so much to see and I much preferred it to the British Museum. Less crowded and crazy. Dior exhibit aside, the collections are more my style and interest.

As we left, we had planned to take a taxi to a selvidge denim store that Chaz wanted to visit. There was some sort of motorcycle demonstration (related to Brexit maybe) that was creating a nasty traffic jam, so we went to the Tube station. That was full of families coming and going from the Natural History Museum but we eventually were on our way to Tottenham Court Road Tube station. I can’t even imagine how crazy the Natural History Museum must have been inside.

When we surfaced we found The Jack Horner and decided to have lunch there. I like that this pub has a selection of pies and other British items that you can mix/match if you like, so you can sample more things. We went with a Welsh Rarebit & chutney to start, Chaz got fish & chips and I got a steak pie. All of these were really good and we were both quite happy with the pub and our food. From there we wandered a few blocks to Rivet & Hide on Windmill to take a look. It’s a nice little store but we didn’t end up leaving with anything.

Well, it’s the time we always dread but it was time to head back to the apartment to start packing for our departure. We had confirmed our pickup for 7am the next morning but we needed to get our bags in order and I needed to sort out the VAT refund paperwork, as well.

We packed our bags and had an early dinner reservation at The Hereford Arms. It was pretty out the walk to the pub was nice. It was packed as it was Friday night. We were seated and got drinks and a nice mezze platter of olives, pita, hummus, etc…great wine (I had Rose) and Chaz enjoyed a Brown Ale. Dinner was sausage and mash for Chaz and a burger with Stilton for me. The menu was excellent and there were many things that sounded great. We both enjoyed our dinner and made a night of it. It was a fun night, close to “home”. It was another great day for us!

We figured out a few years ago that it’s less stressful to have dinner close to our lodgings on the last night. No fighting traffic and we can stay longer at dinner. The time had come to finish packing and make a sweep of the apartment.

It always amazes me how fast our trips go. You plan for such a long time and it’s over in the blink of an eye. We had a wonderful time and Chaz did love London, as I thought he would.

Next: the flight home and final thoughts on London plus our “Go or No” list!

Thanks again Denise, what a great report. Next week I will be seeing the Dior exhibit and the Mary Quant one and I can't wait. I too, absolutely love that Choiserie dress Nicole Kidman wore.

Your photos are great - The staging/scope looks very similar to the V&A's wonderful Alexander McQueen.

Still haven't booked my flights to London so don't know exactly when I'll see it but probably in June or July.

Denisea, great trip report! I saw the Dior exhibition last month, it is indeed stunning. I'm thinking of joining the V&A to see it again.
I want to see the Mary Quant exhibition anyway, and there's always someting interesting at the V&A.

Funny. That is par for the course (or so it seems to me) when we are wandering in the Austrian hills. The Ladies have no qualms about taking over the Gent's room, rather than queuing with their legs crossed. The men are just expected to wait.*

I tried to visit the jewelry gallery at the V&A last July but I was defeated by it being entirely too hot in there - it felt like a sauna - it was the combination of the weather, the crowds and the lighting on the exhibits - I couldn't take it for more than 10 minutes before I had to leave. I was quite disappointed as I had looked forward to spending some time in there.

However, I'll be returning to London in early October, so definitely the weather will be cooler and I'll make sure to make a return trip to check it out again.

Great trip report - I'm definitely thinking of checking out the Tandoor Chop House as it appears to be right around the corner from the National Gallery. I was planning to pop in for a visit on one of my days, so perhaps I might coordinate to have dinner there afterwards.

Thanks everyone. I hate that I never saw the McQueen exhibit. Legendary.

chepar - the National Gallery is right there so a visit along with Tandoor Chop House definitely works. It is small so I would book a table. We saw a number of people coming in without a reservation and they did accommodate some but it's worth making a reservation on Open Table.

A few random photos from the V&A

Loved your report -- thanks for sharing! And great pictures! The raclette sandwich at Borough Market may be my favorite London attraction -- very narrowly beating out the Tate and Big Ben.

The long trip home, Saturday April 12

Our car was to pick us up at 7am and I think we got up at 5:30 or 5:45 to clean up, pack up and take the trash out.

We sadly picked up and packed up and awaited the driver. I love a driver who is early and our was 15 minutes early. The bags were loaded (including the new one making the journey home with us). Goodbye lovely little apartment!

We hit no traffic until we were almost to Heathrow and then we sat at an intersection forever as we entered the airport area. The driver had me a little concerned because we didn’t have a code to get into the Upper Class check in area but I checked the website and our emails and it said nothing about needing a code.

We pulled up to the speaker, gave them our names and flight number and we were in. Virgin Atlantic personnel were at our car door before the car stopped. We paid the driver and the bags disappeared inside. As soon as we walked in, we met an agent who checked us in in no time and then we went through security right there. While I wasn’t as impressed with the plane on the flight over, I was impressed by the super easy check in. No lines, no rushing.

OK, so I have to confess that because of the purse looking like brass knuckles I had to check in (which I did not want to do). The Penhaligon’s purchases also had to be checked because of the liquid amount. There is no place at the check in to get a customs stamp for the VAT refund. So, I decided to wing it and hope that I did not have to show my purchases. I had gotten an invitation to the Global Blue lounge for some Champs to sip while they completed the refund process but we didn’t go to their lounge. I passed the Travelex station for customs/VAT and waited for one of the 2 agents to become available. The guy at the counter hadn’t filled out his paperwork. Awesome. One agent was pretty young and seemed friendly. The other was older and seemed much more stern. I got the stern one. Darn.

So, I handed her all my paperwork, smiled, said hello and asked if she had everything she needed. She skipped the pleasantries and asked me to show her what I got at Alexander McQueen. While I had checked the purse, I did have to shopping bag and it did contain the scarf I got there. I raised the tote and started to get the scarf out and prepare my story about why the purse wasn’t with me but she said thanks and moved to the next receipt and paper work. What? Lucky so far. Next up were the scarves from Liberty, which I had. I showed her the box and she said OK and moved to the Penhaligon’s paperwork. I did not have that bag and I confessed that I had checked the perfume because I had to (liquid). She frowned and shook her head. Uh oh. She told me you have to check your luggage after getting the customs inspection. I politely said I got confused because there was nowhere to get the inspection at the Upper Class check in (I know, poor me) and apologized profusely. She frowned and stamped the last piece of paper, told me when I could expect my refunds (and asked me for th 4th or 5th time if I didn’t want to get cash today---must be some commission on that). I stuck with the refund back to my credit card, complimented her organizational skills for being able to sort out all the paperwork and receipts and thanked her.

I got the heck outta there and met a bored Chaz back in the concourse and we headed to the VA Clubhouse. The clubhouse is spacious and very nice and they serve breakfast that you can order from a menu with full service. There were also a number of food stations in the club, as well. We decided to get a full English one last time and take advantage of the service. The time went quickly and before we knew it was time to head to the gate. It was a bit of a hike but we got there. Airports are interesting. New to me was that once you get to the gates, there are no more restrooms or shops and food outlets. What I liked is that you show your boarding pass to get into the gate waiting room and you have essentially boarded.

It would not be a proper trip home from Europe if Chaz wasn’t pulled aside for additional screening, and so he was. Every. Single. Time. Yep, they went through all of his carefully packed stuff and then finally decided he was OK and then left him to try to get all that crap shoved back in the bag. We didn’t wait long and boarded the plane. So one snafu on both flights was that we reserved our seats and then within the last 30 days, they moved one of us and separated us and they could not fix it at the ticket counter. So, we asked the first person next to one of us (a woman in row 6 if she would change seats with me. She did not look enthusiastic about it and so I told her never mind. We waited for the person in the seat in between us (row 4). And we waited and waited. We enjoyed some Champs and waited some more. I didn’t want to settle in too much in case I did get to switch seats. So, we had another tiny glass of Champs and finally the guy showed up. He agreed to switch and so we at least got to sit together. We left on time and with no issues.

I put my spare British money in the donation envelope. I do like that VA has a program where they will take any currency you want to donate. The envelopes are at your seat and if you want to donate, you hand it to a flight attendant as you deplane. A smart program and painless way to contribute and also get rid of random foreign currency that might sit in a drawer forever.

I settled in to finish “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”. I watched the Ruth Wilson limited series (Mrs Wilson) where she plays her grandmother and is about how her grandfather had several families and it all came out when died. Can you imagine playing your own grandmother and a story that crazy actually happened? To your family? I enjoyed it but we still had a long way to go. I don’t remember what I had for lunch but I think I had some Sauvignon Blanc. I don't remember what else I watched.

I like that they have little snacks at the bar and you can just go back and get snacks when you want something. We were served a small burger as our snack before landing. It wasn’t an awfully long flight back but we did hit a lot of turbulence.

We landed a few minutes early. We got through Global Entry in minutes and then waited forever for our bags. Holy cow. More nerve wracking was that not even one of our bags came off. We sat there for over 30 minutes and not one bag. I was not happy as my clutch was in one of those bags. Not only were our bags not off early they were almost the last bags off. Delta’s app is better at letting you know where your bags are (and that they made it on the plane). We eventually got a notification through the VA app but long after the bags finally came off. (Also, while not perfect, Delta priority tags your check bag if you are in Business class and they come off first). Ok – we had our bags and we were home.

The pups were glad to see us. The house was still standing. We are always glad to be home but were sorry the London trip was in the books.

We are debating the next trip but will likely be Duoro Valley Portugal. We are looking at Puglia, as well…Portugal or Puglia?

Well, next is the "Go or No" list and our final thoughts on London.