Sunday, April 20th
The last whole day of our trip started with the Victoria and Albert Museum, a vast library housing a well-balanced collection of art through the ages. Particularly good were the Raphael Cartoons, the fashion exhibit, the Hereford Screen, and the British galleries. I was disheartened to later find out we missed the Twentieth Century galleries, which included works of my architectural hero, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Feeling a little guilty that my wife didn't get her "shop on." I suggested we head up to Harrod's again, which unfortunately was closed. It was Easter Sunday! So much for making it up to her. We were hungry, so we cruised around looking for a place and came across Patisserie Valerie, which was a great find! Fantastic French food and atmosphere whisked us back to Paris once again. My wife loved her Croque Monsieur. Good espresso too!

Next up was the Science Museum, where I was keen on seeing the James Bond exhibit and reliving a little of my childhood. First, we viewed the mechanical wonders on display, including a great gallery of transportation, the centerpiece is an intact Apollo capsule.

We checked out the Bond exhibit, which had some cool trinkets on display, but I was under-whelmed with the interactive area. The prop store upstairs was far more impressive. It kind of irks me when museums try too hard to entertain with cheesy interactive toys and forget that simply displaying objects and relics is enough.

After Bond, we were simply out of steam and missed out what I'm sure were wonderful displays on the upper floors. Oh well, our loss, at least this time. Back to the hotel for a little rest and then off for our last dinner in London (and our trip).

It was another Chowhound suggestion, a Lebanese restaurant called Noura that we were after this time. It was Easter, so I wasn't sure if it would be open. Since I couldn't be bothered with calling ahead and checking, we made our way via tube and then a cold, long, rainy walk to Noura. Never knowing the level of dress required for these places, we always tried to look reasonably presentable. Noura turned out to be fancy and fortunately, we weren't too shabby looking. We ordered an array of Lebanese items and feasted for hours. The service was spotless, as bread was replenished and we were taken well care of.

Exhausted from another action-packed day, we crashed into bed and dozed off.

Monday, April 21st
Since Paddington Station was closed for repairs and we couldn't use our Heathrow Express tickets, we'd have to take a cab to Heathrow. This time, I asked for a quote on the fare up front and it turns out the cabbie was very close to his estimate.

We got through the long line at the airline counter and went upstairs to wait for our plane. We spent most of our time in the area before you enter the departure area. Much to our dismay, we discovered an amazing tax-free shopping mecca on the other side and only 30 minutes before our flight. Oops. Additionally, I heard the gate number wrong and we went to the gate of another airline.

Finally getting it straight, we found our gate, boarded in the nick of time and flew home from an exciting, highly satisfying European adventure!

Whew!

Double whew. You and your wife must eat a lot of multi-vitamins. I don't think I've ever read such an interesting, jam-packed, food-full trip report. When my husband gets home from work I'm going to make him read this to see how some people do manage to see everything.

After having visited the Chowhound.com site which is about as frenetic as they come I have a better understanding of your pace in life. I applaud you for keeping such a wonderful travel diary and sharing it with others. I travel with a laptop for just this reason.
I do have just one small question, though..your definition of the term "hip"...????????

Thanks.

I guess I think of Phillipe Starck and Ian Schrager as hip. Electronic music and anything ultra-modern or retro-chic. Space age design, clean, bright colors, metals, frosted glass, water. Hope that helps.

Biscuit,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a great report.
I especially like the fact that you write addresses etc. and then leave them behind - I thought I was the only one who did that!!

Fun report. Especially liked the info on restaurants. Chowhound provides good info on restaurants to supplement the hotel and sight info you find here. Thanks for taking the time to provide such complete info.

Biscuit, I thoroughly enjoyed your report, especially your comments about museums. I wonder if the curators ever read those user comment cards that they sometimes provide for visitors to fill out. If they do so, I sure hope they read yours.

Glad you enjoyed your trip, rain and all.

Thanks. I spent a lot of time writing it so it's nice to get the feedback.

This may sound like a cavil.

But PLEASE don't indulge foul-mannered tourists. If one of them jumps a queue in front of you, tell them very loudly and clearly to get to the back. If they don't understand - and sadly, Italians have the worst foreign language skills in Europe after us Brits, so the likelihood is they are Italian - the correct phrase is "metterti in filo" Or it might be "fila: whatever, the likelihood is he'll (because it almost always IS a man) be so astonished, he'll ignore the poor grammar and either get in line or go somewhere else.

If that doesn't work, interjecting "cazzo" or "fa'n'culo" will work, though this site's moderators may censor it.

You help neither these Euro-louts nor your hosts by tolerating unEnglish behaviour. And if showing them the discipline their mothers never showed so horrifies them they never come back to Britain, you'll have done us all a service.

Thank you, Biscuit, for taking the time to write such a detailed trip report. Despite many trips to Europe, I still have not seen many of the things you did because each of us chooses to do his trip differently. For example, in London I often end up doing plays (my record is 10 in 6 days), and consequently not much else.

Posting detailed reports, as you did, is the best "thank you" you can give to others for helping you plan your trip. Thanks again.

Great report, Biscuit. I always thought you were a woman, from other posts. I guess I just didn't see the handwriting on the wall or website. Whatever!! Sorry!

Do you think visiting St. Chapelle and Notre Dame on the same day was fine in hind sight? I just wonder if this seemed like a lot of cathedrals for one day, or if you would do it again? (We will be there in June.)

Wren,

It is hard to tell gender (or anything else) here unless specified. No harm done.

I thought Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame were perfect in the same day as:

1. They are very close
2. They are dramatically different

Someone here on Fodor's highly recommended stopping at Saint Chapelle on the way to Notre Dame and I'm very glad I did. It was one of the highlights of our trip. And it can be visited rather quickly.

Great report Biscuit, and nice to hear opinions on London design from a US designer (I'm a Graphic designer here in London).

What was the single thing you enjoyed most? And how do London and Paris compare in your eyes?

Thanks Kate. Hard to say what my fave is. Everything was so amazing. I really love riding the tube of all things. London and Paris are both equally amazing cities in their own right. Paris is visually easy on the eyes where London is moody and awe-inspiring in the historical sense.

The Musee D'Orsay in Paris was amazing as was the Tate Modern in London. Saint Chapelle in Paris is stunning. The Cabinet War Rooms in London were a fun adventure.

My favorite thing of all would probably be eating lunch on a beautifully sunny day on the Champ Du Mars looking at the Eiffel Tower. The definitive European experience.