Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Our London Trip - Part One

Well, I'm back from my big trek across the pond and just have to say what a wonderful trip it was.  I don't usually take many pictures, but since my friends give me such a hard time about it, I took well over 300!  Rest assured that I'm not going to bore my readers with all of them; I just want to share our trip and show some of the highlights.  This trip is easily divided into segments so I'll use several posts to tell the story.

To start with, Niall was in Houston the whole time because of the offshore oil leak, so we didn't get to see him at all.  He and Katie haven't been apart this long since they were married less than 2 years ago.  Katie was a wonderful hostess in spite of it all.

We arrived in Heathrow late (due to the ash cloud) and a car and driver awaited us.  He stood in the crowd with a sign that said "Hagar" so we could find him.  Talk about feeling important!!  Off we zoomed into the city to Niall and Katie's flat.  The flat is absolutely beautiful.  Check out the view from the living room window.  I expected to see chimney sweeps dancing on the rooftops!



After settling in a bit, we strolled the Marlyebone High Street which is only a few blocks away.  We browsed in some great book stores, stocked up on pounds at an ATM, and ate a full English breakfast for lunch.  There are wonderful clothing and furniture shops on the high street along with food markets,  drug stores and newsstands.  I was pleased to find a Starbucks.

Actually, getting my coffee fix in a place where everyone drinks tea turned out to be easy once I figured out how to order it :)

Bob turned in early and Katie and I sat up until midnight eating meats and cheeses, drinking wine, and watching early episides of Glee.  It was great!

Monday was a day for museums.  Bob and I walked to the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker Street.  It's amazing to me how a fictional character can become so popular that it almost seems as if he had actually lived.  This museum is a replica of what 221B Baker Street must have looked like based on Arthur Conan Doyle's descriptions and is filled with Victorian era artifacts presented as if Holmes and Watson had really used them.  Here sits Bob awaiting a consultation with the famous detective.


Holmes' violin:


I love, love, love this toilet!!


Regents Park is nearby, so we enjoyed a leisurely walk before getting lunch and heading to our next stop. 




We spent the afternoon in the British Museum which was fabulous.  Of course we only saw a small part of it since it's so large.  Here we are posing out front.


That evening we saw Les Miserables at the Queens Theatre in the West End.  Les Mis is beautiful and moving and so well staged.  I had practically melted onto the floor by the end of it.  I can truly say "Wow"!

On Tuesday we headed to The Tower of London by bus.  The top of a double decker bus is a wonderful way to see the city.  We sat right up front like tourists and took lots of pictures.

Picacilly Circus:


Trafalgar Square:


The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral:


Beautiful architectural details were everywhere:


And The Tower of London:


Bob and Katie posing outside the tower entrance.


I fell in love with this little garden on the grounds.


Looking out at the Tower Bridge over the river Thames.


Then dinner at one of Katie's favorite restaurants.  There is no menu because they serve the same salad, steak, and fries all the time and do it especially well.  The food was wonderful and the place is always crowded.  But the wait was worth it. Yum!


Now back to the flat for an early bedtime.  We reserved a Harley Davidson for the next three days and need to get an early start. . .

(If you're interested in seeing all the pictures, here's the Part One photo album.)

7 comments:

Sharlotte said...

Wowzers!! Great pictures!! Looks like you had a wonderful trip. Seeing Bob sitting there waiting on his "meeting" with Sherlock Holmes reminds me of just having seen the movie. It wasn't quite what I expected , but not to shabby! Kind of funny, with all of those picturesque pictures and my word verification is 'scenic".

Tanya Willis Anderson said...

Lovely pics and THAT is a toliet - wonderful!

Tanya

Margaret said...

Fantastic! I love all the pictures! I want so much to visit there someday. Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

Theresa said...

Wow!!!! It sounded like an amazing trip!!!!! Love all the photos, especially the toilet one~~~ thanks for sharing~~

Sylvia said...

Loved all the pics, and you had dinner at the restaurant that I have been looking for, but could not remember. When I was in my early teen, we went to Paris and had this fantastic meal at a restaurant that served only one thing.... I remember people standing in line to get in. When I saw your photo I was pretty sure it was the same restaurant, so I googled it for Paris, Bingo. Next time I am in Paris I plan to eat there - thanks to you. Looks like you had a wonderful time.

Giovanna said...

Great pics, and it sounds like a wonderful experience. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Sherri, you London pics are great. I would really love to return there some day. I am sure you had a wonderful time. We did not get to spend near enough time in London.