What I did on my spring vacation - Part 3 -- the final installment

Welcome back to my third and final installment of my spring vacation report.  I left off after visiting the Houses of Parliament in London.  The next day...

Day 16 - Walking around London

Today dawned slightly overcast but NO RAIN. And the SUN has been OUT most of the day. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slept in a tad today and then texted my friend Jan. We met up at Harrods at 10:30. Believe it or not, but this was the FIRST time that Jan and her husband, Jim, had been inside Harrods. Of course, our first stop was the Diana and Dodi memorial. They were suitably impressed -- not.  Then it was off to the food halls (see typical display in photo below).

We just did a few food halls as Jan was on the lookout for chocolates for her mother in law. There was a lovely gift wrapped box which was a tad pricey. Jan was going to buy it until I spotted some half price chocolates.

After that, Jan and Jim and I walked down to the Victoria & Albert Museum. As anyone who has visited there knows, the place is HUGE! So we did the costume gallery, as Jan is very interested in patterns and sewing. We also saw the Bed of Ware and some other English furniture and furnishings, all the while dodging the school kids. After V&A, we walked down to the Boots at Gloucester Road. Jan & Jim had never been down that way so I pointed out the sights: the tube stop, the internet cafe, the Waitrose, the post office, the cool white buildings. Lovely neighborhood.

At that point we split up as Jan and Jim were off to meet a friend. I grabbed some cheesy rolls and cherry tomatoes from Tesco and headed back to my hotel for a quick lunch. After that, I went to the post office at Trafalgar Square, as that seems to be the only place that sells the Tudor stamps -- or so the post office guy at Gloucester Road told me.

I then walked up and down Charing Cross Road checking out the book shops. I did a detour on Cecil Court, where there are lots of shops that sell old prints.  Here's a display of one of the windows:

I went in the one closest to Charing Cross Road, and the woman (with Cockney accent) who runs it told me all this (I am not making this up):

"Shopowner: What 'cha looking for? Don't touch anything on this floor. You can go upstairs and touch those things. Do you want to go upstairs?

Me: (meekly) Yes.

Shopowner: Let me move this pile [from the stairs]. Don't touch anything on this floor. This was my dad's shop. Here is his photo. He has lots and lots of things I am still going through. Don't touch anything on this floor. Put your camera down. Can you make it up the stairs?

Me: (meekly) Yes.

So I climb upstairs and start looking round.

Shopowner: If you want to look at anything, put it on the floor -- don't hold it.

Me: [Thinking to myself -- what?!?!] Ok.

Shopowner: Yes, this was my dad's shop. He has lots and lots of things I have yet to go through. My boyfriend helps me out sometimes. My friend in a wheelchair is coming by soon to bring me a Meal on Wheels. My friend from San Diego, who is a millionaire, offered me a job and an apartment years ago but I decided to stay here in my dad's shop.

Me: [Thinking to myself -- free room and board in San Diego and you turned it down? Right! ]

Shopowner: Did you find something you like?

Me: Yes.

Shopowner: Here's my dad's photo. He owned this shop. He has lots and lots of things I am still going through. Don't touch anything on this floor. I still have lots and lots of my dad's stuff to go through. Here's your receipt.

Me: [Sprinting out the door] Thanks and bye! "

Yep, that shopowner was quite the character. After that encounter, and my walk up and down Charing Cross Road, I walked across Leicester Square. Remember that Swiss Consulate building with the little bells that used to ring on the hour? It's been knocked down.

After a pit stop at McDonald's for a chocolate shake, I went off to Waterstones on Piccadilly to check out their books (I DO love looking at books). I've made a note of ones that are "3 for 2" so once back in London on Saturday or Sunday, I will see what will fit in my suitcase.

Tomorrow morning I am off to Cardiff to take a castle tour given by my friend Jim. Will let you know how that turns out -- I am sure it will be excellent.

Day 17 London to Cardiff

When I last reported, I was unsure of my Wednesday evening activities. Turned out that another pub meet was on tap at some bar near Edgware Road tube stop -- two blocks from there supposedly. Took a long tube ride across town and walked north, south, east and west before calling my friend Jan to say "what the hey and where is this pub?"

An English friend got on the line and gave me more specific directions; I did tell him he needs to rethink his "two blocks from the tube stop" instructions. The pub was more like 5 or 6 blocks away. Anyhoo, a lovely chat was had by all.

On the way back to the tube station, we passed a "restaurant" where men were sitting outside smoking on hookah pipes. I thought to take a photo but figured the smokers wouldn't be too happy if I did so.

After a long wait for a Circle line train this morning, I managed to catch my 10:15 train to Cardiff with about 10 minutes to spare. Whew! Upon arrival at Cardiff Central, a quick walk brought me to my hotel, the Marriott, which is the best hotel of this trip. Two double beds! I have a view of part of the Millennium Stadium. There is lots and lots of construction going on here in Cardiff. Took a photo of all the construction cranes.

I walked over to Cardiff Castle (see the keep below) to get my ticket for my friend Jim's tour. The admission lady gave me a free ticket -- woo hoo! I texted Jim and he told me which tour he would be leading so after a walk around town, I headed back to the Castle for the 2:20 tour.

Unfortunately there was a small child in the group who sometimes made "noises" while Jim was speaking, but he did a great job in telling all the tour members of each of the rooms. The Cardiff Castle interiors are gorgeous -- they really need to be seen to be appreciated. Photography is not allowed inside but I did manage to take a photo of Jim in "tour guide" mode before entering the castle proper.

After Jim was done with his tour guide "work", we took the train to Radyr, the town that he lives in, and he gave me a quick tour of the town and drove to Llandaff so I could see the cathedral. There was a service in progress so we didn't go in but I did get to see the hideous (to me) new addition to the church.  After a lovely dinner with Jim and his family, it was back to the Marriott for a nice sleep.

Day 18 in Cardiff

Today I woke up to brilliant sunshine. After catching the train to Radyr (yet again), Jim met me at the station (and I met the local rector who was chatting with Jim) and we set off for Castell Coch, but first Jim showed me a local B&B that is very rustic and picturesque.

Castell Coch was lovely and I took a lot of photos, as they were allowed in the interior, which was not the case at Cardiff Castle.  Here's an example of the interior decoration:

After that, Jim dropped me off at the Museum of Welsh Life in St. Fagan's and I explored the various cottages and buildings as well as the extensive gardens. The Museum has free admission and is well worth visiting.

Later that evening, I meet Jim in Cardiff Bay. I was surprised at how many eating places were down at the Bay. It was quite windy but the weather was spectacular! We walked around quite a bit -- saw the opera house, the national assembly (closed alas), the old Norwegian church that is now a tea room, the "wetlands," etc. etc.

We had dinner at a place called Mimosa and Jim was delighted to see that the waitress was wearing a pin which indicated she was a Welsh speaker. She and Jim had a short conversation in Welsh while I just nodded along. Jim ate some Welsh black burger (I think) and I had a chicken Caesar salad. Dessert was cheesecake with anise for Jim and apple crumble and vanilla ice cream for me -- both in their own little ramekins.

After that, we drove to the barrage a/k/a "locks" (or that's what I figure they are) of Cardiff Bay. Then it was off to Penarth where we took a stroll along the promenade and pier. It's quite small and lovely but Jim thinks they can do it up even better, and I have to agree with him. Doesn't rival Brighton or even Llandudno but still a nice place for a stroll. We could even see Weston Super Mare and Somerset from there because the day was so clear.

After that we drove by the mountain in the movie "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain." Unfortunately only the final scene was filmed at this particular mountain; the rest of the movie was filmed in North Wales. We stopped at a pub up in the "mountains" but the gnats were out in full force and the sun was just about gone.

Jim dropped me off at my hotel and we were surprised to see barriers on Queen Street and on the street leading to my hotel, though the copper moved the barrier when Jim said he needed to drop me off.

All in all, a fantastic two days in Cardiff. Jim was a great host and really knows his stuff. He is quite proud of his home and rightly so.

Day 19 - Back in London

After arriving in London about 1:30 from Cardiff, I settled into my hotel and did some window shopping and walking before meeting up with my friend, Trills, and her family.  I took the tube to Stockwell, my first time at this particular tube station. Six lines of the tube are down this weekend, including the Victoria line, so I had to resort to taking the Northern line from Embankment and then had to get off at Kennington to catch another Northern line train. I swear the Northern Line tube is the wackiest line of all the tube lines.

Anyway, Trills picked me up near the tube station and I got to ride shotgun as Trills' dad, son Joe, and her husband all were ensconced in the back seat. I was given a tour of South London and shown how close places are to Tate Britain, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. Lots of different eating places and bars all over Trills' neighborhood.

We parked the car right near a former Doulton building and the tiles and reliefs are incredible. I was told that the tiles are worth a fortune and some of them have indeed been nicked.  This is above one of the doorways:

After a couple of drinks on the boat moored to the pier, we did another drive to the restaurant. Trendy bars, gay bars, Portuguese restaurants and Victorian/Georgian buildings were all pointed out to me as we drove along. It is amazing to see what South London has to offer once you get deep into the neighborhood. I was duly impressed.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant and I had cheese pizza (of course!). Everyone ordered something different and samples of each were had by all, though no one seemed to want a taste of my cheese pizza.

I learned a lot about Trills' husband's job (he is a newspaper man) and Joe always has something to say, as does Trills. When I told Trills' dad I was from Seattle he was proud to admit he was a "Frasier" fan. That was cute.  Trills and her family are really fun!

After Trills dropped off the boys, she drove me to my hotel the scenic way, pointing out the neighborhood where another friend grew up. We also saw the place Bryan Adams lives in (or at least bought), and the south London bridges at night (Chelsea and Albert bridge). Lovely!

I made it back to my hotel room at 11:45. Another late night for me, but a fantastic evening.

Day 20 - Last full day in London

It's a BEAUTIFUL day here in London already.  After a quick stop at the internet cafe this morning, I set out for Cheyne Walk -- basically I just headed south and meandered towards the river. I walked through some lovely real estate ("oh, I could live there," "gorgeous house!", "hmmm, wonder what the rent is at that place"). I saw Battersea Park in the distance and so walked along the river until I crossed Albert Bridge.

Tons and tons of joggers and little kids on bikes were already out and about in the park so I just joined the throngs. I finally saw the Peace Pagoda (see below; part of the Albert Bridge in the background) and took more photos of flowers (I believe I'm up to about 500 flower/plant photos on this trip).

I also saw the statue of Thomas More which seems to be a very popular toy for the local kids. I saw two of them at different times playing around the statue after church let out.

After more walking and more photos, I walked and then took a bus to Sloane Square and had lunch (toasted cheese, tomato & rocket panini) at Peter Jones' top floor cafeteria which has great views of the neighborhood. Then I found another bus to take me north near Top Shop to buy earrings for a co-worker. I deserve combat pay for hanging out in there for so long (and having to listen to the loud music) to find the perfect jewelry. Hope she likes what I bought her.

Then after a quick stop at the internet cafe by Bond Street (I had to check in online for my flight tomorrow), I took the tube to Fortnum & Mason to do some souvenir shopping. Yes, I know, they do so pricey souvenirs.  Then I went to Waterstones to pick up a few books and then headed back to Gloucester Road.

I swear my feet feel like stumps. I have done a LOT of walking today and on this entire trip.

The Trip Home

Woke up on my last day in London; it was another brilliantly sunny day.  I was sad to leave.  Flight home to Seattle was fine and uneventful.  After a week or so, I should be over jet lag and ready to go back to Europe.  Unfortunately my next trip to London is schedule for Thanksgiving week.

Hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels and seeing some of my photos.

(Part II ) (Part I ) 

tags: lee  travel  

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