I suppose I should call this post Day 4.5 and 5, because I will be including last night's (Friday's) arrival in The Big Smoke. After nearly 5 hours on the train from Edinburgh, I arrived at King's Cross Rail station. I was going to check and see if Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was active, but I decided that it wasn't September 1st and the Hogwarts Express wouldn't be there.
Instead, I transferred to the tube and made my way from King's Cross to Paddington Station which was a mere 3 blocks from my friends' flat where I am staying. First, I need to thank my friends, Jen and Bill, for allowing me to crash in their lovely home for these next few days. After arriving, we had a beverage and caught up on the latest and greatest news before heading out to one of the local pubs for dinner. I ordered the fish and chips and it was delicious! Lots of laughs and interesting topics were discussed over dinner and a pint. We returned to their flat and called it a night.
Today, I awoke and had a lovely breakfast, courtesy of my friend, Jen. The new food of the day: blood pudding. Blood pudding is "a type of blood sausage commonly eaten in Britain and Ireland. It is generally made from pork blood and a relatively high proportion of oatmeal" (Wikipedia) and is something that I've always wanted to try. Like the haggis, blood pudding might sound gross, but I found it delicious.
I then needed to make a plan of attack for the day. Mostly, I am planning on seeing sites that I missed that last time I was in London 13 years ago. I started with walking to Portobello Road and checking out the market on Saturdays. Anyone who has seen the movie Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts would recognize this area. It was packed to the gills with shoppers which makes my eyes twitchy. I quickly walked the entire market and then got out of the area as fast as my aching legs would carry me. But not before buying 3 new scarves.
After leaving Portobello Road, I wandered a bit around Notting Hill before heading to Kensington Palace. I had visited the palace 13 years ago, but it's changed dramatically since that time. Kensington Palace was purchased in 1689 by William and Mary and has been a royal residence ever since. The visitors section of the palace is currently separated into four sections: (i) Victoria Revealed, which provides personal objects of Queen Victoria, (ii) the King's State Apartments, which are set up as the public rooms for King George II and his wife, Queen Caroline, (iii) Fashion Rules, which houses dresses from the collections of HM The Queen, Princess Margaret, and Princess Diana, and (iv) the Queen's State Apartments, which allows visitors to explore the private rooms of Queen Mary II, who ruled jointly with King William III. A fun aspect of this visit was in the King's State Apartments where performers dressed in period costumes would interact with visitors. I spent about 10 or 15 minutes chatting with one of the "Queen's companions" and she did not break character once. I was quite impressed.
After leaving Kensington Palace, I toured Kensington Gardens, where I walked around the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and then stopped for lunch in the park at a little bistro called Lido, where I had a lovely chicken Caesar salad on focaccia bread. Continuing my exploration of Kensington Gardens, I photographed the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial. I then made my way across Hyde Park to the Wellington Arch and, finally, a visit to the Apsley House.
The Apsley House is the home of the 1st Duke of Wellington and his descendents. The magnificent mansion was aptly called 'Number One, London' due to it being the first house passed by visitors who traveled from the countryside after the toll gates at Knightsbridge. It is one of the best preserved English aristocratic town houses from the time of the 1st Duke of Wellington and has an amazing array of paintings. Sadly, photographs are not allowed inside the residence.
After a brief rest and a pot of tea at Jen and Bill's, it was time for evening entertainment. The evening started with drinks and appetizers with Jen and Bill and three of their friends. All 6 of us then ventured out into the London night to participate in a 2-hour London Ghost tour. The tour started around St. Paul's Cathedral and visited several places of rumored ghostly sitings and/or murderous intrigue. By the end of the tour, we were all physically tired, but to give ourselves a pick me up, we headed to a local pub for a few pints and many, many laughs. All in all, it was a really fun evening.
You can see Day 4.5 and 5 photos at my GToE photo site.
I then needed to make a plan of attack for the day. Mostly, I am planning on seeing sites that I missed that last time I was in London 13 years ago. I started with walking to Portobello Road and checking out the market on Saturdays. Anyone who has seen the movie Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts would recognize this area. It was packed to the gills with shoppers which makes my eyes twitchy. I quickly walked the entire market and then got out of the area as fast as my aching legs would carry me. But not before buying 3 new scarves.
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| Me in front of Kensington Palace |
After leaving Kensington Palace, I toured Kensington Gardens, where I walked around the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and then stopped for lunch in the park at a little bistro called Lido, where I had a lovely chicken Caesar salad on focaccia bread. Continuing my exploration of Kensington Gardens, I photographed the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial. I then made my way across Hyde Park to the Wellington Arch and, finally, a visit to the Apsley House.
The Apsley House is the home of the 1st Duke of Wellington and his descendents. The magnificent mansion was aptly called 'Number One, London' due to it being the first house passed by visitors who traveled from the countryside after the toll gates at Knightsbridge. It is one of the best preserved English aristocratic town houses from the time of the 1st Duke of Wellington and has an amazing array of paintings. Sadly, photographs are not allowed inside the residence.
After a brief rest and a pot of tea at Jen and Bill's, it was time for evening entertainment. The evening started with drinks and appetizers with Jen and Bill and three of their friends. All 6 of us then ventured out into the London night to participate in a 2-hour London Ghost tour. The tour started around St. Paul's Cathedral and visited several places of rumored ghostly sitings and/or murderous intrigue. By the end of the tour, we were all physically tired, but to give ourselves a pick me up, we headed to a local pub for a few pints and many, many laughs. All in all, it was a really fun evening.
You can see Day 4.5 and 5 photos at my GToE photo site.
4 comments:
Good to see your smiling face in some pix!!!!!
Yeah, it's rare to find photos of myself when I travel. I don't take good selfies. :-)
The NFL is in London this afternoon. Matter of fact they're playing in Wembley Stadium right now.
Loving the London pics. I remember being there with you 13 years ago. Bittersweet. Kurt is jealous that you are in Notting Hill. He loves that movie. Yes, it is true. He has probably seen it at least 30 times. I think he just likes Julia, sigh.
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