We are at the airport awaiting our return flight after five days in London. We’d both been to London on previous trips so we skipped many of the sights that we had seen previously.
Day one: we took the Heathrow Express to Paddington station, and the tube to our hotel. It was relatively painless except for a glitch or two using our phones to enter and exit the tube. We spent a relaxing afternoon then went to the Wolseley for my birthday dinner. The ambience and the food were great!
Day two: first up the Churchill War Rooms. We had booked online so went right in. I had been before but hubby had not. Afterwards, we grabbed a bite at the Pret beside Trafalgar Square. Our Cabital Beatles tour guide, Paul Williams, picked us up there and away we went. Paul was fantastic and we really enjoyed the tour. We were pretty pooped at the end and got takeout from a really nice Italian restaurant near our hotel: Da Corradi.
Day three: we were supposed to take the train to Salisbury for our Stonehenge inner stone experience, but as warned by a commenter to a previous post, weather caused train travel to be suspended and Stonehenge was closed for two days! So, we went off to the National Gallery instead. The line was very long and it was cold and windy so instead we went to Gordon Ramsay’s Bar and Grill in Mayfair. The food there was very, very good. Hubby is a Pink Floyd fan so we went to Battersea Power Station, IYKYK. We were still full from our late lunch so skipped supper.
Day four: the day we were supposed to be wandering around the stones at Stonehenge. Instead, we started with fish and chips at Mayfair Chippy. I highly recommend them for fish and chips. Then we went to the British Museum. Hubby had not been there on his previous trips to London. We haven’t been married long and I was surprised to find out that his first trip to London was when he was a preteen and his family lived in Holland for three and a half years. I knew about his living in Holland but I’m just now learning about his many European adventures during that time. I broke a cardinal Rick Steves rule (avoid restaurants near major tourist sites) when we left the museum; we stopped at the Museum Tavern across the street ostensibly to get a pint. But the food we saw being brought to nearby tables looked so yummy! So we ordered a plate to share. And it was some of the best roast pork belly we’ve ever had! It was served with Yorkshire pudding, gravy, potatoes, cauliflower in cheese sauce, roasted carrots, and charred cabbage. It was all very good and one plate was more than enough for two. Then back to our hotel where we once again skipped supper.
Day five: we were supposed to go to Bletchley Park, but hubby really, really wanted to see Stonehenge so we went. The English Bus was booked so we took Premium Tours to Stonehenge and Bath. It was a wonderful tour even if windy and cold! We ate an early supper in Bath at the Real Italian Pizza place. It was really good and very, very similar to pizza I’ve had in Naples. The owner is from Bari. Then back to the hotel.
We stayed at the Washington Mayfair. Great location although if we stay there again we’ll ask for a room away from the street. I slept fine but I think street noise kept hubby up a bit. It was fun seeing the Best of London tour groups staying there!