Day 1: (Tuesday, May 6): Lots of walking
Knowing we had to keep moving today to get over any jet lag, we first headed to the United arrivals lounge for a relaxing shower (no wait to get one!) and a small snack (breakfast on the plane was filling and actually very good) before leaving the airport. We were staying at the Locke at Broken Wharf, a new location for us, and I was a bit hesitant about the tube ride. In the past, we stayed in the Earl’s Court area, a straight shot on the Picadilly line. But no worries. We took the Picadilly line as usual, then easily switched to the District line at Barons Court; we rode another eleven stops and got off at Blackfriars.
Google maps suggested getting off at the Mansion House station, but others had suggested Blackfriars as it was near a lift down to Paul’s Walk, the path that led directly to the hotel’s entrance. We found out later that getting to the hotel from the Mansion House station involved walking down three flights of stairs, not so good with luggage.
Happily, our room was ready when we arrived, so we dropped off our bags, pulled out and added a few items to one of our string backpacks, and were on our way again. This time, we did leave from Mansion House, the station we would come to consider our “home” station this trip. From the hotel we did have to slog up those three flights of stairs in the morning, but we usually were well-rested and are able-bodied, so it was never an issue. Those with physical limitations will probably want to use Blackfriars.
Just a quick note: taking the tube from Heathrow to the hotel, we used our phones to tap in and out, but once at the Mansion House station we went ahead and added a 7-day travelcard to our old Oyster cards. We also were able to check our Oyster card balances (leftover from a past stay in London.) Around £40 each, used later in the trip.
I’ve seen questions come up many times as to using credit cards vs. Oyster cards, as well as whether adding the travelcards is worth it. But for us it was a good option:
-we did not have to pay £7 each for Oyster cards, since we had old ones already.
-we would have only gotten a six-day cap with cc (only good Mond – Sunday) and it was already Tuesday when we started out; but the travelcards extended that cap through the following Monday (seven day cap from the day you start, ie Tues – Monday).
-And it did provide small peace of mind as we weren’t taking our credit cards or phones in and out all the time. I bought lanyards with a plastic holder (like what people at business conferences wear) to carry our Oyster cards and they worked well. The signal went through the plastic no problem.
From Mansion House, we tubed (is that a word?) over to Tower Hill, one of the few concessions we made today, to save our legs the extra walking. Tower Hill is one of our favorite areas of London, and we just meandered a bit taking pictures and enjoying being back.
Suddenly, dh pointed out several military vehicles coming down the road right near the Tower. Very important looking, and they were pulling some rather large guns (modern cannons?) So, being ever the nosy people we are, we followed along until they went through a side gate into the Tower area and set up along the Thames.
Along with about fifty other equally curious souls, we found a gate nearby, offering excellent views of the event. Turns out, they were there for a 62-gun salute to celebrate the King’s coronation day (two years already!) It was exciting to watch – for the first twenty or so firings. After that, we gave up our places to others in the crowd.
A bit later as things wound down, we got more pictures from inside a nearby souvenir shop, as all the dignitaries lined up. Even though we spent more time in the area than we thought we would, we felt lucky stumbling upon such an event. We’d again be just as lucky later in the trip