Following 12 nights in Belgium and the Netherlands, I spent 11 nights here:
7 nights London; 3 nights Isle of Wight; 1 night London.
I arrived at St. Pancras via Eurostar from Amsterdam. I was expecting an easier process leaving Amsterdam, but I stood in a long line in the waiting area, then a long line to exit the EU, then the same long line to enter the UK. Lots of standing, which for me is far worse than lots of walking. Toss up as to whether or not I would do this again over flying or not.
My first 3 nights were at the hub by Premiere Inn West Brompton. Although a bit further out, it was very conveniently close to the West Brompton tube stop, except for my final morning when the District Line was shut down. It was on a par with other hubs I have stayed in, plus being a little less expensive. No complaints.
Day 1 I took an East End food tour and my guide was Rick’s guide in London: Yesterday and Today show, appearing at @ 7:10. Lots of good food and interesting information on the transitions of the East End. In the evening I headed to Victoria Palace for Hamilton.
Day 2 was an excursion with Nigel and Mrs. Nigel to Hampton Court Palace for tulips and the rest of the gardens. A good visit, pretty flowers, and beautiful sunshine - couldn’t get better. They dropped me back at the hotel in time to rest and then head to the Aldwych Theater for Shadowlands, with Hugh Bonneville. Of the four shows I saw, this one topped the list. I was glad to have splurged for a ticket right at the front.
Day 3 was a change of location for the next 4 nights to a 2 bed, 2 bath apartment right at the Fountain Gate entrance to Hyde Park, because I had 2 friends joining me for the rest of my time in England. This was the day the District Line was closed (at least out my direction) and after two tries to re-route, I gave up and caught a cab. The apartment, with a 24 hr staffed front desk, had the potential to be great, but a few small inconveniences kept it at pretty good. We then went to afternoon tea at The Beaumont Mayfair (beautiful and delicious, but I would have been just as happy with something less expensive).
Day 4 We explored the Treasures Collection at the British Library, then wandered Borough Market - then I attended 3:00 evensong at Southwark Cathedral and they went to The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We met up for dinner near The Globe, followed by a performance of The Tempest. I have seen the Tempest - but I have to say that if I hadn’t, I truly might have had no idea what was going on. Ha! Still, it was entertaining.
Day 5 was a mix. It was a first visit for them so I had already seen some things they wanted to see. We started at the British Museum. Then I dropped them off at Buckingham Palace for a tour and I walked on over to the Imperial War Museum. Afterwards, they went to Harrods and I went to Westminster Abbey for evening prayer (no evensong, unfortunately). We went straight from there to an unremarkable dinner before our tickets to Moulin Rouge. This show wins the prize for the most interesting set design I’ve seen, as well as great vocals all around.
Day 6 we split for different day trips. One friend wanted to cram her day full so opted for a tour of Stonehenge, the outside of Windsor Castle (but she covered a lot of ground in the area), Lacock, and Bath for the Roman Bath. My other friend and I did the touristy (and not cheap) Downton Abbey tour, with several stops in the Cotswolds, including Cogges Manor Farm and Bampton, before spending the afternoon at Highclere Castle. I had seen everything except the final movie and that was available on the plane on the way home, so watching and recognizing so many spots from the day trip was fun.