Just returned from nine days in London in October with a good friend. We share interests in history, books, theatre, and all things Churchill, and she is a good sport about following me around in art museums and to chamber music concerts. We’ve both made multiple trips to London before, but I go there more often, so this was her trip. She has some mobility challenges, so tried to keep our pace a little more relaxed…and remember my husband’s parting words: “You can walk people into the ground. Don’t!”
Delta has a direct flight from Atlanta to LHR leaving near midnight which ups the chances of a little sleep. It arrives in London at 1:15 PM, and it’s easy to catch the Piccadilly tube inside Heathrow. I have a favorite Sawday’s B&B in Hammersmith, about a 40 minute direct tube ride from the airport, much faster than a car service if there’s any traffic. Getting in place still takes most of the day, so we booked dinner reservations at the historic Dove pub on the Thames in Hammersmith, and made an early night of it.
[If you’re headed to Kew Gardens, The Dove is in the general area. It’s tiny, and the food is excellent, but you probably need reservations, and a taxi, to find it. http://www.dovehammersmith.co.uk]
Day 2
In line at the National Gallery at 10 AM when it opened with our tickets for the new Van Gogh exhibition. It’s exceptional! Many of the paintings were done during the manic period when he admitted himself to the hospital/asylum outside St-Remy. They were gathered from museums and private owners, and many are paintings I had never seen in exhibits or books. He was painting fast and furiously, and the work is so fresh and colorful. The exhibit is named Poets and Lovers, which I don’t understand, but even if you don’t know a lot about art history, I think you will enjoy this one. Hangs into January, 2025.
Taxi to Borough Market for lunch at Fish and some browsing. Since we’re already on the South Bank, it seemed a good idea to catch another taxi to the Imperial War Museum. We focused on the newly redone WW2 section, and the book shop. We had both spent hours here on previous trips, but today we’re starting to flag, so it was a short visit. Home by bus & tube.
Evening tickets to hear the glorious a cappella group Tenebrae at St-Martin-in-the-Fields. Late dinner at Ave Mario in Covent Garden. I booked the reservation on my phone as we were leaving the concert, and mixed up 2030 and 2230, causing the young Italian woman at the front desk who couldn’t find my reservation to smile, “You’re American, right? You actually reserved for 10:30, but I’ll try to get you in by 9.” She did, and it was still packed and rocking when we left at 11PM. This is a noisy, fun restaurant, focusing on Neapolitan cuisine. All the young servers are Italian. Tried the pizza this time, and it was authentic, pillowy crust as made in Naples.