Day trip to Bath on Tuesday from Paddington--Bath is quite enchanting, loved the perfectly preserved Georgian architecture, the Royal Crescent where I toured apartment #1 and walked the Circus and nearby gardens, toured the Roman Baths at 10:30 before it was crowded, had lunch a the Coeur de Lion pub, and finally got to visit my favorite bookstore, Persephone Books. They moved last year from London and I collect their wonderful reprints of mainly women writers from the 1800-1900s. They were delighted that I came all this way just to visit their shop and of course I bought far too many books...I had budgeted my suitcase weight for them, though. Arrived 9:45, left 5:45.
Saturday I took a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament, and that was quite a fascinating experience, I highly recommend it. I would like to return and see it in session. The tour was 1.5 hrs and I must admit I had no idea that it was a palace before becoming Parliament, or how old it is. I loved seeing inside the chambers, and how vastly different the House of Lords is from the Commons.
Wednesday morning was devoted to 2 special exhibits at the V&A--first at 10 am was Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature...always loved her works and the exhibit was full of memorabilia, photos, books, drawings, really delightful. I finished early and explored a bit before my 11:30 ticket for Faberge--that was really quite something to see, one exquisitely jeweled and enameled thing after another, with great explanatory cards. Just when I thought it was done, the final room was full of just the Imperial Easter Eggs--so stunning, I actually gasped out loud with joy. The V&A really does wonderful special exhibits, in the past I loved ones about Frida Kahlo and Mary Quant. Really good lunch in their cafe, then to see the fashion and jewelry exhibits.
Shopping at Liberty--3 times this trip, sigh. This is the most incredibly unique and fabulous store, just the sight of its Tudor exterior makes me happy. I am a quilter so of course I had to buy fabric, but also 2 needlepoint kits, candy, a Liberty print shower cap and a gift for a friend.
What I ate:
Mostly at pubs--The Hercules near the Lambeth Tube station after the IWM, Euston Flyer across from the British Library, Stanhope Arms and Hereford Arms within a block from my hotel. I made a special trip to the Camden market to have lunch at the Cheese Bar--all British artisan cheeses--grilled cheese, mac & cheese, etc--don't care much for the market itself but the Cheese Bar is worth a trip. Eggslut on Portobello Rd did a really yummy breakfast sandwich. For a really nice meal I ate at The Ivy in Soho. Harrod's magnificent food hall was my choice for dinner in my room the first night--lots of excellent choices, love their salads and spring rolls.
Covid things:
As has been noted in the Forum lately, very, very little mask wearing--not on the plane, nor in the airport, on public transit, in museums, shops or restaurants. I was there when it seemed to be school holidays, lots of families around, and I wore my mask unless I was outdoors. Still, the entire week I felt the sword of Damocles hanging over my head and by the time I took my test on Friday I was more than a bit anxious. I chose Collinsons at St Pancras--around $40 US, very swift swabbing and in 45 minutes I had my negative result. I decided to base what I hoped was my last day around a visit to the British Library to see the Treasures and then to the British Museum, with some wandering in Bloomsbury.
While I had an absolutely spectacular time, no issues whatsoever, and did everything on my itinerary plus lots of other little random walks & discoveries, picking up ideas for my next trip, I don't know if I will travel internationally again until the return test requirement is dropped. I felt I had missed small windows of opportunity last fall, and thus I eagerly grasped at my chance--no regrets!