London, baby - London, United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom
Up at 6. Bus leaves Cheltenham at 7.10am from the Promenade, Cheltenham (http://www.cheltenham4u.co.uk/shopping _promenade.asp). We arrive in London almost 4 hours later at 11am. Walk to Victoria station (which is MADNESS!!, tubes, underground, over ground, coaches, taxis... - people literally everywhere. Shops, food halls), head for a coffee, then off in the tube to East Putney. 28 minute tube ride direct on the Wimbledon line, 9 stops away. Get there, google maps sends me in a wild goose chase to the hotel, which ends up being pretty much one block away from the tube station. Drop our bags, freshen up and back on the tube back to Oxford Circus to meet Brigit Leenards (Karen & Ralphie's daughter from Palmerston North who babysat the children and is now doing fashion photography in London). By the time we get there it's 2pm and we have officially achieved NOTHING. The joys of London living hey? Brigit leaves us at 3pm, we have to be back at the hotel by 5, to meet up with Vicky & her mum, Margaret, for drinks before dinner. Head to a few stores, there's people everywhere, queues to the dressing rooms, I almost give up, ESP. With Julia in tow who just wants to head back to the hotel and play .... 'Hotels'. So shopping in London is pretty short lived, back to east putney on the tube to get changed. Great place we're staying, like a converted few houses joined together, clean, modern, but absolutely **** showers. Crammed wee rooms I can live with, but ****** shower, then I went to have a bath - LUKE warm water eeeekkkk!!!! (http://www.thelodgehotellondon.com/m/) Vicky literally lives around the corner, and we're right by the tube. It's great seeing her again, she looks amazing having lost ALOT of weight, and just had her teeth done - she's a new woman. We're booked into UK Masterchef's restaurant Wallace & Co. for dinner. (http://www.wallaceandco.com). To be fair, the food was bloody disappointing for what you pay. We kiwis are used to good quality food, fresh produce etc etc. we are so spoiled really I've come to realize. Julia's tired, so after 1 mojito and 1 glass of red wine we head back to the hotel. I look at the clock and think surely it's wrong. It's 8 bloody 30 on a Friday night, in London, and I'm sitting in a hotel room ready to go to bed. Oh my how things change! Sa************** to Vicky's flat for some brekkie, and a nose around. Great brekkie, nothing like free brekkie opposed to paying £12ea for buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then we head off on the tube on a wee adventure, another Vikipedia tour (take 2). To the Tower of London, Vicky fills Julia in on the be heading of prisoners, Julia is most intrigued. The square us filled with tourists, oh and Morris dancers! Off to the tower bridge. This is the famous one that opens in the middle to let boats through. Standing on that very join is FREAKY, very unstable feeling (although I'm sure it's not). Then Borough markets (http://m.boroughmarket.org.uk) what an incredible lovely place filled with every food imaginable. Foodie heaven. But if you're an animal lover the dead rabbits, hares and pheasants, with plastic bags tied around their bloodied heads may be somewhat off putting - ewwwww! Then it's Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, Millenium Bridge, looking at buildings like 'the gherkin' ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Ma ry_Axe) and 'the shard' (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sha rd), and plenty more. Then it's time to head to the show - Wicked. Lovely theatre just by Victoria station, lovely old fashioned with binoculars for 'rental'. The show - AMAZING!!!! Absolutely loved it the second time around, I'd forgotten the whole story basically. How clever are the writers of shows such as these? A beautiful story, with a lovely meaning behind it. Julia LOVED it, one particular act, just before half time had her with mouth wide open, believing in magic. Show over, it's off back to west Brompton to meet with friends of Vicky's, Nick & Alisa, and their friend Mica, all kiwis, Alisa hails from Feilding, but not even 30. Way to make me feel old. A quaint restaurant/cafe/bar, very very grungy with every inch of every wall, ceiling space, nook & cranny filled with some THING. And you're squished in like sardines, almost sitting on the person next to you - WOW. We are sooooo used to space aren't we? So bed by 9 for Miss Julia. Up in the morning, breakfast at a little Italian down the road from the hotel. Tube to SLOANE Square for a look around (shops open at 12pm on Sundays), then to Victoria, a wee walk to the coach station, and in the bus at midday. Back in Cheltenham at 3.30pm, Tor collects us and drops us home. Domestic bliss for the afternoon, washing, ironing, sorting kids, colouring in and writing with them. Beautiful warm sunny day. Sleeping without Paul not even a problem. There's a lock on the gate outside. A lock months downstairs door and then another keypad to get into the first level, it's like Fort Knox. So Im so brave. Fall asleep (with Julia by my side mind), deep sleep from ..... Wait for it ..... 11.15pm till 7.30am. YEEEHAAAAA!!!!! Whoop whoop. Lovely London weekend. Not long enough, but will be back very soon.