We have been planning this trip since the fall of 2012 after we decided to have a redo of our 1976 trip to Washington, DC - best friends Beth McCusker, GeeGee Rafferty, Julie O'Connell and myself. We had a few adventures in our younger days and wanted to get that feeling back.
The trip to Washington was a a success except Julie couldn't make it at the last minute due to work.
Now we are venturing further afield - across the Atlantic. Julie invited us to her time share in the south of Spain for a week. Now, I have to admit, Spain was never high on my list of places to visit. But as I say since my father died unexpectedly, grab the bull by the horns and latch onto any opportunity that comes around. So Beth and I decided to give it a go. And speaking of bulls, I would love to see a bullfight, but we think the season will be over when we get to Spain.
I have been researching London and Spain since the tickets were booked in March - I can be quite obsessive, compulsive at times. Beth and I decided to add on a couple of days in London - a city that I have loved since being there in 1978 with GeeGee and in 2000 with 3 of my kids - Mike, Mairead, and JB. Then we head to the Costa Del Sol to meet Julie and end up in Madrid for a quick weekend.
So after reading all the tour books, visiting hundreds of websites, the day finally arrived! We boarded our British Airways flight about 8:30 pm at Logan on Sunday 9/22/13.
I guess I am too used to Aer Lingus - BA really squeezes people into those planes! 3 seats and 4 seats and another 3 seats across! I'm used to booking a window and aisle seat on Aer Lingus - with no one in between! But Beth took the middle seat and gave me the aisle seat - very nice gesture starting out. The guy near the window was totally non- responsive - he ate his dinner so we knew he was alive.
I don't think I have traveled overseas since 9/11 so maybe it is a new rule, but they kept the shades down on the small windows in that plane for the whole flight!! We could't see the lights of Boston as we left. We had no idea when the sun came up, and we couldn't look at London as we landed! Talk about feeling claustrophobic and disoriented!! Some people opened the shades when we touched down in London but the loudspeaker told them to close the shades again.
And the heat in the plane was stifling - no air vents to adjust either!
But, we arrived safely - stiff, tired and sweating maybe - but we were finally HERE!!
I decided that I could not be enclosed any longer - I needed to see daylight and feel fresh air. So rather than take the Heathrow Express, the Tube, or the National Express bus, I suggested the Hotel bus which drops you at your hotel - no changing Tube circles or buses. This would drop us off right at the hotel - which no one had ever heard of I might add - for 22.50 GBP.
The fresh air felt good - the day was dry but overcast - a little humid. But we were outside!! I couldn't take being enclosed another minute!
The driver of the minibus was a maniac. Most London drivers seem to be the same. No wonder he made sure we were buckled up! We were speeding one minute and then he would slam on the brakes. We zigged and zagged in the traffic, cut people off, speeded up for a few seconds and then slowed down because of all the traffic and it wasn't even rush hour.
I was totally amazed - and drove Beth crazy by saying the same thing over and over - at all the construction from Heathrow all the way to and throughout the city of London!! There are cranes absolutely everywhere!! Scaffolding is big business here - it covers hundreds of houses, buildings, monuments - whole blocks of stores are covered with it. The streets are dug up all over the city as we soon learned from all the careening detours our minibus driver took. I frequently hear how terrible the economy in Ireland is, but London looks to be booming.
After we stopped at two hotels to drop off the other passengers, Beth and I moved from the back of the bus to the seats behind the driver who became very talkative all of a sudden! Of course I had to ask him about the construction. He said the economy is slow - the government is investing big money into building projects and renovations to try to stimulate it. As we got into the heart of the city, we could see huge holes where city blocks used to be - millions are being spent on new buildings and new blocks of offices and apartments in addition to the renovations according to Tony. He said he is happy on one hand that the interest rate is still low - better for his mortgage - he has 5 kids from newborn to 19 - but developers are buying up property cheap and exploiting the large numbers of unemployed workers by paying cheap wages.
I asked Tony about the cost of university education as we passed by University of London and a couple of other secondary schools - loads of kids walking around with maps in their hands looking lost. He said his oldest son started University last year - cost was 3000 GBP including board. Tony said that the government just tripled the cost - now he wonders how he will be able to send his other children - 6, 5, 2, and newborn - to university.
We passed Hyde Park, and I asked if that was part of Kensington Gardens. That led us to a discussion of the Royals. Tony said the young couple - William and Kate - are very popular with the English people - they are viewed as being down to earth and more in touch with the real world. He said they will soon be returning to live at Kensington Palace.
Tony wondered if Charles will ever make it to king - the queen may live to be 100+ like her mother. He said no one likes Camilla. He - like many of us - wondered what Charles ever saw in her.
But now we were outside our hotel - The Sanctuary House Hotel at 33 Tothill Street. Tony unloaded our bags, we tipped him, and he was off to drive a school bus at 3pm - God help those children!
We made our way to reception on the British first floor or our second floor. Of course our room wasn't ready - it was 1 pm - check in at 3pm. The girl suggested we get something to eat in the pub downstairs - yes, indeed, there is an English pub in the hotel!! How handy!!
So we had delicious chicken Kiev with potatoes and spinach. I had started with a bowl of tomato soup which was good but not exceptional - I needed something quick because I had started to get car sick with all the zigging, zagging, speeding up, slamming the brakes on in the minibus. Beth tried a pint of Fosters, but I was a coward and just had tea. I was afraid alcohol would put me to sleep at this point!
When we went back upstairs at 2, our room was ready - on their 2nd floor/our 3rd floor. When researching lodgings, I wanted a hotel that had a/c and a lift - those were my two major requirements. And this place has both!! It is an older building - floors a little squeaky- but clean, comfortable - and most importantly, it is a block away from Westminster Abbey which is across the street from Parliament and Big Ben! Westminster Bridge and the river cruises are 3 blocks! My daughter used to get a crepe every morning from a vendor on the Westminster Bridge - Mairead, the sign now says pancakes - no mention of crepes but I will check it out for you.
So our London adventure is beginning!
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