MIND THE GAP – MIND THE DOOR – MIND YOUR HEAD - On Friday, we made a quick trip to London by way of British Airways and Iberia Airlines. We took the subway to the airport and I am still quite convinced that Madrid has the newest, most efficient and cleanest subways in Europe! After a two hour flight, we arrived at Heathrow Airport and boarded a train into town. We had to change to a subway at one point, and made our way to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Hanger Lane. We were quite a ways from central London, but the hotel was very nice, affordable, and located only a few steps from a metro station, which the British call The Tube, probably because of the rounded shape of the train’s roof and of the tunnel it goes thru.
We didn’t have time to pick up any guide books to London, so we had absolutely no idea where to go or what to do. So we just got on the subway to see where it would take us. A nice young gal struck up a conversation with us and suggested several areas we might want to see, so we picked Picadilly Circus. This is a central location for theatres and restaurants, and it is also the home of London’s very impressive Chinatown. We walked around Chinatown, then selected a Japanese (of course!) restaurant for dinner. When I was younger and living in Tokyo, one of my favorite dishes was oyokodonburi, which is a bed of rice on which poached chicken and scrambled egg are served. I’ve ordered this dish several times in the US and it has never been as tasty as what I had in Tokyo. Well, I must say that the oyakodon in London was just as delicious as what I ate in Japan. It was a great meal!
The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel’s club room, then took the subway into central London. I’d booked us into ½ day tour so that we could see as many sights as possible during our short stay. The very comfortable bus took us through several London neighborhoods where we saw exclusive boutiques and Harrod’s department store, the Victoria and Albert Museum (VandA), Downing Street on which the Prime Minister lives, Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminster Cathedral, to name just a few. In addition, we stopped at Buckingham Palace so we could watch the changing of the guard!
After the tour concluded, we had lunch at a pub and ate the ‘roast of the day’ which was roast beef with mashed potatos and green peas and carrots. It was delicious! So much like food from home. We spent the afternoon at the Tower of London. It’s been made into a very well-designed museum. We probably spent 3 hours there but there was so much to see and learn about London in this one place, not to mention the incredible Crown Jewels that were on display. We then hopped back on the subway and went to Oxford Circus, know for shopping, restaurants, clubs and Carnaby Street (which didn’t seem to be hopping much that night!). We selected an Irish Pub for dinner. Steve had Fish and Chips. The fish was actually not very crunchy or delicious, but it was okay. Moreover, it was served with mashed English Peas, which tasted a lot like a split pea soup. And I had Steak and Guiness Pie, which was quite tasty.
The next morning, we ate a full English Breakfast at the hotel. They had scrambled or fried eggs, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, large sausages (like smoked sausage), bacon (which was really just slices of ham), black pudding (which is sausage made with the animal’s blood), along with the usual juices, fruits, cereals, and pastries. It was an experience!
Finally, took off for Notting Hill, since we had both seen the movie by the same name. It was a lovely residential area which bordered on a shopping district, and I could see myself living there. But the cost of the apartments, to rent or to own, was so expensive! How do people in London afford it? In fact, it takes approx $1.60 to buy one British pound! It’s incredibly expensive. Finally, we headed back to Madrid, experiencing the first delay we’ve had with any of our flights.
We didn’t have time to pick up any guide books to London, so we had absolutely no idea where to go or what to do. So we just got on the subway to see where it would take us. A nice young gal struck up a conversation with us and suggested several areas we might want to see, so we picked Picadilly Circus. This is a central location for theatres and restaurants, and it is also the home of London’s very impressive Chinatown. We walked around Chinatown, then selected a Japanese (of course!) restaurant for dinner. When I was younger and living in Tokyo, one of my favorite dishes was oyokodonburi, which is a bed of rice on which poached chicken and scrambled egg are served. I’ve ordered this dish several times in the US and it has never been as tasty as what I had in Tokyo. Well, I must say that the oyakodon in London was just as delicious as what I ate in Japan. It was a great meal!
The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel’s club room, then took the subway into central London. I’d booked us into ½ day tour so that we could see as many sights as possible during our short stay. The very comfortable bus took us through several London neighborhoods where we saw exclusive boutiques and Harrod’s department store, the Victoria and Albert Museum (VandA), Downing Street on which the Prime Minister lives, Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminster Cathedral, to name just a few. In addition, we stopped at Buckingham Palace so we could watch the changing of the guard!
After the tour concluded, we had lunch at a pub and ate the ‘roast of the day’ which was roast beef with mashed potatos and green peas and carrots. It was delicious! So much like food from home. We spent the afternoon at the Tower of London. It’s been made into a very well-designed museum. We probably spent 3 hours there but there was so much to see and learn about London in this one place, not to mention the incredible Crown Jewels that were on display. We then hopped back on the subway and went to Oxford Circus, know for shopping, restaurants, clubs and Carnaby Street (which didn’t seem to be hopping much that night!). We selected an Irish Pub for dinner. Steve had Fish and Chips. The fish was actually not very crunchy or delicious, but it was okay. Moreover, it was served with mashed English Peas, which tasted a lot like a split pea soup. And I had Steak and Guiness Pie, which was quite tasty.
The next morning, we ate a full English Breakfast at the hotel. They had scrambled or fried eggs, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, large sausages (like smoked sausage), bacon (which was really just slices of ham), black pudding (which is sausage made with the animal’s blood), along with the usual juices, fruits, cereals, and pastries. It was an experience!
Finally, took off for Notting Hill, since we had both seen the movie by the same name. It was a lovely residential area which bordered on a shopping district, and I could see myself living there. But the cost of the apartments, to rent or to own, was so expensive! How do people in London afford it? In fact, it takes approx $1.60 to buy one British pound! It’s incredibly expensive. Finally, we headed back to Madrid, experiencing the first delay we’ve had with any of our flights.
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