Part Three
Thrilled to Have Gone to London
Okay, back on line again, thank you all for your responses! So, we have taken our visit to London very seriously - enjoying it so much, the people, even the smells and sounds....We took another long walk - ended back at Trafalgar Square because my son HAD to feed more pigeons. Come to find out (after the fact) they do not approve of pigeon feeding at Trafalgar Square! Well I must look like a professional photographer or just easy to approach because I was taking pictures left and right of couples and families - Meanwhile, my son being the only one in a pack of tourists to have biscuits to feed the pigeons - well, needless to say he must be a part of a lot of family vacation photos that day.
Grabbed another cab and went to the London Dungeons for my son - something he would enjoy! It was very gruesome with Dungeon workers in costume who were very lively and with a really positive and upbeat attitude discussed the instruments of torture - okay I am feeling a little lightheaded - it was stuffy, stale and then the stories! AHHHHHHH!!!!!! So, I was relieved to get out of there when we did - fresh crisp cold air to bring us back to normal! Then I looked around, not the best area of London - looked a bit seedy - looked around some more - no cabs!! Warnings of Pick Pockets everywhere - now I am very nervous.....but I grabbed kiddo and started moving - and was so relieved - there we were all along right there at the Underground station with cabs.....
Next trip - off to the Tower of London - not gruesome - sad about certain beheadings and assassinations, interested in the history as I have read so many books where the queen and her children were locked away in the Tower.....or the many traitors, etc.....so I was really interested in everything about it. We got our picture taken with a large stuffed teddy bear dressed as a Beefeater - then took off to find a real one! Not settling for anything but the real thing. Found ‘em surrounded by American Tourists - - when it was our turn they started (Beefeaters) to tease my pale, blonde son because he was trying to convince them he was from Florida....this was a common statement, when he says he is from Florida, they state "we thought Florida was sunny, you are too pale....." I loved the walk through the White Tower because it had so many pieces of armor, weapons, portraits, etc. - and my son and I loved the story about the Welsh prisoner of great girth who tried to escape, but because of his size he broke his rope and plummeted to his death - hitting his head straight into his body making him bizarre looking when they found him - yuch, but still interesting! We ended the tour through the Tower with a walk around the high wall where we saw the Tower Bridge in the Sunset all lit up just like a bridge out of a fairytale - very pretty!!! A MUST SEE!!!!!
I had plans to eat at Pizza Express that evening, it was right around the corner from where we were, right near the Wagamamas - but we were so exhausted we ended up eating in our room and watching British television - okay what a hoot!!!! My son and I were in hysterics - when we saw a new talk show called The Kumars at No. 42 - it was just too funny....and we saw Rex the Runt and loved that too..... Zach (my son) and I still repeat funny lines to each other from some of the shows we watched that night - wish we got to see them here!
We spent our last day with a friend, a journalist in London, that we were able to meet with - I had not seen her in over 20 years! We all bundled up and headed for Camden Market. It was on a Friday so there were not too many crowds. We went from stall to stall and little shops, all full of very interesting and sometimes very strange/unique items! In one store I was tempted to get my hair woven into Fuschia dreadlocks and buy a silver outfit that looked like something Judy Jetson would wear! My son loved this area - he saw girls in their outlandish clothes with fun colored and spiked hair - or some with hardly any hair and hardly any clothes! We did a little souvenir shopping for friends in USA. My son wanted fish and chips, so we asked a shop owner along the way and a woman overheard our question and walked us to the best little fish & chips place - it was hidden on a small side street and I could kick myself for not jotting down the name - but it is one of VERY few in that area....in a red front, lots of windows. The people in the restaurant were terrific, that is the people who worked there along with other diners (locals)! They took
pictures of us being silly and pigging out on our HUGE orders of fish! I think we sat there for a good 90 minutes! I am thankful to such a lady who would walk us “strange” people to this fantastic little place! It was very cold when we got outside and the rush hour was beginning and we had a play to catch! Good byes to friend after a frantic search for an available taxi....and off to Mamma Mia!
Went back to the hotel, slept, and got up to head sadly home...............our driver up and early waiting for us - we chatted through the hour long - maybe 45 minute drive to Gatwick.....
Great Russell Street was where we stayed - a 4 star hotel - very business oriented, not a touristy hotel by any means, but they treated us like a Queen and Prince - I did not run into one single unhelpful or unpleasant or dissatisfied employee - they all acted like they were happy to see me and my son, and they went even to the extra length of making us at home by getting my son a Black Cab and Double Decker Bus toy for his birthday and arranging for the tickets to Mamma Mia. From the day I made the reservations till the day we left, I was satisfied with my choice of hotels. It was small, in a red brick building that I was told was once a place where they had Union meetings. It was within walking distance of so much - just perfect for us - and we were on a floor that was extra quiet and pleasant - never really running into any one in the halls....everyone was working or at meetings. I would definitely stay there again! Their smiling faces and warmth was what began a terrific vacation.
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7347 1000 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7347 1001. The hotel was not inexpensive, but worth every dime spent.