“To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

London, Heidi has never been and It has been years since I was here last, unless you count Heathrow as being in London. We have tickets already to a play and have hopes to see some of the sights.

We turned in our rental car at Heathrow and caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and grabbed a quick taxi ride to our hotel…well, almost to our hotel. Our taxi driver was a real grump who seemed very unhappy that we weren’t going very far. When we neared our destination, he stopped the taxi by the side of the road and pointed across the street to a hotel and says, “That’s your hotel across the street.” Now, I had given him the address, so he knew exactly where we were going. Not knowing any better, we paid, crossed the street and tried checking in only to find out it was the Bloomsbury Street Hotel, and we had reservations at the Bloomsbury Hotel,

about a block away. The driver didn’t want to go around the corner so he got us out with an easy exit for him…oh well. So we rolled our luggage to the correct hotel, checked in, freshened up, and then headed out for a night at the theatre. First stop, glass of wine and some bread and humus at a little cafe in Neal’s Yard, an up and coming locale with a cute little courtyard.

Next, dinner at Cafe Murano, and then a quick walk around the corner to the Duchess Theatre for THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. We thoroughly enjoyed the play, a lively humorous skit where everything that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong. It has been playing continuously since 2012 and has won numerous awards. We love a good play and this was our first in the London Theatre District. And it was a good thing it was a comedy, for we were both exceedingly tired and I was still sick as a dog, and the slapstick comedy kept us awake.

Tomorrow we start touring!!!!!

Up early the next morning, we grabbed a nice breakfast at a cute little diner down the street, Salt and Pepper. Then we expertly navigated the tube and popped out onto the street with Big Ben directly in front of us…lovely sight.

Big Ben was closed due to renovations so we could only marvel at it from a distance. Did you know Big Ben is not the name of the iconic clock tower that is synonymous with London, but rather for the enormous 13 ton bell that tolls every hour? The bell in place is actually the second bell to be installed, the first one, slightly larger, cracked on the ground before it was ever put in place. The current bell, installed in 1858, also cracked. You see the bell is rung by having a hammer on the outside of the bell strike it, instead of having a clapper on the inside. Well, the hammer hit the bell with a bit too much force creating a crack on one side. The bell was repositioned with the crack away from the hammer, and the tension of the hammer loosened, and the bell has been sounding ever since.

Westminster Abbey, just kitty-corner across the street, was calling our names.

We had purchased tickets ahead of time and were one of the first to enter the building on this beautiful day. And oh what a magnificent cathedral, such a marvel. You gaze up at the ceiling that seems to touch the heavens, so high above. The windows let in rays of sunshine, the voices of visitors hushed and lost in the expanse of this building.

And all around are graves, graves of famous British subjects and royalty.

We had chosen to pay a little extra to visit the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries high above the Abbey floor. This area has only recently been open to the public and it now holds many priceless treasures such as one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, the royal marriage licence for HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton, the effigy head of King Henry VII and so much more. On the way up the stairs you get a close-up view of the windows and flying buttresses, and the view from the top down toward the Abbey floor is breathtaking.

Today is a Cathedral Day…next stop, St. Paul’s Cathedral. Although there had been several St. Paul’s Cathedrals over the years, beginning in 604 AD, most consumed by fire, the building of the current iteration began in 1675 and completed in 1710. It is amazing it has remained intact all these years, even survived the Blitz and during that time an unexploded bomb was removed from the roof of the cathedral. Heidi remembers the beauty of the building as she watched on television the wedding ceremony of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Today you can wander about this grand Cathedral and you feel so tiny standing underneath the world’s tallest dome at 366 feet in height. We were unable to climb the stairs up to the dome as they were closed due to the extreme heat of the day. But just walking about was a real treat.

Off to lunch now at Leadenhall Market. If it looks familiar it was used for filming Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the first Harry Potter movie. This market has been here since 1321, although most of it burned down in the great fire of 1666. only to be rebuilt several times to its current Victorian style. Great spot to grab a pint and snacks.

Time for another play, this time a musical and Heidi’s all-time favorite, GREASE!!!!

And ended the day with a glass each of delicious British Bubbly!!!!

Last full day in London we head out to see the infamous Tower of London. I promised Heidi no museums here, but never said we wouldn’t visit famous sites!!! So much history here at the Tower.

Hungry so we begin our walk to Boroughs Market on the other side of the Thames. But on the way we stop at the Ruins of St. Dunstan of the East Church….such a spot of shade, peace and beauty, and a real instagrammable location.

Boroughs Market is another market used in the Harry Potter Series and is somewhat similar to Pike Place Market in Seattle, with all the fruit, veggie, and flower vendors. This market has been around for about 1000 years and is so fun to explore.

And there was one vendor we HAD to find, Kappacasein Dairy, where they make the absolute, most delicious grilled cheese sandwich in the entire world. We pigged out on a sandwich each and washed it down with a glass of champagne purchased ahead of time at a nearby stand…..Oh, so good!!!!!

Last but not least on our tour today is a trip inside the Tower Bridge. A lot of stairs to get up to the top but great views of the city and River Thames. Really fun to be inside and learn the history. There is one section when you are high above the street where the floor is plexiglass….you look right down to the cars below.

A special honour to the Queen, the moat around the Tower of London was planted with all types of wildflowers, all abloom….spectacular!!!!

We walked a bunch in London, saw many sights, and got a feel for this lovely city. I am finally beginning to feel better and my voice has returned, but a little worried about Heidi. She is starting to feel under-the-weather. But it is off to Paris now on the fast EuroStar Express.