Day 9 - Much Ado About Everything

Today, hubby stood in line for "day of" tickets for "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  He managed to get two tickets, so we're seeing the play tonight.  One of the stars is Sheridan Smith, who we saw in Legally Blonde back in 2010.

The Shard

In the afternoon, we decided to take a London transport bus that basically followed the path that the tour buses take.  Since it was daylight, we tried to take more pictures of the London Eye and the Shard.  We were supposed to be able to take the bus all the way to the Tower of London, but as occasionally happens, the bus had to terminate its route early, this time on Tooley Street.  We waited for the next RV1 bus to take us to Tower Hill, then we had to get off, and get on again with another swipe of our Oyster card in order to return to Covent Garden.  However, this bus also terminated early, this time dropping us off at Warterloo station on the south side of London.  So we waited for the next RV1 bus and finally made it back to Covent Garden.

We stopped briefly in the London Transport Museum so hubby could pick up a new mouse pad with a map of the Underground on it.  After that we walked through the Farmer's Market food fare and bought dinner.  I had what was essentially a steak salad and hubby had a sausage on a baguette.  We returned to the flat to eat and watch a little telly while I downloaded my video camera files and went through them.  Then we walked to the Noel Coward theatre for a little culture.

Noel Coward Theatre

Really good show.  The woman who played Helena (Katherine Kingsley) was excellent as was the actor who played Bottom (David Williams). He really hammed up his death scene as Pyramus by stroking the head of the guy who played his beloved Thisbe after Pyramus had killed himself.  The story is a play within a play with the non-fairy actors dressed in what appeared to be World War II clothing and the fairies were dressed like hippies.  They even played a few songs from Hair and "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkle.  After you get used to the language, it almost seems like they're talking modern day English.

Sheridan Smith and David Williams as Titania and Bottom

We sat in the very first row, which meant if an actor dropped to lie down on the stage I couldn't see them unless I stood up, which I didn't want to do because of the people behind me.  After the play, we returned to the flat and relaxed for a bit before going to bed.

Day 8 - Taking a night tour of London

Today we decided to take a night bus tour of London.  Rich captured a few pictures and I captured some videos that I need to view to see if I got any shots that are worth sharing.

On the bus we met a gentleman from Pittsburgh and one from Dubai who were attending a trade show in London.  We chatted with them for a bit and realized they were new to the city.  So, as we listened to the commentary, we added a few tidbits that were missing or the recorded commentary was badly timed with the ride.  It's a fine line between being helpful and annoying, and we succeeded in being helpful..

We started out at Victoria station and rode one of the old Routemasters (pronounced rootmaster).  These older buses required a driver and a fare collector.  When they switched over to accepting the Oyster travel card, versus having most of the passengers pay with cash, the powers that be thought they could make the fare collector redundant.  However, with the new buses you can enter from the front (where the driver is) from the middle and from the back, and people were neglecting to press their Oyster card against the readers, so they were losing revenue.  That meant the new "Routemaster" bus we took today had a driver, a person in the back who hopped out at each stop to help the passengers alight or exit, and a fare checker, who asked everyone to either show their ticket or press their Oyster card on his machine to make sure they were legally riding the bus.  Oh, well.

Original Routemaster bus

Another idea that didn't work well for London was the "bendy buses," which were single decked but two buses in length.  That meant they took up more road space, which is at a premium in London.  They were still in service in 2010 and totally removed out of service by 2011.

Bendy Bus or Articulated Bus

According to Wikipedia, articulated buses take up (18 metres or 59 feet long compared to 9.1 metres or 30 feet for a Routemaster and 10 metres or 33 feet for a double decker).  What's worse, during late 2003 and early 2004, a series of onboard fires on the bendy bus led Londoners to humorously nickname the articulated buses "the chariots of fire."  In addition, when the bendy bus made up approximately 5% of the London bus fleet, they were involved in 20% of all bus-related deaths, which has led to their replacement with the "New Routemaster."  So, we're back to where we started, almost....

New Routemaster

Anyway, for our tour we rode an open-topped old routemaster, the only one left in the city, and we traveled the following route.

So first we got a picture of Apsley House that was once the home of the Duke of Wellington and is known as #1 London.

Apsley House

Next we captured Picadilly Circus, which had so many people about, we thought maybe a party was going on that we weren't invited to, which is totally unacceptable.

Picadilly Circus

Next on the route was St. Stephens Tower that houses the bell known affectionately as "Big Ben."

Big Ben's Tower

Lastly we captured Tower Bridge lit up in all its glory at night.  Once I get a chance to go through my video camera, I may add some photos from there.

Tower Bridge

In the meantime, it's 1 AM here, so I'll sign off for the night.

Day 6 - To Market, To Market to buy what we can

Another late start today.  Hubby isn't doing too well.  I think he's still having trouble adjusting to the time change, but he thinks it might be something else.  Not sure.  Anyway, plan to take it easy.  We're off first to Marks & Spencer to see what they have to offer in the way of food stuffs.

Marks & Spencer Covent Garden

Well, their refrigerated/frozen food section is much larger than Tescos and they have a fairly extensive Indian food selection.  We saw a lot of Kellogg's products, but no General Mills.  Of course, M&S stocks many brand names that are well-known here, but are unknown in the USA.  Like Fairy dishwashing and laundry detergent.

Fairy Dishwashing Liquid

For laundry detergent you have to choose between bio and non-bio.  I thought it meant biodegradable, and wondered why anyone would purchase something that is labeled as being "bad" for the environment.  Turns out it means biological.  If you're curious, like I was, below is the explanation between the two.

Bio vs non-bio laundry detergent

The key difference between biological and non-biological washing powder is the presence of enzymes. Biological washing powders contain enzymes that help break down proteins, fat and starch. This helps remove stains such as chocolate or hamburger grease.

Biological washing powders containing enzymes (the 'biological' part of ordinary laundry liquids) are more effective than non-biological laundry liquids and powders.

Another difference in the stores here, vs the states, is that they store their bread goods, rolls, donuts, etc. out in the open.  They aren't wrapped in cellophane or protected in any way, however, most of their veggies are wrapped in packages and dated. Shopping is done on an almost daily basis, rather than once a week because places are smaller (including refrigerators) and most people carry their groceries home, so you only want to purchase what you can comfortably carry.

After we finished our shopping at Marks & Spencer, we returned to the flat and put away our stash.  Next we trotted out to Tesco and finished our shopping there.  We took a longer route home from Tesco that had us strolling by Covent Garden before we returned to the flat.  Daytime temperatures are in the low 70's or 19-20 centigrade.  Evening is in the mid-sixties and refreshing.

The Emmy Awards are on tonight, and though I'm tempted to watch them they don't start until 10 PM, which means it will be midnight or 1 AM before they are over.  Besides the winners have already been announced, so I'd be watching solely to hear the speeches and see the outfits.  However, I do want to see Neil Patrick Harris's opening number, so I'll start them at least.

We ate in tonight (I had a tray of Chili con Carne and rice we purchased at M&S and hubby had ham and cheese on a half-baguette). For a short day, we did manage to get a few things crossed off our todo list.  And to paraphrase Scarlett O'Hara "Tomorrow is another day we can get out and about town."

Day 5 - I wish our upstairs neighbors didn't wear steel-toed boots

I originally thought our upstairs neighbors were redecorating at 6:30 in the morning.  It sounded like they were shifting about heavy furniture, or a body in a coffin.  Oh, goodie, a murder mystery.  Then it sounded like they were tossing trash bags down the stairs.  Being a writer, who likes to plot, I imagined she was kicking him out, except there was no shouting.  Then, whoever these people were, they donned their steel-toed boots and clumped down the stairs like they starred in the musical "Stomp."  It sounded like a small army was descending among us.  Turns out, I guess, since I never did peek out to see what was going on, that they were guests packing up to go home and the clomping I heard was the heavy luggage they were assisting down the stairs.  Deja vu.  I do not look forward to that day in November, but I'll keep in mind what they sounded like and try to be a little more considerate of our neighbors.

Eventually, I drifted back to sleep.  Then the bar next door opened up and people were partying hearty, on Sunday, in the morning.  Not sure of the exact time, since I decided not to look at a clock as I pretended to ignore them and drifted back to sleep again.  Next thing I know it is 3:30 PM.  Yikes.  Good thing we didn't have anything planned because we would have missed it.

So, I'm updating my web site and hubby is checking out the telly.  It's nearly 9PM and we're having our breakfast/lunch/dinner meal.  I get the leftover steak sandwich and fries from our Wednesday dinner at Cafe Rouge, and hubby is having toaster muffins with jam.  Yum.  Note: fries do not re-heat well no matter which continent you're on.

If anything exciting happens, I'll check in again later, otherwise I'll see everyone sometime tomorrow.

Day 4 - Saturday is "Catch-up" Day

An unsuspecting Kathryn caught on camera in Leicester Square

Today was my day for paying our bills, checking Saturday Spanking Links, and catching up on sleep.  I think I accomplished everything I set out to do.  So, now we can go out and mingle with the people.  No real plans for today or tonight, so we'll probably be "stay at home bunnies."  Have a bite to eat, watch a little telly, enjoy each other's company, while I work on my web site.

Normally, my computer and I are inseparable.  We spend all day together with my fingers attached to the keyboard, so when I have to leave it during the day, I go through a period of withdrawal.  Is there such a thing as "computers anonymous?"  Anyway, I left it alone while hubby and I toured through Covent Garden again

This time we watched a couple of the living statues that pose there.  In case you haven't heard of them before, the term living statue refers to a street artist who poses like a statue or mannequin, usually with realistic statue-like makeup, sometimes for hours at a time (per Wikipedia).  The ones we watched were in gold/copper paint, wore masks and appeared to be sitting in thin air without any means of support beneath them.  They were really good.  Kids would walk up and have their picture taken with these guys.  Unfortunately, we didn't take our camera with us, so we'll have to capture them the next time we visit.

Below is an example of one.  I saw a similar living statue in Bath back in 2010.

After our stroll through Covent Garden, we walked over to Leicester Square and ate at Bella Italia.  We both had pasta, and nothing looked really out of the ordinary to take pictures of (though we still didn't have our camera with us), but it was a good meal.

After dinner, we walked back to the flat and settled for the evening.  A quiet night, just like I said.  More to follow tomorrow.

Day 3 - And we thought living in London was expensive - Getting out is prohibitive

We currently have two weekend trips scheduled, one to Edinburgh and one to Bath, and we're going by train.  Though we're taking the same line for both trips, we leave from different stations.  That means figuring out the train schedules and choosing between Off-Peak, Off-Peak Day, Super Off-Peak, and Ranger and Rover tickets, Single and Return, Flexi or Fixed.  Rail Discount cards are available as well, but for some you need to be a resident of the UK, and eight weeks does not a resident make.

So, today we rose early for us (11:30 AM, which my body still insists is 6:30 AM and is asking whether or not I've lost my mind).  I did make a go of it, really.  I checked e-mail, worked with Triberr and even started this blog post, then I (ahem) petered out and went back to bed.  So, we didn't leave the flat until 4:30 PM.

TKTS Booth in Leicester Square

Walked to Leicester Square and visited the TKTS Booth where we like to purchase seats to the West End shows for half price (some shows that is).  We decided to see Spamalot.  We saw it in 2005 in NYC, but we're both Monty Python fans, and with tickets available for half price at 25 GBP each, we decided to see it again.  Spamalot is based on the movie "Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail."

Naomi Watts in Diana

While we were in Leicester Square, we took a picture of the Odeon movie theater poster of Naomi Watts starring in "Diana."  Both of us thought she looked spot on for the ill-fated princess and I think it's fitting we see the movie in London.  We'll see.

Kings Cross/St. Pancras train station

Tickets in hand, we got on the Picadilly tube and got off at King's Cross/St. Pancras to buy the rail tickets. Another successful outing that cost us 239 GBP, and that's with discount rail cards.  London isn't cheap, and getting out of it is really expensive.  As a side note, King's Cross was the station with track 9 1/2 for the train to Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.  St. Pancras is known for its beautiful Victorian architecture.  From Wikipedia: "The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the Regent's Canal. It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the southern terminus of its main line, which connected London with the East Midlands and Yorkshire."

London Eye from Embankment

Rail passes and tickets purchased, we hopped back on the tube to Leicester Square and ate dinner at our favorite Cafe Rouge.  Hubby managed to get Tesco (grocery store) vouchers that give us a 20 GBP discount off of our food (not alcohol, so glasses of wine are not eligible, but that doesn't stop me from ordering one with dinner).  Interesting side-note, refills on soft drinks are not free in Europe, nor is bread and butter complimentary like it is in the states.  After dinner it's back on the tube again this time taking the Northern Line to Embankment.

Festival on the South Bank

There was a fair or festival going on near the London Eye on the South Bank, so I tried to get a video of its rides as well as the London Eye, which you can see above is a striking blue at nighttime.

Ride at the Festival on the South Bank

We sat on some benches and watched the tourists go by on a sight-seeing boat.  We're regulars, you know.  Not tourists at all.  Hubby even gives lost souls directions on how to get about the city, and where they should visit.  We'll be spending our 36th anniversary here, and I thought it would be fun to take a dinner cruise on the Thames.  Unfortunately, we'll be on a train to Edinburgh on that day, but maybe the following week.

Spamalot at The Playhouse near Embankment

Curtain time for our show tonight is 9 PM, which is late for the West End.  Most shows start at 7:30 PM.  So at 8:30 PM we strolled from Embankment to The Playhouse theater.  We had front row Dress Circle seats, which were very good, though the guard rail partially obstructed my view, unfortunately.  It did not impede my enjoyment, however.

Set of Spamalot

Rich was very naughty and took a picture of the stage set at the end of the show.  If you've seen the movie, you know it ends abruptly.  Actually, there is no ending.  For the musical, they bring the house lights up but leave the stage lit, so audience members (like me) think the actors might return for an encore, but they don't (you'd think I'd remember that from the first time I saw it, but no.).  Instead, the audience sits there flummoxed until the orchestra finishes and packs up to leave.  It's sort of funny, when you think of it.  You almost expect someone to come out on stage and say, "The show's over, folks.  So, pack up your stuff and leave already.  What do you need, an invitation?"

Now, we're back at the flat and I'm going to add pictures, check e-mail, etc. then make an early night of it. Right.  It's 2:30 AM now.  Yup, it's an early night all right.  Bye.

Day 2 - What do you mean "You" didn't pack the pain relievers?

Our flat's front door

Well, I did pack Aleve, Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Aspirin, actually.  I just packed the small purse size I can take when we're out and about.  What I didn't pack was the large, unopened bottle of "Extra Strenth Tylenol" that hubby said he would pack.  When I informed him Britain actually has medicine now and that they've stopped using leeches for years, I got "the look."  So, I said we'd drop by a Boots and pick up a bottle.  That's when I was informed they don't sell "extra strength" in this country, only regular strength.  Okay I must admit I did not know that, but figured he could "double up."  When I suggested that as a viable alternative, he tersely informed me he would need to "triple up" to get anywhere near the same dosage.  Fine, 3 for 2.  It's not the end of the world.  However, I was careful to make sure I commiserated properly, then returned to what I was doing.

Still haven't gotten used to the time change, so to make sure my posts run when they're scheduled I'm keeping my computer on EDT time, and have moved my watch five hours forward to GMT.  That way I can get really confused. So, back in Ohio, it's 9:30 AM time now.  I was up around 8 AM.  Yay for me!  However, Londoners add another five hours to that, so it's close to 2:30 PM, and I haven't had "breakfast," yet.  I thought I heard hubby mucking about earlier (probably to swallow down a couple of those extra strength capsules before we have to get the leeches out), but he's back in bed now.  So, I'm going to slip into the 3x3 shower (see below), while I can, and think about getting dressed.  No promises, but I'm heading in that direction now.  I get to share the shower with the water heater.  At least I think that's what the big white box in the far corner of the stall is.  Will try to chat more when I return.  If I return..... Bwah haha.  (All I can think of right now is that shower scene in Psycho.)

Small, but serviceable - no tub.

I'm back.  That white box was the force and temperature regulator as well as the "on" button.  I've never seen a shower that has an on button before.  I have to say, that shower is a tight accommodation.  You know those scenes where the hero and heroine make love in the bathroom?  Not gonna happen in this one.  I don't think my toy French poodle and I could both fit in this particular shower.  Human-wise, it's a single person use only, and even that's a close call.

When we finally left the flat, we walked over to Covent Garden where we strolled about like tourists, listened to musicians, watched a juggler, and chose to eat some empanadas.  They are similar to pasties, which are meat and potatoes in a pie shell, but empanadas have more spices in them than the Cornwall Pasties I've had before.  I enjoyed mine, and it became dinner as well.

After our late lunch, we went searching for a Boots (pharmacy) so we could get hubby's Paracetamol (Acetaminophen).  And guess what?  They do sell it in 500 mg.  So, crisis averted.  However, and this surprised us, one individual can't purchase more than two boxes of 16 tablets or capsules each.  So, that means 32 pills is the maximum a person can purchase during one visit.  If another person accompanies you, they will allow you to purchase four, but they have to be separate purchases.

Once we bought an adequate supply of the analgesic, we stopped for a hard cider at a pub, then decided to ride a bus over to West Kensington, near the flat where we stayed in 2010 (and they still are working on the same construction they were doing then), looked about, then rode the bus back.  We live such exciting lives, but it was fun.  Below are some pictures of Covent Garden that we took today.

Entrance into Covent Garden

Thursday Food Market at Covent Garden

Well that's it for today.  Will check in again tomorrow.

Day 1 - We've arrived, and we're ready to collapse

United Lounge in Chicago

As a follow up from yesterday, we did make it to the airport lounge and I was just sitting down with a glass of wine along with some crackers and cheese when they announced our flight was boarding.  Never one to waste a good glass of wine (Cabernet), I drank it rather quickly, picked up our snacks and headed over to the gate with hubby in tow.

I did slip my video camera out and filmed portions of the lounge, which I will watch to select a still frame I can share here. Every time we arrive in London Heathrow airport, we tend to forget that no matter what airline you take from the USA, you have to walk at least 3 miles to get from the gate to Immigration.  Then you need to stand in a never-ending, slow-moving line of people, who, just like you, are waiting to show their passports and landing cards so they can enter the country.  Since we're staying for 8 weeks, the immigration officials tend to look at us as if we're daft, because we're visiting during their off-season.  But we like cooler weather.  Normally, we're here through Thanksgiving to mid-December.  This year we arrived earlier, and we're leaving earlier.

Floor Plan and Stairs

Our flat is on the first floor, that means we had about twenty stairs to drag our very heavy luggage up, because when counting floors, the Brits start with the ground floor, which in the USA is the first floor.  That means if a place is listed as being on the first floor in England, it is actually on the second floor as far as we Americans are concerned.  Hubby and I knew that.  Honest.  Even so, the moment we were faced with all those stairs, we groaned.  Literally.  Will try to take a picture of the stairs tomorrow.  (Sorry, didn't get a picture of the luggage.  Even though we had two less cases, which is a good thing since United charges $100 for a second case, we still had a hard time of it.)

Living Room

The place is small, but well-equipped and clean.  I'll share a few pictures here, and more later.  Hubby is already taking a nap.  Lugging around two pieces of luggage that have a combined weight of 71 lbs and have to be lifted up stairs and across some sizable gaps between the underground train and its platform, can wear a person out.

Flat is on the right, above Paul Smith

Also, my cell phone ran out of juice, so we had to beg a sales person at Paul Smith for permission to use their phone in order to let our landlady know we've arrived.  She gave us a quick tour, showed us how to use the oven and clothes washer, as well as what they use to clean the hard wood floors and hoover (vacuum) them.  The place is small, but very conveniently located, despite the three thousand stairs, so I think it will work out well for us.

Okay, I think I'll have a bit of a lie down myself.  Be back on later this evening.

TTFN

I'm back.  We rallied around 9PM GMT, got dressed and went to Cafe Rouge for dinner (very continental of us).  It's one of our favorites.  (Forgot to take picture of our dinner - just not used to photographing food.) After that, we walked through the Leicester Square area to the neighborhood Tesco grocery store and purchased some staples, then limped back to the flat and unpacked.

We're acting like we're 80 years old with all the aches and pains both of us acquired in the last twelve hours.  It's a little after 1 AM, London time, so I think I'll close down for tonight and post more tomorrow.

Travel Day, or "Honey, do you remember where we put the...?"

You can fill in the blank for the title.  The missing item can be everything from batteries to the portable umbrella, and the "we" usually translates as "I."

This is the day when we (both of us, really) second guess ourselves and discover we've missed something important.  Like that pocket-sized travel umbrella "we" put in a "safe location" so "we" wouldn't forget it.  Which reminds me, bumbershoot is how the family I nannied for (when I was a blushing twenty-year-old) referred to an umbrella.  I learned a lot of different words back then, like cot for crib, and push chair for stroller, and pram for baby carriage.  So, I'd take the baby in a push chair for a walk carrying my bumbershoot and wearing my mackintosh (raincoat).  Oh, and by the way, jelly is the British word for a gelatin dessert like Jello, so you really don't want jelly on your toast in the morning, and when they ask if you'd like a salad with your sandwich, they're referring to some lettuce, tomato and sometimes onion on the side, for your sandwich, not a tossed salad with dressing like we Yanks would expect.  Did I mention it's like learning another language?

However, I think the Brits have gotten used to the Yanks messing up their language, so if you do order the wrong thing they'll probably ask to make sure you understand what you're ordering.  They are amazingly patient with us, and friendly, too.  So, I'll update this later, once I get a picture to add.  Just wanted to jot off a quick note while "we" are off shopping for some forgotten items (one of which I confess is mine).  We hope to be able to relax in one of the airline lounges during our hour and half lay over in Chicago, so I might be able to take a picture there to share with everyone.

So, ta ta for now....  

Packing Day - or "What do you mean no kitchen sink?"

How we packed in 2010

It may not look like much, but those suckers were heavy, and Londoners use stairs more than they do lifts or elevators.  We had to take rest breaks just to get from the tube to our flat.  Though the lady in the picture is smiling, she is not looking forward to lugging those items up 5 flights of stairs, I can tell you that.  Yup, definitely not.

It's early October, so the weather was a little chilly on that day, but sunny and bright.  If you're interested in seeing what that trip was like, visit my blog on The Virtual Tourist at http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/145611/

We are packing today, so not much to show yet, but should have some pictures tomorrow and Wednesday.

Wish us luck.

P.S. - We weighed our suitcases and they both came in at 48 lbs.  Limit is 50 lbs.  Phew.  We each have one suitcase, and one carry-on, and I have a personal item as well, as all ladies must.