Hi Everyone,
Jac and I returned yesterday from London and the flight was uneventful….just the way I like it! We had a wonderful time doing everything we could cram into 5 days. We arrived to beautiful spring weather and sunny skies…..very unusual for this time of year in London, but I guess this warm weather is global. We checked into the magnificent Dorchester Hotel and immediately went on our way. We took a boat ride up the Thames and landed at the Tower of London which is steeped in history. Actually, anywhere you go in London is steeped in history. This is wear Anne, Henry the 8th’s second wife plus two others lost their dear little heads. During the 5 days we saw 3 Museums….the Victoria and Albert, the British museum and the National Gallery. We went to Buckingham Place, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral where Dianna got married. On Saturday, in the rain, we went to the famous Portobello Road to rummage thought the flea markets and antique stalls. It was packed with people speaking every language you can imagine….lots and lots of fun….then off to Nottinghill for lunch in a typical English pub. We went to the West End and saw two shows…..Ghost, which is coming to Broadway and Hay Fever, a wonderful Noel Coward play. Ghost was much more than I expected and the special effects were terrific……….I’m sure it will be a hit on Broadway. We had “High Tea” at the Dorchester and it was an experience. We had reservations for another at Browns, but canceled….to much to see and do….one tea was enough! On Sunday the sun came out again…so we went to Waterloo Station and took the train, 25 – 30 minutes, to Hampton Court…..which was the favorite home of Henry the 8th and all of his wives. Elizabeth the first also spent a lot of time there. We were told by the tour guide they new when it was time to move on to the next residence when the stench got too bad…..I would say that was a good indication it was time to leave! The grounds and gardens were beautiful with primroses growing everywhere and all kind of Daffodils blooming in the lawns. We did a little shopping at Harrods…..Jac wanted 2012 Olympic T-shirts….she’s easy to please! Harrods is something else and there isn’t anything that compares. I especially loved the food courts……5 or 6 enormous rooms, each decorated differently and each featuring different produce….one had meats, game and poultry…..another had caviar, zillions of cheeses, crackers, quiches and all different kinds of pot pies. Of course my favorite was the room with every kind of jam, jelly, tea, coffee, chocolate, and ever pastry and cake you could imagine……..don’t ever go there hungry! Speaking of hungry, besides the pubs we stopped into along the way, we went to some fine restaurants. Todd’s is a restaurant that specializes in fish. It is very beautiful, very elegant, with warm woods and upholstered chairs…..very clubby with a very chic clientele….and excellent food! Another newish restaurant in the theater district is The Delaunay. A huge room, very bistro, lots of banquets….a place to people watch and to be seen. Another fabulous place to people watch is the Ivy Restaurant…..again in Piccadilly….the theater district……a really fun place and a favorite with celebs after theater…or so we’ve been told…..didn’t see any….but there were lots of beautiful people. I must say every place we went was crowded and the restaurants were packed…..I guess they haven’t heard there’s a recession. There were many foreigners traveling and visiting London. Everything is quite expensive including the cabs….which we took all over….we loved them and the cabbies were so friendly. The last two days of the trip were devoted to QVC. All of the people were lovely….from Sharon the front receptionist, who called me “sweetie”, to the crew, producers, stylists and the two lovely models that did the show…Tanya and Sharon…. who were very welcoming to Jac. All in all it was a good time and the two hosts, Katherine and Julia were wonderful. We truly had a wonderful time….but….we were glad to come home to tons of kisses from our three little girls………………………………………………………………………………………………………
P.S. Check out Jac’s posts and pictures on her face book!
