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Trip Report: I was in London Last Week....

Indianapolis...
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645 posts
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Trip Report: I was in London Last Week....
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I had started this trip report but didn't label it as one, so I'll start over.

Copied from my old thread:

Last week on Wednesday I arrived in my favorite city for a week's stay, Sept 14-22. My last visit was 2014, so I was very eager to get there!

I booked in January for ~1100USD, which was a good price (same as 2014 and 2013) as they had been around $1400 USD, then fares started dropping to tempt travelers to go to Europe. I watched them get as low as $750 USD. I called AA to see if I could rebook at the lower fares, but it would have netted me about $13 after the international change fees. Oh, well.

My flight leaving Chicago was actually on BA, and it was lovely but slightly delayed. While we were taxiing the runway, one of the FAs noticed a passenger wasn't looking too well. She apparently had very bloodshot eyes and was not very alert. He tried asking her all kinds of questions like what day of the week it was and she could not answer, so back to the gate! Paramedics got her off and we lined up again, I think we left about 45 mins late. I wasn't surprised because I had been checking the flight stats and that flight had delays at least 3x per week.

I had paid to select my seat, and had been watching the seat map. I eventually changed my original seat to one further back, and that was a good thing. Once we were all boarded, the flight looked to be about 60% full, and me and the other person in my row had 4 seats for the 2 of us! I was determined to sleep, and my sinus meds were making me drowsy anyway, so once meal service was over, I lifted that arm rest and stretched out as much as you can on on two seats. The rest of the flight was uneventful, and we landed at 0810 instead of 0745. I'd never been to T5, so even with stopping to repack some things in my bag, make a stop in the toilets, find my way to immigration, and top up my Oystercard, I tapped in at 0859 (that's what my journey history says!), and was at the Citadines Holborn/Covent Garden by 1015. I had Scottish pound notes that I bought from a friend, and they worked in the Oyster top up machine.

I was a hot sweaty mess and it was a hot sweaty day. I had requested an early check in, but the desk clerk said they were fully booked the night before. I asked for the toilet and gave my self a quick wash (awkward as people kept coming in - they're also a business center for meetings, but whatever) and changed my clothes. Let me tell you here that men's Hanes X-Temp undershirts/T-Shirts are the BEST THING EVER. I have been having problems with my body temperature due to low iron levels, and moving makes me sweat right through everything. These shirts soaked it right up and didn't allow any moisture through to my thin, light colored T-shirts.

I left my bag in storage and headed out for breakfast in London!

Indianapolis...
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Kind of refreshed and sweating again already, I headed to the 3 store for a SIM card and got it installed. I think I also stopped at an ATM and got 180GBP. It came out in 5 and 10 pound notes. I did get one of the shiny new blue ones, and kept it to bring home.

My plan for today was to visit the Soane museum and see his wife's apartments that had been reopened, and they were on the map of the Opening Up The Soane display. HOWEVER. They aren't open with the rest of the museum due to the size of them. You need to sign up for a tour on the day for 1300 or 1400, and it's limited to 8 or 10 people. I had been there for an hour already and seen the kitchens (very nice) and it was already almost 30C/85F outside. I decided come back and sign up on another day.

In my previous report, I thought I took the tube to Green Park, but I actually took a bus to Waterloo, walked the South Bank and had ice cream, then went to Green Park for the London Walk tour. I had some time, so I had lunch and a lot of water while I sat on the grass in the park with everyone else. This one was the Old Palace Quarter, led by Liam, I think. Very enjoyable as usual. At some point I stopped at Picadilly Circus station for a bus map.

Next I went to check in to my hotel, get groceries, shower off the day, eat dinner, and go to bed!

Indianapolis...
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Day 2:

I had bought a ticket to see the underwear exhibit at the V&A, but I overslept and woke up at 930, and my ticket was for 10 am. Oh, well. I had a leisurely wake up and breakfast, and tried to think of what I could do instead, so I went to pick up my tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Tube to Leicester Square, then I made my way down to the theater. I had my email confirmation, and the person in the ticket booth asked to see my identification. I got my tickets, yay! I did some bus riding and made my way to High Street Kensington for the next part of the day.

I had another London Walks tour planned, Old Kensington (Adam was the guide, I think), but the roof garden was not open this day. We ended at Kensington Palace, and I stopped here in the park to have a bit of a snack, relax, and enjoy the quiet. Then I head back to my hotel to wind down and have dinner later.

This is also Part One of Cursed Child, so I leave for the theater and Holborn station's doors are closed due to congestion. It's only two stops away, so I decide to walk, and miss my turn and have to backtrack. Once I'm on the right street, it only takes about 15 minutes to walk from Holborn tube to Leceister Square Tube, and another 5 to the Palace Theatre. Of course I'm sweating, and the security line wraps completely around the building. It's moving fairly quickly so within 10 minutes I'm inside, but my seat is in the balcony at the very top of the building, so I start walking. The balcony is very steep and I feel like I'm going to fall down at any minute, and I'm not the only one because other people are saying the same thing. There are 3 empty seats in front of me, but the owners come in just as the play starts. Either they are very tired or don't enjoy the play, because the gentleman in front of me seems to be having trouble keeping his head up, and he's tall enough that I have to lean to the side to see around him. They do not come back the next night.

I thought the play was very well done, and Scorpius Malfoy (and the guy that played him) was the star of the show. The special effects were great, and everyone was ooohing and ahhhing at them.

I somehow got turned around leaving and instead of walking to Leicester Square, I walked to Picadilly Circus. Go me! I decided to go to the Tesco at Russell Square for a snack and then back to the hotel. The Tesco sponge cake with raspberry and cream filling is very good. I brought one home with me!

Indianapolis...
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Day 3

I booked a 10 am tour at Wimbledon, and while I was up bright and early, I forgot that due to escalator refurbishment, Holborn is exit only until 10 am. I hopped on a bus to Embankment, then the tube to Wimbledon. Just after we left Earl's Court, some American guy with an energy drink comes through the train and asks if this is the train to King's Cross. Uh, no. There is a lady sitting across from me and we kind of look at each other and then look at him. He seems really 'up' and I show him on my map where we are and where he needs to be. He jumps off at the next stop and I ask if he needs the map, and he says that he'll figure it out. The lady looks at me again and we both shrug and laugh. I bet he ended up at Rayner's Lane or something.

Because I never do as much preparation as I need to do, I set off walking from Southfields station towards Wimbledon. Why not take the bus, you ask? Because I'm a dummy. It's raining, and I'm not even 100% sure I'm going in the right direction, but a quick check of Google Maps says I am. I think 3 buses pass me and I still keep walking. I see cranes in the distance and wonder where the heck I'm going and how long til I get there. When I get there, I can see that it's construction at the AELTC, where they are adding a roof to Court 1. The guide said it will be done sometime in 2018 or 2019, but they can still use the court for the Championships.

I enjoyed the tour and the guide was great. We weren't allowed to touch the grass, and he said that the guides have been yelled at for letting tourists touch the grass. It's very lovely grass. Tim Henman was there taking photos and he waved at us. I bought a lot of stuff in the shop, and spend a long time in the museum. I left about 1315, and went back to my hotel to rest, eat, and change for Part 2 of Cursed Child. It looks like I walked to Leicester Square again, and I think I walked back and went to Burger King. I am burning lots of calories.

I have been trying to use my Oyster Journey history to track my days but either I walked a lot or it's not showing all of my journeys.

Indianapolis...
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Day 4

It's Saturday, and the start of London Open House Weekend. I have the Gherkin on my list, and since I wake up at 8 am, I'm pretty sure that I have no hope of going up, but I walk by anyway. Nope, no hope, so I hop a bus to Whitechapel, thinking that I will just go up the Monument instead, but my legs are way too tired. I sit down with a ham and pickle sandwich (from Pret, very good) pull out my Open House guide and decide to see a school near Angel/Islington, the High Myddleton Primary School. Me being me, I get turned around and then pass by the entrance to the building and I CAN SEE THE OPEN HOUSE SIGN so why can't I get in?! Ahem. I finally find it and ring the bell. One of the nice volunteers takes me through and we talk about education in general and school experiences and I can't believe I was ever that little.

I also had an aborted attempt at lunch at Camden Market on a Saturday. Completely bad idea. I get back to the tube station and help a couple figure out how to get from Chalk Farm to Moorgate, and then I get off at Liverpool Street and go to Tesco for some groceries. I also stop at Lush for some things, then call Tayyabs for a takeaway. Back home for dinner and some relaxation. I find I prefer this style of travel where I don't plan too much in a day. It also helps that I have been to London so many times already.

Guildford, United...
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I think this trip report is an excellent corrective for those who plan their days to the last minute. Stuff always happens... I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't find entrances, gets off at the wrong stop, gets on at the wrong stop!

England, United...
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a fun trip report, just wanted to let you know it was read

Indianapolis...
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Thanks for the kind words!

On to Day 5!

Today is Sunday and I have a 1030 tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours for the Thames River Tour. I haven't done too much around the South Bank except for the Imperial War Museum a few years back, and Sunday is a day where I expect there to be less traffic.

I make my way by tube to Southwark station and run across the street for a bottle of water. Our guide arrives on his bike promptly at 1030 and we walk to the bike location a few minutes away, pick our bikes, adjust them, and mount up. We were all offered helmets and no one took him up on it, but we all should have. In the end no one fell or got hit by a car, so there's that, but if I did this tour on a week day, I definitely would wear a helmet.

We rode through Lambeth, and the traffic was minimal, but you definitely needed to be comfortable in your bike riding abilities, and one youth in particular was more than slightly annoying. He was weaving side to side and riding too fast at some points, while there was one lady who kept falling behind and when she was the rider directly behind the guide, she was too far behind him, and made everyone else fall too far back. Eventually her relative rode with her at the end. I've also never seen so many people ignore bike bells or people on bikes. It's like they wanted to get run over.

Sites that we stopped at:

The London Eye

Big Ben

Tower Bridge

St. Paul's Cathedral

The Tower of London

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

London Bridge

Borough Market

The Monument

Leadenhall Market

Borough Market on a Sunday had some places open, and I had a burger, but it definitely would not be on my list of places to visit. I'm just not that into food. The ride over Tower Bridge was interesting, and once again, not one of us (especially me), ended up under a bus.

After we dropped our bikes off, I stopped to call my niece and wish her happy birthday and find out how she liked her present (knee high suede boots with fringe. she hasn't taken them off since, according to my mother).

I dropped in to the London Transport Museum shop and bought some books and things, then headed to Picadilly Circus for a massage. Excellent as usual, then as it was approaching 1900, I headed back home for dinner and TV.

Indianapolis...
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Day 6

Monday, and the day I'm going to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I have been before, but who needs a reason to go back? Bus to Euston, train to Watford Junction, bus to the studio. The Hogwarts Express has been added and they have moved the cafeteria indoors. I had two camera batteries this time, and took nearly 200 photos, plus the ones I took with my phone. There is also a section where they added some of the paper props so you can get a better look, like an OWL exam, some of the books, Daily Prophets, Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products, and other stuff. I got some really good close ups. I was also surprised that that section wasn't more crowded. I bought some things for myself and a friend, then headed back to Euston. The excess fare with a TravelCard is £1.80 each way as Peak Travel times are traveling to London in the morning and traveling out in the evening, at least on London Midland.

I had not gotten my sleep adjusted yet, and at around 5 pm, I fell asleep for 4 hours. It has happened on each trip, but usually on day two or three. So I woke up and ate dinner then went back to sleep. Eventually.

Indianapolis...
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Day 7

Today was the day I had planned to ride the entire route of a bus then travel back on another route, to see parts of London that I wouldn't normally see. Instead, I signed up for the tour at the Soane Museum, and took a London Walk, Secret London, with Kim. This was cutting it tight because the Walk began at 1045 and the tour started at 1315. In the end, I had to leave the walk just before the last location at St. Brides, then tube from St. Paul's to Holborn. I made it with about 4 minutes to spare.

The tour at the Soane was worth it. First we got a little background on the family then went upstairs past the barriers. The private rooms were tiny, and we were cautioned to be careful about touching anything, and we had to leave our bags. They were locked away, don't worry. During one moment in the tour, one of the ladies unconsciously put her hands on a chair and leaned forward. The tour guide looked over and then they both gasped. I walked around with my hands behind my back after that. We saw Eliza Soane's bathroom, but not the tub, the bedroom, and the model room. If you can sign up for a tour, it's well worth it. You have do it in person and on the day only.

After leaving the Soane, I had to make to to my other scheduled event, another London Walk! This one was Past the Palace, and was led by one of the Richards, I think. This was my favorite of all the walks I took this go-round, and after all the walking today, I was worn out. I stopped at a Tesco for something to augment my leftovers from Nando's. I ate and then drifted in and out of sleep while watching Location Location Location, then I woke up at 5 am. I slept for about 10 hours, and I really wanted to know which flats the sisters and the lady from Bermondsey chose.

Indianapolis...
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Day 8 - my last day!

Today is my last day, and I didn't have anything planned, so I decided that I would take bus rides. I picked the 188 from Russell Sq to North Greenwich, then a bus to Stratford. From there I took the 388 to Blackfriars station. Total time was just over 3 hours. I saw a lot of different areas, and even saw a woman who looked like my sister. While I was on the bus, I debated seeing another show, and thought about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but I love the book too much and hated both of the movies. I was also not in the mood for a musical. I did decide on The Play that Goes Wrong, and tried to by tickets on line, but that didn't work out, so I walked to the theater and bought my ticket. I still had to pack but I just decided that I wouldn't go to sleep at all and sleep on the plane.

I was going to have lunch, but the place I wanted to go closed between lunch and dinner, so I grabbed something quick and back to the hotel to cool off and change. I took a bus to the theater and the play was hilarious. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good farce.

I get tired of waiting on the bus, and Aldwych to Holborn is not that long of a walk, so off I go to pack. My plan is to take the night bus to the airport, and it comes at 0345. I finally get packed at around 0130 and set my alarm for 3 am.

I take one bus to Charing Cross, then the N9 to Heathrow. Most of the people who were on the bus were going to Heathrow, and it wasn't a big deal to have my suitcase, but the bus was pretty full by the time we got to Heathrow.

When boarding was done, I don't think there were 50 people in coach, so I had a row of 3 seats to myself, and so did nearly everyone else. I think most of us stretched out to sleep.

And that's what happened when I went to London last week!

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