Despite going to bed around 5:00 in the afternoon, we still slept in big time. It was around 1:00 before we finally made it out of the hotel.
We stopped at Harrods for lunch, which was pricey, but cool. Also had the convenience of being close to our hotel. Most of the eating establishments seat you at a bar, though we did see one bistro with tables. We found a rotisserie grill that was great. First thing we noticed (which we found true of most British restaurants) is that if you order water, they bring it to you in a bottle and charge you for it.
Marsha wanted to find the Diana Memorial (having grown up in the age of Will and Kate, Madison didn't understand the Diana obsession). It's at the bottom of the Egyptian Escalators, which is cool enough in itself (though hard to photograph).
The memorial has a guest book, a statue of her and Dodi, and a memorial with a pyramid and their photos.
Harder to find was the Godiva Chocolate Cafe. We had to ask directions twice, since it was clear on the other side of the store. The display counter was separated into two sections. The larger one was for sitting and eating there. The smaller, which we chose, was to get some chocolate to go. We each picked one and ate them on our way out.
From there we walked on to Buckingham Palace and finally got an up-close look. We'd missed the Changing of the Guard, but found out when it is, so hopefully we can catch it another day.
We were supposed to meet up with my friend, Michael, but he got tied up, so we just went exploring on our own.
We went down to the River Thames, where we got some much better views of Big Ben and Parliament, which we'd only glimpsed from afar yesterday.
We opted to cross the Thames River on the Jubilee bridge, so that we'd get the better (and iconic) view of Big Ben coming back. On the other side, we walked by the London Eye (too expensive, too long a wait, and Marsha was never getting on it) and a small fair that was going on, complete with street performers and other activities.
Crossing Westminster Bridge (which I've seen in several movies and the BBC show Spooks (MI-5 in the US) was slightly less iconic due to the huge crowds.
From there we walked up to Trafalgar Square, which is right by the National Portait Gallery and famous for the big Lion statues in the middle. They were a little hard to see, though, due to construction barriers for some repair work.
From there it was just a about a block to Leicester Square, which was much less crowded and very relaxing. We found the TKTS booth (to which we planned to return on Tuesday to get show tickets, just like in NYC), and the Empire Cinema, to which we'd return in just a few hours to see the new movie Spooks: The Greater Good, based on the show. I'd been praying that it would still be playing when I got here, and luckily it was. We also found a bench where we got to sit and enjoy watching the kids play in the fountain.
The one thing we didn't find was the Charlie Chaplin statue, which had been in Leicester Square, but was clearly there no longer. Thanks to Google, I learned that it had been moved just a block away to Leicester Place, which is closer to the West End theaters. I was surprised that there was no plaque explaining why the statue was there. I told Madison that Chaplin was born in London and got his start in English theatre.
Just down the road was Picadilly Circus, which is like a cleaner, more stately version of Times Square. A lot of people like to hang out there (got to watch out for pickpockets), though I'm not sure why. There's also a lot of traffic. The surrounding buildings are beautiful though, with Regent Street (the high end shopping district) branching off.
It was nearly time for our dinner reservations, so we headed up Regent Street ourselves. Madison saw a toy shop she wanted to check out, but we didn't have time and, this being Sunday night, they were already closed.
We found our way to Gordon Ramsey's Maze Grill right on time. Had some confusion because it's inside the Marriott and shares a front door and hostess station with Maze, it's high-end sister restaurant. The decor was typical hotel restaurant (beige and kind of bland), but the food was excellent. Again, bottled water. Marsha complained when I ordered a second one, but I was really thirsty.
Since arriving in the UK, I've been on a quest to find an English tea that tastes like American iced tea. Again I ordered Earl Grey because it's the only one I know (thanks to Captain Picard). It's a bit more bitter, so I'll have to try something else.
For dessert we had to try the Sticky Pudding, a British classic. It's not actually a pudding; it's a sponge cake soaked with a toffee sauce and served with cream. And it was quite delicious.
Then it was back to Leicester Square where we finally met up with Michael for the movie. We all loved it. I especially loved all the London locations, which were a hallmark of the series, several of which we'd just seen. Even better, Madison is now a fan and wants to start binging the show (which she'd never watched) when we get back home. I hoped she'd like the movie, and that was even better.
Michael took us on a quick tour of Covent Garden, Chinatown, and Soho (where most of the theaters are). Since it was getting close to midnight, it was a little strange to be wandering around, but we knew we were in good hands. It was actually pretty quiet. Even Picadilly Circus was nearly empty. We were really impressed with Covent Garden and definitely want to go back when it's open.
Michael drove us back to the hotel and offered several pointers for when I attempt it myself. More training was quite welcome!
We returned to the room to find one slight damper to an otherwise awesome day. Marsha got a message on her phone from Verizon. Turns out we've been using far more data than we realized, and we've only been here two days. She was already charged extra for going over her limit, and Madison and I both had used half of ours. We'll have to do things very differently from now until the end of the trip.
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