London England

On our own Reconnaissance

Monday 11 June 2018

We arrived at London Airport about 20 minutes after schedule so Pilot must have made up some time. We had to walk down steps from the plane onto the tarmac. Engines still on and made the stairs very shaky! Then it was a long, long walk along a corridor before we finally came to a large overhead sign “UK Border Control”. Only a short wait before our passports were checked and we went through “nothing to Declare”.

Found some Oyster Card machines but they wouldn’t work. We had brought our cards that we had here in 2012 and just wanted to top them up. Asked at the counter but they only topped up via Visa and we wanted to use our British Pounds. She then directed us to a machine that she knew did work. A dark-skinned gent with a London accent tried to help us, but we were all a little confused. The first £20 we put in issued a train ticket plus lots of coin in change! We finally got £20 loaded on each card and then I said I still needed a ticket. ‘No No’ he admonished, ‘Use your Oyster!’

The girl at the counter had helpfully given us a small map showing that we had to change trains at West Ham and then on to Victoria Station which is near our Hotel, The Windermere.

I could not find where to scan my card – probably in the train Eddie said, so we hopped on – no scanner! But there were none on the platform either. At West Ham we could still not find a machine so on we went. At Victoria we had to scan card on the way out and Eddie put the ticket he had in the slot. Then, having heavy bags we tried to find a lift – no lifts! So Eddie took both bags and I carried my carryon and up the stairs we go. So much for passengers with Disability being able to access Victoria Station.

It took a bit longer than indicated on Google to trundle our bags along the footpaths to the Hotel. Finally arrived at 2:30pm. A nice old Victorian house with dogleg corners along corridors, but it has a lift! We were on the 3^rd floor with no near neighbours, so very quiet.

After a freshen up and some unpacking we went for a walk down the road to Cambridge Street Kitchen and had a coffee with club sandwich filled with chicken, bacon tomatoes and salad. Very tasty. An English Gent talked with us for a time – quite effusive about NZ. Spent his ‘gap year’ there in his youth before going up to Cambridge. Had to mention that several times! His ‘Lady Friend’ as he referred to her, came back from the bathroom and when she heard we were from NZ she said the best singer in the world comes from NZ! Kiri Te Kanawa, Hayley Westenra we thought or perhaps Tim or Neil Finn? But no – She was enamoured over John Rowles! Now he is known in NZ - but the world??! He did however make a bit of a name for himself in Hawaii some time ago.

We then wandered further down Warwick Way and went into a ‘typical’ pub – Marquis of Westminster and ordered – wait for it – Aperol Spritz! After we had finished our drink and ‘drank’ in the ambiance of the old pub, we decided we had eaten and drunk enough and wouldn’t need dinner.

Tuesday 12 June

After the hot weather we had in Europe this morning felt quite cool and temperature was only 14, expected to get to only 18 today. As we are on the top floor one advantage is we have a skylight in the bathroom which gives good light and feels warm in the morning.

Hop on Hop Off bus day! Only can use it one day on our London Passes. We started on the Blue Line which left just down the road opposite the Victoria Coach Centre. The commentator was a very funny Cockney fellow who answered his own questions in different voices. We were up the top with several others and every now and then he’d shout ‘Anyone still up there listening?’ and we would all shout back ‘Yes!!’

Traffic was horrific and lots of roadworks and one-way diversions. We didn’t get to the Tower until 11am (left at 9:30am). The Tower was fascinating. Especially all the Crown Jewels. We decided to have lunch at the tearooms there as we had had an early breakfast. Sandwiches and coffee from a self-service machine.

Then we went and looked at the Mint and saw how coins were made in the past and how successive royals had their ‘stamp’ on things!

We then moved on to the Tower Bridge and took lift to the overhead walkway. I took pics up and down the Thames, but I did not walk on the glass floor in the middle of the walkway!

Interesting information on boards under the window, concerning the raising of the bridge for tall ships. Then we went down, out and around to the engine room – another fascinating place. In the gift shop bought a painted cushion cover of the tower and the poppies that were put in the moat a couple of years ago to commemorate the fallen in the Wars. I thought our eldest daughter may like it, but if not, I would keep it. (update: she loved it! She lived in London for 4 years and the Tower was one of her favourite sites.) 

I then wanted to go to the Harry Potter Shop at Kings Cross in the hopes of buying a Dobby T-shirt. We had to get on the Orange Line and it took some time to get there. It was 4pm so only had ½ hour at the shop. Eddie went to the toilet while I browsed. Found the T-shirts but their biggest size was not big enough for me! Bummer ?. So instead I bought a tin plaque with Dobby on it with the words “House-Elves Welcome here”. I’ll put it in our scullery or kitchen when we get home.

We caught the next Orange HOHO bus with the intention of changing to the Blue at Charing Cross. Very busy roads and so very slow! A second driver got on the bus to go to the next stop and suggested we stay on this bus and get off at Buckingham Gate – the Hotel is just off Buckingham Place Road. So we stayed on, but with stops and traffic we did not get to the stop until after 7pm! I got the feeling Eddie was fed up by this time – way past his feed time. We had to walk about 10 minutes before our first road turn, so it was close to 7:30pm by the time we got to our Hotel. We were going to try one of the pubs for dinner but Eddie had had enough! ‘We eat here!’ he growled.

We had to freshen up and change clothes so it was after 8pm by the time we got to the basement where we have breakfast. A group of women that were also on the bus and had got out at the same stop, were in there. Had got there quicker than us and had already drank most of the bottle of red they had ordered.

We had fish and chips with mushy peas! Our chef was a young man from Czech Republic and he suggested a glass of nice Spanish wine to go with it. The dinner was excellent – fish very fresh and the batter was light and crispy. Eddie cheered up enormously! We had some wine left so ordered a cheese board to go with it. One of the cheeses was bright orange! Very tasty but unusual to us. A young American girl who came in after us was surprised when we said we don’t have orange cheese in NZ. It sounds like it’s a staple in the US!

Wednesday 13 June

Warmer this morning and sunny! We decided to catch a bus to Westminster Pier and go by boat to Kew Gardens. It was a later start after our late night. We caught the boat – old, traditional ferry-type – at 11am. A nice commentary as we cruised along the Thames and he pointed out where some famous people lived. We didn’t get to Kew until 12:30pm after walking along a tow path from the Kew Bridge drop off.

We had lunch first – sandwiches again but we didn’t have to make our own coffees this time. Then it was an adventure finding our way around.

The Palm House was very humid and hot so we didn’t stay there long. In the Temperate House the first exhibit when we walked in was New Zealand! All the plants labelled with botanical (Latin) names only. I reckon they should put in the common and/or Maori names as well. After a while in there I got an extremely runny nose, eyes and sneezes! Something in there gave me Hay Fever! I had to get out and have a good drink of water.

We then thought we would try the ‘Tree Walk’. Well, I should have known when I saw the stairs! Couldn’t go up them, but there was a lift. So up we go. Welll…. 18 metres above the ground with a gridwork floor so you could see down below your feet! I kept looking straight ahead and did not look down or over the sides. It swayed somewhat in the wind and Eddie started saying things like –‘If they didn’t weld these struts well enough there could be a problem’. I just kept walking clockwise around the structure until we got back to the lift again. Had to wait for a time (only one lift). More shaking and there was a young woman there who was even more upset then me! Her friend stayed up but she came into the lift with us and we were both relieved to be back on the ground! We have an aerial walkway around the monkey enclosures at our local zoo, so I did not think I would have this problem, but this was higher, shaky and too much ground views. Also, no cute animals to take my mind off the height L 

On the way back passed the Temperate House we saw the little ‘train’ coming, so we thought to hop on. We ended up between people on either side. Then one said ‘You realise you have to pay?’ How much - £5. Eddie looked doubtful but I was prepared to pay and got £10 out of my purse. Then he told us ‘you can only pay by card!’. Exchange rates etc would make it even more so we thought to get out. ‘No’, these English people said ‘Stay, you can pay at the end’. However, the train was not heading toward the exit where we wanted to end up. It drove passed the Pagoda – not quite completed (July) and then passed the Japanese Garden. I wanted to see that so when it did stop we hopped out!

We walked through the trees, passed a nice pond and saw the pagoda way ahead. We walked toward it and then off to the right was the sign for the Japanese Garden. Very nice it was too. A dry garden so no water, but very nicely planned.

Then we followed a path that led, we hoped in the direction of the exit – and it did! We bought a juice at the Café and sat by the lake. We watched the Canadian Geese waddling around for a while and then it was time to go ‘home’ to the Windermere.

Back at a nice time this time – around 5:15pm. Had showers then wandered down Warwick Way to The Queens Arms. Very noisy, manic and there didn’t seem to be any table left. We saw a sign pointing to upstairs dining. Small but much quieter. The young man led us to a table and he recognised our accent! His parents are living in Tauranga. They love it there and he liked it when he stayed with them for a time.

Eddie had a nice piece of leg of lamb and I had an avocado, olive and tomato salad with a nice piece of grilled chicken. Then I had to have dessert as there was chocolate mousse on the menu! Eddie had a nice apple crumble with its own wee jug of custard. We also had with our dinner a glass of Montepulciano wine (not a nobile) which was still very nice. A very nice meal and great service.

Thursday 14 June

Last night we decided to get tickets for The Mousetrap! So today, we did not want to do too much for too long. We went to the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House that had a number of Impressionist paintings especially Cezanne which I love. There were also earlier works and later ones to show the progression of art through the 1800’s to this century. We saw some Seuret, Monet and Renoir.

We had a late morning tea/ early lunch in their Café. I had a nice pot of Earl Grey tea with an almond croissant. Eddie had carrot cake and coffee.

We then found out which bus to catch to Leadenhall. Very nice old galleria with New Moon Café at the front – used as the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter.

On the way we passed a bank – Lloyds and went in to ask about exchange for the old £5 notes we had. She directed us to the bank of England in the street we had just come from – Threadneedle(love these names!). so ,after Leadenhall we went around the block. Couldn’t find the bank at first so asked a passing person who pointed it out further down the street. The Lloyds teller said the building with the pillars, but there was more than one fitting that description! When we arrived, there was a female security guard at the door who asked what we wanted to do. When we told her, she said only one of us could enter and the other had to stay outside near her! So Eddie went in and after a time came back out with 2 crisp new £5 notes. I was getting quite hot waiting outside and there was little shade. Several people came along after us and they also had to wait outside while only one of their party went in.

Then it was back to the Windermere around 3:30pm. Because buses had been rather slow through town we thought it best to leave early – show started at 7:30pm, find somewhere to eat and then be at the theatre on time.

I looked online and saw there was an Italian Restaurant just around the corner – Rosso Pomodoro. We left to catch the bus at the stop the young man at reception told us, at 5:30pm. It did take time, both in waiting for the bus and then the slow progress through the city streets. We arrived at 6:30pm. The café was very crowded and we thought we wouldn’t be able to eat there. There was another woman with a child who told the waitress they had a booking for 5 people – her, another woman and 3 children. The waitress called the manager and he asked her and us to follow him. He took us upstairs to a nice, quiet eatery with several tables and we were the only ones there!

Nice Italian waitresses. We had a glass of prosecco and a pizza with artichokes (of course), olives etc., plus a nice salad with thin slices of radish – very tasty. When finished she asked if we wanted anything else. I asked if they made Café Macchiato and they do! And she did! It was just the right finish to our meal!

Then it was around to St Martin’s Theatre – very old and small but very atmospheric. We had chosen seats at the side on the last row of the stalls. Good view of the stage. Very entertaining and absorbing play – typically Agatha Christie – and we were asked at the end not to reveal the murderer to people who hadn’t seen the play. So it you are dying to know, go see it! Very enjoyable. Finished by 10:00pm and bus ride back was easy and uneventful.

Friday 15 June - Zoo Day!

As we had to catch the first bus outside Victoria Station, we decided to check our oyster cards at the machines now that we know how! One down to 11 and the other £8 (because of the train ticket bought at the start?) we topped up £10 on one and £5 on the other. The second bus was the first single deck bus we had been on here.

Zoo was quite busy – several school groups. The first animal I photo’d was a sleepy tiger. Also saw a smallish Komodo Dragon. Had fish & chips and mushy peas for lunch. Not quite as good as ‘our’ Czech chef but OK. After the gorillas and tigers we saw the sign for Live Small Animal show, so we found the tent and went in to watch. Very entertaining. Flying owls and later, Bob a little burrowing owl who often prefer to run after the prey. There were also ferrets and meercats all trained to appear from certain holes set in the stage and to scoot out others when directed (hand signals). There was also an armadillo. The concept of the show was travelling to the different continents. For Australia they had two red-tail parrots – mainly black with reddy-orange tail feathers. These flew over the crowd a few times. Once I felt the ‘wind’ as one passed close to me!

We then went through the Butterfly House which was very beautiful, and they had volunteers who answered any questions we may have. The lion exhibit was a re-created Indian village and nearby ‘bush’ and the lions were Indian. I did not realise they had lions in India so it was an eye-opener.

We then saw on the ‘What’s On’ board that there was to be a flight demo of predator birds, so we asked an attendant where the flight area was, and he directed us a short distance away. No seating, just a grassy sloped area around a flat fenced paddock. Birds swooped too quickly for photos, so I just sat and enjoyed. Owls, bustards, and one bird from South America that attacks snakes, although, at first he was not interested in ‘fighting’ the false snake the attendants threw onto the ground.

We then went through a tunnel to the other side of the road and saw lemurs, giraffes, zebras and a pygmy hippo! I had wanted to return to the exit with the shop as I wanted to see if they had a Slow Lloris ( I spell it this way because of Hugo Lloris, the Tottenham and French team goalkeeper) soft toy, but Eddie saw and Exit sign on this side and said ‘Come On!’ so we were back on the road, although we got the wrong stop at first and had to walk across and down the road a little to catch the bus going the right direction.

When we got back to the Hotel we turned on TV and saw the end of the Morocco-Iran game and then Portugal and Spain were to play. We decided to eat downstairs again and then we could come back to watch the second

half.

We were the only ones there at first – the American girl came in later. The Czech chef had the game on in the dining room, so we had a leisurely meal while we all watched. I didn’t finish all my meal but decided I wanted some dessert. Chef said ‘No dessert for you! You didn’t finish your dinner!’ So we said Eddie wanted two desserts. He brought out ‘Brexit Mess’ (appropriate name ?!)  and the fruit salad we ordered and gave both to Eddie! We shared when he wasn’t looking (ha ha). The game ended 3 -3!! Watching chef and the girl we reckoned there was a ‘thing’ going on between them.   So cute.

Continued: - Part 2