We spend Saturday in London reminiscing, doing some new things but also remembering meaningful places and times spent here over the last four years.
As we walked from the Waterloo train station to Leicester Square to buy half-price theatre matinee tickets, we snapped a photo on the Hungerford Bridge with the iconic Parliament building, Big Ben clock tower, and London Eye behind us:
All the rain we've had this summer produced beautiful blooming window-box flowers:
The British are concerned with things being done "properly". We had lunch at Byron Hamburgers where they claim to offer "Proper Hamburgers" modeled on American-style burgers.
Walking around the Covent Garden area, this sign outside a pub again boasts of being "proper":
We walked past one of Lexi's favorite candy stores that offers American sweets:
On a walking tour of the Covent Garden area three years ago with the American Women's group, I remember enjoying a stop inside the Royal Opera House. I wanted to share it with Chris and Lexi. A beautiful mirror and glass walled atrium houses a champagne bar:
On one end a thin box appears to be suspended in mid-air. This optical illusion is actually a window from the Amphitheatre Bar located behind the mirrored wall. We took the escalator up and had fun checking out the view from the other side.
With some time to kill before our matinee showing, we took a break from all the walking by stopping in a pub for a quick pint and Archers and Coke:
Our last stop was the Phoenix theatre where we saw the play "Once" recommended by a friend from the Petroleum Women's Club.
It was a sweet love story musical, more enjoyed by me than Chris and Lexi I'm afraid.
Sunday dawns and we really should be getting stuff done for the upcoming trip in 5 days.... but it's our last Sunday together.
We planned a drive to the cute village of Windsor and booked afternoon tea at the Crooked House. Here is a photo of it from the internet:
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| Crooked House of Windsor tea room |
Alas, road closures in the Surrey area for a cycling event forced us to drive around looking for a way to get there and then finally caused us to change our plans. Chris had the idea of revisiting the pub in Cobham where we had our first lunch here on a Sunday afternoon in January 2009 when we were visiting schools for Lexi. Another good idea spoiled by more road closures.
Chris has lived here for four years and not done the proper Afternoon Tea so we decided to partake of that ritual at a hotel in our neighborhood. We parked the car on a side street and walked to the historic Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge:
When we got home I looked up the history of the hotel and discovered this:
This privately owned historic country house became a hotel in 1856 and stands on the site of the grand Royal Palaces of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The great cedar tree at the front of the hotel was planted by Charles I to celebrate the birth of his son, Henry of Otelands.
I did indeed notice the towering cedar in front of the place!
Tea was served in the lobby:
Afternoon tea complete with scones, finger sandwiches and desserts can now be checked off for Chris!
Woo hoo, doesn't he look thrilled?
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