Off to london

  London, United Kingdom
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Arrived in London late Tuesday afternoon after a loooong train ride from northern Wales.

Checked into The Vicarage (our B&B located in the Royal Kensington Garden neighborhood).  
                                              

We headed to Churchill Arms, a traditional English pub... with £6 Thai dishes- yummo!                    

 
After discovering that The Globe (Shakespeare's original open-air theatre) was completely sold out for the two nights we were staying in London, we decided to try our luck at the box office that evening...
...£5 standing/floor tickets!!! - for a 3.5 hour performance! 
  
                                                           

 ...It was Othello and it was amazing!!!                                 
     

 
Up early on a rainy Wednesday, off to Portobello Market in Notting Hill (about 4-5 blocks away from our B&B).  Lots of trendy/funky shops line Portobello Road with market stalls along the street.  
        

This is the Brittish version of fast food (fish & chips!)... you drive up in front & park???
                                                         
                                                  
Sarah got her nose pierced at Portobello Tattoo!...ahhh to be young again.
                  
 
Hopped on a double-decker bus and saw the entire city despite the cold & rain.  
    

                             


Decided to self-tour The Tower of London, due to Sarah's 'anti-group-tour' policy.  
          
                

                          

The weather finally broke- headed back to Churchill Arms for a pint and conversations with 'Peanut Paul' (a polite, elderly British gentleman- haven't seen many of those around, especially in Ireland- sorry Sarah).
                                  

Spent our last evening having dinner at Maggie Jones's, a local favorite in our neighborhood ... incredible food mixed with rustic English charm, this place was amazing!  There wasn't a meat they didn't serve: duck, lamb, goose, cow, pig, rabbit, deer, and guinea! 
       
                        

After breakfast, we hurried to Buckingham Palace to try and catch 'The Changing of the Guard' (against Sarah's wishes).  I hate to say, she was right... sooooo over-rated.  Come back to see video clip...(should be up in a day or two?)
       
 
My lil 'TUBE QUEEN' hard at work...she got us everywhere witht that lil map!
                

Paid a final visit to our neighborhood gourmet market/bakery/cheese shop, Clarks, to stock up on picnic supplies for the train...
       

Barely made the 'chunnel train' but caught my only glimpse of Big Ben from the train's window as we left the city of London... 
Sarah said "you see one clock you've seen them all,...& if I want to know what time it is, I'll just look at my wrist."  (She gets her pleasantness from her father).