Monday, October 07, 2013 Harrod’s, Westminster, Airport Hotel

Monday, October 07, 2013  Harrod’s, Westminster, Airport Hotel

We met for breakfast at our standard time of 9:45 and we enjoyed our last breakfast there.  We then all brought our luggage down and had it put in storage so we could play some on our last day in London.  We had our photo made on the staircase and I’m sure we were really cute.  

 Then we left to go ride the London Eye – we’d been waiting to do this the entire time in London. The sun was shining and it was slightly cool so it was wonderful weather.  We walked over to it and the line was very short so it wasn’t long before we were in our compartment with only two other groups of four.  

 Riding the London Eye is a wonderful experience and everyone should do it.  It gives you such a wonderful view of London and it really is a bird’s eye experience.  It moves so slowly that you do not know it is moving but when Paula announced we were at the top I remembered that I was afraid of heights. Still it was a wonderful experience.  

 

After that we split up and most everyone went to Harrod’s to see Princess Di’s memorial and to do a little shopping.  They must have had a good time cause they came back with more ‘stuff’.  Sue also looked at the stores around Harrold’s searching for something for her Dad, but she could not find it. 

I went in their taxi for a little while til they kicked me out at Westminster Abbey – that was the plan actually.  I paid my money (It’s nice being a Senior in England cause I get a discount on almost everything.) and picked up my brochure and audio equipment to tour the Cathedral.  Those audio tours are absolutely wonderful.  I walked all over the church and saw so much history.  I found out that one King was murdered (starved to death) by his successor – why did they allow that?  I also found out that there was only one time when a King and Queen were both crowned at the same time – they were married and they were also first cousins!!  They had no children I case you were wondering.  The number of people buried or honored in Westminster is staggering.  Also, I learned that Queen Elizabeth I was buried atop her sister, Queen Mary.  I have also rediscovered the idea that they was always a war or disagreement or political disagreements going on in history, just like nowadays.  I guess things don’t really change much. 

This was in the Cloisters which is about the only place I was allowed to take photographs - and don't think I didn't try!

After finishing the tour, I decided to walk back to the hotel and it was quite a hike but I made it.  I have been kinda worried that my flip flops would tear up but so far, they have done nicely.  I’d have been in a bad situation if they did tear up, but they are so much easier to walk in that those big old clunky shoes and socks I was wearing earlier in the trip.  

We got in taxis and went a long way across London to the Bunch of Grapes Pub, which had been recommended by the concierge.  It had good pub and we all enjoyed it.  (I enjoyed it the rest of the day and had to take several Tums to stop enjoying it.  I didn’t even eat any supper cause I was still enjoying it – that did not prevent me from getting a dish of vanilla ice cream for dessert.)   

We took taxis back to the hotel where they fellas got all our luggage out of storage (poor guys) and loaded the luggage and us into two 6-seater taxis for the hour long trip to our Holiday Inn at Heathrow.   

These are the two fellas that loaded our luggage - I felt for them.  Everyone at that hotel was really just very, very pleasant and helpful.

 

We were, of course, going during rush hour so that made the riding even more of an adventure. 

We made it to the new hotel, got checked in, got to our rooms and rested.  We even have windows that look out to the outside world – that’s nice after just looking out onto a stairway and a nine story drop to the restaurant.  We got together for a meeting (such formal folks we are) and then went down to dinner.  Most of the girls had soup but some had steak or hamburger and several of us had dessert.  

 We tried to check in on our flights for tomorrow but the computers at the hotel are not able to get online so I guess we’ll do it the old fashioned way if we can’t do it in the morning at the hotel.  We have already ordered our two 6-seater taxis for the trip to the airport in the morning.  We are leaving the hotel about 9:30 and the flight leaves here at 12:50 (London time) and plan to arrive back in Atlanta about 5:30 GA time.  Gonna be a busy day – I hope I am able to sleep during part of it, but I doubt it. 

We are all looking forward to getting home but even though it’s been a LONG vacation – three weeks is our longest trip yet – we are not tired of each other.  We are a convivial group and that’s a really good thing.  We all know we have our own idiosyncrasies and we pretty much know each other's, but we all enjoy teasing ourselves about them.

I will post about the last day of the trip at some point but it may be a few days from now.  I am generally fairly insane for a few days after I return home but every trip is different and I don’t know how I’ll react when I return from this trip.  We’ll see.  

Looks like the computers are online again so if you get this sometime Monday, then we were online again.  Hooray.  I'll go check in for my flight!