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Detour, or why we are in Switzerland and not Ireland

20 May

20 May 2023.

Ireland was the plan: Switzerland is the reality. But first, Wales!

When last I wrote (see Styles of Stiles) we had just arrived in Wales in the charming town of Conwy. Northern Wales is lush and green, much like Western Oregon and Washington, with similar trees, shrubs, flowers, and even waterfowl. The weather was fine and there were neither mud nor cow dung underfoot. But then we were not walking in pastures. 

Where the Pacific Northwest has soaring mountains, Wales has castles. Lots of castles. Storming Conwy Castle, climbing the town walls, a day trip and walk in Betws-y-Coed (which I can now pronounce correctly), and strolling through Bodnant Gardens filled our three days. No rain hats required. 

Bodnant Garden is an exceptional place. Acres and acres of manicured gardens, lush forest, winding paths, a folly here-and-there. Once a private estate, it was handed over to The National Trust in 1949. The house is still occupied by Lord Aberconwy. You can point a camera in any direction and get a beautiful shot. Click on any photo for an enlargement.

Formidable Conwy Castle
Built in 1283-1287
Ric models the smallest house in Wales, 6’ wide x 10’ high.
Cute little Betws-y-Coed
Bodnant Garden: Looking down at the Mill
Bodnant Garden
Manor house at Bodnant, still occupied by the Lord
Bodnant Garden, beauty at every turn
A stream through Bodnant
While peak spring flowering had passed and summer blooms just on the way, it was still lush and lovely.
A hidden pond, Bodnant Garden

Our traveling companions including the experienced left-hand-side-of-the-road driver had to cancel their trip to Ireland due to family circumstances. Where we were going in Ireland was quite rural and was not going to be easy to do by train and bus. Ric and I are not left-hand drivers and not about to start. After a quick assessment of how we might best spend the next two weeks, we made an about face from Conwy and headed to the continent and our favorite refuge, The Lauterbrunnen Valley.

I briefly assessed changing our tickets to fly home sooner. Not only was it depressing to think of calling the trip to a halt, the cost to change was astronomical as airfares have escalated so dramatically since we bought our tickets in September. 

Getting here was a two-day journey. We avoid flying when we can and so we did. Tuesday we rode on two British trains to London, then the EuroStar to Paris, where we spent one night. The next day, a French TGV Lyria took us to Basel and was followed by a series of three Swiss trains to get us to our tiny mountain village. I know some would find this nightmarish (my brother’s idea of Hell, I think) but we travel light and find it far less stressful than flying. Plus a night and a morning in Paris = a fine meal and a lovely morning walk in an elevated garden, La Coulée Verte René-Dumont, which I wrote about four years ago in this Postcard from Paris.

Coulée Verte René-Dumont, aka Promenade Plantée
Hard to believe Paris rush hour is close by it is so serene in the elevated setting.
Sardinian dinner, Paris @ Sardegna a Tavola

The weather forecast for the Lauterbrunnen area was daunting. Weather.com showed rain for the foreseeable future when we checked it before leaving Wales. But the reality is far better and the weather app MeteoSwiss has been our friend. I have not had to wear a rain hat yet and we even saw peeks of sunlight the past few days with continuing improvement ahead.

No book research, no major plans. Just enjoying seeing one of our favorite places in a different season; we have only visited in the fall and once, briefly, in the winter. It is a totally different experience in the spring: fewer tourists, although the transportation can be crowded, and many places are still closed for rest and renovations between ski season and hiking season. Tulips are still blooming and the deciduous trees just leafing out are a stunning contrast to the deep green conifers.

For those of you who know the area, the little cliff side train from Grütschalp to Mürren is out of service as they will bring the new equipment on-line in June. From what we could see, track-work must be just about complete. The corresponding gondola is also out of service until the middle of June although the path between Grütschalp and Mürren is open if you want to walk roundtrip, I guess. (We did not.)

We are riding trains and gondolas, taking easy hikes, and discovering new corners of this marvelous region. Might have to eat some rösti, too.

The Niesen Peak seems to float above a blooming field.
Nature Reserve Weissenau along Lake Thun
Otherworldly view above Mürren
View from the Stechelberg gondola. This springtime view so different from our autumn experience of rusts and golds.

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Styles of stiles and trip miscellany

13 May

13 May 2023.

England delivered exactly what we expected: occasional sun and plenty of damp, but high spirits surrounding the spectacle of King Charles III’s coronation.

What a privilege it was to be in-country for the event! When we booked our trip, Queen Elizabeth was still very much alive so being there — although not in London, thank the gods — was strictly coincidental.

In Lower Slaughter on the Sunday after the Coronation, the village prepares for The Big Lunch, a community celebration. These parties took place all over the U.K.

First stop was Oxford, convenient on our path to The Cotswolds for some country walking. Oxford was decked out for the upcoming pageant and did not disappoint. We toured parts of Oxford University with a doctoral candidate and enjoyed his inside-take on how the place functions and inevitable comparisons to the U.S. university experience.

Blenheim Palace was a glimpse into the aristocratic lifestyle as the family still resides there. Goslings and ducklings peppered the estate grounds and the gardens were in fine form. I can only imagine how gorgeous the roses must be in season. Our final Oxford tour was of the Bodleian Libraries, dating to the 15th century when 281 manuscripts were donated, the libraries now house over 13 million printed items.

The oldest part of the Bodleian, Duke Humphrey’s’ Library. Volumes cannot be “checked out” but must be read on-site with a chaperone librarian.

Almost over jet lag, we headed to Bourton-on-the-Water, our home for a week. We chose a self-guided center-based itinerary with HF Holidays staying in a hotel that was previously a private residence built in 1662.

This is the view of the grand staircase that greeted us outside our our room.

No matter how often we tour in the UK or the rest of Europe I am constantly dumbfounded by the history and the preservation and adaptation of old buildings. HF Holidays provided a lovely room, cooked breakfast and dinner with a packed lunch daily, and dozens of walking itineraries to choose from. We could select from clear instructions encased in waterproof laminating to guide us. All we had to do was don our gear and head out each day.

Those waterproof instructions were necessary. Our walk conditions have ranged from misty to sun-dappled to downright soggy. It reminded us of Oregon although in Oregon we have never hiked with sheep nor though mud as sticky and pervasive as we have done here.

And there are stiles of many styles. Frankly, I prefer a good gate, but the stiles were definitely a sensible solution to allowing walkers to walk unhindered yet keep sheep and cows in their fields. They are being replaced in many areas to allow barrier-free access to public footpaths.

Squeeze-style stile
Step- style stile
Ric demonstrates
V-shape just accommodates a leg
Step-style with a log base in the mud.
Muddy gate and high style poncho
Ducks and sheep in the meadow
Old flour mill in Lower Slaughter
Bunting in Bourton-on-the-Water
Hanging out in Lower Slaughter

Our final day in Bourton-on-the-Water was weather perfection, a sunny day capped by a thunderstorm at 17:00 when we were safely “home.”

Evening light on the river in Bourton.
We walked through this estate.
Cotswolds view.
Trees not yet in full leaf.
Mill pond.
Lambing season!

We set off for Wales yesterday (Friday). Almost two hours by private transport thanks to a rail strike in England, then a 3 hour train ride. Conwy, the town we are staying in, is charming and today’s weather exactly what you’d hope for on a spring day!

Will write more from Ireland later in the trip!

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Postcard from England: Stone circles and urban hikes

10 Jun

10 June 2019.

Can it be ten days since we returned from our spring trip? Wrestling with jetlag, re-entry, laundry, and catch-up gardening took more than a week but the last segment of our 6-week trip is worth relating.

The weather gods continued to smile on us. I am sure the citizens of Wiltshire would have liked some rain but it suited us to a T to have sunny days and fluffy clouds. We even shed our jackets a few times.

From Wales we headed to Wiltshire, home to Stonehenge and the Avebury Circle as well as the city of Bath and the ancient city of Salisbury, where we made our base for four nights. Should have made it five nights.This is a rich, full area with much to see and mileage required to see it.

Stonehenge

It is a challenge to depict the size and the impressiveness of Stonehenge.

We barely stopped at Bath, only long enough to see the Roman bath complex. The center of the city was a madhouse of tourists! We had hoped to return another day to see more, but driving in, parking, and driving out bordered on the ridiculous. We had initially planned on staying in Bath, but although I had been trying to book 6 months in advance, lodging was scarce on this Bank Holiday weekend. So we moved on to lodgings in Salisbury.

Stonehenge was first on the agenda and so much more impressive than I expected! We arrived at opening and the crowd was minimal. Efficient buses ported us to the circle, which cleverly is not visible from the Visitors Center so the monument is revealed dramatically. I thought I would at least be interested but seeing Stonehenge in person is a pretty magnificent thing. We found the VC absorbing until late morning when the crowds became annoying, so we took off for Avebury.

Avebury is gigantic! I had read about it but did not have a good grasp until we actually arrived. The henge is so large there is a village inside the circle. With a pub. A great place for lunch and good timing as we were peckish by now.

Avebury stone

Ric demonstrates the size of one of the stones in the Avebury Circle.

Sheep at Avebury

Sheep and tiny lambs graze freely around the Avebury Circle.

A principal ceremonial site of Neolithic Britain, Avebury is considered to be one of the largest, and undoubtedly the most complex, of Britain’s surviving Neolithic henge monuments. We walked about the stones, enjoying the company of the sheep, and having the good fortune to visit with a guide who could add to our understanding. How did these ancient people have the vision, the strength, and the patience to build these sites? It would be a fantastic place to visit with an archeologist.

Another day we ventured to the ancient site of Old Sarum. If you’ve read Edward Rutherford’s epic novel Sarum this is a must-visit. How fascinating to see the little hill, the castle ruins, and the foundations of the old cathedral! We happened into Old Sarum the day of a Roman re-enactment, luckily arriving before the throngs expecting to watch staged battles. As I re-read Sarum, it is delightful to picture the site with a better understanding of the topography. For an aerial view, click here.

Old Sarum Roman woman

At Old Sarum, a re-enactor demonstrates what Roman life was like.

Re-enactors practice their Roman battle skills prior to an exhibition.

Old Sarum Cathedral

From the castle ruins one can gaze down on the massive foundations of the old cathedral, The cathedral was demolished in the 13th century and the stones used to build the new cathedral and close at Salisbury.

 

Not to be overlooked is the city of Salisbury itself. On the Sunday we visited, the Cathedral opened its doors to tourists after services so as the congregation gathered for coffee, we gawked at the magnificence. It is almost impossible to comprehend that it was built over the course of only 38 years in the 13th century. Notre Dame took 856 years; Sagrada Familia was started 150 years ago and still isn’ t completed.

Salisbury Cathedral

We walked through the close after dinner one evening to find the Salisbury Cathedral bathed in a golden glow.

The Cathedral is set in a magnificent close, the largest in Britain at 80 acres. The close contains schools, Diocesan offices, museums, and private residences, some of which are magnificent mansions. Ric and I thought we’d take a short walk through the close one afternoon which turned into well over an hour by the time we passed through it and around the walls back to our lodgings. It’s huge and worthy of further exploration.

Rick and Jane departed from Salisbury while Ric and I hung out for another day and night intending to do very little. We caught up on laundry and then had time to check out the Salisbury City Walk sponsored by the Visitors Center. It was a great overview and lesson in history and culture. Would that we had done this Day One!

Since the day was divine and we were purposefully unscheduled, we decided to wander after lunch. Finding a path along the River Avon, we were soon diverted through a park and into the Harnham Water Meadows along a meandering path with more views of the cathedral, sheep, and eventually the small town of Harnham. This is the kind of thing we love to stumble upon: an “urban hike” or, if our timing is right, “a path to lunch,” as had we known, we could have eaten in a pub situated in an old mill in Harnham.

Harnham

This old mill at Harnham is now a popular pub.

So our day off from travel turned into a delightful opportunity to further explore Salisbury and revealed many sights we could have explored with more time. If you choose to stay in Salisbury, give it some time as there is much to enjoy. Good restaurants, too! Check out The Giggling Squid.

Swan and cygnets

On the River Avon, a swan and her (his?) cygnets settle in for the night.

Our last three nights were in lovely London. We’ve been there many times, last in 2017 for two weeks, so this stop was meant to be a relaxing return to a favorite city before our long flights home.

London did not disappoint. No iconic sights this time, though. We met friends from Seattle for wine and tapas, walked for several hours through Kew Gardens, last visited in autumn and a completely different experience in spring. We ate excellent Indian food at Punjab, took another long urban hike through the sprawling Regent’s Park, and enjoyed a final pub meal with a superb pie at The Queen’s Head.

Herewith a few of our dozens of photos from Kew Gardens. There is a Chihuly exhibition in progress, a lovely surprise.

Chihuly glass lilies, Kew Gardens.
The waterlilies are a huge installation in the tropical house.
A real waterlily among the Chihuly glass lilies.
One of Chihuly’s stunning outdoor displays, Kew Gardens.
Anyone know what kind of ducks these are? Spotted at Kew Gardens.
The peak of rhododendren season had just passed, but these are still lovely. Kew Gardens.
In the Japanese section of Kew Gardens, Chiluly placement of a couple of dozen glass balls that resemble fishing floats.
Elegant herons in the Temperate House, Kew Gardens.

For the entire trip, I averaged 16000+ steps per day on the Fitbit, about 7 miles, as nearly as I can figure. Not bad compared to what we manage at home.

For now, the consumption of chips, crisps, beer, and scones has stopped. No more Parisian baguettes nor croissants for now. Camembert is off the menu for a while. No full bottles of wine at dinner. SIGH.

Back to reality…and planning the next trip: Italy and Switzerland in September!

 

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Postcard from Wales: Alla fine!

30 May

30 May 2019.

Alla fine! At last, we come to our time in Wales and what a wonderful place it is! Why do so few Americans make their way to Wales? Perhaps it is the lack of big sights. There’s no Uffizi Museum, Tower of London, nor Louvre; no Colosseum, Big Ben, nor Eiffel Tower. What Wales has is beautiful countryside, unspoiled coastline, friendly people, charming pubs, and historical castles.

It does take significant effort to ferret out information and construct an itinerary. Rick Steves does not have the best bead on Wales, in my opinion, and maybe that’s because much of his audience does not have the time to devote to this rural corner of Britain.

Penny Lane Sign

We started our time together with a short Beatles Tour in Liverpool. Paul autographed this sign. From left, me, Ric, Jane & Rick.

Maybe Americans don’t go to Wales because of right-hand drive cars. My brother, the intrepid driver, has experience with “wrong side” driving and we take advantage of his willingness to be the driver when in the UK or even in other European areas where having a car is advantageous (Scotland, Puglia, Croatia, rural Emilia-Romagna). With brother Rick at the wheel and husband Ric in the navigator’s seat, Jane and I could relax and enjoy the scenery from the back seat of the Range Rover.

We all met in Liverpool coming from our various directions. After taking a private “Magical Mystery Tour,” we headed to Caernarfon in North Wales. It is lovely country here, dominated by Snowdonia National Park, but it does take a bit of effort to get around: a lot of windshield time as the going is slow. Without a car, one can use some buses and scenic trains to aid hiking, but a car is quite useful. Easy hikes are not too hard to find with the help of the tourist office. We did find getting detailed walk info in advance of the trip a little challenging but once on site we were happy with walks that included a good pub lunch at the end. We stayed in the Gatekeepers’ Lodge at Plas Dinas Country House. Quite charming and we slept well, ate well, and drank fine whiskey.

Please click on any picture for a slide show and captions.

In Snowdonia National Park, the village of Beddgelert is a good starting point for walks.
Lambs and sheep were everywhere on our hikes.
Hiking in Snowdonia Park, this little guy came out from a house to escort us.
At the end of every good walk there is a pub.
Ric’s pub lunch after one good walk. So British!
Beddgelert sits beside the Colwyn and Glaslyn Rivers in Snowdonia National Park.
The train in Snowdonia will drop off and pick up hikers at selected locations.

From Caernarfon, a drive down the coast allowed us a stop in Aberystwyth where the TV drama Hinterland is based. It was a bit dark and brooding on this gray day which is fitting for the show. Watch it if you can. Netflix has it.

By the way, our luck with the weather was amazing. Brother Rick says he always brings the sun to the UK and we only had rain on days we were changing cities, i.e., during car time. Ric and I got wet once since leaving France, and that was in London after Rick flew home. Go figure!

On to St. David’s, Britain’s smallest city. St. David’s is a cathedral city of some historical religious importance and we were drawn to this remote section of Wales for the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Once in the city, you can just about get around without a car thanks to a bus network, the Celtic Coaster, but having a vehicle and a willing driver makes it easier and faster. The walks were just what I expected of country walking in the UK. We hiked across meadows of sheep and buttercups, along hedgerows, through small copses, past lovely gardens, through kissing gates, and along narrow shoreline paths: all in one walk! In the evenings, dinner was a 10-minute walk from our homey B&B, the Ramsey House. Thank goodness we were walking so much! Big breakfasts then chips and beer at lunch became a habit we need to break.

Click on any photo for a slideshow and captions.

The four of us above St. George’s Channel in Pembrokeshire.
Country walking in the UK comes with crossing pastures and watching where you step.
Rick passes through a kissing gate, one of about a dozen gates on this walk.
The view from cow pasture to village with the sea in the background, a lovely walk.
St. David’s Cathedral dates to the 6th century. The current building was started in 1181.
Lovely views out to sea on our Pembrokeshire walks.
These pastel rocks were on one particular beach.
Another kind of gate involved stone steps up one side and down the other. Cows need not try to pass.

The Welsh language is a major factor in the culture of this part of Wales, separated from the more English-speaking section by the Landsker Line. In Caernarfon and the villages of Snowdonia we heard Welsh spoken often and still heard it a bit in St. David’s. Once we got to the city of Pembroke and on to the Brecon Beacons, the only Welsh we encountered was on the bilingual signs that are required everywhere.

Welsh sign

From menus to road signs and waymarkers, almost everything is presented in both Welsh and English.

Map

Pembroke Castle is very important in Welsh history, indeed in the history of the UK. We took a very informative tour. There is a giant map of Wales in the courtyard which Rick and Jane are shown touring.

One night in a pub in the Brecon Beacons village of Pontsticill, I overheard a table of 30-something men discussing the language with their 60-something waitress.

“Do you have the Welsh then?” asked one of the men.

“Nah, but me grandkids have it at school,” she responded.

Guffaw from the lads. “I could never when I were at school!” said another.

Speaking of the Brecon Beacons, what an extraordinary area! So vast! Although it carries the title National Park, this is nothing like a national park in the United States. These are lands set aside to preserve the way of life as much as to prevent development, so one finds villages and estates right inside the parks, and grazing lands abound as well as farming in sectors. There are no big hotels nor resorts but there are campgrounds and facilities available along with guesthouses, holiday houses, and B&Bs.

It was challenging to find detailed information about walking in Brecon Beacons until we arrived there. We had a faint notion to try a short, local segment of the Offa’s Dyke Path and did a couple of small sections but learned too late about supporting transportation options that would facilitate one-way half-day hikes. A return trip could be more focused. There was a fine walk through sheep pastures to an Iron Age hill fort in the Brecon Beacons. That was pretty darn cool.

We had a very nice house on the edge of Brecon Beacons, at the southern edge of the park, but close to some cute villages with nice options for dining.

Once again, please click for captions and larger photos.

Through meadows of sheep and up a hill with a terrific vantage point, Rick & Jane precede us to the hill fort.
We hiked up to the site of an Iron Age hill fort in Brecon Beacons National Park.
Ric fits in well in the Welsh countryside, here leaning on a gate as we pass through more pastures in Brecon Beacons.
Near Offa’s Dyke Path and Hay-on-Wye, my sister-in-law Jane and I admire another lovely garden.

Alle fine (in the end), we had a great trip through Wales and Liverpool was worth exploring as well although our time there was short. We could have extended any location by a night or two and gone deeper and hiked more. Leaves something for “next time.”

We wrapped up our trip in Salisbury, but you’ll have to wait for the next blog to hear about that fine city!

 

 

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Wrapping up the Grand Tour    

6 Nov
6 November 2017.
Our Grand Tour brought us to places new-to-us and also to locations we consider old friends. Our last stop: London for a fortnight. This was our fourth trip to the fabled city. We love it!

Dating to 1610, this is one of few buildings to survive the Great Fire of 1666.

People often ask me why we go back to the same places. While exploring and discovering unfamiliar places is exciting, going back time-and-again to a location allows us to dig deeper and experience things the one-time traveler doesn’t have time to discover. 
Since we’ve already seen the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Greenwich, the Cabinet War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, and St. Paul’s, what’s left?
Plenty. Here are the sights, sites, and activities that filled our two weeks. Note that only two of these were repeats from prior visits.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum for the Pink Floyd Exhibit
  • London Walks “Shaken not Stirred 007 Pub Walk” on Saturday night
  • London Walks “Little Venice” walking tour on a sunny Sunday
  • Self-guided walk through “The City” (in the Rick Steves’ Guide)

    View from lunch at Darwin Brasserie. Decent food, great view!

  •  The Sky Garden Darwin Brasserie for a view of London from 36 floors up in the “Walkie Talkie”
  • Liberty Department Store (old, classy, beautiful)
  • Fortnum & Mason (Scored some yummy cookies)
  • “Wicked” at the Apollo Theatre (Well-done but rather silly)

    Did you know that many Tube stations feature artwork particular to the location? Guess where this one is.

  • London Underground Tube Tour with Insider London (Very interesting history and operations)
  • Portobello Road Market
  • Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising (We were nearby in the Portobello Road Market and figured “Why not?”)
  • Hyde Park Italian Water Gardens and a lovely Saturday stroll to Hyde Park Corner with a stop for lunch at Serpentine Bar Kitchen
  •  London Film Museum for the “Bond in Motion” exhibit

    From the “Bond in Motion” exhibit. A couple of dozen original vehicles displayed with other artifacts and movie clips.

  • London Walks “Harry Potter on Location” walking tour
  • Exploration of Hampstead Village and Hampstead Heath (What a view!)
  • Canterbury and the famous cathedral
  • British Library
  • Bletchley Park (Had to watch “The Imitation Game” again after the visit)

    The pond and mansion at Bletchley Park.
    Heron in the pond at Bletchley Park.
    One of the famous huts at Bletchley Park.
  • Westminster Cathedral, home of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.K. with stunning mosaics
  • The National Gallery (Amazing collection! How did we miss this on prior trips?)
  • Kew Gardens (Would love to visit in May!

    Fall color at Kew seemed to be just past peak. Lovely, nonetheless.
    Kew Gardens and Hyde Park are both full of these little green parrots.
    Kew Gardens fall color.
  • London Transport Museum (second visit)

    The Mail Rail train at the new Postal Museum, now carrying people on a history tour.

  • Imperial War Museum (second time)
  • Postal Museum and Mail Rail Tour (Really off-the-beaten)
  • Sir John Soane’s Museum
  • Other innumerable walks, wanderings, and shopping
We were fortunate to once again rent an apartment from London Connection. This is our third time with LC and I believe we benefit when we rent from the same people multiple times, especially a small, privately held agency like this. A long stay can result in more favorable rates than a shorter stay.

Lorenzo Quinn’s “Love” on the banks of the Thames near Vauxhall Bridge. The same artist did the large hands called “Support” for the Venice Biennale. That is MI-6 in the background.

Our first experience with London Connection was at Christmas 2015, and our second was when we visited with our son in the spring of 2016. We liked the small apartment we had that Christmas, so I arranged to rent it again. However, a week-or-so before we arrived I got word that there was a problem: The flat had to be taken off the short-term market due to an Airbnb problem in the building. LC does not participate in Airbnb, but some other flats in the same building were rented through that service. The renters caused problems with noise and such, so the condo board said, “No more!” It would be 90-day rental minimums effective immediately. Tom Moore, the owner of London Connection, rebooked us in a flat considerably more expensive than the little one we had chosen, but of course, it was a complimentary upgrade. They really took care of us very well. We ended up staying in a new-to-us section of town, the very swanky Mayfair. The flat was in a mews house, once the residence for the horses and carriage drivers who served the important Georgian and Victorian families. Here’s a link to the flat.  It is a bit quirky in that the entrance stairs are very steep and narrow (think housing for grooms and their families 150+ years ago), and the second staircase inside the apartment was sort of a spiral, again narrow and steep. But once inside, we were in the lap of luxury.

Whimsical art in a park near our apartment.

We cooked dinner in quite a bit since we had a very nice kitchen and we enjoyed many a pub lunch. A roast for Sunday lunch is a must so we popped just around the corner from our flat to The Audley. We had the best hamburger ever at the Morpeth Arms pub, found a delicious flatbread pizza at the Serpentine Bar Kitchen, indulged in a gastropub dinner at the Queen’s Head Piccadilly, ate lunch with a view at the Sky Garden’s Darwin Brasserie, stumbled into the very sweet Greenhouse Café near the station in Kew, had unbelievable luck in Bletchley with our blind choosing of Pasha Med Turkish Bar & Grill, visited our standby for Indian at Punjab, “discovered” the charms of Le Pain Quotidien, and found pretty-darn-good-almost-Italian pizza at Bar Remo. Whew!

The street where we lived for two weeks.

A saving strategy given the steep staircase issue was shopping online at Waitrose and having our groceries delivered. I’ve done this three times now in London. I set up a delivery for an hour-or-so after we check-in, so while we are unpacking the delivery person shows up with the wine, water, breakfast items, staples, and supplies for our first dinner or two. Saves on schlepping.
In contrast to the start of our trip, we had almost no rain and temps were moderate in London. The storm Ophelia which hit Ireland and SW England made for some breezy days, but I think I deployed my umbrella only briefly one day in two weeks.

Little known Little Venice. Rather untouristed, peaceful.

Spending two weeks in London allowed us to become familiar with our neighborhood, sort out transportation options, and feel “at home.” We didn’t have to rush from sight to sight and could deviate from our plan to take advantage of discoveries. A long stay gave us a front-row seat to changes in the neighborhood. Window displays moved from fall to Christmas themes, decorations went up over major shopping streets, and pubs started to promote holiday parties and menus. We started to feel rather local. We tired ourselves out most days and relaxed at home with a simple dinner in the evenings.
Over the course of eight weeks, Sept 3-Oct 28, we walked an average of 15577 steps per day, covering about 330 miles according to my pedometer. We rarely took taxis and never rented a car. 
It was a perfect end to our eight week Grand Tour. Following are a few more photos just in case you are interested. 

Views from a double-decker bus going over the Thames. It’s a treat to ride in the front seats of the upper level.
National Gallery: During mid-term break lots of students participating in classes.
Sometimes just around the corner from a busy street, you find a reminder of what the city must have been like 200 years ago.
Flatbread “pizza” with harissa hummus, chili spicied lamb, roquito peppers, and feta. Yum!
Fall color in Hyde Park.
Started in 1875 for the cab drivers’ benefit, today some still remain and serve cheap, hearty, and very British food to London’s “black cab” drivers. Some also sell snacks to the public. although never inside.
Amazing stained glass, Canterbury Cathedral.
Quaint street often used in films. I believe some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here.

 

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