by This trip to London included my daughter Michelle and granddaughter Claire. This would be Claire’s first time in London so we tried to organize the trip around what she wanted to do. Little did we know how many thrift stores would be involved!
We stayed at the Edward Hotel in Paddington. In a previous visit to London Pat and I had stayed in the Paddington area close to Paddington Station with easy access to the Underground transportation system especially the Elizabeth Line and easy access to Heathrow Airport.
The following are highlights of our trip (in no particular order):
Around Paddington – We have stayed in the area around Paddington Station, previously. There have been new additions since that time: (1) a new statue, outside; (2) the entrance to the Underground, particularly access to the Elizabeth Line, is no longer next to the tracks inside the station; (3) a wine bar we had been to, is now fully automated – you use their app to purchase a glass of wine of your choice by holding the phone next to a sensor on the wine dispenser; (4) there is a new BrewDog (see below) location a few blocks away; (5) as usual, there are new places to eat and drink, including ASK Italian, Vagabond Wine Bar, The Bear Pub, The Mughal’s Indian Restaurant, Mihbaj.
BrewDog Paddington – In 2014, we discovered BrewDog in Camden (now closed), and have visited and enjoyed this brewery many places – Amsterdam, Dublin, and Berlin. Our favorite IPA is their Hazy Jane. Pat judges all IPAs against Hazy Jane.
Market Tavern for their Sunday Roast – In a previous visit to London, we discovered the Sunday Roast at the Market Tavern. We enjoyed it on that trip so I made reservations for this time.
Greenwich and the Prime Meridian – We took a double-decker bus to Greenwich and hiked up to the Royal Observatory and found the Prime Meridian. It is actually outside the Observatory and not marked (inside the Observatory, where there is a charge, there is a marker that tourists can have their photos taken, showing them with one foot in the Western Hemisphere, and one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere). The photos below show that we found the actual Prime Meridian.
As we headed back toward the Thames to catch a boat back to London, Claire found a thrift shop to visit.
To get back to London, we returned by boat from Greenwich to Westminister (City Cruises). Although it rained most of the way it cleared up as we passed under Tower Bridge on our way to Westminster Embankment.
London Eye – We thought Claire would enjoy this even though Michelle would not. Pat & I had done the London Eye several years ago and never thought we would do it again. I’m sure Michelle will never do it again!
London Transport Museum (Michelle and Ray) – Michelle was fascinated with the levels of the Underground (how some are deeper than others). I hoped we could find more information on the construction and interconnectivity of the various lines by visiting the Transport Museum. Although there were interesting displays, the main focus seemed to be on buses.
Camden Markets – Although you cannot consider the Camden Markets as thrifty, we thought Claire would enjoy a visit. The twisty turny aisles can be tricky.
Kew Gardens – Kew Gardens is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. A great place for fresh air, greenery and chances to take selfies.
Covent Garden, Soho and Leicester Square – These areas have always been my favorites whenever I’m in London. At Leicester Square, we stopped at Official London Theater Ticket Booth, to see if there were any plays we might want to see – there was nothing of interest. Covent Garden was fun “as expected” and we had lunch at Punch & Judy.
Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel – Even though we have been to London many times, Pat and I have never been to a formal afternoon tea. Although, there were many places that served afternoon tea, many were too expensive for our tastes. Claire found an offering that met our budget (£65) and timing (late afternoon). This was a fun event and worthy of a return visit, should we be in London again.
Michelle and Claire shared the Mad Hatters Gluten & Dairy Free menu item; Pat and I, the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea (see the menus). We all had more than we could finish!
The last day, Pat & I headed to Heathrow for our trip to Ireland, where we would meet my son David and his friend, Martin. After we arrived, Michelle and Claire, took the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow, for their flight back to Salt Lake City.
