Another Museum, A Final Food Court Visit, and MJ

It's time to pack up and head home, but we had one last day to explore and enjoy London. We started at Gail's, our almost-daily routine where we get flat whites or hot chocolate and a scone. It's a fun place to people watch and see all the kids on their way to school who stop at Gail's with their parents. And we watch the food delivery guys line up, pick up their orders and zoom off on the motorcycles with their bags of pastries. On this same corner is Parson's Nose, a wonderful butcher shop where we bought several dinners that we fixed at home. So convenient for us.

Our first stop of the day was the Imperial War Museum. We enjoyed it several years ago, and I'd read they had a few new exhibits. We spent time there looking at their WW2 section, and I think after all of the memorials, museums and tours we've taken on this trip, I'm ready to move past WW2 for a while. But it's a wonderful museum and beautifully organized.

Saw this bench on the way to lunch and had to stop for a photo op..... (fyi - not a real dog but sure fooled me!)

Greg had seen a place at Spitafield's Market that sold wonderful looking steak sandwiches so he'd been thinking about it ever since. We gave it a try and it was really very good.

We had matinee tickets to see MJ The Musical. A great way to end a very fun time here! We thoroughly enjoyed the show - the music and the dancing was spectacular. However, we weren't expecting (and we should have been prepared for) the dark side of MJ's life - his father's abuse, the drugs, the money problems. We'd thought it would be a great show for the grandkids but there's no way we'd take them to this. 

This was the sign that was posted on the door of the lady's room stalls. I guess they didn't want me to belt out the songs or do my dancing routines in the aisles during the show??

A quick dinner at Megan's across the street and we're back to packing and getting ready to leave in the morning.

Home tomorrow night!!

  

BBQ, Benchley, and Being Polite

The clock is ticking. We are down to our final days on this trip. Lots of mixed emotions but it will be good to get back to a "normal" life.

Last night we decided to step out of our comfort zone and try a Korean BBQ restaurant. It was close to our flat and received rave reviews. We opted to have the kitchen cook our meat rather than do it at the table. Maybe that was our mistake? Anyway, we were disappointed and felt the ribeye was overpriced. But we loved the udon noodles with chicken.

Today was our trip to Benchley Park, and I am so glad we went. We found the faciity to be absolutely fascinating. The exhibits, the photos, and the videos really do capture the importance of what the codebreakers did during WW2. It was emphasized several times the number of lives that were saved because of their work. The technology that was so advanced for that time! Any future travelers to London, this is something that should not be missed! We were able to tour the manor home which was built for a wealthy family in the 1800's and served as the headquarters during the war.

All of the outbuildings were added during the war to accommodate the workers - up to 9,000 at one point. Most lived away from the facility but were bused in daily. They worked long hours (mostly 8-hour shifts or more when needed) and the majority of them were women. Because of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, there was a special video describing how the codebreakers assisted in the invasion of Normandy. Fascinating. Tonight we are re-watching The Imitation Game!

A litle side note... We have found Londoners to be very warm and welcoming. We've had people speak up when they can tell we aren't sure about a train issue or offer advice at a restaurant. And they are just so darn polite. Here are two signs that basically say No Parking! In the US, there would be the threat of towing or a reference to some ordinance. Not here....

Just so civilized!!

And a small celebration at the end of a great day...

Benjamin Button

We needed a slow morning so stayed in the neighborhood for flat whites and a scone at Gail's Bakery. Great for people watching too

We had tickets for a matinee but first we needed to figure out a lunch spot. So we tubed to Mayfair to check out Mercato Mayfair. It's an old church that they have converted into a food hall from the crypt in the lower level all the way to the rooftop. It's a beautiful building but I just didn't see anything that I thought sounded that good. 

So instead we walked to Paul Rothe & Son, a small deli that specializes in sandwiches and is very popular in the Mayfair area. I tried the coronation chicken and have no idea how it's made but it was great.

We had time to kill before the play so we decided to walk down Oxford Street. Every possible store brand is represented there. Finally found a quiet park and sat in the shade to watch the locals playing ping pong. They spent most of their time chasing the ball.

The play we saw was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was a musical and recently has won several awards here in London. It was fabulous and we both loved it. Such talented musicians and singers. So glad we decided to add this to our week's activities. The theaters here are smaller than in the US so it just seems more intimate. Not a bad seat in the house. Here's our view from the cheap seats.

Heading to dinner soon. More later.

 

A Roast and A University

Even though we've been to London several times, we've never had an official British Sunday Roast... until yesterday. We researched the options (and there are tons) ranging from small pubs to fancy restaurants, and we chose a bar in Notting Hill called the Mall Tavern. It was a loud, lively place but the food was great, and I'm glad we had the experience. Even that carrot was good! The sticky pudding for dessert was the best! I'm already searching for recipes online!

Today was our day to go to Oxford. The head of the planning committee did not realize that the trains from London to Oxford are twice the cost if you leave before 9:30. Lesson learned. But we'd booked a 10 AM tour in Oxford so we had no choice.

Oxford is incredibly beautiful. The buildings are just breathtaking, and everywhere you turn is something spectacular. We started in the downtown area and the Blackwell's Book Store. It looks relatively small from the front, but once inside, it is huge. Multiple floors and books on all different levels. I did a walk around the vast room we were in but didn't see any fiction books. Our guide explained that they are on one of the other floors!! I could have spent all day there.

We toured the Bodleian Library and New College. Lots of little alleyways and small gardens along the way. The church in New College has an alter like nothing we've ever seen..... just rows of statues! All from the 1300's!! Beautiful.  Here are just a few random shots from the tour.

After a quick lunch downtown, we walked to Christ Church which is mammoth and so pretty. We tried to tour it but they were having lunch and we couldn't get in for over an hour. We will plan to go back to Oxford and next time spend several hours there. It was hot and we were tired, so we walked back to the train. We had a few Underground snafus when we were back in London, so to reward ourselves for making it home, we stopped at the pub down the street and ordered some new kind of spritz that we loved!

Beatles, Flowers, & Richmond

It's so interesting how the different areas of London all have such unique vibes. The past two days, we've been all over the place, taking the tube and popping up in one location after another before diving underground to the next stop. Each one is just so different from the others.

Yesterday we took a walking tour in Maryleborne. I don't think we'd ever been to this part of the city. This particular tour was on The Beatles, and it was one of the London Walks options. Our tour guide was a true Beatles expert having even written a book about them. He was filled with fascinating stories as he guided us around showing us where some of the Beatles were married and where they lived. He also showed us some of the locations that were used in the films they produced. It was a fun tour plus it gave us a chance to see this area which I'd describe as more residential and more modern than some of the other areas we've seen. 

Here's the flat where Ringo and his wife lived for a while. Then they sublet it to Jimi Hendrix for a few months! Then John and Ono moved in. Quite a history. The blue plaque is for John Lennon as a memorial and states that he lived there in 1968. In order to have a plaque like that on a home, you have to be dead for 20 years. Our guide said someday they will add another one for Ringo.

Next we went to Chelsea. It's an area not far from where we're staying but it is very upscale and filled with very high-end shops. Because it was Saturday and the weather was perfect, people were out in the parks listening to performers or eating on terraces next to fancy restaurants. We also found yet another food market here. This one is call a "fine food" market, and it was a step up from many of the others. It's at Duke of York Square, and the market is just held on Saturdays. People were eating oysters and drinking champagne. Or standing in line for Argentine steak sandwiches. And every kind of ethnic food was also represented. I tried to take photos but there were just too many people to actually see what the area looked like.

This morning we were off to another part if town, Shoreditch. We'd been there before when we went to the Spitafields Market, but this time we had another plan. When we were here before, we had the famous bacon-egg naan sandwiches at Dishoom, a local London Indian chain. They are amazing, so our goal was to go to the location in Shoreditch for breakfast. The restaurant is kind of hidden but our trusy app got us there.

The sandwich is served with some kind of sweet omato jam that we both love! (Thought of you, DG)

Shoreditch is the opposite of Chelsea. It's a little gritty, and even the shops don't look at all inviting. We didn't feel unsafe but it just wasn't a place we'd want to stay when choosing which part of the city to "live in" while we're here.

After breakfast we walked up to the Columbia Road Flower Market, a Sunday morning event. We would have loved to shop for flowers while there - we have a bunch of empty pots at home that need to be filled! But like many others there, we just enjoyed looking and taking photos. They sell bouquets as well as potted plants and even small trees. How about those hydrangae, BG?

And then our last stop today was Richmond. It required a ridiculously long tube ride to go from one side of London to the other, but we wanted to see Richmond and thought this might be our best chance to do so. It's a picturesque village with beautiful homes, lovely little shops, and the Thames River to make it all complete. Richmond is where the Ted Lasso series filmed some of their ourdoor scenes, and they also fimed in one of the local pubs. We were not at all hungry after our big breakfast so even though there were great looking restaurants, we just walked around exploring the town. Again, it was a beautiful day so we were not the only ones taking advantage of the weather. When we return to London (and I think we will), we'd like to go back to Richmond on a weekday and schedule a lunch at one of the restaurants that overlook the river.

The weather continues to be perfect. We've said several times that this would be a different kind of trip in the rain.