She got to the Hotel before me and met me in the Lobby, I think that the Desk Clerks were somewhat embarrassed by our greeting - that's their problem! (Yes, we kept our clothes on...). We stayed at the Hotel Indigo near Paddington Station. It is a part of the Holiday Inn chain. The Hotel was marvelous, the room was great (air conditioned!), and the staff very friendly and helpful. We headed out that evening and wondered in a big circle looking for the place to pick up my London Pass. We found it about 10 minutes after it closed!
We walked through St. James Park which is near Buckingham Palace, we went across the River to the South Bank and rode the London Eye. It is the second largest observation wheel in the world (darn that Singapore). The pods hold around 15 people and give you a great view of London. We found some fresh donuts, wondered around some more and then headed home.
The next day Joann tried to walk me to death. We walked, and walked, and then we walked some more to another place where we could walk more! Due to the lack of oxygen in my system a lot of the timing of things is still fuzzy so I'll just hit some of the things we did in no particular order.
River Cruise...
We took the City Cruise which was really fun. They give a "guided tour" which was interesting and funny. We went all the way to Greenwich, that't where time is measured from (GMT - Greenwich Mean Time). The Cutty Sark was undergoing some remodeling so we didn't get to visit it but we did visit the Painted Hall. It was built as a Sailor's Hospital. An American painted it. It was truly amazing. We also viewed the Chapel there.
The Tube...
We did indeed master the London Underground. It's fast and furious but we got it down. Joann would consult her hard-copy map and I would use an App on the iPad, then synchronize our plans and head out. A few trains were those packed to the gills ones that you see in the movies. It is a very quick and efficient way to get around town. If only we still had the Leonard's Subway in Fort Worth!
The Phantom of the Opera...
As I sign of my true love to my wife I got her tickets to the Phantom of the Opera. We took a cab (the tube was kinda warm at times) and headed to Her Majesty's Theatre. The show was very nice and we had a great time. I can tell you the ending if you want to know it, just let me know.
London At Night...
Sunday night we rode a double-decker tour bus. It was neat to see London all lit up and from a higher level than street. We had to wait at the Tower Bridge as it was raised, that only happens 3-5 times a week these days..
Kew Gardens...
A trip out of the busy city to the beautiful countryside. The gardens were huge and awesome. they have the tallest indoor plant in the world (so they say - I didn't get a chance to measure it and check). You'll be glad to know that the lift (elevator) to the tall tree-walk was broken so I got to walk up about a bijillion stairs! Glad my legs weren't tired or anything like that. It was beautiful.
Overall, we had a great time and the time with the love of my life pretty much saved my life and gave me the ability to make it through the rest of the assignment. Thanks Joann!
If you want to see pictures they are here: