The day began with the sun shining, but slightly cold. We were smart to arrive at the Churchill War Rooms around 10:30, beating the crowds who were queued up when we left. It is hard to believe that Churchill and his advisors and clerks were ensconced in this small space for so long. Much of the space remains as it was--his bed, the typewriters, the phones (one with a green receiver), and the maps with pushpins and yarn showing the progress of the war. You could almost smell the gunpowder and rockets and hear the noise of the bombing and sirens. The audio guide helped you understand what was really going on during this time. You heard Churchill talking to President Roosevelt. The small kitchen had been recreated as it was. Very moving.
Lunch at a pub consisted of fish and chips together with beer and wine. By the time we left there just before 3:00pm, the place was jammed.
We had dinner at the Savoy Grill which has been completely renovated. The space was beautiful and we enjoyed our meal and wonderful company. I think I am ready to swear off of traditional musicals--Top Hat was a revival and while the singing and dancing were very good and the costumes pretty it seemed very dated to me. I need more substance and hopefully we will see a modern day version of Strindberg's Miss Julie someplace in the 'burbs.
Tomorrow is yet another day of sightseeing--this time the Victoria and Albert Museum followed by a stop at Harrod's food halls. I am skipping Gilbert and Sullivan at Royal Albert Hall that some are going to see.
I enjoyed watching kids at the Wallace Collection sketching in the galleries. They got right into it.file://localhost/Users/marilynlichtman/Library/Application%20Support/iLifeAssetManagement/assets/sub/018bc9be4428b7c080ec05eab510a31872624fde3e/IMG_0237.JPG
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Saturday - May 18
It is Saturday and we are home. Here are some things we did during our time in the country.
Thursday - Our day began with Ray picking us up at the hotel. He is an exuberant, fun-loving, guy who has been a Blue Badge tour guide for 25 years. He certainly knows his stuff. We drove through parts of London that we had not seen before. I described some of them yesterday. Our dinner was in the town of Bray on Thames in a pub owned by Heston Blumenthal, the 3 star chef who has a gourmet restaurant in the town. The Hound's Head is a Michelin starred pub from the 15th century. Virag, our waitress from Hungary, was excellent and by the end of the evening we were laughing so hard we could not stop. Not sure what was so funny, but it didn't matter. Just good times together.
Friday - Breakfast served in the Pavilion at the Monkey's Island Hotel. Plentiful, and with wonderful French pressed coffee. Rosemary described it as the best coffee she had tasted so far.
We traveled through the countryside, stopping briefly for a look in the gardens of the Danesforth Hotel. (need to check this name). The gardens were gorgeous and we ducked in and around them. Then on to Oxford where we learned about the colleges (some 38 as I recall). We saw where President Clinton studied as well as many other buildings. Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world. Been home of the Rhodes scholarship for more than a century.
Our next destination was Blenheim Palace, residence of the Dukes of Marlborough. We had a spot of lunch and then joined a group for a tour of the main rooms.
Our final stop was a swing through some of the towns in the Cotswolds. We stopped for a brief time in
Dinner was in the hotel's dining room. Adequate and plentiful, but certainly not gourmet.
More drinking and sharing our love for travel and the camaraderie we all shared.
This blog is not very easy to use and I often lose things. So when I want to place a picture I sometimes find that the entire entry has disappeared. Well, that certainly is annoying.
Thursday - Our day began with Ray picking us up at the hotel. He is an exuberant, fun-loving, guy who has been a Blue Badge tour guide for 25 years. He certainly knows his stuff. We drove through parts of London that we had not seen before. I described some of them yesterday. Our dinner was in the town of Bray on Thames in a pub owned by Heston Blumenthal, the 3 star chef who has a gourmet restaurant in the town. The Hound's Head is a Michelin starred pub from the 15th century. Virag, our waitress from Hungary, was excellent and by the end of the evening we were laughing so hard we could not stop. Not sure what was so funny, but it didn't matter. Just good times together.
Friday - Breakfast served in the Pavilion at the Monkey's Island Hotel. Plentiful, and with wonderful French pressed coffee. Rosemary described it as the best coffee she had tasted so far.
We traveled through the countryside, stopping briefly for a look in the gardens of the Danesforth Hotel. (need to check this name). The gardens were gorgeous and we ducked in and around them. Then on to Oxford where we learned about the colleges (some 38 as I recall). We saw where President Clinton studied as well as many other buildings. Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world. Been home of the Rhodes scholarship for more than a century.
Our next destination was Blenheim Palace, residence of the Dukes of Marlborough. We had a spot of lunch and then joined a group for a tour of the main rooms.
Our final stop was a swing through some of the towns in the Cotswolds. We stopped for a brief time in
Dinner was in the hotel's dining room. Adequate and plentiful, but certainly not gourmet.
More drinking and sharing our love for travel and the camaraderie we all shared.
This blog is not very easy to use and I often lose things. So when I want to place a picture I sometimes find that the entire entry has disappeared. Well, that certainly is annoying.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Thursday - May 16
Our day in the country with Ray.
A drive through a large park area with deer running free.
The gardens at Hampton Court
Salisbury Cathedral - home of the Magna Carta
Stonehenge and Avebury
Bray on Thames - Monkey Island is our hotel and a pub in Bray where we had a wonderful dinner and lots to drink
The rooms are modest, beds lumpy, but the surroundings gorgeous with peacocks running free.
More later.
A drive through a large park area with deer running free.
The gardens at Hampton Court
Salisbury Cathedral - home of the Magna Carta
Stonehenge and Avebury
Bray on Thames - Monkey Island is our hotel and a pub in Bray where we had a wonderful dinner and lots to drink
The rooms are modest, beds lumpy, but the surroundings gorgeous with peacocks running free.
More later.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday
The day began with the sun shining, but slightly cold. We were smart to arrive at the Churchill War Rooms around 10:30, beating the crowds who were queued up when we left. It is hard to believe that Churchill and his advisors and clerks were ensconced in this small space for so long. Much of the space remains as it was--his bed, the typewriters, the phones (one with a green receiver), and the maps with pushpins and yarn showing the progress of the war. You could almost smell the gunpowder and rockets and hear the noise of the bombing and sirens. The audio guide helped you understand what was really going on during this time. You heard Churchill talking to President Roosevelt. The small kitchen had been recreated as it was. Very moving.
Lunch at a pub consisted of fish and chips together with beer and wine. By the time we left there just before 3:00pm, the place was jammed.
We had dinner at the Savoy Grill which has been completely renovated. The space was beautiful and we enjoyed our meal and wonderful company. I think I am ready to swear off of traditional musicals--Top Hat was a revival and while the singing and dancing were very good and the costumes pretty it seemed very dated to me. I need more substance and hopefully we will see a modern day version of Strindberg's Miss Julie someplace in the 'burbs.
Tomorrow is yet another day of sightseeing--this time the Victoria and Albert Museum followed by a stop at Harrod's food halls.
Lunch at a pub consisted of fish and chips together with beer and wine. By the time we left there just before 3:00pm, the place was jammed.
We had dinner at the Savoy Grill which has been completely renovated. The space was beautiful and we enjoyed our meal and wonderful company. I think I am ready to swear off of traditional musicals--Top Hat was a revival and while the singing and dancing were very good and the costumes pretty it seemed very dated to me. I need more substance and hopefully we will see a modern day version of Strindberg's Miss Julie someplace in the 'burbs.
Tomorrow is yet another day of sightseeing--this time the Victoria and Albert Museum followed by a stop at Harrod's food halls.
Tuesday - May 14
I need to tell you about Monday evening first. We booked a round table at the Princess Garden in Mayfair. One of my very favorite restaurants. Just the right amount of food. The girls bought me a gorgeous scarf from the V&A. Now that I recall I had admired it, but said I wouldn't spend the money. How very nice of them. And they treated me to dinner as well.
What would be a wonderful treat while in London? Seeing the Queen. There we were--waiting for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. And one of the bobbies said--there she comes. We turned around and out drove her car. She was with Prince Philip. We also snapped some wonderful pictures of the ritual. It rained on and off most of today--one shop keeper told me this was just the pitter patter of rain and was like this always. We didn't mind because it was lovely.
A bit of shopping, looking in the windows on New Bond Street--the high rent district--and then a taxi back to the hotel before the evening's festivities. So tonight we basically split up--some went to high tea at the Dorchester Hotel, some went to dinner at The Ivy, and Rosemary and I are up to the bar for our usual wine and snacks. The concierge was able to get only 4 tickets for the play and I said I would skip it. So did Rosemary. Not a problem for me. I need to pack, do some work, and veg out. We leave tomorrow morning no later than 9:00am.
What would be a wonderful treat while in London? Seeing the Queen. There we were--waiting for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. And one of the bobbies said--there she comes. We turned around and out drove her car. She was with Prince Philip. We also snapped some wonderful pictures of the ritual. It rained on and off most of today--one shop keeper told me this was just the pitter patter of rain and was like this always. We didn't mind because it was lovely.
A bit of shopping, looking in the windows on New Bond Street--the high rent district--and then a taxi back to the hotel before the evening's festivities. So tonight we basically split up--some went to high tea at the Dorchester Hotel, some went to dinner at The Ivy, and Rosemary and I are up to the bar for our usual wine and snacks. The concierge was able to get only 4 tickets for the play and I said I would skip it. So did Rosemary. Not a problem for me. I need to pack, do some work, and veg out. We leave tomorrow morning no later than 9:00am.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Saturday
The day began with the sun shining, but slightly cold. We were smart to arrive at the Churchill War Rooms around 10:30, beating the crowds who were queued up when we left. It is hard to believe that Churchill and his advisors and clerks were ensconced in this small space for so long. Much of the space remains as it was--his bed, the typewriters, the phones (one with a green receiver), and the maps with pushpins and yarn showing the progress of the war. You could almost smell the gunpowder and rockets and hear the noise of the bombing and sirens. The audio guide helped you understand what was really going on during this time. You heard Churchill talking to President Roosevelt. The small kitchen had been recreated as it was. Very moving.
Lunch at a pub consisted of fish and chips together with beer and wine. By the time we left there just before 3:00pm, the place was jammed.
We had dinner at the Savoy Grill which has been completely renovated. The space was beautiful and we enjoyed our meal and wonderful company. I think I am ready to swear off of traditional musicals--Top Hat was a revival and while the singing and dancing were very good and the costumes pretty it seemed very dated to me. I need more substance and hopefully we will see a modern day version of Strindberg's Miss Julie someplace in the 'burbs.
Tomorrow is yet another day of sightseeing--this time the Victoria and Albert Museum followed by a stop at Harrod's food halls. I am skipping Gilbert and Sullivan at Royal Albert Hall that some are going to see.
I enjoyed watching kids at the Wallace Collection sketching in the galleries. They got right intofile://localhost/Users/marilynlichtman/Library/Application%20Support/iLifeAssetManagement/assets/sub/018bc9be4428b7c080ec05eab510a31872624fde3e/IMG_0237.JPG it.
Lunch at a pub consisted of fish and chips together with beer and wine. By the time we left there just before 3:00pm, the place was jammed.
We had dinner at the Savoy Grill which has been completely renovated. The space was beautiful and we enjoyed our meal and wonderful company. I think I am ready to swear off of traditional musicals--Top Hat was a revival and while the singing and dancing were very good and the costumes pretty it seemed very dated to me. I need more substance and hopefully we will see a modern day version of Strindberg's Miss Julie someplace in the 'burbs.
Tomorrow is yet another day of sightseeing--this time the Victoria and Albert Museum followed by a stop at Harrod's food halls. I am skipping Gilbert and Sullivan at Royal Albert Hall that some are going to see.
I enjoyed watching kids at the Wallace Collection sketching in the galleries. They got right intofile://localhost/Users/marilynlichtman/Library/Application%20Support/iLifeAssetManagement/assets/sub/018bc9be4428b7c080ec05eab510a31872624fde3e/IMG_0237.JPG it.
Monday evening
On our schedule today was the National Gallery. A treasury of marvelous paintings arranged by time period and school. Some of us spent much time in the Dutch rooms; three Verneers captured our attention, but we also liked a piece by Cosimo of debauchery at a wedding. Centaurs everywhere with damsels on their backs.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/piero-di-cosimo-the-fight-between-the-lapiths-and-the-centaurs
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/piero-di-cosimo-the-fight-between-the-lapiths-and-the-centaurs
A voila/piano concert at St. Martin's in the Field was a lovely interlude at 1:00pm. These concerts are held daily and free to the public--with a suggested donation of 3 pounds 50. A bargain.
Dinner at the Princess Garden rounded off a lovely day. My sweet friends bought me a gorgeous scarf from the V&A that was perfect for my outfit. And they treated me to dinner as well. I feel very cared for now.
Tomorrow will bring the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I am then going to the Saatchi Gallery and hopefully to high tea in the afternoon.
It is our last day here and we want to make the best/most of it.
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