Busy, Busy...

Wednesday, 23 October. 

We have only one day left here in London; tomorrow it's off to Harwich and the ship that will take us home. I realize I've been remiss since our arrival in the city -- so little time to sit down and write -- but hope to fill in a few of the blanks tonight once we return to our flat from what looks to be a very busy day. Here's a quick recap of the past day or two.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Monday was a bit of a bust because of the delay in occupying our flat. About all we did was grab a late lunch at a local pub and walk over to Trafalgar Square to enjoy the sights and sounds and people. That evening we walked to Covent Garden, but I've already shared photos of that adventure in my previous post. 

Yesterday (Tuesday) we just took a morning stroll up Regent Street and eventually made our way over to Hyde Park. Regent Street is decorated with banners celebrating, of all things, the NFL because of a game to be played here in London between the Jaguars and the Forty Niners. Poor Jacksonville will now get to be embarrassed in the UK as well as in the USA. (See photo below.)

Because it rained on and off all morning we really couldn't do very much. We did stop by "Speakers' Corner" at Hyde Park hoping to catch someone saying something interesting. Alas, it was empty except for us, so I said a few wise words to my audience of one who captured the moment with my camera.

We couldn't dawdle, however, because we had to return to the flat early enough to change for the matinee of "Top Hat" at the Aldwych Theatre on Drury Lane. I had bought the tickets online a few months ago, so the show was locked into our schedule. It was wonderful, a terrific revival of Irving Berlin's 1935 movie -- lots of wonderful dance numbers and old, familiar songs. The cast, too, were perfect. Dear Diane and I enjoyed the show immensely.

After our afternoon at the theater, we stopped by a nearby pub for dinner. It was crowded but we found a table next to a delightful Welsh couple in London for a holiday and a show. Our cute little Spanish waitress (Are all girls who work in pubs pretty?) took wonderful care of us. Diane had the roast and I ate the -- surprise, surprise! -- fish and chips. We've really developed a taste for pub food, along with the informal atmosphere that's so conducive to conversation.

After dinner we made our way to Charing Cross Road to see a few of the bookstores that specialize in used and rare books, but we're unable to find the one place I wanted to visit -- perhaps later today, after I look up the address. Again it rained off and on making our stroll a bit soggy. We returned to the flat and settled in for the night.

Today we plan to walk down to Westminster Pier, go aboard one of the sightseeing boats for a Thames River Cruise and see the city from a different perspective. Our London Pass gives us a free, hop-on hop-off cruise all day, so we'll probably stop by the Tower of London and then go on to Greenwich and straddle the prime meridian. I also hope to visit Dr. Johnson's house and have lunch at the famous pub, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. An ambitious day.

More later...blessings.