Feels Like Home
Will and Karina dropping us off at San Luis Obispo Airport on March 30.
At San Diego Airport on March 31, Amanda found a dime from her dad and a quarter from Grandma Nini.
An Alaska Embraer like the one we took from SLO the day before. Behind it, our British Airways Boeing 777, by far the largest airplane at the airport. The plane had a delayed departure from Heathrow, so our flight back to Heathrow was delayed by about two hours from the start.
Champagne in hand, the plane pushed back from the gate. After sitting still for a few minutes, the pilot came on and said the generator for the right engine would not kick in. We had to go back to the gate (back “on stand” as the British pilot put it) and get the generator replaced. We left just shy of 9 p.m., over four hours behind schedule.
The Heathrow Express platform at Heathrow Airport—oh how we’ve missed hearing “mind the gap”!
For you Will, the famous exterior of St. Pancras Station.
After checking in to our rental at 38 St. Petersburgh Place, we took the tube to Dishoom King’s Cross near Granary Square. The food was bursting with flavor as always and the perfect comfort food after two long days of traveling.
Wednesday morning and we were back in hog heaven: Warburton’s crumpets and Billington’s sugar for our tea—exceptional as always!
Through the gate at the very left and down some stairs is our cozy basement apartment.
St. Matthew’s Bayswater just outside our door. The bells chime every 15 minutes, but go silent after 10:30 p.m.—a bit late for our taste, but they do add charm and character to the peaceful neighborhood.
In the Bayswater Central Line Tube station, the train time chart marked the death of Val Kilmer.
Foyles bookstore in Soho—book lovers’ nirvana.
Time for a morning cup of Joe in the upstairs café.
“Harry, it's you that has to go on, I know it. Not me, not Hermione, you."
“What exactly is the function of a rubber duck”?
Goodwin’s Court, a notably Diagon Alley-esque street.
On the door: “Wizards Welcome; Muggles Tolerated” and a Gryffindor plaque.
Will: the store where we bought you your London beanie.
American William Waldorf Astor owned the mansion at 2 Temple Place on the Victoria Embankment. He was among the first to own a telephone, so he had this bronze lamppost with two cherubs placed at the entrance to remind everyone of his prized possession.
On the roof he had this weathervane of the caravel Santa Maria in which Columbus “discovered” America.
Tulips even before we get to Holland.
The English sure do know how to make beautiful gardens.
Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar and made famous by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.” The church was hosting an Easter performance and was closed for practice, but we could hear the dramatic music booming from inside.
A Knight Templar
The church has deep connections to the ideals and principles of the Rule of Law and Magna Carta from the early 13th century.
The Black Friar pub was built in 1875 on the site of a former Medieval priory. Dominican friars wore long black mantles that earned them the nickname the Black Friars.
20 Fenchurch Street, aka the Walkie Talkie, with the famous Sky Garden on the top floor. When the building first neared completion, a man parked his Jaguar underneath, and when he returned two hours later, parts of his car had melted. The concave design of the Walkie Talkie had reflected the sun's rays down onto the streets below. A sunshade had to be fitted to ensure this would not happen again before it opened in 2014. The press dubbed it the “walkie-scorchie” and the “fry-scraper.”
Considered London’s smallest sculpture: two mice eating a piece of cheese (on Philpot Lane, just outside the Walkie Talkie).
The entrance
Inside the Sky Garden
On the Sky Garden balcony overlooking the Shard, the Thames, and London Bridge.
Classic Aperol Spritz cocktails before dinner.
The Shard
A church was first built on the site of this garden in Saxon times. It was restored by St. Dunstan in 950 AD and then rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire in 1697.
Only the tower of the Wren church survives. The garden was laid out following severe damage to the church in the blitz, and opened as a public space in 1967.
Back down to the Tube.
The Reflection Garden near St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Amanda’s photo of a photoshoot at the Reflection Garden.
The Three Graces near Piccadilly Circus.
Dinner at Waxy O’Connor’s. The inside of Waxy’s London is very cool, but the interior of the original Waxy’s Glasgow was more impressive.
Bang Bang Cauliflower Katsu curry and a Birra Moretti lager.
Caesar salad with bac’n.
Sticky toffee pudding with ice cream was the perfect end to another perfect day in our favorite city!
