Monday, October 17, 2011

Day 5 in London 10/5/11

I had booked tickets two days prior for a half day tour to go to Stonehenge and Bath.  We were supposed to meet at 10:30 AM at this hotel in the city called the Grovesnor Victoria.  We even went there the day before to make sure we knew how long it would take us to get there and that we knew where the hotel was.
Grovesnor Victoria Hotel Lobby

We left our hotel at 9 AM and got to the Grovesnor Victoria at about 9:45 AM.  Since we were early, we had a light breakfast at a cafe nearby.  We got back to the Grovesnor at about 10:10 AM.  I  told both the front desk and the concierge that we were waiting for this tour company to pick us up.  We couldn't get a clear and confident answer as to what to do, the front desk said the tour representative "usually comes inside" to get the people, and the concierge said they "come inside" but also suggested that we wait outside.  So at about 10:20 we started to wait outside...and wait.....and wait.  By 10:40 AM, I suggested Mark go back inside and ask the hotel to call the tour company to see if they came yet....and they did!  I have no idea how we missed them, but they said that they came and then they left.  I was so upset!  I figured since I told the front desk and the concierge (and this was a small lobby area) someone should have came out and found us when the tour representative came in!  Grrrr....luckily we were able to re-book the tour for the next day but then I had to re-arrange our schedule and also we woke up early for nothing :(  And I say for nothing because even though we woke up so early, we still weren't starting our day until 11 AM because we wasted all that time waiting for them and nothing came of it.


Since our tour was now rescheduled, we decided to switch our Wednesday and Thursday agendas, so we went on our way to the Westminster area.  Even though we had been to Westminster earlier in our trip, we couldn't tour it because it was Sunday and they were having church services.  So today we got to go into Westminster, which was pretty neat.  There are over 3,300 people buried at Westminster!  It was also kind of cool to see the altar where William and Kate were recently married.  You weren't allowed to take pictures, so I don't have any pictures of the inside.
Outside Westminster--This is the entrance Kate used prior to walking down the aisle
Courtyard at Westminster

After Westminster, we were ready for lunch.  We found this pub up the road by Trafalgar Square.  I had roast chicken and Mark had a roast beef sandwich.  We had a berry crumble with a cream sauce for dessert.  I forgot to take a picture of the berry crumble because it looked so good and we dug right in.  It was delicious!
Roast Beef Sandwich

Roast Chicken


After lunch we walked to Trafalgar Square because we were so close.
Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
Across the Street from Trafalgar Square

After walking around the square, we walked back toward Westminster and passed 10 Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister.  The road is heavily guarded now for security reasons, so you can't really do anything except for take a picture at the gate.
Downing Street, Home of the Prime Minister

We then stopped by the Churchill War Rooms, which is the bunker where Churchill and his staff stayed during WWII.
Meeting Room Where Churchill Met with His Staff During War. Churchill sat in the Middle Chair in Front of the Map

Churchill's Bedroom in the Bunker
The Actual Door at 10 Downing Street Churchill Walked Through His First Day as Prime Minster
 We headed back to our hotel on the earlier side today.  Our plan was to go back to the hotel, rest for an hour or two, then go to the Westfield Mall by the Shepherd's Bush tube stop.  Apparently, this is the 2nd largest mall in all of Europe.  They had a lot of cool restaurants there with a lot of outdoor seating.  The weather was relatively nice, and although we usually aren't outdoor eaters, we decided it would be nice to eat outside.  After browsing our options, we decided to eat at an Italian restaurant.  It was delicious!!!
Appetizer--I think it was an olive tapenade, with sauteed mushrooms and ricotta on top

My Dinner-Fettucine Alfredo with Musrooms

Mark's dinner--Penne with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
Even though our day didn't turn out as planned, it was a good one!  Looking at all this food now is making me hungry!

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