We flew all night, from 10:10 pm East coast time to 9:30 am London time, to arrive in London Heathrow along with some light drizzle. Sarah didn’t meet us this time, so the two Connecticut Yankees in the realm of King Arthur had to fend for themselves.
Clearing customs took some time just because of the number of flights arriving at nearly the same hour. Fortunately our bags came out quickly and after asking for some directions we headed off to the Central Bus Terminal.
The information people in the Terminal gave us bus information for traveling to Victoria Station. I fortunately asked about using the tube and it turned out that the travel time was about the same, we wouldn’t have to wait for the next bus—about a thirty minute wait—and we didn’t need to get a separate ticket since I had already taken the step to add some more pounds to our tube cards. All this plus it only costs £1.50 for the ride and soon we were on the tube.
We made quick connections (we had to change from the Picadilly Line to the District Line at South Kensington) and forty minutes later we came above ground on Victoria Street, right outside Victoria Station. There were some maps posted at the bus station near the entrance and we found our way around Grovesnor Gardens to Ebury Street. Three blocks down Ebury brought us to the Cartref House Bed & Breakfast. The cleaning lady let us into the foyer to drop off our bags and she let us know that our room would be ready in about twenty minute.
 These quick libations kept us active and awake while our room was made ready. When we returned we met Derek, the owner, and got our keys and simple information about breakfast. Cheri and I dozed off and on for about an hour before Sarah called and asked for directions from Victoria Station.  After going back to the B&B for some changes in clothing we headed out to walk around portions of Kensington Park and through the neighborhood Sarah lived in during the last several couple of months while Andrew was still in town. One of the landmark features of Sarah’s old neighborhood was the blue wall surrounding a construction site next door. Sarah would use it as a reference in giving directions to the apartment. She is standing next to this wall in the picture to the right and the building where they had a second floor apartment is the next building down the street.Our travels also took us to Harrods once again. It was interesting to walk through and a good excuse for getting out of some of the heavier rain. We were also able to find a perfume that I have gotten for Cheri several times over many years and that we can no longer find in local stores. Good thing we ducked-in out of the rain. We did head back out and walked through Kensington Park right across the middle. By the time we reached the other side rain-induced sleepiness and jet-lag fatigue was setting in enough that we headed back to the B&B. | With time on our hands we went up the block to the Tomtom Coffee Shop on the corner. We hadn’t slept much on the flight and time was catching up with us, so caffeine for me and something warm for Cheri was in order. I had a single Macchiato—a shot of espresso covered with a dollop of foam to keep the air away—and Cheri had some green tea (no real caffeine in this, but healthy and warm). The sun peaked out while we were sitting outside and we were able to enjoy the day’s few minutes of tanning while sitting at the cafe. Soon it clouded over and started to drizzle, but fortunately the eaves of the building hung over just enough to keep us dry.  We all chatted for a few more minutes and then asked Derek for some advice for grabbing a late lunch. He recommended the local pub that he frequents and we were on our way. One and a half blocks from the B&B we found The Belgravia and the chef was willing to keep the kitchen open another ten minutes to prepare us some lunch. While waiting I played around a bit with the gorilla tripod on the camera and the result is seen below.    |
After some rest and relaxation we headed out to a local Cantonese restaurant, again at Derek’s suggestion. The dinner was at a Jenny Lo restaurant (her father Kenneth Lo was quite famous as a Chef in London and she has followed in his footsteps). The food was fabulous.
We walked back in the rain and settled in for the evening. A great start to the Swenson Adventure in the UK.
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