At about 12:15 am EDT, I was awakened by the cabin lights coming on for breakfast. I had to wake my husband K.
For breakfast, I chose French toast, while K chose the omelet.They came with yogurt and fruit. Both meals were good.
At 7:02 am British Summer Time, we landed at London Heathrow. There was sun and it was 55°. By 7:06, we were at the gate.
For border patrol, we just scanned our passport and looked in the camera. We'd had to purchase a visa while we were still home and they said it would be linked electronically to the passport. I guess it was, because the gate opened for each of us after the scan.
When we got to baggage claim at 7:30, our older daughter J was waiting by Carousel 2, as planned. She had her bag, and, thankfully, both of ours showed up. After a pit stop, we were on our way.
K and I had saved our Oyster cards for use on public transportation back when we'd come here to visit J, when she was studying abroad at King's College for a semester over 20 years ago. We were able to add 7 days using Zones 1-3 to each of them for Ł52 each on my Capital One Mastercard at a machine at 8:10. J could not find hers. So, she got a 7-day travel Oyster from the machine.
At 8:15, we were awaiting a train on the Piccadilly Line. One minute later, we were onboard. It was an uneventful trip. At 9:11, we got off at King's Cross St. Pancras to change trains. It was a short walk to the Northern Line. At 9:16, we were off at Angel. It was a deep station. So, there were escalators.
Outside, we dragged the luggage uphill to the Doubletree by Hilton King's Cross Angel, a name obviously given to seem convenient. We reached it at 9:40. It was now 66°.
It took us 10 minutes to reach Angel, where we found that our cards were short for the day, because we'd crossed 6 zones rather than 3. We put Ł5 on each of the cards to cover it, because that was the lowest amount available.
At 10:25, we were waiting for the Northern Line back to King's Cross. Three minutes later, we were onboard. It was only a 3 minute ride.
We had to go through passages under the station to reach the Metropolitan line to Baker Street at 10:36. Two minutes later, we were onboard. At 10:44, we reached the Baker Street station, which was partially outdoors. It also had no escalator and we couldn't find a lift. I'd climbed steps at King's and I just had to do it again.
Outside, we crossed the street and as we neared our destination, we noticed that the buildings across the street had a fancier facade.
Our goal was 221B Baker Street, home of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Our Holmes fan J had never visited here in her semester in town. We reached it at 10:52. The tickets were sold in the shop next door. J bought her own and I got 2 seniors for Ł17 each, plus a guide (which I never looked at) for Ł1. We then were sent outside to wait in the regular line.
There, a guide dressed as a maid told us all about Mr. Holmes's flat as if he were a real person. She pointed out his chemistry corner and his beloved violin, which he played when cases were tough. On the left side was Dr. Watson's desk. She also pointed out the VR for Victoria Regina that hat he'd created in the wallpaper behind us by shooting it.
In the next room, his bedroom, she pointed out that as a dapper English gentleman, he would have worn a top hat, such as that on the cabinet in the corner, not the deerstalker hat that an illustrator put on him. That hat is what it says it is- a hat for hunting deer.
We could get another view of the sitting room and its dining area from the doorway to the bedroom.
On the upper floors, were more items proper to a Victorian home, such as this fancy commode that held a chamber pot.
There were exhibits about Holmes, including ones about stage, screen, and television adaptations and the actors who played him. There was a whole time line of them. There were busts of the major ones, such as Basil Rathbone, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Robert Downey, Jr. (There was no mention of the US TV show Elementary.)
On the top floor was a wonderful scale model roombox of the front room of Holmes's rooms on the first floor.
Then, we headed across the street to lok at another souvenir shop and to photograph 221B.
It had been a long time since what had passed for breakfast. K, in particular was voicing a desire for lunch. J had already come up with some choices and one was just a block or so away.
At 11:50, we reached Chicken Shop. At the door, a guy encouraged K to spin a wheel to try to win something. He won a free bottomless drink. However, he couldn't use it because it required their app and none of us were willing to download it.
Their ordering system was just like McDonald's ordering boards. J ordered her own. K and I got a Straight Up Meal with fries and Bottomless Cup of Soda for Ł15.25 and a Hoisin BBQ Wrap for Ł7.95. That let us share both messy sandwiches and the fries and Coke Zero. They were not great sandwiches. Plus, I was sitting in front of the blowing air vent, which was unpleasant.
At 12:36, after using the restroom there, we left to walk to The Regent's Park. It was only a 9-minute walk and, suddenly, we were in a huge park like New York's Central Park.
We studied the map and decided to follow the path to the gardens.
There was a large pond that we soon encountered. It had a fair-sized creek that flowed off to the right under a footbridge.
There were a variety of birds, including the greylag goose (not a typo) and the common coot with its large white forehead. We were treated to baby geese, too.
We were surprised by the great number of people making use of the park on a Tuesday afternoon.
There were park benches facing the water on the other side of the bridge. When we reached an empty one, I suggested we sit and enjoy. The sun was warm and it was quite pleasant to watch the birds and people. Some young women spread out a picnic blanket below us on the embankment and were setting up their lunch, when a goose came over and began inspecting things. The women decided to move.
We moved on, when I realized K kept dozing off. As we followed the path up the hill, we noticed lines of sling chairs facing the water and a bandstand farther along.
Turning a corner, we saw beds that had been prepared to receive flowers. They made a nice formal layout.
There was a kind of green avenue before us with a fountain and palm trees in the distance. Particulary since the latter intrigued us, we headed there.
Near the fountain, called "Triton and Dryads Fountain", there were benches and we sat again to appreciate the views. It was warm and sleep had been poor last night. Now, I was the one dozing off.
There were indeed palms and there were agave and other desert plants. The climate didn't seem to be a problem for them.
Before we turned to cross the road, we came upon this really impressive gate. I looked it up and found out:
The Jubilee Gates are grand iron and gilded semi-circular gates that were installed to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V and the official opening of Queen Mary's Gardens in 1935.
I noted on the map that there were no public restrooms on this side of the park, which I thought was weird.
At 2:40, we were back at the Baker Street tube station. There was a nice old entrance below our level.
In just 3 minutes, we were waiting on platform 6 for the Hammersmith & City. At 2:45, we were onboard to ride just to the next stop at Edgware Road, which took 1 minute. We were able to get right on an eastbound Circle, but had to await its departure.
It finally left at 2:57. Five minutes later, we got off at Notting Hill Gate. By 3:18, we were strolling down Portobello Road and browsing. There were many stalls. They turned the street into a pedestrian zone just for the time of operation.
I was the one who'd expressed a desire to see Notting Hill due to the film. We did not find William's blue door, but we did find his bookshop. It even has helpful signs on it noting its use in the film. It was very busy and warm. Of course, we found books and souvenirs to take home from Notting Hill Bookshop.
At 4:09, having closed down the market, we reached Ladbroke Grove station. At 4:12, we were on an outside platform waiting for Hammersmith & Circle. We boarded at 4:13 and didn't reach King's Cross until 4:32.
It took 2 3l3vators to get over to the Northern Line for Angel. We boarded at 4:45 and got off 2 minutes later.
We'd noticed a restaurant/pub next to the hotel in the morning as we were leaving. J had googled it and found it had good reviews, which is why we were at The Castle at 4:58.
I ordered a lime and mint cooler for Ł3.50. J got a Sicilian Lemonade for Ł4.30 and K got an Aspall Cyder for Ł7:05. These were ordered by K and J at the bar, which was behind our table that I was manning just inside the door. (We'd chosen not to go to the roof, because we thought it would be too hot.)
For dinner I ordered the chicken and leek pie for Ł9.50. J ordered Cumberland sausage, wild garlic crusted mids, Nutbourne tomatoes for Ł16. (We split these.) K got fish and chips for Ł19, which he enjoyed all by himself. Although I find British sausage to be too soft, they were good meals.
We finished 6:10 and crossed the street to the hotel. At 6:14, they took us to the closet and we found our luggage. Then, K checked in and was assigned Room 222. It was definitely more spacious than our triple in Amsterdam and a bit more roomy than Glasgow.
K and J were in their beds about 9:30, but I hung out until 11. My phone showed 15,460 steps for 5.7 miles and we climbed 7 floors.
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