Travel

[CoffeeNut]

We haven't had a good old fashioned trip report on here for awhile.  So join me and my husband on our trip.  

We flew out of Atlanta at 6pm and arrived at Heathrow at 7am the next morning (8 hour flight plus 5 hour time difference).  We decided to go a week after the coronation to avoid all the crowds and chaos of the event.  Flight was very smooth and we had exit row seating so plenty of leg room.  We were able to sleep a few hours and ended being well rested upon landing.  Clearing immigration was less than 5 minutes and very efficient.  You walk up to one of several kiosks, scan your passport look at the camera and viola, your done.  We gathered our luggage and walked over to the area where you can catch busses to several locations.   We used National Express and just £8 each for the hour long ride to Victoria Coach Station.  It's a large bus terminal just a couple blocks from our hotel. 

By 10am we were at the hotel and our room was already available.   That was a pleasant surprise.  We got unpacked, showered and took a little nap.   Here's a pic of hotel and room.   Then our day 1 adventure begins.  I will post later this evening as times allows as this does take time to write. 

[haddon9]

I'm enjoying your journey so far....hotel looks nice & comfy!

[Venezia]

Gosh, I'd forgotten what it was like to have threads like this.  I'll enjoy reading about your trip, as you go along!

The hotel room looks really nice.

[PA Mom-mom]

@CoffeeNut  Thanks for this; it's fun! I've been weeding and mulching all day and am so ready to vacation in London.

[Alter Ego]

Yay - thanks for posting. I should start my Italy trip report - I should have done live; think it ends up being easier. Something to remember for next time.

I look forward to following your trip. Still haven’t gotten myself to London. (In an aside, I still fondly remember your Bogota report from years ago.)

[CoffeeNut]

Buckingham Palace is just a couple blocks away.  It was a pretty day for walking and a comfortable 65 degrees.   

The center of the building right above the ground floor arch is that balcony where you see the royal family make appearances.  The flag wasn't flying when we walked by so the king wasn't on location.  We continued walking in front of the palace along the road where the royal processions take place.   

As you can see we weren't the only ones.   It was quite packed but enjoyable.  Between this street and the palace is the Queen Victoria Monument.  

We would walk a bit then stop and sit and people watch which is one of my favorite past times.  We made it to Selfiidges which is a huge multilevel department store that is on par with Harrods.  We could easily spend a day there as we both like to shop.  I use a lot of Chanel facial products and the hubbie loves his Clarin's.  Even with the exchange rate it is cheaper to purchase here than in the states.   So we both did quite a bit of damage to the budget but we are stocked up.  

There are quite a few places to eat inside so we had lunch at a French themed cafe.   I'm a foodie so I always take pics of our food while on vacation.  Hubbie just rolls his eyes and sighs as he is the opposite.   I had chicken ceasor salad.  Hubbie had grilled chicken and veggies. We both shared an avocado salad and spice cake for dessert. 

[CoffeeNut]

OOPS.   

I hit the post button by mistake mid post.  So we left Selfidges and just explored.  We found TKMaxx which is TJMaxx in the states.   It was 4 stories tall and ladies we spent 3 hours in there.  Well.   Rest In Peace budget.    It was nice knowing you.  

We explored some more of the area 

We ended up back at the hotel  early evening.   We walked 9 miles that day.   We had bought some scones and pastries  at a cute cafe on the way back and that was our dinner.    Day 1 finished.   Tomorrow I will post day 2.   Kensington palace tour and afternoon tea.  

[CoffeeNut]

@Alter Ego   Yes, please do an Italy report.  We did Rome about 6 years ago and we were going to go back for this vacation but the airfare was double of the London fare.  

So made more economical sense to do London. 

[rockygems123]

@CoffeeNut   What is the name of the hotel?  Looks great!

[CoffeeNut]

@rockygems123    It's called The Clermont Hotel-Victoria.   Its the perfect location as it is attached to Victoria Station.  Easy access to the Tube (subway) and a lot of the major attractions are within walking distance.