London Proper

Tuesday May 22, 2007

This morning, Sam and I are awake at 04:30 trying to get out on the internet. Seems we are connected, but the service is down. Guess most guests are not trying to use3 the internet at this time of day. We give up and go back to sleep for a few more hours.

We get up at 08:30 and the sun is shining bright. After we dress we go down for breakfast - toast, cereal, cheese, and tea.

09:30 we leave the hotel for Leicester Square in route for the National Gallery. We wonder the rooms for hours, see many great masterpieces and we missed many as well. Many of the pieces are darker than I remembered. Sam and I enjoy the rooms that have couches instead of just wooden benches. No photography in the gallery spoils some of the fun. Rhonda seems to be able to get one photo of Sam in front of a reclining nude, before a guard came over and told her to put the camera away.

We head out for a bite to eat around 12:30. We wonder back up to Leicester Square to see what we can find. We ate at a little place that had maybe 7 tables inside. Rhonda ask for a water the waitress had never heard of this (at least wint an American accent) before (from Hungary). Another waitress came over that spoke a little better English. Rhonda and Sam got water, I had a Fanta. Sam got a roasted chicken sandwich with salad, I had a cheese baguette with salad, Rhonda had a somosa with salad. The total came to £14.45 = $30.00 with tip!!!

From here, we walked down to Westminster Abbey. We got a deal on the entry here the family rate is only £24.00. Since we had paid so much we saw everything. There were some lovely gardens on the back, almost the best part. There was a choir practicing for a concert tonight, they sounded very nice in that building.

From here we slowly made our way to Buckingham Palace. We could not decide if the Queen was in or not. We were not sure what flag was suppose to be flying if she was there.

It’s not 17:30 we are beat. “Let's go back to the room and rest for a while.” We head for Victoria Station then take the District Line to Gloucester Road Station. We are now back at the “Hotel”. Rhonda and Sam are sleeping. We will have to go out in a while for supper.

We slept from 6PM to 8PM. We went down on the street around 8:30. We walked down Old Brompton Road toward Kensington. Past Gloucester Road there is a little restaurant area, we turned down a side street and came upon The Khyber Pass restaurant. The small restaurant was full and busy. I went in and ask for a table. We waited outside as there was no room inside to wait. We had a Mutter Paneer and a curried vegetable with rice and cheese naan. It was very good #20.00. When I ask the waiter for the check, he ask "How much?" He can always tell Americans by this phrase. Most English ask for the bill or ask tif they can pay.

Just across the street was Oddcno’s a Gelati Italiani (ice cream) shop. Also very good.

We got back to the room around 10:30. it's now midnight and time for bed.