I had a surprise a few days ago when I checked my paystub and found out that I had two vacation days that I would forfeit if I did not use them by the end of the calendar year. At first I thought I would just take a couple of long weekends, but the more I noodled on that the less I liked it, so instead I opted to add the days on to the Thanksgiving break, specifically taking off the Wednesday before and the Monday after, giving me six consecutive days out of the office. For those who know me, spending three days at home is about all I can handle...four is a stretch, but when you get up to five or six, it's simply not something I can do without going crazy. So, with that in mind, I looked at the globe to try to decide where to go.
I was hoping to find a country that (1) I had not seen before and (2) I actually wanted to go to and (3) would be doable in a six day period. After much consternation, I couldn't find one that fit all three criteria. For example, I considered going to Madrid or Barcelona, but if or when I go to Spain, I also want to do Portugal and Morocco at the same time, and doing all three (plus the flight from and to the US) failed criteria #3. Finally, I decided that even though I had been there many times before, I needed to return to London. Yes, I had been there less than a year ago, but it simply felt like the most exciting thing I wanted to do at this time, so I cast out criteria #1 and bought the ticket. (BTW, I have a vacation to the Middle East planned for the Christmas break, but more on that in an ensuing post.)
I'll be staying at the Strand Palace Hotel this time, certainly not the same as the Savoy but much more affordable. Unfortunately, my London Bond Girl will not be with me as she has some high flying financial matters she is working through for her company, but in any case I have high plans for the trip, namely filling in some of the missing holes, in other words doing some of the things I have not yet done in London.
The High/Medium/Low list is below---
I was hoping to find a country that (1) I had not seen before and (2) I actually wanted to go to and (3) would be doable in a six day period. After much consternation, I couldn't find one that fit all three criteria. For example, I considered going to Madrid or Barcelona, but if or when I go to Spain, I also want to do Portugal and Morocco at the same time, and doing all three (plus the flight from and to the US) failed criteria #3. Finally, I decided that even though I had been there many times before, I needed to return to London. Yes, I had been there less than a year ago, but it simply felt like the most exciting thing I wanted to do at this time, so I cast out criteria #1 and bought the ticket. (BTW, I have a vacation to the Middle East planned for the Christmas break, but more on that in an ensuing post.)
I'll be staying at the Strand Palace Hotel this time, certainly not the same as the Savoy but much more affordable. Unfortunately, my London Bond Girl will not be with me as she has some high flying financial matters she is working through for her company, but in any case I have high plans for the trip, namely filling in some of the missing holes, in other words doing some of the things I have not yet done in London.
The High/Medium/Low list is below---
High (I've not seen these yet):
- Tate Modern
- Tate Britain
- Temple Church
- Southwark Cathedral
- Westminster Cathedral
Medium (Events which occur at specifc times so I may or may not be able to fit them in):
- Mousetrap at St. Martin's Theatre (7:30 PM Wed to Sat, + 4 PM Saturday, dark Sunday)
- Taboo at Brixton Clubhouse (7:30 PM Wed to Sat, plus 3:00 PM matinee on Sat and Sun)
- Evensong at either Westminster Abbey or St. Paul's Cathedral (5:00 PM except Sunday)
Low (I have seen these and want to do so again):
- Westminster Abbey
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- British Museum
- Royal Albert Hall
- St. Martin-in-theField
Opportunistic
- Gordon Ramsay's
- Lamb and Flag Pub
- Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar (Harrods, Picadilly or LHR)
- National and Portrait Museum
- Workout at Virgin Active
Resources:
West End Shows:
Though subject to change, one possible itinerary is:
Wednesday:
Arrive Hotel around 2:00 PM
Westminster Cathedral (Catholic)
Westminster Abbey (Anglican)
Evening prayer and song at 5:00 PM
Westminster Abbey (Anglican)
Evening prayer and song at 5:00 PM
N.B.: This is the day the Abbey is open till 7:00 PM
Mousetrap 7:30 P at St. Martin's Theatre
(If you have extra time, do Tate Britain today rather than Sunday)
Thursday:
Southwark Cathedral (Anglican)--8:00 AM morning prayer and Eucharist
Tate Modern (10-6, or till 10P Friday and Saturday)
St. Paul's (Church of England)--Evensong at 5:00 PM (8:30-4, closed Sunday to siteseeing)
Friday:
Temple Church (Church of England) (11-1, 2-4)
British Museum (10-5:30, but on Friday till 8:30)
Evening--Party
Saturday:
St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Anglican)--9:00 AM Morning Prayer (9:30-6)
National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (10-6)
Westminster Abbey--Evensong at 3:00 PM
Westminster Abbey--Evensong at 3:00 PM
Trafalgar Square
Leicester Square
Evening--Party
Sunday:
Tate Britain (10-6, or till 10P on Friday)
3:00 Taboo at Brixton Clubhouse
More details later as I am still in the planning stage.
