Black Friday London Style

Black Friday London Style

23 November 2012

Success on all fronts to far!!

I awoke at 8:30 AM feeling relaxed, to the point I could have slept in longer, but I convinced myself to get up and head out so as not to miss anything.  First on my agenda was The British Museum, and I ventured towards the Covent Garden Station to buy my daily pass.  When I got there, a large group of tourists (of whom I am certainly not one!) was hogging the ticket machines, and after a few minutes I decided to foot it to the Museum instead.  That was a great choice, in that I arrived  at 9:45, nearly as quickly as the Tube trip would have taken, about 15 minutes before opening.  I rented a Multimedia Guide and spent my time focusing on Egypt, Greece (in preparation of my next trip), and a short stroll through Medieval Europe.  

Next on my agenda was The Temple Church of Dan Brown fame, so in order to avoid missing the limited tour hours (11-1 and 2-4), I left at 1:30, grabbing a quick Banger and Mash (plus two pints!) at The White Hart pub, another new favorite of mine.  I arrived at The Temple Church around 2:30 PM, finding it to be one of the most hidden landmarks of all time.  This led to my only minor disappointment so far.

When I researched this trip, I noted the very limited hours for Temple Church, and it set off something of a warning flag for me in that they apparently did not cater to outsiders visiting.  With that in mind, I checked the opening schedule again just last night, and it indicated it would be open today.  As it turns out, they were closed for renovation and would not allow me so much as a peak inside.

In any case, all turned out well, as I found The Somerset House on my way home, something I had not even planned to see.  So, at 3:00 PM I finally found myself with some free time, and I decided given the fatigue in my legs that I would make my Friday afternoon/evening a “local” one in the West End/Covent Garden area.

I had a quick sandwich, then headed off to the Strand for La Piazza, which I thought was my old favorite, but after looking at it later I realize I was mistaken, and my old favorite (previously “Little Italy”) is now named “Lulivo.“  After that, I paid a quick visit to the National Gallery then The National Portrait Gallery where there was an awesome (and free) concert (Monika Lidka and Adam Spiers).

On side notes, The Savoy Tup Pub was nice, albeit not anywhere near the Lyceum.  I also did my after midnight McDonalds run (Big Mac and  Onion Rings).