The flight was great, Air Canada meals suit us just fine, and we both managed to log some zzz's so were in fairly good shape when we landed at Heathrow. No difficulty locating our train (the Heathrow Connect) and were thrilled to see it was 1/2 the cost of the Heathrow Express and took us to Paddington Stn. with only a few stops along the way. Definitely worth it if you have more time than money.
On arriving at Paddington Stn. the high, higher, and highest expectations for a gorgeous fall vacation were quickly and wetly dashed. The city of London was covered in wet grey clouds which threatened to unleash torrents any moment. With much confidence we fired up our Garmin GPS, coded in the hotel address and headed off down the street, patting ourselves on the back for being such tech-savvy senior citizens.
We were booked in at the Blakemore Hyde Park hotel, a "short 10 minute walk" from Paddington Station. What a gem of a location! 15 minutes later, feet began to complain - are you SURE it is a 10 minute walk? - my DH continued to lead on, I dutifully followed.
20 minutes later we began to wonder if we'd taken a wrong turn? or entered the address incorrectly? Dear hubby rechecked the coordinates and we did seem to be on the right trail, but we were both noticing some familiar cross street names as ones we'd crossed 10 minutes before, and again 15 minutes before that? A further 15 minutes along, feet were now screaming and right hip had joined the chorus " Give me a BREAK, this is NOT a 10 minute walk!".
Confusion now amplified by drops of rain found us sprinting for the overhang of a nearby townhome. 20 yards from shelter the heavens unleashed and within steps we were soaked through to our unmentionables. In addition our suitcases were soaked, water had seeped through the zippers and our packed clothing was soaked. Without a doubt one of the heaviest rainfalls I've ever been in. Welcome to the UK!
Once again the GPS was checked, and re-checked and finally !! D. noticed the Settings button which revealed options for mode of travel: Car, Public Transport, or Walking, and it was set for CAR. The Bayswater section of London is a maze of one-way streets, T-stops, dead-end courts...you get the picture. We were being led up and down, around and around, working our way to our hotel in our fictitious vehicle, when on foot we could have simply walked straight through on the sidewalks that connected the one-way streets.
2 Lessons Learned: a little technology is a dangerous thing, and garbage in / garbage out.
Our hotel was in the older section of Bayswater/Hyde Park area, served breakfast in a basement breakfast room every morning, and was a short walk from 2 tube stations and Hyde Park. Great location for soaking up the feel of Victorian London, while being within walking distance of mass rapid transit, the best of both worlds.
A sharp right turn at the hotel entrance and a 2 block walk south will get you to a lovely little pub and a great mediterranean restaurant that was booked solid all but 1 evening during our 5-night stay. This was a small family run restaurant that appeared to be operated by 3 generations, 2 brothers led the kitchen staff, their children cleared tables, poured water and refilled bread baskets, dad, mom and a sister took orders, and Grandpa greeted you at the door with open arms and decided if they could squeeze you in even if you did not have a reservation.
We dined on braised lamb shanks, rice pilaf and a complimentary drink poured by the grandpa whose main job seemed to be making every customer feel like family.
The following day dawned with some improvement and after a busy day of sight seeing we ventured out to dinner at Ristorante Italiano on Queensway. We dined in style on Calamari, Calzones with red onion and Italian Sausage, a bottle of Giaconde Merlot (a lovely dry Red Wine), and of course 1 dessert to share.
London is a fascinating city to spend time in, loads to see and do and many attractions within walking distance. We spent a day in Hyde Park, checking out Kensington Gardens and watching the waterfowl compete for food in the lake.
We took in an evening concert at Royal Albert Hall, directly across Hyde Park from us as the crow flies.
And of course, what would a holiday in London be without a day at the Tower and a visit to St. Pauls.
