4 May 2008: It’s pretty pathetic, but we spent two nights and one day inside our airport Sheraton hotel room, only going downstairs occasionally to get some food. But, what can I say? It simply felt great to have such a big space (compared to the camper) and our own bathroom with a tub, so we relished in it. Kailani also picked up a cold on the flight, so we wanted to make sure she got rest. But, the saddest thing about it was that London was having unusually warm weather the entire time we were there. We spent half our time indoors and all those cold weather things that we were still lugging around were completely unnecessary.
At least, I was able to book a room at another place while at the Sheraton. So after day two, we ventured out of the building to central London via bus and “The Tube”, to Vancouver Studios. It wasn’t easy with so much luggage (that we keep vowing to scale down on), but we managed somehow. This is where I originally wanted to stay. I guess they were all booked for the weekend, but had a room for Monday and Tuesday, which were our last two days in London. I’m not sure if that had anything to do with Monday being a bank holiday or what. Vancouver Studios was situated in a neighborhood with almost all white, 4 storey buildings. We aren’t sure what type building they would call it, but we concluded it’s closest to “Colonial” style. There are so many of these buildings in the neighborhood that I would think someone could almost get lost if they didn’t pay attention. Inside Vancouver Studios, it kind of reminded me of a B&B, but each room has a small kitchenette, hence why I wanted to stay there. So, they don’t actually provide a breakfast. Although quite smaller than the Sheraton, our room was decorated very classic, but with a simple beige/white color scheme. The kitchenette and bathroom were both very modern. The bathroom had a cute raised-bowl sink and what they call, Power Shower, although barely big enough to squeeze in. They upgraded us to a room that also had a balcony that I never went out to, scared that Kai would follow me and fall off. Overall, it was cozy.
After moving from hotel to hotel, we started by having lunch at a local pub on a street called Queensway. Sean ordered sheperd’s pie, but they were out. So, he had fish and chips, and I had a falafel burger. Then, we decided to venture a couple tube stops over to South Kensington to check it out and grab dinner (and diapers…and an armful other things) at Whole Foods. We used to live and shop near the new Cupertino Whole Foods, the biggest on the West Coast. We also visited their corporate headquarters and flagship store in Austin. Then, at the beginning of this trip, we shopped at one in NYC. So why not see it in London too! Let me mention again, that the weather was wonderful and that I was wearing flip flops… :-) I must have been really sick of hotel food at that point, because our roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and salad tasted the best ever. And, sitting at the dining table in our room felt really cozy and homey too! I think that I could live there. Although, I’m sure the small space would get to me eventually.
The next day, we finally got out and saw London! We started by taking the Tube to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. Unfortunately, there was such a huge crowd, I couldn’t see a thing. So, we went back to Victoria Station for a Cornish Pasty. Sean got traditional chicken and I got chicken curry. (Still thinking of the chicken curry empanada in Spain, but it wasn’t the same.) Then, we signed up for a one of those hop-on/hop-off double-decker bus tours. I thought it was supposed to completely loop within two hours, but it seemed reeeally long. But, at least we got to see everything. I caught Kailani’s cold at that point, so maybe it just seemed longer than it really was. We also made a couple pit stops, at Harrod’s for some gawking over expensive purses and their amazing food halls. And then, we headed to the London Eye for a ride. Again, it was great that the weather was on our side, because the view was spectacular while riding the London Eye. We concluded the day with picking up some “take away” Chinese food. I didn’t think that we’d be eating Chinese food until actually being in China, but the roasted meats in the window looked pretty good, and ended up tasting as good as it looked!
Our last day in London, we packed up, sent more stuff home at the Post Office, which coincidentally didn’t seem to help. We didn’t pick up anything new and had the same number of bags fully packed. Don’t ask me how! Anyway, we stowed our stuff and walked around the neighborhoods surrounding our studio until heading to the airport for an afternoon flight. I do have to say that I also enjoyed the location of our studio, right between the Bayswater District and Notting Hill. We had Queensway, a big shopping street with restaurants and where the Post Office was, right down the street from us. Then, we went to Portabello Road, where there’s an outdoor market. Then, we went to Westbourne Grove, another shopping/restaurant street where I found a market, Planet Organic, and got “one more thing for the road” (which we learned how that saying came about on our bus tour). I know. More things to lug! But, just some cough drops for me and cookies for Kai.
Going to the airport, we took the Airport Express train. I was shocked at the price of the tickets, but we were already at the station. When on the train, it was a very quick, smooth ride. There were a lot of business travelers on it and I can see how it is convenient for them. When we checked in, we were informed that our flight to Hong Kong was cancelled due to a power failure. I don’t know the statistics exactly, but it seems like at least 90% of the time this year, either our flight has been delayed or cancelled. This has never happened to me so often! At least, they told us right off the bat this time, as opposed to Hawaii during Christmas-time, where they made us wait 5 hours before sending us away. So, we went off to a hotel that was provided by Air New Zealand! We were a bit skeptical what Premier Inn was going to be like, but it ended up being a pleasant surprise. It was quite fresh and new-looking, we were greeted with hors d’oeuvres and wine, Kailani got a kid’s activity backpack, and there was even an indoor playground. We ate the complimentary Indian buffet dinner and slept early, since the airport shuttle picked us up at 6am the next morning. I almost felt like we were with a tour group. We met everyone on our flight that was staying there, ate with them, and were on the bus and airplane with them. After that, the flight took off as planned. Everyone on the plane was given a box of chocolates and the flight crew was very pleasant. Our original flight was to be an overnight flight, but now it was all day long. So I was worried that Kai would be bouncing off the walls. But, waking up so early, she took a long 4 hour nap. There was also a TV screen, remote and kid’s movies on every chair. So she was entertained with that. When we landed, we even got compliments from our neighbors about how quiet she was. And in a way, it was probably also good that we didn’t fly the day before, because I had another day to recover from my cold.
At least, I was able to book a room at another place while at the Sheraton. So after day two, we ventured out of the building to central London via bus and “The Tube”, to Vancouver Studios. It wasn’t easy with so much luggage (that we keep vowing to scale down on), but we managed somehow. This is where I originally wanted to stay. I guess they were all booked for the weekend, but had a room for Monday and Tuesday, which were our last two days in London. I’m not sure if that had anything to do with Monday being a bank holiday or what. Vancouver Studios was situated in a neighborhood with almost all white, 4 storey buildings. We aren’t sure what type building they would call it, but we concluded it’s closest to “Colonial” style. There are so many of these buildings in the neighborhood that I would think someone could almost get lost if they didn’t pay attention. Inside Vancouver Studios, it kind of reminded me of a B&B, but each room has a small kitchenette, hence why I wanted to stay there. So, they don’t actually provide a breakfast. Although quite smaller than the Sheraton, our room was decorated very classic, but with a simple beige/white color scheme. The kitchenette and bathroom were both very modern. The bathroom had a cute raised-bowl sink and what they call, Power Shower, although barely big enough to squeeze in. They upgraded us to a room that also had a balcony that I never went out to, scared that Kai would follow me and fall off. Overall, it was cozy.
After moving from hotel to hotel, we started by having lunch at a local pub on a street called Queensway. Sean ordered sheperd’s pie, but they were out. So, he had fish and chips, and I had a falafel burger. Then, we decided to venture a couple tube stops over to South Kensington to check it out and grab dinner (and diapers…and an armful other things) at Whole Foods. We used to live and shop near the new Cupertino Whole Foods, the biggest on the West Coast. We also visited their corporate headquarters and flagship store in Austin. Then, at the beginning of this trip, we shopped at one in NYC. So why not see it in London too! Let me mention again, that the weather was wonderful and that I was wearing flip flops… :-) I must have been really sick of hotel food at that point, because our roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and salad tasted the best ever. And, sitting at the dining table in our room felt really cozy and homey too! I think that I could live there. Although, I’m sure the small space would get to me eventually.
The next day, we finally got out and saw London! We started by taking the Tube to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. Unfortunately, there was such a huge crowd, I couldn’t see a thing. So, we went back to Victoria Station for a Cornish Pasty. Sean got traditional chicken and I got chicken curry. (Still thinking of the chicken curry empanada in Spain, but it wasn’t the same.) Then, we signed up for a one of those hop-on/hop-off double-decker bus tours. I thought it was supposed to completely loop within two hours, but it seemed reeeally long. But, at least we got to see everything. I caught Kailani’s cold at that point, so maybe it just seemed longer than it really was. We also made a couple pit stops, at Harrod’s for some gawking over expensive purses and their amazing food halls. And then, we headed to the London Eye for a ride. Again, it was great that the weather was on our side, because the view was spectacular while riding the London Eye. We concluded the day with picking up some “take away” Chinese food. I didn’t think that we’d be eating Chinese food until actually being in China, but the roasted meats in the window looked pretty good, and ended up tasting as good as it looked!
Our last day in London, we packed up, sent more stuff home at the Post Office, which coincidentally didn’t seem to help. We didn’t pick up anything new and had the same number of bags fully packed. Don’t ask me how! Anyway, we stowed our stuff and walked around the neighborhoods surrounding our studio until heading to the airport for an afternoon flight. I do have to say that I also enjoyed the location of our studio, right between the Bayswater District and Notting Hill. We had Queensway, a big shopping street with restaurants and where the Post Office was, right down the street from us. Then, we went to Portabello Road, where there’s an outdoor market. Then, we went to Westbourne Grove, another shopping/restaurant street where I found a market, Planet Organic, and got “one more thing for the road” (which we learned how that saying came about on our bus tour). I know. More things to lug! But, just some cough drops for me and cookies for Kai.
Going to the airport, we took the Airport Express train. I was shocked at the price of the tickets, but we were already at the station. When on the train, it was a very quick, smooth ride. There were a lot of business travelers on it and I can see how it is convenient for them. When we checked in, we were informed that our flight to Hong Kong was cancelled due to a power failure. I don’t know the statistics exactly, but it seems like at least 90% of the time this year, either our flight has been delayed or cancelled. This has never happened to me so often! At least, they told us right off the bat this time, as opposed to Hawaii during Christmas-time, where they made us wait 5 hours before sending us away. So, we went off to a hotel that was provided by Air New Zealand! We were a bit skeptical what Premier Inn was going to be like, but it ended up being a pleasant surprise. It was quite fresh and new-looking, we were greeted with hors d’oeuvres and wine, Kailani got a kid’s activity backpack, and there was even an indoor playground. We ate the complimentary Indian buffet dinner and slept early, since the airport shuttle picked us up at 6am the next morning. I almost felt like we were with a tour group. We met everyone on our flight that was staying there, ate with them, and were on the bus and airplane with them. After that, the flight took off as planned. Everyone on the plane was given a box of chocolates and the flight crew was very pleasant. Our original flight was to be an overnight flight, but now it was all day long. So I was worried that Kai would be bouncing off the walls. But, waking up so early, she took a long 4 hour nap. There was also a TV screen, remote and kid’s movies on every chair. So she was entertained with that. When we landed, we even got compliments from our neighbors about how quiet she was. And in a way, it was probably also good that we didn’t fly the day before, because I had another day to recover from my cold.
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