Wye Valley Walk: Train Travel to London

She Said:
I have some catch-up to do...
June 5
We watched the Jubilee Concert on TV Monday night - a very well-orchestrated, showy event with just about every Brit star available (my faves were Tom Jones and Alfie somebody, an opera singer.) The backdrop was Buckingham Palace, and there were full building projections on it throughout the concert - very cool. The Mall was mobbed, with screens along it so all could see. The Queen looked genuinely interested, even when the act on stage was some crazy current singer. The cheers were deafening when she took the stage to light the "Jubilee Beacon" (yes, there is "Jubilee" everything in the UK this week) - very Obama-Inauguration-esque.

On Tuesday, we took the train to Liverpool - convenient and comfy. Toured The Beatles Story museum - quite good but a little too much minutia for me (do we really need to see a reconstruction of the newspaper office that first publicized the Beatles?) except for the Cavern nightclub where the Beatles first palyed in Liverpool - that really did evoke a sense of what it must have felt like to be packed in there listening to that music. The stage is tiny and the ceilings low and it must have been great - loud and smoky exciting.

There is a Tate Liverpool, which was a find for me - R is not as interested in modern art as I am, so he spent time photographing the Liverpool waterfront while I strolled around in world-class art heaven.

Next door is the Liverpool Museum, which I also visited, though because it was still a bank holiday it was so crowded - the most crowded museum I have ever been in. Still, I managed to find a few quiet corners to explore.

The train back to Chester was easy. We ate salads in our room watching SpringWatch.

June 6
Once again, I am so amazed by the train system in England. Our train from Chester to London was a breeze - you really can get anywhere you need to go by train. It is so nice to not have a car and to not have to worry about driving and navigating and parking.

Our hotel in London (Th Kensington House Hotel) is well situated in Kensington, a few blocks from Kensington Palace and the gardens but in a quiet neighborhood (except for the large construction site nearby.) We walked to Waitrose (groceries) and bought supplies for supper and California wine! Alleluia!
We set off for a wonderful walk in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park - always a treat to be in a fine urban park not only enjoying it ourselves, but watching others loving the green and the birds and the outdoors. As in any large city, all colors of people speaking all imaginable languages - one world. Love it.
There were herons and rainbows and rosy-cheeked little kids. Londoners and tourists alike. And we were part of it.neighborhood)

How to really enjoy your hotel in london:
*have a window with a view (ours is of a tree and our neighborhood)
*get a salad and a half chicken atWaitrose (also good wine and beer)
*bring a tablecloth (I always do)
*eat dinner in, with the window open, listening to your neighborhood
*watch SpringWatch and Inspector Lewis on the telly
Perfect.

3 miles

He Said:
Bye bye to the northwest and hello to London, today being the first real work day after the extended bank holiday in the UK. After dragging ourselves and suitcases down to the train station (1/3 mile), the train ride was a breeze. We already had breakfast and so did not partake of the free food on the train. We stopped at only two stations along our way and got to London in 2 hours. We grabbed a taxi and were soon embedded in bumper to bumper traffic in early afternoon London.... a mass of humanity.
We walked to do our shopping, then went on a stroll in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, seeing the many gardens, ponds, fountains and statues.

Here are some photos from June 6:

On the train to London