Tuesday was the hop on/off bus in London. This was a great way to get around and enjoy parts of the city from above ground without driving ourselves which would have been dangerous for both us and the people of London. We were staying near Earl’s court and the spot to catch the bus was quite nearby so we were able to walk. Once on we of course went to the top where it was open. There was a lot of construction going on in the city that day so we ended up going a slightly different route than normal. It was quite circuitous but since our final destination was Saint Paul’s we got off there and decide we would figure the rest out later.
Steven had researched and found that you could climb the dome, which seemed like a different and cool thing to do. We poked around the cathedral for a bit until we found where we needed to go. After purchasing ticket we began our ascent. At first it is relatively wide stairs that curl upward. We were on the same stairs where those who had been up would come down, but since it was earlier in the day there were more of us ascending. The higher we got the narrower the stairs. But then we came to the lower landing where you can go outdoors. Grace was unusually anxious as I’m the one who is most likely to get spooked by heights. She later told us the open structure of the dome made her anxious about it’s integrity. We later found out it had managed to survive the Blitz during World War two so we suspected it would be okay for our ascent. As we continued to climb the stairs became a metal spiral staircase. Again, not my favorite, but there were plenty of places to hold on and I really wasn’t worried about falling. Grace became more comfortable but not without some encouragement. When we reached almost the top, there was a little square cut into a landing where you could look all the way down to the bottom. After taking a quick glimpse we finished our ascent to look out over London. It was quite overcast this day. Much different than the prior and we thought we might actually get the normal rain of London. We enjoyed the view and then descended. It was odd how it felt so different going down than coming up. Once we reached the bottom we ended up exploring a bit more. There was a service in session. The Anglican/Episcopalian service is so identical to the Catholic you could easily mistake the two, except of course the woman minister who was running it was a dead giveaway.
We went through the crypt and ultimately came out. There was a pizza place nearby that had been recommended to us as they had gluten free pizza. We had a very good lunch and when done, it had started to rain. I had run to a nearby sporting good store to buy a rain jacket, but of course once I purchased it, the rain stopped.
We got back on the bus and worked our way to the pier near where we had ridden the Eye, as there was a short boat ride include in our bus tour. We were back near the house of Parliament waiting to catch the bus up to Piccadilly as that night we were off to see “Matilda”. The bus however was running behind and when it finally showed up was too packed to let us on. We decided once again to get on the Underground to go grab an early dinner before the show. Both Steve and I had seen it, but thought Grace would enjoy.
The theater district was a bit of a madhouse. Most were not masking at this point and you would have thought we never had a pandemic. Steve, Grace and I were still masking on public transportation and whenever we were inside anywhere for any length of time. We had already known a few friends who had come back from Europe with Covid, and we very much wanted to be healthy for the rest of the trip.
While at Matilda though, Steven sat next to a woman who was coughing constantly. There with her family he was tempted to ask if she was ill but of course did not. Instead he pulled out a second mask. Fortunately we all survived and did not get ill. The show of course, was marvelous. We were going to grab a taxi, but ended up taking the Underground because it was so much easier.
Wednesday we had hired a driver to take us to see Oxford and the Cotswold’s. We ended up seeing more of Oxford including a brief sojourn by myself to buy some shoes. The Cotswold’s were lovely but we ended up spending most of the time in the car. We did have a lovely pub lunch and my feet certainly were grateful for the break, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed. I think the Cotswold’s need a bit closer attention though admittedly you could find similar architecture in other parts of England that haven’t become quite as overrun by tourists.
Thursday we went to the Churchill War rooms which was a request by Grace. She has become rather interested in World War 2. It was fascinating but I think I was also in need of a bit of a break. That afternoon though we went to the Lanesborough hotel which is quite posh. It seems to have a large middle eastern oil money clientele of which we clearly are not. They did offer a lovely afternoon tea themed after the show Bridgerton. They also had a fully gluten free tea offering which was practically identical to what Steve and I had which made the experience all the more fun. It was really lovely to find people in both England and Scotland were much more aware of allergies than here in the states. They even know what Celiac is where as here you mention it, people often stare blankly at you. The tea was truly the most expensive meal we had the entire trip, but was so lovely and such a nice break from all our touring, it was worth every cent.
As we were leaving there was a white Rolls Royce SUV parked in front of the hotel that had Kuwaiti plates. A fellow from the hotel was wiping it down as we walked by and as we did I said “wow, subtle” as whomever the owner of this vehicle was, they clearly wanted to show off how much money they had. The chap wiping though said in a very matter of fact way, “Eh… It is just another car,” and gave us a wink. I do love the dry sense of humor and laughed appreciatively as we searched out our next tube station. Tonight we would dine in at our flat as we were all a bit worn out. Tomorrow we were off to Leavesden for the Harry Potter tour, which did not disappoint.