12-21/22-2011

Dec/22/2011, Bentley Hotel, London (Knightsbridge), UK

Vacation begins! The night of the 20th of December was rather hectic. Dinner with Rich and Chrisy and Chrisy's parents at Wakuriya went down a treat but then we had to deal with United till the wee mornings and finally ended up giving up our business class upgrades (i guess, unbeknownst to Jenn or myself and not disclosed when we bought the tickets months ago over the phone with United, there is no the specter of a "co-pay" if you qualify for upgrades with miles -- unless you are Premier or better that is. The "co-pay", as we were informed by the fellow from United Jenn was on the phone with on the night of the 20th, was to cover excess baggage costs. In our case, to the tune of $550 USD per person for just this one leg of the round trip ticket... excess baggage indeed!). At least, thanks to Jenn's heavy lifting, we've been 99.9% packed for the trip since the 18th.

Jenn, looking forward to an eating experience!

Arrived at the airport at 3, thanks to Penny's kindness and promised to bring her home something British from the UK, she did specify something from the Arcade. Although i think everyone is getting short bread cookies from Harrod's. Perhaps in a commemorative Royal Wedding tin. The check-in line was long but not horrid, after 30 minutes of standing about and watching the changing of the check-in desk ladies, we were cruising through the security line where i had my largess photo'd by the full body scanner (something that i had wanted to have done for quite a while... finally!), huzzah! A quick lunch at Tomakatsu rounded out our International Terminal experience before we went through the abattoir and onto our seats in United Economy Class and the 10 hour flight filled with the type of wonderment and luxury portrayed on the hit TV show "PanAm"... or not (though one particular flight attendant kept sticking his buttocks in my face... and i didn't have to pay extra for all that "action"! Jenn and i, i think, got a combined total of 2 hours of sleep on the flight).

10AM GMT, December 22, 2011, we arrive at London Heathrow. Cleared customs in a breeze, got a bit turned around trying to find the store where we would pick up our mobile wi-fi (turns out that i can read well but am confused by prepositions, rendering me to not immediately realize that the mobile wi-fi store and the "Left Luggage" Store was one in the same) before we boarded the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station. What an efficient system! Would've loved to have taken a shot of the station with a nice fish eye lens but i didn't have my act together. Mayhaps on the return trip!

Inside the train

Me, looking oh so fresh and relaxed!

Followed the sign of "way out" and hailed the first cab we saw outside of Paddington Station (bucket list item checked! Rode a English Cab!). Unlike american cabs (some of which i have driven) where drivers attempt home made contraptions through the bullet proof glass and the stab proof barrier to facilitate driver/customer communications, the British cab that we were in had it all sorted. The driver is mic'd and so is the cab where the customer is seated. Flawless conduction of voices... achieved! The cab driver was a chatty fellow, from him we got a few tips as to where to go and find food and the location of the MASSIVE Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Also found out his opinion on how well the city of London perform road maintenance/construction (not a high opinion, i assure you) and that his father-in-law is the oldest working taxi driver in London (aged 92 and drives one day a week -- Sundays).

Inside the cab, amazingly spacious.
The red light you see on the top right
is the indicator light that tells you
that the driver can hear you

The taxis are as the sign says!

The hotel we are booked into is the Bentley Hotel in the Knightsbridge neighborhood. Part of the Hilton family of hotels, this is located in close proximity to the Victoria and Albert and the Natural History Museums. The room, happily, was available for use when we checked in at around half past noon (that "i've
stewed on a plane feeling is never pleasant). The room is well appointed and amazingly spacious. After a quick shower, Jenn and i decided to venture out for a bite and visit the Victoria and Albert Museum. We didn't want to give in to the temptation of sleep in an effort to stave off jet lag. The short walk to Victoria and Albert was quite enjoyable and allowed me to feast my eyes upon the wonderful buildings that light the streets here... and to get used to looking the "correct way" before i cross the street. The helpful "look right --->" and "<---- look left" signs painted on the roads does help, but it takes a wee bit of getting used to.

Our room at the Bentley

with a spa tub!

The Victoria and Albert Museum, as we were informed by the nice Indian lady at the Info booth has over 6 miles of exhibition space. We saw maybe 5% of it and took pictures of sights along the way that we couldn't go and investigate. In the vast space is collected various decorative art pieces, from giant screens destined for churches to the smallest of rings and jewelry items (we by far spent the most time in the jewelry section... the collection of jewelry is vast and the space they exhibited it was fantastic! A mix of steel and glass with focus light in a dark space highlighted the glittering glimmering collection fabulously!). At the end of it all, we were simply too tired to be able to tour the entire thing. Admitting defeat, and both of us with cramping feet and legs, we walked the short distance back to the hotel and sought solace in the comforts of our room. Tomorrow... The Tower of London and Westminister! i think 8)

For all the photos:

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