Monday 5-Sep-2022
I
remember having used Luton airport once before, years ago, but that was
to visit St. Albans, where my employer had a facility. It might not
even have been LONDON Luton Airport back then.
Anyway, I can report that it is actually a very useful means of reaching central London. The shuttle bus to the railway station takes under ten minutes, and the train (on a well-chosen service) about twenty. And you arrive at St. Pancras, which is convenient.
So, an early morning flight and London in time for lunch. Then a short tube journey to the hotel to check in.
In
the afternoon, we got back underground to visit Camden. Yes, I suppose
it is somewhat touristy, but it still has character. Any canal-side
location always seems to me to have charm.
Then it was back to the hotel to change for dinner, which had been booked at Randall & Aubin, in Soho. Her Grace, you see, is a seafood person. I am not, but I had the tuna, while Grace had skate, and we both enjoyed the food and the cheerful ambience.
The restaurant is tiny, and the 2-person placings are on bar stools at a shelf around the outside wall. That might not appeal to everyone, but we thought it was acceptable.
Tuesday 6-Sep-2022
This
was the day to visit Georgian and Victorian London, in Shoreditch,
Spitalfields and Whitechapel. But first an exploration of the ethnic
market at Ridley Road, Dalston. We'd heard that Hoxton and Dalston are
hot for hipsters right now, but we must have missed that bit.
After lunch, we headed for Westminster and the Embankment, as tourists do, but it hadn't occurred to us that it was the day for the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, to come back from seeing the Queen.
At least, that's my explanation for the hordes of news people and throngs of MPs in the vicinity of Parliament.
Grace had booked the show "Wicked" for that evening, meaning an early dinner. Thinking that the show was in the Apollo, rather than the Apollo Victoria, she had chosen another Soho restaurant for convenience, Wun's Tea Rooms.
Fortunately we resolved the confusion over the theatres well in advance, and there was plenty of time to travel after dinner.
As we climbed the steps out of Piccadilly tube station, rain started to fall. Since Grace had just spent two hours washing and arranging her hair, with the assistance of infernal electrical machines, it was very urgent to get the folding umbrella out, quick. But then the rain became torrential, and there was nothing to do but take shelter in the arched passage next to Great Windmill Street. When the rain stopped, we were a little late for the booking at Wun's, but nobody minded.
Apart from the spectacular cocktails, dinner was a disappointment, to be honest. The fish dish which Grace had picked from the online menu was not available, and she had to go for second choice, which
was not spectacular.
Based on Jay Rayner's review in the Guardian (from a couple of years ago) I ordered the Iberico char sui, which as Rayner had found, was excellent. The portion was small though: not really enough for a full dinner. Rayner had resolved that situation by ordering another helping. I didn't.
It being early on a Tuesday night, there wasn't any atmosphere, and the fancier downstairs room wasn't in use.
At least the Apollo Victoria is adjacent to the tube station, and it was easy to get there in time. We even had time for a drink in Chinatown before leaving.
We had cheap seats in the Dress Circle, but the show was fun, colourful and energetic. The singing was fine. And there was a story.
Wednesday 7-Sep-2022
The final morning's plan was the hotel checking out, then depositing the bags at St. Pancras, and then the Tate Modern. It was a sunny morning and it made it a pleasant walk along the river from the flash new station at Blackfriars to the gallery.
There was no major installation in the turbine hall at the time of our visit, but still plenty to see. I particularly liked the more extravagant video and lighting works; but also the artworks, mainly by Aboriginal artists, in the exhibition "A Year In Art: Australia 1992".
We went to the gallery's cool bar for lunch, with fine views across the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul's. And then, of course we had to
cross the bridge for ourselves.
We had time for an early dinner in one of the restaurants at St. Pancras, collected our luggage, and got the train to Luton. I'd planned two hours pre-flight, as they tell you, but actually, we dropped bags and were through security in about 40 minutes.
The waiting time was increased by the flight being a half-hour late. But home with no problems and bed by 1 a.m.
