After a lengthy wait in the queue at customs, it was off to collect our bags at the carousel. We were wondering if we were going to be too late to collect them, but as the normal bun fight that goes with the 'Carousel Collection' was not happening (as we were late getting there) we were able to just waltz up, grab our backpacks straight away and off we could go.
Next big decision... Do we take the Underground into London ( the cheapest) the Heathrow Express (dearer and classier) or a taxi ( quaint, but the dearest).
I suggested to Jen that the Underground would be great as we'd never used it before, so down we went.
I must admit that I had to stifle a few sniggers every time an announcement came over the PA as we came to a station..."This train will terminate at Cockfosters"
I wonder how many takes it took the woman announcer to record that without laughing!!
We quickly found our accommodation in Kensington, only to discover that reception had closed 25 minutes after we got there. We rang them, and they promised someone would "be there in 10 minutes"
Well, their version of 10 minutes was different to ours, as we made a few more calls and eventually got in 1 hour later.
Perhaps they were using a sundial, and with the overcast weather it held them up? Who knows!!
It was while we were waiting on the stairs that there was a knock on the door to the building. We were unsure whether or not to open it as residents have their own keys, and we were only inside as a cleaner let us in to wait out of the cold. Were we potentially letting in a criminal??
Anyway, we open the door to be greeted by our son Sam who had travelled across London to see us. We had told him where we were staying but didn't expect to see him yesterday at all, only thinking we'd see him today. Regardless, it was a brilliant surprise and I reckon he was as happy to see us as we were to see him.
Well, the photo doesn't really display untold joy and happiness, but it was there!!
This morning we woke at about 6.00 as our body clocks are still out of whack. I decided to go for a run in Hyde Park, while Jen decided to have a shower. That's when our morning went kaput!!
Jen turned on the shower, only for boiling hot water to pour down from the knob to the top-right of the taps. There was no way we could shower!!
We rang the reception people who said they would ring maintenance at 9.00, more waiting.
In the end Jen jumped in and managed to use what water pooled in the recess, so she was clean.
I decided to go for my run anyway and worry about the shower when I got back.
There was water coming out, so I'd still be able to get clean was my thinking.
Run done, body clean thanks to jamming my socks in the plug hole and having a sort of shower/bath.
We ducked out for a walk, and when we got back there was a cleaner downstairs, so I said to Jen that I'd tell her about it so as to speed up the fixing process.
Jen wished me luck, as the cleaners all seem to be Russian with very limited English. She seemed to be magnetised by natural charm and said she would contact reception again.
Within 5 minutes there was a man at our door to 'fix' the problem, which he did by pulling a cord that was hanging from the ceiling next to the shower. Shower works perfectly, Bingo!!
Did he give us the klutz/nuffy tourist look or what!!
I had asked Jen earlier if the cord had anything to do with it, but she said it was an emergency alarm cord, as she had seen one when she stayed in Italy 2 years ago, so we left it alone.
Looking forward to our next showers!!
Also, while on my run I must have looked like a complete knob, as I'm sure I was the only one in Hyde Park wearing just shorts and a t-shirt. Everyone else was really rugged up in tights and long tops due to the cold ( it was 4 degrees) but after a while I warmed up a bit.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this bloke jogging slowly towards me. No shirt, and with 10 kg weights in each hand slowly being lifted while he jogged along. I had a great chat with him, and when I asked to take a photo he went into a series of poses, complete with sound effects. He was brilliant, doing what he loves with scant concern with whatever others thought about him.
There is a shop nearby called Whole Foods that we discovered on our trip last year, and which sells the best fresh food and range of foods that is totally amazing.
We wandered down there to stock up, only to find that it opens at 11.00. That was fine with us, so we thought we'd go for a walk and have a coffee. But just as we were turning away, the girl at the door also told us that although the shop opened at 11.00, they were not allowed to put anything through the registers until 12.00 due to a local bylaw that allows only 6 hours of trading in High St Kensington on a Sunday.
Imagine that, they are open, but for the first hour you cannot actually pay for anything!!
So back to our digs we went and grabbed some beautiful stuff for tea later on.
Around 12.00 our son Sam came around after finishing training with the soccer team he is playing for. He is so focused on training properly and eating correctly as the team is so professional. There have been regular weigh ins, and it is amazing to see how careful he is with what goes into his mouth. Let's just say his parents aren't displaying the same discipline in front of him!
It was Sam's day to take us around London, so we took off to the Camden Markets.
This is an entire area of London where the streets and buildings are just one massive series of stalls.
Absolutely jam packed with people, and with every range of food, clothes, trinkets and goodness knows whatever else floats your boat for sale.
As Sam is so careful about his diet, it was a challenge to decide on which one of the hundreds of food stalls to go to. It wasn't that he was knocking back the choices, there was just too many to choose from that were unbelievable. Eventually we settled on some pulled pork wraps that just melted in our mouths.
After leaving the markets we headed off to wander around Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus.
Here you can see people from every corner of the world, the place is bustling and so alive.
Every stage show imaginable is happening here and there are block upon block of theatres, restaurants and entertainment venues.
On Monday night we are heading back here to see Les Miserables, something which Jen is really excited about, but as for me...ho hum!
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