Our trip went very smoothly. Easy check-in, smooth flight, breezed through Customs, connected with the car service from the apartment rental company and then....THE LONDON MARATHON Yikes! Our driver was determined, employing the concentric circle school of navigation for another 30 minutes, but the wall of runners just couldn't be breached and our apartment was on the other side of that wall.
In the end, after firmly insisting to the driver that we needed to get out, and after a consultation with a helpful member of the London Constabulary, we grabbed our wheeling bags, took a deep breath, and plunged into the crowd on the Tower Bridge with Chris at the head of our party, urging the rest of us on as we made our way through the crowd, hugging the wall until we uncovered the promised, but previously hidden, stairwell that allowed us to go under the bridge and circle around to the warehouse district where our apartment is. A challenging task was made lighter by the goodness of strangers who picked up some of our bags and carried them down the stairs for us.
In the end it all worked out and the location is great. We can see one of the Tower Bridge stanchions from our window as well as a charming courtyard in the middle of the block of converted warehouses. It's a two bedroom apartment with great common space for meals and lounging.
Yesterday we wandered the south bank of the Thames and came upon a festival with music and food stalls and blessedly had perfect Spring weather - sunny and warm without being too hot. Linda made the acquaintance of the famed bacon butty sandwich (frequently featured in the British mysteries I love) while I had paella from a truck - possibly the best I've tasted. For dinner we made a trip to the Marks and Spencer for pizzas and salad making it budget friendly as well as tasty and simple.
Today we're off to Leicester Square and the Westminster area followed by the London by Night bus tour.
