Inveterate Travellers: Old London Town

Apart from the 23 hour trip – only 1 1/2 hours in Doha on the way – we had a great journey back to Old London Town. It’s been the best part (or even a little more) of a decade since either of us have been here, but it feels familiar. Both of us had a good sleep on the plane and we can’t thank Qatar Airlines enough for the fabulous service and great food, but it does help that we had lie-flat beds. There was more food and drink than we could possibly have used, although we gave it a good shot. It helps that the meals didn’t come in plastic containers with tear-off lids, were served on proper crockery and helped along with whatever we wanted to drink. Imagine breakfast starting out with Bloody Marys!

We’re staying in a lovely guest house in beautiful, elegant Chelsea, a short walk to Fulham Rd and a short bus ride to all the major sights in central London. There are an enormous number of pubs, restaurants and shops along Fulham Rd and we explored a little of the area once we’d unpacked and showered. We couldn’t believe what the cost of staying in London is these days – it’s a very expensive city, not only for accommodation, but also for food and drinks. The weather is wonderful – we arrived Monday to a fine, clear day in the mid 20s and we’ve been out and about today, Tuesday, when it has been overcast but around 20 – quite humid.

Today we visited the Victoria & Albert Museum – mostly the British section – then off to Hyde Park then St. Paul’s Cathedral – amazing! We then walked across the Millenium Bridge to the Globe Theatre and a beer at the Swan pub. Another walk across the Southwark Bridge and caught the tube back to Fulham Broadway, which is next to the Chelsea Football Club stadium. This is about 2km from our flat and one of the closest stations on the tube, from our accommodation. Lots of buses at either end of our street, which are also very convenient. Tomorrow we’re off to the London Eye and Churchill’s War Rooms and then we’ll decide on the run, how much we can fit into our day. Today we walked approximately 15km, according to J’s pedometer, so we’ll be exhausted by the end of the week, when we’re off to Hampshire.