London - Day One

A more beautiful day we couldn't have asked for as The Heiress and I made our way from the Russell Square tube station through the park bearing the same name.  Mental exhaustion from the immense amounts of planning and paperwork and the physical exhaustion of dragging luggage packed to bursting was instantly wiped away as we made our way through this leafy square.  A mother and her son were on their way to a talk at the British Museum so each grabbed a bulging bag and together we made our way.  I never fail to be amazed at the hospitality of most of the residents living in a city completely overrun with tourists.

It was our first time staying at the Morgan Hotel on Bloomsbury Street.  Family run and sparkly clean it suited our needs perfectly and the offer of a Full English breakfast each morning was taken advantage of each and every day.

While I never used the garden area behind the B&B it made for a peaceful view when I leaned on my elbows on the window sill of my large sash window.  The building behind is the British Museum and I loved the idea of sleeping so close to mummies!

On the day that The Heiress and I left Burlington, there was a steady stream of calls from well wishers that melted our hearts.  Our neighbour, Suzanne (Kevin the Sparrow's caregiver) knocked on our door with a card bearing best wishes for the future and a fifty pound note!  She wanted us to enjoy a lunch that we would remember and I knew exactly where we would visit.  Tea at the Court Restaurant at the British Museum was absolutely wonderful with a feast for the eyes as well as our appetite.  Dainty sandwiches of fig, cucumber with mint and pear grape each accompanied by a soft cheese were just the thing to make us feel human again after a long flight with little sleep.  Once we had decided to make our way elsewhere a hilarious game ensued of how to get the message across to our lovely French server that we were ready for the bill.  Subtleties didn't work, not even my purse placed on my lap but funnily enough just coming right out and asking did the trick.

Due to voltage issues The Heiress had to buy a straightener and blow dryer while in London.  Thanks, Rachel, for the tip to get a whopping headstart on a Boots points card!  We still had smiles on our faces while we visited the Hunterian museum and even during the first half of our "West End Ghost Walk" tour but we were flagging fast.  Weaving our way around the dark alleys near Piccadilly Circus with our group but falling slightly behind, we passed a warmly lit eatery with tables of laughing guests.  The Heiress and I looked at each other, watched our group walk further down the street and decided that a great burger and a rest was just what we needed.  Don't hesitate to stop at Byron Proper Hamburger if you're on Haymarket and try the blue cheese on your burger, it was delicious!

At the end of every day full of wonder and lovely people to talk to, I would make my way downstairs to the kitchen area of the B&B and make a pot of tea.  Joseph would keep watch until midnight and refused to let me get away with chucking a teabag into the pot, things had to be done properly.  "What is the point?" he would say.  So he came to know my routine and would start the kettle boiling so it was ready whenever I was.  Tucked upstairs with my tea, something sweet, my book and BBC or ITV on in the background was my idea of heaven and I got to do it all over again the next day.