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Post by roverpup on May 9, 2017 18:26:21 GMT
Well to be honest a lot of days I am still asleep when the sun comes up, but I think I saw it get daylight sometime between 6-6:30 am the other day.
I sort of my days of "staying up t 3 am talking with friends" but those times are kind of behind us I am afraid. Too tried at that time the day/night. My limit seems to be 1 or 2 am at the very latest!
With this trip we are walking so much that we both are pretty wiped at about midnight or a little beyond.
At the moment we are back in the apartment after spending the day in Windsor visiting the castle. It was a smooth trip on the train to Windsor and a short walk up to the castle. The day was beautifully sunny - the first truly sunny day since we arrived here. The tour through the Queen's apartments was really cool. Loads of history and it was very interesting seeing all the architecture and furnishings. We unfortunately didn't get a chance to go through St. George's chapel because by the time we were done the main tour the chapel was closed. But we did get some good photos of the outside of it.
The train trip back was really quick and comfortable and now we have time to relax and get ready to go out to dinner at Jason Atherton's restaurant. Really looking forward to it. We are thinking about getting the 9 course tasting menu with accompanying wines. We had that in Sydney at the Quay Restaurant and was blown away by it. It's pricy but you get to sample all the top items on the menu so see what the kitchens can do!
I figure the place has to be good - Sophie and Benedict loved it! So how could we go wrong with a recommendation like that! LOL!
Tell you all later about how it went!
:-))
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Post by roverpup on May 10, 2017 0:12:49 GMT
Well we had the time of our life at the Pollen Street Social! It was the celebration of our 43rd wedding anniversary and I mentioned that to the waiter and at the end of the evening he presented us with a Jason A. cook book (compliments of the chef)! Beautiful huge cook book of his recipes worth over £25. The tasting menu meal was devine and the service was so personal and easy going. The restaurant was so gorgeous and the meal was delicious. One of the most fun parts was that they presented a course of mystery ice cream (5 in number) and you had to guess the flavours. We got none of them correct but it was fun never the less.
It was about par in cost with the Quay restaurant in Sydney (about $150 more) but I think this one better! And that doesn't even count the cook book! I am so jazzed by that gesture.
We pretty well closed the place out - just two tables left when we finally left at 12:30 in the morning!!! The staff was so welcoming and everyone of them made an effort to say goodnight to us when we left. I am still blown away by the food and the service!
Three and 1/2 hours of pure enjoyment!
A once in a lifetime event.
:-))
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Post by roverpup on May 10, 2017 20:31:44 GMT
Day 9: May 10/17
Very late getting up for breakfast (about 10-ish) and both of us didn't sleep well (bit hung over). Today we are going to visit Kew Gardens on the outskirts of London. The weather came through as promised and was cool in the morning but sunny. By afternoon it was downright warm and blue skies all round! This really is the best weather we have had all of this trip.
We rode the train out to Kew Gardens on our rail pass and it was easy as pie. It's only about a half hour trip from central London and then it was about a 15 minute walk from the station to the garden gates.
The gardens were beautiful. We ate lunch at a pub (called The Cricketeer) before going in (but then we saw we could have had lunch right in the gardens at the Orangery. The Palm House was HUGE and amazing and the Waterlily House was much smaller and incredibly stuffy and humid but still veery impressive. The best part came later in the walk about with the Japanese Garden and the Rhododendron grove. I have never seen such enormous "Rhodies". Some of them were 25 to 30 feet tall. We decided to cook dinner at home tonight so after stopping off at the apartment to pick up the shopping bags we picked up a mess of groceries and went back to make something tasty and light. I decided on a salad and a chicken dish with mushrooms and asparagus.
We are going to bed early tonight after such a late night yesterday.
Tomorrow we have tickets to see Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. For the daytime we might go back into central Westminster and visit some of the parks and maybe the London Zoo. We are going to play it by ear. So our plans are fluid. It is supposed to be clear until the evening when there are some chance of late night showers.
But tonight it is almost time to hit the pillow!
:-))
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Post by roverpup on May 11, 2017 16:55:50 GMT
Day 10 -
Spend the day at the London Zoo. We both love zoos and at this one you could see the tigers really well! Loved watching the penguins and the Reptile house was really cool.
We ate lunch in the zoo (fish and chips) and then spent another hour or so looking at animals. When we left we crossed the length of Regent's Park and took the tube home. Just resting now for a bit before heading out to Shapespear's Globe to see Romeo and Juliet.
Talk to you later...
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Post by roverpup on May 12, 2017 12:37:16 GMT
We had a quick andwich at the apartment and then headed out to go to Romeo and Juliet at the Globe theatre. When we got off the tube at London Bridge we got turned around and couldn't find the street we needed to get on to get to the theatre and finally asked a business man for directions. He was so helpful and told us that it would take too much time to walk to the theatre in the time we had left so suggested we get a cab. In order to bee in the right direction we needed to cross a multi-lane road and after we crossed we were having a hard time finding a cab and the fellow who had given us directions kept an eye on us and saw our predicament so he hailed a cab on his side and told the guy to do a U-turn to get us. Then he waved goodbye to us as we left!
And that isn't the only example of how lovely people have been! There have been lots of smaller incidents where similar acts of random kindness have been directed our way!
Anyway we got to the theatre with lots of time and we were on the top level so we had a bit of a climb. Wow! The theatre was just fabulous! The view from our seats was spectacular! We were in the front row of the box so we could lean on the railing. We also rented a couple of cushions for our old bums! The play was really cool! I know it was panned by the critics but I don't care - I thought it was fresh, innovative and brilliant! How can you not like a play that includes the song YMCA, a dragon, Juliet in a slip and Doc Martens and Romeo making his debut wearing a pair of headphones. And I like that they shortened the final scene to end on just the death of the two lovers. Juliet was spectacular being both melodious when she was crooning her words of love so passionately and furious when she wanted to be! The gal could screech with the best of them!
Romeo was an excellent mate to her but this Juliet was the one who stole my heart! Great chemistry between them on stage.
I also loved the actress playing Mercutio - she had such a beautiful voice when singing one of her parts.
I know the plot like the back of my hand but honestly I had tears in my eyes at the end - purely because of the acting and the presentation.
Afterward, we just followed the crowd back to the london Bridge tube station (I know a bit risky - but it worked). When we got back to the apartment we had a late night snack of cold chicken, nuts, olives and wine.
Tomorrow will be a laid back day and then off to the theatre again to see The Goat with Damien L and Sophie O. :-))
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Post by roverpup on May 12, 2017 22:35:34 GMT
Day 11
Today was a day to do some chores and take it easy. We had to get things packed up for moving to the other apartment tomorrow, call to confirm things for a tour of the Cotswolds on Sunday, doe a bit of grocery shopping and get out and walk a bit. After a leisurely paced breakfast and showers, we took a walk in Green Park and wandered over to our neighbour's house - Buckingham Palace. Then we walked to Hyde Park and had a tea biscuit, clotted cream and tea (I had a latte).
By that time it was almost 3:30 and so we headed home. On the way back we came across the Bomber Command Memorial - very impressive structure. I made an early supper of mushroom and steak with a side salad.
Then it was off to the Royal Haymarket Theatre to see Damien L. And Sophie O. in The Goat: Or Who is Sylvia?
The theatre was... stunning! So ornate and rich in colour. I bought centre orchestra seats about 6 rows back - just perfect. We could see every expression on the actors faces. Both the leads were exceptional and the story was engrossing and topical. And funny! And yet there was such a note of tragedy - especially the ending. Lewis was so heart wrenching at the end. And Sophie O - she was just jawdroppingly great. Her pain was palpable. She shook me to the core with her performance. I wasn't surprised though having seen what she could do in The Hollow Crown: War of the Roses. Damien Lewis used another American accent - very different from his American accent he uses in Billions.
What talent to see up there on the stage - so close to you that you felt like you could touch them!
I also loved the acting of the 2 other characters in the play - Jason Hughes (playing Ross) and Archie Madekwe (playing the son of Stevie and Martin).
Now we are ready to transfer over to Eaton Mews tomorrow and meet up with Marc and HAR and have a foursome of fun!
:-))
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Post by dreamsincolour on May 13, 2017 1:29:33 GMT
Very envious. It all sounds lovely.
Was a bit confused by the "tea biscuit" reference though. The only thing one might have actual clotted cream with, though, is scones. And that would be as part of a classic "cream tea". So I'm presuming you call scones "tea biscuits" (lol)?
I am very impressed with your energy levels, even though you've said you're tiring yourselves out. It sounds as if you must have walked a marathon by now!
And it's nice to hear that people have been nice too, but it doesn't actually surprise me very much. And it very probably reflects on your seeming nice to them as well.
And going back to your Jason Atherton experience, out of curiosity because I've never eaten in one of the very prestigious restaurants at all, let alone one of the multiple course tasting menus I've heard about, how does that work? How long do you get to eat all the multiple courses and do they arrive individually or in groups? And what do the 15 courses actually consist of?
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Post by roverpup on May 13, 2017 4:44:32 GMT
So sorry to have misidentified what I was eating - of course they were scones. I don't know why I said tea biscuits. Walking... before my ankle bursitis in December we were walking for excercise at least an hour and a half every day, then I had to stop that because of the bursitis until about 2 days before we flew to England. Since getting to London we have probably walked at least 3-4 hours a day and sometimes 5 or even 6. A big change to be sure so sometimes I am pretty tired when we finally get back to the apartment. We do often take regular "sit downs" during our walking (like lunches, or just finding a bench to sit for 10 to 15 minutes) and that helps. Luckily the bursitis seems to be gone now (thanks to a cortisone shot before we left) so other than that really bad blister ( which is also gone now) I haven't felt any discomfort. About the meal... I have been to a number of tasting menu meals and they all pretty well work the same way. They take about 3 hours to complete - especially if they have more than 6 courses like this one did ( it had 9 courses). First we had had a cocktail drink (not part of the tasting menu but we wanted it to be extra special). When that was almost done our server brought us an amuse-bouche (actually 3 of them each on a little stand). And then there was the Hors d'oeuvre course with a chosen accompanying wine - was a form of fish and chips - kind of like a fish ball with a batter surrounding the fish. As well they served a broth in a little Demi-taste cup ( it was really yummy). They called it "Afternoon tea". Next there was a true fish course - a trio of seafood selections on a beautiful silver stand that had 3 seashell "cups" on it. The presentation was gorgeous and the food matched it wonderfully. My fav of these was the oyster. We had a different wine to match this. Before each dish our server described the dish in detail including where it had been sourced and how it was prepared and he also described in detail the wines. Tom was the name of our server for the meal and he had 2 assistants who mainly just served and took things away. There was always a good amount of banter among all of us - it was all very fun, but Tom really knew his stuff and had a vast knowledge that he could impart. Next we had a fowl dish - smoked quail in a brass box for each of us! The quail was still smoking over the pine boughs when we opened the boxes. Delicious! Accompanying wine with this too We next had had a second fish course of turbot dressed with a cauliflower and yoghurt garlic sauce - we both are big garlic fans so we loved this dish. The wine that went with this was really light and crisp. After that the "meat" dish was served - Dan had the roasted rabbit with asparagus and a potato and I had Lamb shoulder with tomatoes and a drizzle of mint on it (forgot to add that my plate had a smokey risotto with it) . Dan's wine went with his rabbit - a red that was light and more fruity and I had a deep rich red that was really bold to match the stronger favourite of the lamb. Then came a course they called "The Game". It was like a pre-desert desert dish. We shared a large wooden box between the two of us which was a kind of puzzle box that you had to move a "door" around that opened up different compartments. In each compartment was a small dish with a different ice cream dollop in it. You had also a piece of paper on which you had to write down your guesses as to what flavour each dish contained. The answers were given in a sealed envelope which you were also given. We waited until Tom came back before opening the envelope and we got all of the guesses wrong! But it was loads of fun! Lastly came the real desert course - Dan had an amazing selection of cheeses from the largest cheese wagon I have ever seen and I had the olive oil ice cream with a bitter chocolate pavé and an olive oil biscuit. I had a really sweet desert wine with this course, while Dan had a stronger red wine. Then they served us mint tea from a huge silver urn from a trolley that had real mint plants growing in little pots on the trolley. They freshly crushed the mint and applied the boiling water and gosh it was delicious. Tom presented our gift from the chef to us after that (and yes, I looked around and no one else got a book). And we lingered until the restaurant was almost closed. The only other people there were at two tables away from us - a couple of busniness men and a singer ( I could just barely over hear their conversation now and again) who was being wined and dined about signing a contract. It was a hugely entertaining evening. Loved every minute! Here's the link to the menu (we chose the "fine" wine selections)... pollenstreetsocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/NEW-TASTING1.pdf:-))
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Post by mllemass on May 13, 2017 6:00:59 GMT
That sounds wonderful and the menu looks really interesting! I would have selected the second option, without the seafood. I've never been a big fan of seafood and I always feel that it's too expensive to be wasted on someone like me who doesn't appreciate it.
The idea of tasting a number of menu items reminds me of a restaurant in Florence where my cousin and I ate the last time I was in Italy. It was recommended by our hotel and only a short walk away. There was an appetizer on the menu that the waiter described as a little bit of a lot of different things, so we tried it. He brought us a wooden board with small pieces of bread. On each piece of bread was a spoonful of something that was being cooked for that evening's menu. It could have been a spoonful of pasta sauce, or a tiny morsel of chicken, or even the drippings from a roast. I liked to imagine that they got the idea one night when they ran out of their regular appetizers and panicked, so they just got little scraps of bread and dunked them into the pots and pans they were using to cook the meals! As weird as it sounds, it was absolutely delicious! And it was brilliant, because it gave us an opportunity to sample dishes that we might want to order the next time we were there.
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Post by roverpup on May 13, 2017 12:49:04 GMT
Seafood is among our very favourite types of food so we just had to sample those offerings! :-))
Sampling the appetizers is a great way of getting to know the wares of a restaurant.
Day 12 -
Today was all about getting from one location to the next and meeting up with my sister and her husband, who just arrived from Canada. We got to the 2 bedroom apartment around 9 am and met up with the let-in person who showed us around the apartment. Just as we were finishing up my sis and her husband showed up at the front door!
Big hugs and kisses all around and then we settled in and unpacked our luggage. We finally got out after a bit and went ot a place to get them some breakfast. After eating we went to the nearby grocery store (a Waitrose) and got things for future breakfasts and enough for a dinner as well.
As of right now the weary travelers have crashed for a nap and I am just checking out tube routes to things for a future date.
We haven't really decided if we are eating in yet or going to a pub. My sis has really special dietary requirements (she has serious gall bladder problems and also has had bariatric surgery) so we will have to be selective about where we eat.
Tomorrow the four of us are going on a bus tour of the Cotswolds. It leaves early in the morning and doesn't get back until quite late.
Talk to you later!
:-))
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