I Should Be So Lucky

I flew over to London to spend the week sightseeing with Jill.  It was my first time flying into Gatwick and it was even easier travelling into the heart of London from there as it was from Heathrow.  We stayed at the Strand Palace Hotel, which was smack in the middle of everything we could possibly want to see.  Jill had already spent the previous two weeks exploring the city and I was there to keep her company and show her some of the sights she may have missed.  We spent a lovely week together and I will list some of the many highlights.

Jill is an experienced gardener and one of the items on her wish list was a visit to Sissinghurst Castle Garden.  We caught the train from Charing Cross to Staplehurst and then a taxi from the station to Sissinghurst.  We knew we were in for a treat as the taxi took us down beautiful country roads lined with trees and lush, green fields.  On arrival at the castle, we listened to a volunteer guide who told us all about the history of the castle and the world-renowned garden.  We then spent a lovely couple of hours wandering around and exploring the house and gardens including the panoramic view from the top of the tower.  It really was a relaxing way to idle the time away.

The London Dungeon was a fun way to spend a morning.  I had visited this attraction over 30 years ago and thought it was great then – I have to say that it is even better now.  We were taken as a small group through the history of London and treated to actors telling the tales of the gruesome and gory past.  It made for great theatre with jokes, storytelling and special effects.  We felt thoroughly entertained by the time we exited and we had learned about many events, including the Great Fire Of London, Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror, Guy Fawkes’ gunpowder plot, Sweeney Todd and many more.

We took in a West End show – Sunny Afternoon, which is a musical about The Kinks.  The Kinks were actually before my time (yes, really), however I was surprised by just how many of their songs I knew.  Jill and I sat at a table on the ground level and felt like VIPs, as the very friendly staff took good care of us.  The musical itself was a high-energy affair and finished with the audience dancing in the aisles.  It was great fun and I would thoroughly recommend the show. 

The London Zoo was well worth a visit.  Jill and I had visited the Dublin Zoo when she was in Ireland, and, although the Dublin Zoo seemed to have a greater variety of animals, the London Zoo was well laid out with many historical enclosures.  To make the day even more memorable, we caught the waterbus from the zoo, along Regent’s Canal to Little Venice.  The narrowboat journey was complemented by commentary on the history of the canal and it was a peaceful journey to Little Venice, a tranquil canal area.

The rest of our time was spent walking all over London, through the many parks, gardens, streets, laneways, shops and markets.  We had a great time, which all too quickly came to an end.  Jill jetted off to Singapore whilst I started the second phase of my London jaunt.