Today was very special for myself and PSM, we were honoured to be a part of something very special. We got to witness the swearing in of some friends, and receive their citizenship to the United States.
It was so very cool! The president of the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club and his family were being sworn in as citizens of the United States, and we were there to support them, and cheer them on! We found out about it a few weeks ago and we were able to be there today to show our support, along with some other folks from the club. We saw them in the room before the ceremony, then we went into the courtroom to wait with everyone else for them to arrive.
The future citizens came in in groups, they had to do a lot of paperwork, then when everyone was in the courtroom, we stood as the two judges came in, and the proceedings began. There were introductions of the judges, then a welcome from The Honorable Charles T Jones, Jr a very moving speech and from his words you could tell how much he enjoyed this part of his job. There was a presentation of Petition for Naturalization & Motion, that was seconded, then there was the administration of the oath.
All the candidates stood and recited the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. This is some very heady stuff, what they have to promise to do, defend, and uphold, it really makes you realize how much they want to be here, and what a privilege it is for someone like myself, to have been born here. There were several of us watching, listening, and getting emotional, I know I teared up, as did a few people sitting next to me. It really was an honour to witness and be a part of, I’ve seen it in the movies, but there really is nothing like seeing it in person, and feeling the magnitude of it all.
Next, one by one, each citizen-to-be stood, walked to the front as the judges called their names. They received a folder with paperwork, a certificate, a pin, I think, and an American flag. There was a lot of hand shaking , some bowing, flag waving, and a lot of cheering! I think almost everyone had at least one person with them, but I think we had the largest cheering section! There were 20 people who were receiving their citizenship, and they were from all over the world. There were people from Nepal, the United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Bhutan, Mexico, India, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cambodia, amazing.
After each person received their folders and flags, they sat down, when the last person received their packet, we all stood to recite The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. I’ll be honest, I get a little emotional when I say it, but this time, it felt more special. Then the court crier announced the adjournment and we all hugged, shook hands, and hi-fived. It was a special moment. Then a group photo, so cool!
After the ceremony, hugs and congratulations all around, we went outside to take a group photo with the new citizens of this great land of ours! There was going to be a celebration at the club house, a cook-out, and we were definitely attending, but first…a stop for a drink at a local watering hole, close to the club house, the Union Beer House.
We all rode over on our bikes, got drinks and hung out for a bit. Then the family headed home to change, and then on to the club house, they were putting on the spread! After a bit, I went home to take care of the pups, PSM hung out and I would meet him at the club house.
The pups were happy to see me, at least the wagging tails told me so! We went for a walk, they got dinner, and a little while later, I headed out to the club house to meet PSM and see everyone else. It’s been great getting to know the folks in the club, they are incredibly welcoming and we feel like we truly belong.
The club house was decked out in red, white, and blue, of course! There were burgers, dogs, chips, sides, desserts, and drinks. All free tonight, in celebration of the new citizens! So very generous! We ate, talked, laughed, met a few new people, wash-rinse-repeat! It was a great time, then we went upstairs for the meeting.
It wasn’t a very long meeting, but fun as always. The historical fact for tonight’s meeting? On this date in 2024, the president of the club became a citizen of the United States! Big cheers! After the meeting, chatting with some of the folks, and it was time to head home for the night.
Truly…an honour, thank you for letting us share this with you! And welcome!
First night with my family was fabulous, as always. Second night is always with PSM’s family, a fun time that!
It’s Tuesday, so it’s still a work day, that means, more cooking, just to fill in some of the gaps from what we ate last night at the first seder. We made two more kugels, another matzoh brittle, more gefilte fish, and more broccoli pancakes, oh yeah, more hard boiled eggs.
In between cooking, there was work to be done, for my job that is! I actually got a lot done, had a few calls, GES and dad went to the grocery store for some supplies, I did go out and treat myself to a chai at Starbucks, ended up talking to a nice guy about bikes, he commented on my Sturgis sweatshirt, how could I not talk about how much we love to ride?!
About 5p, I started to pack up my stuff and about 530p, I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed to PSM’s family’s for seder. There were a lot more people at the second night seder, GES was having about 20, we had 11 last night, sound about right!
I walked in with my goodies, the fabulous veggie matzoh ball soup for me and the peach matzoh kugel for all. Let’s just say, I know it was good, but…there was absolutely nothing left for me to take back to PA and PSM! Happily disappointed!
We sat down about 630pm, I ended up at the kids side of the table. Kids being the youngest was about 16 or 17 and the oldest in their 20s, these are bigger kids. They still do the Four Questions, well, they’re still the youngest! Of course, I was also seated across from some of the older trouble makers, myself included, not complaining, there was a lot of laughter and love!
As all families, they have their own traditions, we sing Take Me Out to the Seder, sung to…you guessed it, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! They use different Haggadah’s, as most families do, but like most families, everyone takes a turn reading, participating in the service and the telling of our story.
I stayed until the seder was over and we started clearing the table, and some folks were heading out, it was about 930p and I had a very long drive home! Not looking forward to that…I got on the road, had the top down for part of it, of course! I decided to go through Connecticut, how much traffic could there be at 12-1am?! Well…not hours of traffic, but there was traffic! Seriously? I cannot stand driving through that state! I may have already said it, I enjoy the state, just not driving through it! ugh!
After about 3 hours, I probably stopped every hour, to get gas, walk around, keep myself awake and ready to go. It was a very, very, very long drive. I find that during the day, I can drive for what seems like forever! I remember driving from St Louis to Denver, CO, it’s about a 12 hour drive, I did it in one fell swoop, isn’t that a great expression! But once the sun goes down, I’m not good for the full drive without stopping.
I made it home safely, finished a podcast, started a new one, that kept me going for hours, I wasn’t sure when it was going to end, but good for my drive! I made it home about 330am and I was done! I emailed dad and my sister to let them know I was home, went into the house and was greeted with running, snuggles, and kisses from the fur babies, someone had fallen asleep and left them out.
I proceeded to love on them, get them in the crate, and it was all I could do to walk upstairs, put on my jammies, and fall into bed, the alarm was still coming at 6a, really?
All in all, a good trip, too short, but a good one. Family, friends, food, and fun, what more could you want? Notin’ I tell ya! Nothin’! G’Night!
Yesterday, after the Biker and Bike Blessing, I loaded up the convertible, kissed PSM and the dogs buh bye, jumped into said convertible, dropped the top and away we went! We being me and the cah! [I said cah because I was heading to Bahston!]
PSM gave me a way to avoid the traffic in Connecticut, that Connecticut is so famous for and makes people not want to go or drive through Connecticut. Ok, so maybe people want to go, I spent a great weekend there with CWB two years ago, but driving through it to get to Boston, not my favorite, or my husband, or my dad, or anyone else who has to do it. That being said, PSM gave me a route that would add about 100 miles to my trip, which meant about an extra hour, but I would avoid Connecticut, and it worked!
I arrived at my sister’s about 830p, eyes were slits, but I made it! After visiting for a bit, I was done! Down to the sofa in the basement, set up the blankets, jammies on, and I started talking to you and couldn’t sleep, really?!
I did not set an alarm for this morning, but lucky me…I woke up about 530a, fun! I lay there not thinking or doing anything, I just snuggled deeper into the covers, it was cold in the basement, but I was toasty under a few layers, works for me! Eventually I got up and wandered upstairs and my sister was in the kitchen with EJS, she was heading off with ACS, to do a father-daughter college tour and soccer ID clinic. Can you believe it…college tours! O M G!
MGS came down eventually, she had a soccer game in the afternoon, she was going to chill until then. GES and I started to cook some of the dishes we would need for the Passover seder tomorrow and Tuesday. She hosts first and second night. I’m always at first night and when I started dating PSM, we go to second night with his family. Their first night seder is usually held in a hall with a lot, when I say, a lot, I mean a lot of people! They’ve had up to 100 in the past! That would be something to see!
We have to strategize what we’re going to cook because there’s only so many good size burners and only so much oven space! We started with a matzoh brittle, y u m! This is one cup of brown sugar, one cup of butter, melted, then you put it on a tray of matzoh, which goes into the oven for 5 minutes at 350. When it’s cooled, you break it into pieces. Some people make it with chocolate chips and nuts, I’m a purist. You’re welcome, you’ll thank me later!
I started on the veggie matzoh ball soup, y u m! Then we made I lost count of how many hard boiled eggs, then the potatoes, we had gefilte fish to make too. This is where the musical burners comes in because there are only two large ones and we use large stock pots for everything!
We had thumbprint cookies to make, coconut macaroons, matzoh apple and peach apple kugel, charoset for just the two of us, since we can’t eat apples. I think that’s everything. You know…I really need to give you our recipes for these dishes, they are sooo good! Other people would be bringing items tomorrow, so we don’t have to cook everything like we used to when we were kids.
About 1030am, we went over to a friend’s house to help them with the crafts for her son’s bar mitzvah, it’s a baseball theme and she needed a little extra zhuzhing it up [you just have to say the word out loud]. That was a lot of fun, there were glue guns, batteries, lights, baseballs, the whole nine yards! And she had a Cricut, so I had someone to chat Cricut, you know I was in heaven!
After the craft party, we headed back home to cook some more. When we got there, dad had arrived! The family is together! We chatted and caught up while we made a few kugels, then everyone left for the soccer field, I stayed behind a few minutes to get the kugels out of the oven, the off to the game I went.
Great to see MGS on the field, it was a lot of fun, she’s really getting so much better! This was her first game with this team, definitely a new experience! I’m so very proud of her! I hope she knows that!
Let’s just say, I had my top down on the way to Boston, today…I couldn’t warm up fast enough when I was back in the car after the game. I could not feel my feet or fingers, thank goodness it all came back to me! Back at the house, a little more cooking and then it was time for dinner. They brought in pizza and salads, I had a nice big salad, I had to go to the grocery store earlier and got some of my favorite vegan cheese, Chao Cheese, the brand is Field Roast, I actually never noticed the brand name before! I was always focused on the flavor. It is a full, rich, cheese, and melts nicely!
Dinner is always fun at my sister’s house, lot’s of chatter, banter, silliness, and laughter, what more could you want?! After dinner we did the last of the cooking we needed to, cleaned up the kitchen, everyone else went up to bed and GES and I sat on the sofa and relaxed! What a day?!
I know I nodded off a few times while we were sitting there scrolling through our phones and watching something on tv, I know this because I kept waking myself up! ha ha. After a bit, I went downstairs and here I am telling you about my day.
I’m going to say Bonne nuit (bon nwee), that’s french for good night.
Today was your average work day, it seemed to go on forever, was yours like that? I looked up, it was 12p, then I looked up and I thought it was 3p, nope, it was 1p, then 2p, what happened?! I was very busy, so that should mean the day flew by and I didn’t have enough time to get what I needed to done. Nope, it was weird. I didn’t quite make my deadline, but I got a lot done, go figure!
After work, take the pups for a walk, they got in their smells, found some potato-chippy worms to munch on, munched on some grass, I listened to a podcast, and that’s how it usually goes for us. Oh, we did meet some of the dogs in the neighborhood, we said hello to Charlie, the teeny poodle who definitely tries to defend and protect his property and his humans, Calvin, the black and white great dane, what a sweet and gentle doll baby, having a moment on the other dogs names, but they all did the doggie meet-n-greet, let’s sniff there, oh my!
Then PSM got home from work and we tried a new place on our Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, The Union Beer House. It is in a random place, nestled in between some car dealerships and other businesses, you almost drive by you. When you walk in, it’s very cool, they have beer coolers on the left, a lot of coolers, basically, a wall of coolers, these hold bottles by the six-pack for sale. Then on the right, there are shelves of wine, and a cooler with beer cans, I didn’t get over there to look if the cans were for sale in six packs as well. The last cooler had single bottles of beer, again, didn’t get over there to see if they were for sale individually.
At the counter you can order food and drink, on the left were all the taps and a proper bar. When I say proper bar, I just mean that you can sit or stand at the bar and gather, chat, congregate, which is the same as gather, right? In the middle, wide open space, they had tables and chairs for eating, they had a high top long bar along the window. Then as you wander, they have a video gambling room, that was different.
The food was ok, I’ll be honest, the only thing on the menu I could eat was veggie fried rice and an order of 5 mini spring rolls, I asked about a veggie burger, I was told they have a black bean burger, but it was spicy. Fried rice and spring rolls it is. PSM had fish and chips. The chips were good, we both liked them.
The place was crowded with friends, families, single folks, groups, couples. It had a good atmosphere of people enjoying themselves on a Friday night. Kitchen closes at 8p, brewery closes at 10p, welcome to Central PA!
We went because it’s on the Libations Trail, but it wasn’t a place I would go back to. I could see going if PSM wanted a beer or some friends wanted to go have a beer and hang out, but overall, not my first choice. I enjoyed the experience and I’m glad we tried something new, but it wasn’t for us. We really like to sit at the bar and talk to people. Oh well…
Now, the plus…we were only a 2 minute drive from the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club! Score! We got there a little before everyone was going up to the meeting, we just missed the home made carrot cake, bummer! D is a great baker! I really like everything I’ve tried!
Tonight the place was packed, not quite standing room only, but a lot of people! I think because the weather is getting nicer and rides are about to start happening, people were there to get more information. Tomorrow, I’m excited, we’re going to a bike blessing, not telling you much more because I want to tell you about it tomorrow!
I’m glad I ran into R when I was at White’s Harley Davidson and he told me about the club, and I’m glad we finally went to a meeting and joined. Everyone is very friendly and has welcomed us warmly and we’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone. And…excited to go on our first ride with them and see what everyone rides!
And on that note, I’m going to wish you a शुभ रात्रि (shub raatree) [good night in hindi].
And you also know me…two things I love…ha ha! Yeah right! They are both things that PSM loves, but I enjoy going along for the ride and…depending on where we are the libation…the more he drinks, the more stuff I get, a win-win, wouldn’t you say?!
There are 18 bars, breweries, and distilleries on the list. Some we’ve already been to because that is one thing I explore, new places to eat and drink, but this time, we get points for participating, no passport or mug to buy. The way it works is you download the pass, but this one is virtual, you don’t have to remember to bring it with you when you go somewhere, so that’s a plus! “Did you bring the passport?” “Crud, no, we need to go back and get it!” none of that! So.. you download the pass, when you go to one of the establishment you check in and enter the code and collect your points. You can put the points towards free stuff, some of the stuff you get at the bar itself and some you get might be mailed to you. Either way, free stuff, wahoo! Some places have discounts on food and merchandise while you’re there, score!
Some of the places we’ve already been to, and several of them we like, and some of them we don’t. We’re trying to decide if we go to those early and get them over with or leave them towards the end, but I don’t want to end on a negative for us, so…decisions, decisions. There wasn’t anything drastically wrong with them, they just weren’t the places for us, but…being slightly competitive, we’re going to do them all! We met someone last year who told us about the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail just as it was ending and gave us all the codes from the bars they went to, so we were able to get some free stuff, score! This time, we’re starting at the beginning and we’re going all the way!
And, just like last time, I’m going to share our experience with you, because if I didn’t, what type of friend would I be?! A few of the places I’m really excited about because they’ve been on my list of want to try for a while, score!
Tonight, we went to the first place, not the first place on the list, just the first place. PSM called me to ask me out to dinner, it’s been a beautiful day and turning into a beautiful evening. He rode the bike to work and said let’s meet somewhere! He didn’t want to go to one of the places close to the house we go to regularly, so we decided on the Blue Bird Inn. This is a place our realtor took us when we were house hunting and it seemed so much farther away! At the time we were in a hotel about 40/45 minutes from here, so it was. Now…it’s about 15 minutes from us, score!
The Blue Bird Inn was built in 1859 and renovated in 2009. It’s a classic pub, big indoor seating area, actually there are several rooms, a very nice bar, then an outdoor seating area that is actually indoors, if that makes sense, it’s all windows, but it’s not inside the main room. Then you go outside and there is an upper level deck with a bar and a lower level, no bar. The outside decks both have tables for outdoor seating, it’s quite nice.
The atmosphere is great, the staff is great, the ambiance is great, the drinks, from what I’ve been told, are great, and yes, the food is great. I’ve enjoyed all but one trip there, they have great vegan options for me, but this one time, I’m not sure if the chef was mad at my veggie burger, but it came out hockey puck style! Yup, beyond repair, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so! But…my broccoli was great that night, saving grace!
As I mentioned, they have vegan options for me, they make cauliflower wings, tasty, but even better, cauliflower steak! If you’ve never had it, don’t knock it until you try it! A cauliflower steak is when the cut the cauliflower in a thick piece and grill it, fry it, pan sear it, whatever you do with a steak, you do with a big slab of cauliflower, except put gravy on it, that would be weird, for me anyway, but if you want to try it that way, go for it!
It was a loverly evening, we sat, talked, drank, laughed, rounded out the meal with some very good bourbon bread pudding, I recommend it highly. Yeah, we’ll go back! After we ate, and talked, and laughed, and had a great time, it had started to get a little chilly, so back on the bikes we went, stopped for gas, and then, home sweet home.
And that was our first stop on the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, not to worry, we have until June 15th, and you know us, we’ll do it! Maybe one here and there, another day maybe two or three, or more! Who knows! But you know I’ll tell you all about each one!
And now…I say to you…Buona notte (bwona nohteh) [good night in Italian].
We start with an 8am alarm, that’s not too bad, we woke up with the sun, which is better than the alarm, but the alarm kept us honest!
Start with breakfast, we gave ourselves two hours to get breakfast and get an Uber to where we were going. First stop of the day…The Tower of London! We had 1030am ticket times and we got there at 1022am, walked right up and in, it was perfect!
The first thing we did was speak to a yomen of the guard who showed us, on the map, where all the accessable and non-accessable points were, thank you very much!
We decided to start with the Crown Jewels, where else should we start! Luckily, the queue to get in was not long, still a lot of people in walking around, but wow! Shiny, blingy, shiny, and more blingy! If you haven’t seen them, go! Unfortunately, no photos at all, not even of the entrance sign! sigh…
There was one cool feature, it was a moving sidewalk near the last set of crown jewels, wish there were moving sidewalks near all the exhibits, then you might be able to see them all!
When we were finished, we went to wander around the grounds to see what else we could see and, while taking a picture, we noticed that Miss A was missing part of her hair bob concoction, the skull and rose, uh oh. So, they walked down the hill to retrace their steps and I went into where the crown jewels were and spoke to the guard at the entrance. He radioed and guess what…someone found it! See David, the guard with the hair bob! How cool!
We walked around, went to the new cafe, had a snack, then wandered around some more, headed to the gift shop and out to Tower Bridge. We took some photos and headed towards the Tower Cruises, we got a one-way trip to Westminster and The London Eye area. While we waited we chatted with a nice couple from Orlando who were here following a band.
It was starting to rain, so we were glad for the cover, then on the boat, it was a double decker, we were inside, I got us some tea and then the rain came down heavy and all the people from upstairs came downstairs, they weren’t feeling sitting in the rain I guess!
The captain was funny as we traveled he told us some history and funny stories, I’m sure some of it was to see if we were paying attention!
We docked and began walking in the rain, it’s London, of course it’s going to rain! We walked towards Trafalgar Square, then through the West End to Chinatown. It was still a little early, but we had to be at the theatre at 730, why not wander through Chinatown and see if maybe we get a very late lunch/very early dinner, it was about 430 when we got to Chinatown and we began to wander.
It’s such a cool neighborhood, lots of people, shops, restaurants, and the entrances and lanterns let you know where you are. There was street performers to enjoy, sights to take in, and restaurant after restaurant after restaurant to tempt you!
We decided on China Modern, it had a great selection and was relatively empty when we got there! It got even better, they had a healthy vegan section for me! Except for most of the dishes having chili peppers indicating spicy…I was set!
I ended up getting stir fried mock chicken with ginger and spring onion and veggie dumplings, the food was very appealing and tasty, I was set! I ate more than I normally to, but it was good and apparently we were hungry!
After eating, we ventured into Chinatown, stopping at Chinatown Bakery, which reminded me of the place that JCT takes me when I visit to get all sorts of Chinese treats! I was looking for Chinese almond cookies, but no one carried them, sigh…but I did get a few red bean bun items, so very excited to eat them on my flight home!
We stopped to hear a musician who was from Sweden, he was great, he put his own spin on Whitney Houston, Coldplay, and ABBA, we were set! We sat and listened to him for his last three songs, then moved on to wander through Chinatown some more.
Eventually, it started raining again, and we still had about an hour before we needed to get to the theater, and we were only about a 10 minute walk, if that… so, we went into Paul, a patisserie chain, which I love when I’m over here. They actually have a few locations in the states, it’s fun, but I prefer it over here!
We had some tea and just sat to enjoy the warm and dry, Miss A decided to take a nap on SDL, and we spoke with a family from Sweden sitting next to us, who had the same idea, since they were going to see Back to the Future, which it turns out was next to the theater we were going to.
About 715p, we got motivated and walked to the theater, they let us in a side entrance, then made a chair lift to lower Miss A and her chair to the stalls, where we were sitting! It was so cool! The taxi driver with the ramp and now the theatre with the list, we were spoiled!
Now…we’re seeing Six, the hit musical about the six wives of Henry VIII. This is the third time I’ve seen the show, first time in Boston in 2022 with Dad, LaLa, GES, and MGS. The second time in St Louis with PSM, and now, here in London with SDL and Miss A! We tried to go in NYC last summer but it was sold out.
It’s not a huge theater, but it was cozy and the accoustics were great! I sat in the middle of a row near SDL and Miss A, they were at the end of their aisle in accessable seating. The best part…I could hear Miss A when she started singing and really enjoying the show, it was awesome! I knew they would love it!
When the show was over, we grabbed a taxi, ramp out to roll Miss A’s chair right into the taxi, got to the hotel, they took showers and have gone to bed and I stayed up to talk to you!
Another fun and jam packed day! We’ve gone to almost all of the places on our list, at least the highlighted ones, some are just a would be nice if we could do it, the rest, we’re getting them all!
Tomorrow is another jam-packed day, or I know it will be the way we do it! So…won’t you join me tomorrow! For now, I’ll say fare thee well! G’night!
What a day! It was a very nice start to the day, no alarm! We got up liesurely, Miss A kept trying to dig herself deeper into the bed, and under the covers, we totally get that feeling!
Got up, dressed, and headed to breakfast. Muffin for Miss A, waffles for SDL, and my usual…hard boiled egg on multi-grain baguette, y u m! And a cup of tea with sugar cubes, of course!
Back to the room to get our stuff to get out to greet the day. We went down to the lobby, called for an Uber, and headed to Covent Garden. The driver dropped us off, we got out and started to wander. It’s a beautiful area, classic architecture, as always, beautiful walkways with shops set in, something to see around every corner, nook, and cranny!
When we got into the center courtyard, well, even before we got there, we could hear the musicians, one cello, and four violinists, how wonderful! Later, there was an opera singer, and later, there were two violinists playing the opening overture from Barber of Seville, my favorite opera.
We walked, explored, looked, touched, admired, bought a few things here and there. Then we went to the Transportation Museum, that was a lot of fun, and full of wee tots! Since it’s a charity, it’s one of the only museums not free in the UK, goes to a good cause, we’re good with that!
After the transportation musem it was time for some lunch, we walked around and found someone to help us with the lift, elevator, to get to the lower level and we went to the Punch and Judy pub, a very nice establishment, very friendly staff, warm, and cozy place to spend some time. I had pea and mint soup, it was quite good, SDL had fish & chips and Miss A had some fish & chips, peas, and sweat peas, there was sticky toffee pudding for dessert, but she wasn’t interested. Truth be told, it wasn’t very good, I think some of the toffee they made was burnt, oh well.
Back outside, we walked around a little more and headed towards Picadilly Circus. On the way, we stopped in a theater, I’ll tell you more about the theater tomorrow, and we got tickets to see Six, the musical about the wives of Henry VIII, I can’t wait! i saw it in Boston with MGS, GES, my dad and Lala, can’t wait for SDL and Miss A to see it, Miss A is going to love it, it’s a 90 minute concert basically!
We continued on to Picadilly Circus to see all the pagentry! The sights, sounds, people, movement, nothing stands still! Sometimes reminds me of Times Square in NYC! We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe store, of course! I didn’t buy anything because I got GC’s pin at the other location and I got him one at this store when I was here two years ago.
We ventured out of Picadilly towards Soho, which was another thing on our list. It’s beautiful, lots of shops and pubs and people, so much to look at. We were taking photos, someone offered to take ours and then we asked for food recommendations and they pointed us towards Kingly Court.
This was lovely! It’s outdoors with canvas covers at the roof, so you could sit outside comfortably. There were trees in the center, benches and tables for different restuarants, with heat lamps to keep you warm while you sat outside, since the seating was limited in some of the restaurants. There were only restaurants in the Kingly Court, all on the permiter at each level. It really was lovely.
We ended up at Paradiso Burger & Cocktail Bar. Most people were sitting downstairs, but they had room for us upstairs, where the kitchen happened to be. It was kind of nice, we had the place to ourselves. I had a viking vegan burger, no idea why they called it that! SDL had a chicken sandwich, and Miss A had a sweet potato with some butter and magnos, then for dessert, avocado and mangos, not a bad meal overall!
Back out onto the road, wandering around Soho, the sights, sounds, people, feeling, experiences, and finally back onto a main drag to get an Uber back to the hotel, we were done!
Miss A and SDL went down to the pool, and I stayed behind to talk to you! I’m so glad I did, so much to share with you!
Tomorrow is a new day, the alarm is set, not as early as yesterday, but we’re going to see he crown jewels, gotta be up and ready to go in case one happen to land on our heads, gotta look our best!
It’s a new day, day 3 and we have lots to do! First, I want to take you on a tour of the restaurant in the hotel, it’s fun!
It’s a nice restaurant, wide, open, and inviting, if that makes sense. They have a few walls with animal heads, but just wait…the animal heads are all made of newsprint! Most likely paper mache on the outside, if you look closely, you can see headlines and typeset in the ears and on the face, horns, etc. It is very clever, if you take the time to look at it all!
The food presentation is nice, they have everything you might want or need for breakfast, pre-made scrambled eggs, eggs made to order, potatoes, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, think full english breakfast, then there are pancakes and waffles made to order, breads, cheeses, yogurts, fruit, breakfast cereals, muffins, coffee, tea, juices, you name it, they probably have it!
It was time to head out and say cherrio to London, and btw…they don’t say that, just in the movies, and if they do, I haven’t heard it!
They do say love at the end of every sentence, and I have to tell you, I like it, it doesn’t bother me, like in the south when someone , who I don’t know, calls me hun, or sweetie, it’s syrupy sweet and I’m not a fan! But call me love, it works, it’s just part of their vernacular. Ooh, I love that word!
We’re off…we got an Uber to Green Park, we were meeting our tour guide by the Constance Fund Fountain of Diana, isn’t she stunning!? I could just imagine, when it’s summer and the water is flowing.
There were so many tour groups meeting there, we finally found our guide, Alan, who was fabulous, by the way! I always thought if I was retired or we were living somewhere for PSM’s job and I couldn’t work for whatever reason, I would get a job as a tour guide, I would love it! One of these days I’ll tell you about a tour business…shhh…
We started walking, and Alan was very knowledgeable, giving us all sorts of tidbits and history and also very conscious of where the steps would be that we would need to get Miss A’s chair over. For the whole tour, everyone in the group was very aware and helpful where we were and if we had to pull the chair over something.
We started off, our first stop was by this amazing statue, across from the guards station on Marlborough Road, at St James Palace. We were waiting for the band to come out, we had such a great vantage point! While we waited, Alan gave us lots of great information, like there were only 2 guards there, that meant the king was not there. Interesting!
I love that I got Alan’s audio! He was telling us that when you look at their hats, the higher the hat, the higher the rank. There was an inspection first, I hope they pass!
Sorry it was slightly shaky, I was holding my hand up above my head, harder to keep it steady, everyone was so much taller than me!
Alan was trying to guess what they would play, would it be something serious or something light hearted. These are the Scottish guards, apparently they passed muster, here comes the band. Do you recognize the song?
We hated to leave the band, they were so very talented and I love that song! But…if we didn’t leave, we wouldn’t have the fabulous spot we did for the next phase of the tour and changing of the guard! [a lot of really cool background in that link!]
As we waited for the guards, we learned a few things. King Charles does not want to live in Buckingham Palace, understandable, with 775 rooms…it’s more of an office, so that’s why he and Queen Camilla are taking up residence at Clarence House, which only has 5 bedrooms, a little more manageable, which, was where William, the Prince of Wales had their residence, but since the King and Queen are there they’ve moved to Kensington Palace.
Since there were only two guards, that meant that the king was not in residence, if he was, there would be more. Also…the reason they walk back and forth, about every 10 minutes, is because it was a rule set down by Queen Victoria, if they are walking back and forth, they are proving they are not drinking or gambling! Oh my!
And from where we were standing, we could have reached out and touched a horse, we didn’t, but we could have! oh wow! such precision! such beauty!
Here are the guards walking back and forth!
Here comes and there goes the band! I don’t know if I said this, they only have the changing of the guard on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, mainly it’s dependent on the weather! Check out the full schedule in the link!
Here’s Alan telling us about the women in the guard! We definitely saw one! And the police officer at the end was a woman, again, girl power!
This was so exciting to watch, and this up close. Normally, you might be outside the gate or across the street, we were up close and personal! Turns out this is punishment duty! Oh my, that is quite the punishment!
After the tour was over, we got to stand and take pictures with the horse and guard! It’s definitely allowed, as long as you don’t touch their reigns or bridle, I think that’s what it was. I was ok, I didn’t touch anything! But…it was awesome! The horse we were standing/posing with put his head on my shoulder! He did!!!
After the pictures and me squealing about the royal horse putting his head on my shoulder, you are welcome for the ear worm! We walked to Trafalgar Square, it was right up the street. It wasn’t overly crowded, unusual, but nice. The fountain was doing it’s thing, people were walking around, climbing on things they weren’t supposed to, oh well, and the traffic was going by as if nothing would stop it.
I don’t know about you, but we were hungry! So…we went to The Clarence Pub in Whitehall. Thing thing about The Clarence…I was there with my dad in December 2022, then again with my dad, PSM, and my sister’s family in December 2022, a few days after dad and I discovered it. The food is good, they have a great veggie burger and sticky toffee pudding! I think I first saw it either on Gordan Ramsay or The Great British Bake Off and I first tried it in Glasgow, Scotland and fell in love with it and now, I try it whenever I can!
I just had to introduce it to SDL and Miss A and it did not disappoint! They went out of their way to find us a table, SDL had steak and ale pie and a beer, I had their veggie burger and a pot of tea, and Miss A had, you guessed it, sticky toffee pudding with ice cream, she was happy.
It’s a great atmosphere, warm and inviting, cozy, friendly, great staff, great food, great ambiance, what more could you want!? Would I go back? You bet, it might be my go-to for London trips for a good, affordable, convenient lunch!
It’s time to explore again! No the day isn’t even close to being over! We walked back down Whitehall looking at the architecture, the people, listening to the sounds of every day life in London, all the way down to Big Ben and Parliament. We learned somewhere that Big Ben is actually ‘just’ the clock and the tower itself is called the Elizabeth Tower, imagine that!
As we walked back down Whitehall, we were treated to another changing of the horse guard, but we were on the outside this time.
Let’s keep walking… we walked back to Buckingham Palace in all its glory and then we walked Constitution Hill to the Wellington Arch. It started to rain while we were walking, but did we care, nope, not at all! We were in London, the sun was out, and we were having a grand time! As we came out of Constitution Hill at the Wellington Arch, what did our eyes spy…THE Hard Rock Cafe! London!
Now…when I say THE Hard Rock Cafe, I mean THE Hard Rock Cafe, the very first, established in 1971, a very good year, if I do say so myself! The cafe was established June 14, 1971 and it was just that, a cafe. We decided we had to go in! [We really needed a looooo!] We maneuvered in, got a table, SDL ordered cheesecake for herself and a piece for Miss A and I had a pot of tea, there honestly wasn’t anything there for me, and we were just looking for dessert, I was happy with my pot of tea. Let’s just say the cheesecake was a big hit!
After we relaxed a bit and Miss A enjoyed the music, it was cool, they were playing classic videos on the TVs, things I haven’t seen in years! Next, you know we had to, we went across the street to the shop. I don’t know if I told you, but…wherever we go, we always look for the Hard Rock, SDL likes to collect their t-shirts, if it’s cool and the price is right, for me, I have a friend that I always get a pin for! I got him one when I was here the last time, at the store on Piccadilly, and I wasn’t originally going to get one this time, but it’s the original cafe/store! Shhh…don’t tell him!
As we were walking around, this guy who works there offered to take me on a tour of the museum downstairs, SDL wasn’t interested, so I went and it was cool! They had the corset Madonna wore in the Express Yourself video, Slash’s guitar, John Lennon‘s lyrics to Instant Karma (We All Shine On), a chair from Freddy Mercury and more! It was quite the treat!
When I came back upstairs, I found them waiting and Miss A was nodding off in her chair, it was time to go! I got us an Uber back to the hotel, there was no way we were walking! It was 3.2 miles and we had just walked how many miles, no thanks! 15 minutes by car or 60 by foot, hmmm…
We got back to the hotel, ordered some takeout and chilled out, it was a great day, but we were tired! I might fall asleep as I’m writing this to you, could you blame me?! What does tomorrow hold?! It’s only day 3, we have so much more to see!
We were all so tired last night we just passed out! Let’s go greet the day and see what adventure London holds for us!
No alarm, thankfully, we got up liesurel, got dressed, and headed downstairs. It’s Easter Sunday, what are we going to do? Well, first…food! We headed to the restaurant for some food, Miss A was dressed ready for Easter, she had an Easter Bonnet fasinator on, very British of her!
Aftef breakfast we went into the lobby, they had baby bunnies and chickies! I cannot believe I don’t have any photos of the bunnies or chickies, I’m sorry! I just realized all my photos are with the bunnies, chickies, Miss A, and SDL, and you know I won’t post those here!
They were soooo cute! Only about 15 weeks old, they were brought in by a company called Living Things, ‘A Five-Star Animal Welfare Company’. Very nice people/kids working it, you sat on a bale of hay and they put a drape on your lap and gave the child the animal to hold. SDL and I held the animals, and we helped Miss A pet them, lots of great pics! They were so soft and fuzzy!!!
I told PSM about it later, he told me I couldn’t bring one home. Party pooper!
After the bunnies and chickies, we headed out and walked down by the river and across the Millenium Bridge towards St Paul’s Cathedral, stopped to take some pics and as SDL is trying to take a selfie, I’m also taking pics, a guy jumps on the bench behind her and basically photobombs her pics without realizing it! We al had a good laugh, especially his wife and I, SDL, not as amused in the moment, ha ha! I even texted him the pics!
We walked by St Paul’s, went to the tourist office, asked some questions, and then got an Uber to Camdentown to see Camdentown and the Camden Market.
Camden Market and Camdentown are very ecclectic, hippy-dippy-trippy, punk, alternative, you name it, it’s there. Reminds me of Greenwich Village in the 70s and 80s. There are markets, one-off shops, flea markets, some name-brand shops you may have heard of, and most you probably haven’t. There is Camden Locks, pubs, restaurants, shops, stalls, vendors, all types, clothes, art, collectables, foreign, local, you name it, you can probably find it there!
After a while of walking in and out of some stalls, shops, markets, it was time for a break. We went to Dingwalls, it was up a level, we could get in, they have food and drink, and we found a spot to sit. Actually, a few people offered up their space for us to sit and enjoy, very kind! We met Winston and Master Nelson, two very sweet dogs who love to give kisses.
We settled in, I went up to the bar and ordered us some food and drink. The food and SDL’s drink I got from inside, my tea had to be ordered at the outside bar, ok. It took a llllooooonnnnggg time to get our food the drinks were right there at the bar. When I went to get a refill on my hot water, I thought I could get a refill for SDL from the same outside bar, not the case. They only had certain beers inside, ok…
There was someone who walked in looking for things, I ended up giving them the lowdon on where everything was, bartender confirmed!
I have to say, my veggie burger was quite tasty! The fries were soooo good. I hadn’t had fries like that since Germany! All in all, a tasty lunch, if not a very slooooowww lunch. I know, I know, it’s all about taking our time and enjoying, and I agree, but it’s hard to take time and enjoy when there’s nothing to enjoy! ha ha.
After lunch, we ventured back out, the weather was fabulous! As we were walking by the lock and taking pictures, a boat was coming through and we got to see them ‘lower’ the water and boat, then open the locks, so cool!
Back out onto the main road, shops, shops, people, food, pubs, and more shops and people and food and pubs, oh my!! Camdentown is such an ecclectic place! I love seeing everyone’s style and individuality and even a few true and honest punk rockers with fabulously long spiked hair, what more could you want?!
Don’t you just love the character of the buildings, some of them modeled what the store was, like the Rayban shoppe was covered in glasses, the New Rock store had a New Rock boot above the sign, Cold Steel selling body jewelry, like I said, individual in every way!
Eventually we went into Camden Market itself, more shops and food, I love the umbrellas lining the ceiling, the horse at the entry to the horse stable tunnel shops, talk about using he space, some of the shops are set up in horse stalls!
Eventually, it was time to head back to the hotel, I grabbed a snack in the executive lounge, SDL wasn’t hungry, she very smartly packed a lot of good snack food, that’s what she was looking for, worked for me!
We took Miss A to the pool, she had about an hour to play and she was quite happy! At 10pm, they came and kicked us out of the pool area, so upstairs for showers and jammies!
We have a tour tomorrow, can’t wait to tell you all about it! Are you tired yet? I am! G’night!
Landed in London about 9am, went through customs, no stamp! What?! They do that now, they have machines that you can put your passort in, it takes your picture and you are good to go. Sort of…I wanted the stamp! I discovered this the last time I was here. Now…if I wanted to stand in the very long line, I could get the stamp, no thanks, I’m ok! I’ve got stamps from other countries, if they all start doing this…hmmm… Good thing here are souveniers!
I went through customs, didn’t even talk to a person, that was odd, but ok…I bought a round trip ticket for Heathrow Express, it takes you directly to Paddingdon Station, about a 15 minute trip, if I took the tube, about 30 minutes. I got out in Paddingdon Station, grabbed a croissant, I needed something, and walked out of the station and ended up taking a taxi. I wanted to take an Uber, it’s definitely cheaper here, but it was so crowded where I was that I said ‘you free?’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Hilton Bankside, please!’ and away we went!
I got to the hotel, SDL and Miss A weren’t due in for another hour or so, and it would take them a minute to get through customs and on the road, so I dropped my bag, went into the Executive Lounge, gotta love friends with status like yours! It was still breakfast time, I got a cup of tea and some toast, I wasn’t quite ready for real food.
After sitting still for a bit and chatting with a nice family who had a son that reminded me of Miss A, I went out in search of adventure and found it I did! One block away was the Tate Modern Museum, one of my dad’s favorites, and now one of mine!
One of the great things about the museums in the UK, they are free. A special exhibit might cost something, but the main musuem is free, isn’t that wonderful! Offering art to the people at no charge!
It’s a great museum, they have modern art, special exhibits, expressionist art, installations, odd, interesting, photography, you name it. There was a Yoko Ono exhibit, but I just wanted to explore the free stuff! And explore I did. I went from one floor to the next, to the next.
There is a window box that is on the 3rd or 4th level that looks out over the museum and a giant installation of a metal flag of some sort, I love this piece. What I also love is watching people come in and see it from a different perspective, it’s great. I was so tired at that point that I sat in the chair and nodded off quite a bit, not complaining by any means! When a guard came in and asked me if I was ok, I told him I love watching people come in and see the piece. Then I got up and left! ha ha!
That was just the bit of rest I needed. I wandered a little more, then onto the balcony to see the riverwalk and the Millenium Bridge. I then went down to one of the gift shops looking for a magnet, not as important this trip since I was just here two years ago, but it would have been fun. They didn’t have any that had the name of the musem and the pieces they did have, I hadn’t seen, so no magnet for me!
I went out towards the riverwalk, walked down to the river, put my feet very close to the water, did not get them wet, but watched the swans, the ducks, the dogs, the kids, the boats, you name it, I watched them go by.
Back up to the riverwalk, I walked up and back, stopping to enjoy the people, sights, and sounds. I didn’t want to go too far in case they got to the hotel, I didn’t want to be too far away. I wandered up and down streets, into a few shops, nothing major, got the lay of the land.
I was starting to get hungry, it was about 2p and I stopped in a local bakery chain called Paul, got a chai and something to eat, which I didn’t finish, it wasn’t very good. About that time, I got a text from SDL, they were in the hotel, finally!
Turns out I wasn’t getting her text messages, she was getting mine! This area isn’t great for texting/signal! We finally found each other! Whew!
It was snack time for Miss A, then our room was finally ready, we went upstairs, our bags magically appeared! We pared down and headed out to greet the world! We walkedto Borough Market and walked up and down the aisles, looked at the stalls, tasted a few things, bought a few things, then it was time for food.
We went into a pub that was right there, The Market Porter, it was great. Miss A and I both had a veggie shepherd’s pie, I had a pot of tea, and SDL had fish and cheeps and a local beer. The atmosphere was great, very inviting and warm, the food was good, we were both just exhausted! It was nice to chat and catch up. Miss A, on the other hand was having none of the food, she was in a snuggling mood, until it was time to go, then she was interested in eating, nope, not happening!
We walked back to the hotel, we were almost done! We made a plan for tomorrow, where we are going to go explore, what time w need to be up, breakfast, the whole 9 yards! Then Miss A was ready to eat. Luckily the food was still warm, so I fed her, then it was time for bath and bed.
I may have been asleep by the time they came to bed! I was SOOOO tired! I’m not even sure how I’m writing to you! I am still getting over being sick and flying didn’t help, so I am mustering up the strength to talk to you, sort of, but I’m not going to last much longer!
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, what adventures does London hold for us? I’ll let you know tomorrow!
Have a brilliant evening! The clocks get set ahead tonight, here! Good thing we don’t have anything scheduled that we might miss!
Peaches Prattlings 