To Nowhere In Particular

We’re merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily on our way to nowhere in particular.

Kenneth Grahame - Wind in the Willows author had lived very near to this hotel. It is duly noted with a Blue Plaque.

And so the journey begins. Our flight from Denver to London Heathrow was rather uneventful. We had found an excellent fare and the seats were not upgradeable. We had a bulkhead seats and they were very adequate. The meal of General Tao Chicken was quite good.

With the help of some Ambien, we did sleep a bit. It has been a good while since we have flown in the back of the bus. I was able to help some folks in our row get their tray table out and pull up their entertainment screens. People also had issues in figuring out the door to the loo. It was interesting.

The E-Entry at Heathrow is rather nice and even with a long kew we entered quickly, gathered our bags, then topped up our Oyster cards and we were off on the Underground Piccadilly Line with a transfer to the District Line and arriving at the High Street Kensington High Street Station.

I had pre ordered a book for pick up at the Waterstone Book Store on High Street which was near the Underground station. The book is Erebus by Michael Palin, hard to find the paperback in the States. More on Erebus later. The nice clerk checked her 50p coins and found a Peter Rabbit one, quite nice of her.

From there it is a short walk to the Royal Garden Hotel where we are staying for the next 4 nights. As luck would have it, our room was ready, so we settled in and struck out to nowhere in particular, well sorta. Mr. Toad references about as Kenneth Grahame - Wind in the Willows author, had lived very near to this hotel. It is duly noted with a Blue Plaque. 

First stop was the Cabbie Shelter on High Street for a bacon sandwich £2.60 and a picnic in Kensington Gardens. Then off to Paddington to find the newly minted Paddington Bear 50p coin. We had been told the Paddington Shop might have them. They do, for £10, the quest for these coins will continue. 

 

Public Trnsport works well for us 

We then started making our way to Greenwich, but were nodding off and decided to take a break back at the hotel.

A bit rested, we made our way to the Temple Underground station to take a London Walks to discover some of the Hidden Pubs of Old London Town.

The Hidden Pubs of Old London Town did not disappoint. We walked abut the Temple Bar area and down Fleet Street. There was so much information my head is spinning. We learned of the Astors, the writers of the Temple Bar area, tea and the little know fact is the Irish consume more tea per capita than the British, Fleet Street and it’s printing history, The Old Bank of England (a bank converted into a pub) which is worth a visit, Sweeny Todd and wonder scrumptious pies. 

Then off for an extended walkabout to the Thames to find the Ship of Tolerance. 

During September, London celebrates the Thames River with Totally Thames. One can find creative and diverse programs along and on the River Thames.

This year I wanted to see The Ship of Tolerance.  So after our walk, we made our way to the banks of the River Thames and found this ship.

The Ship of Tolerance is an international art project created by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, two of the most celebrated artists of their generation and widely known for their large-scale installations.
The Ship of Tolerance – a 60-foot long, hand-crafted wooden ship which is dedicated to educating and inspiring young people through the universal language of art. Its unique potency emerges via a curated workshop program with primary schools, refugee groups and cultural organizations in which children paint silk panels to make sails for The Ship of Tolerance based on their discussion of diversity and the agency ideas gain through art.
First launched in Egypt in 2005, The Ship of Tolerance has subsequently been created in various locations around the world including Venice, Havana, Moscow, New York and Rome. The project was awarded the prestigious Cartier Prize for the Best Art Project of the Year in 2010.
For its presentation in London, the sails of The Ship of Tolerance have been made by children from forty London primary schools, from Great Ormond Street Hospital and from refugee centers in Birmingham, Leeds, Peterborough and Calais.
It was late by our standards and we made our way back to The Royal Garden and crashed in hopes of getting used to the time zone change.