London... *groan*
It is one of the most unwelcoming cities we've come across (and I lived in Camden, NJ, USA!). We tried to like it but it just wasn't going to happen. The people were very nice but the place itself - ugh!
After a lovely train ride from Edinburgh, we were very excited to be arriving at King Cross Station.
Once outside, our impression was of clutter and grime. On our walk to the hotel... well, let's just say it did not improve on acquaintance.
After several hostel stays, we were looking forward to a little privacy and pampering so we had reservations at a "top" rate hotel. Check-in was very fru-fru and it got our expectations high. The room was a decent size. Top floor, big beds, even a cellphone to use during our stay. Great, right?
After the train ride from Edinburgh and the walk to the hotel, we were pretty tired and decided to break budget for one night and splurge on a hotel meal. We went down to the restaurant and ordered.
The food and service were meh but we were too tired to care...until we were finishing our meal. That's when we saw a mouse run by our table. Twice. That certainly added some excitement to the evening!
I was definitely no longer tired. According to the food & beverage services manager, there's construction going on next door and that is the cause, but the "kitchen was inspected and there were no signs of mice", at which point I offered to show him where the resident mouse likes to hang out. He didn't take me up on the offer but he obviously knew about the mouse problem. And for that mouse to be out and about in early afternoon in a high traffic area, he's obviously been there a while and isn't afraid of people. So, unless their mice have learned how to read and there's posted "No Mice Allowed in Kitchen" signs, I'm very confident Mickey and his buddies are making an evening of it everyday. Needless to say, we did NOT eat another meal there. 🤢
Unfortunately, London food is as bland as the stereotype makes it out to be. So, in retrospect, I wonder if the mouse was stopping by our table because he smelled some remnants of Cajun seasoning on us.
By the way, in case anyone thinks I'm exaggerating, a common item on the menus was "mushy peas". And then there's the restaurant names like this:
At least we had clean, comfy beds (yes, they sleep the same 😁).
Then again, we could have gotten the same from the hostel, sans mice.
We did find a pub right across the street that had a beautifully old feel and we added it to our "pub crawl" list. Unfortunately, Zoey had to skip this one (seizures). Exactly one Guinness later, we were back in the room.
Our London "places to visit" list had about 6 items but by the end of the first day we were ready to go. Next morning found us on the train back north and we visited York.
The Virgin Train line is awesome and worth the trip in and of itself! (Yes, Peekaloo slept. And slept. Every. Single. Train.)
We should have skipped London and come here instead. (Yes, David [Idlewood Congregation], you were absolutely right.)
York is the kind of place I would love to live in. Long, rich history...
Lovely people...
Interesting/weird sights...
And still had flavorful foods because of the Irish influence.
Eventually, we me our way back to London cause that's where we left our bags. Otherwise, we would have stayed in York!
On our last day in London, we went to the London Eye.
Not because we wanted to but because Peekaloo promised Namster a picture (you better appreciate it! 😜). Very, very unimpressive. And I caught a cold.
But we did see Big Ben (under repairs) and Westminster Abbey from it, so I guess it was worth it?
We should have skipped London and explored York. Next time. I hear there's Vikings!
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