Our first foray into the Tube went smoothly: we managed to get on the correct train to Leicester Square, where we got in line for the TKTS booth. We decided to buy tickets for tonight's performance of Chicago.
Next stop was Trafalgar Square. Since we had plenty of time before our next scheduled event, we stopped at St. Martin in the Fields and were rewarded with a lovely organ concert. We found our way up into the choir loft, and once the organist was done, a bunch of other people started sitting down and each playing a piece. It seems they are all organists from the US and Canada, taking a tour together.
Instead of braving the crowds at Buckingham Palace, we opted this time to see the Changing of the Horse Guards, a smaller event:
After visiting the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, we backtracked to St. Martin-in-the-Fields so that we could dine at the Cafe in the Crypt. John had the "Fish Main Dish": Pan-fried breaded tilapia with onion fried baby potatoes, buttered fresh broccoli, and tomato sauce. I had the "Vegetarian Main Dish": Sun blushed tomato, black olive, and basil macaroni.
At the next stop, we walked around the Houses of Parliament for a bit:
As we walked to Westminster Abbey, we saw a bunch of cameras and news crews set up in a little park across the street from Parliament:
Westminster Abbey is one of the only sights we repeated from our previous visit to London in 1998, and I'm sure we'll visit it again next time we come here. No photos allowed, but we did buy some postcards to scan when we get home.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant recommended by some friends who just returned from London. Galvin Bistrot de Luxe was very nice, and they were able to squeeze us in when we arrived at 6:00 without a reservation. John and I both had the prix fixe menu, but chose opposite things so that we could sample everything.
I had leek & onion vichysoisse, wild salmon with herb risotto & pickled courgettes, and raspberry parfait with summer berry compote. John had poached duck egg & lyonnaise salad, fricasee chicken & fondant potato with beans & mushrooms, and Brie au Meaux. Photos are of our main dishes:
For Chicago, we ended up sitting in the second row of the Cambridge Theater. Earlier in the day, we had seen posters in the Underground advertising the fact that Christie Brinkley (yes, THAT Christie Brinkley) was starring in this show for the next couple of weeks, and we immediately wondered if we had made an expensive mistake by choosing Chicago for tonight. I'm happy to report that she was not bad. Certainly not as strong a singer as the other members of the cast, and her dancing was not as crisp, but overall she did a pretty good job.
On the way home, we boarded the Tube at Covent Garden, which may have been a mistake (we arrived by getting off at Leicester Square). First of all, there were a lot of people trying to get into the station after the shows let out. Secondly, we took the stairs, which is something we frequently do at Tube stations. This was a spiral staircase that went on and on and on for what turned out to be 193 steps!
No comments:
Post a Comment