Birthday trip of a lifetime

London: Part one

I have been writing this blog for 10 years!! And my very awesome birthday is fast approaching February 20. I am not changing the name, Suddenly70.ca, despite the change in my age to 80. Yikes! This is both exciting and scary. I do not think of myself as elderly, not even close. I love life, and as you know if you have been following me, I swim, play golf moderately well, entertain almost too much, run a fun opera club that requires hours of research, and a little singing on my part, am very involved in philanthropic pursuits, and adore travelling. As a very big birthday gift to myself and my daughter-in law, Kate, who will turn 40 this year, I decided to celebrate both of us, and take a trip together to London and South Africa. London because it breaks the long trip to SA, and is a fabulously exciting city, and South Africa, because I have enjoyed our time there previously viewing wild animals.

Love this picture taken after we arrived in London, a nap and shower and relaxing begins.

the lounge in our suite with Sway’s bed for the night

the beautiful orchid filled lobby bar

heading to the pool to check it out

nice corner of the suite

I booked all our flights last January. Our west coast family was flying from Vancouver to London, Charles and I from Orlando to Gatwick outside of London. We would fly together to Johannesburg from London, then return to London because it wasn’t possible to fly to our homes without staying overnight there. This was a complex booking, but frankly I love challenges. British Airways offered some enticing prices and booking a multi- city flight is always better than simple return flights. At any rate, Charles and I decided to fly as we always do in Business Class called Club World , and bring the west coasters in Premium Economy called World Traveler Plus by BA. Now I mention this because the flights were lengthly and it is important to be comfortable. The airline surprised us as they upgraded the kids to Club World for their trip from Vancouver to London , and all of us to First Class from London to Johannesburg. Wow. That flight was over 11 hours and Ist class would certainly be a treat. The best part of all the flights was every single one was on time.

I also booked our accommodation in London and Joburg a year in advance. Charles always leaves the details of booking to me, but in this instance he was specific about all of us staying together in a suite, rather than in separate hotel rooms. I found a fabulous hotel, One Aldwych, that was well situated in the Covent Garden area and turned out to be one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. We arrived at the hotel after a seven hour flight from Orlando, around 9:30 am. We were snoozy, but were welcomed very graciously by the front desk and the concierge, Stefano, with whom I had booked cars, restaurant meals, and had communicated with very often. I had booked a two bedroom suite with a space for Sway’s bed in the living room. It wasn’t ready, but Wellington, the charming man on duty, offered us a bedroom where we could nap, shower, and use the mini bar etc. while recovering some jet lag, and then by noon our suite would be available. I have never experienced this unique hospitality before. Quite amazing really. After our nap, our suite was ready, and we showered and headed down to the lobby to have a small lunch. The whole trip was planned to be luxurious, and this was just the beginning. 80 years is quite a milestone.

Lunch in the lobby bar was delicious, some smoked salmon and a glass of bubbly. I simply love the picture Charles took of me looking happy and relaxed in that bar. He recently brought me a blow up of it on canvas, and it looks like a painting. I have hung it on a wall near the front door here in Florida, and it reminds me of our special trip celebration.

Before the trip I was very ill with a bad cold that triggered a cluster of Menieres attacks. Again Christmas cancelled. The previous year I had Covid at Christmas. And it was cancelled. I was rather stressed about worrying whether I would be fine to travel, and how it would all turn out since I had the responsibility of five people travelling with complex arrangements. As soon as I sat in my seat on the jet for our first flight, and was handed a glass of bubbly, I just relaxed and felt all would be fine. Which it was. We knew that the kids flight was to arrive at Heathrow around 2:30pm, and it would take them a good hour to arrive at the hotel. The concierge alerted us when they were in the car on the way. I had ordered pick ups for us and them.

Our excitement was palpable as we only see the kids( I am calling them kids even though Kate and Corby are in their 40’s, Sway is seven), once or twice a year because of the distance from the east to the west coast. Oh, what a wonderful hug from Sway and her parents when they first arrived. It was thrilling, and then we introduced them to our digs. Ha ha. Some digs. Truly gorgeous and glamorously decorated main lounge, and stunning separate bedrooms with a little robe waiting for Sway with matching slippers, a mini umbrella for her, and a darling cup decorated with bees. The not so mini, mini bar offered two bottles of wine, full size, goodies for snacking, and a plate of chocolate truffles and oranges was waiting for us on the round table in the centre of the living room. The wine and everything else was gratis, and replaced often as we enjoyed it often with Corby and Kate. The view was of the Lyceum Theatre across the street, where the Lion King was playing. I had booked tickets for that delightful show. Figured we might get to see the real lion kings in Africa.

at dinner in the bar , father and son enjoying each other

After they had short naps and long showers we went downstairs for dinner in The Lobby Bar. I knew we would all be too tired to head out, and I was right. I pre-booked all our meals as London was busy at this post Christmas time of year. I also had to guarantee every reservation with a credit card. I love finding places to eat on google and also got feed back from the concierge. One Aldwych is a new old hotel. It was first built in the early 1900’s as the home of The Morning Post newspaper. This was in 1909. The building was sold, and became a hotel that is independently owned, and opened in 1998, later renovated in 2019. It is beautiful and unusual because the architecture is not square or rectangular, but curvy. So the rooms have unique shapes.

Corby and Kate loving the lounge; easy to grow accustomed to

That first evening in the Lobby Bar we sat at a banquette and it wasn’t long before Sway fell asleep. We enjoyed chicken pot pie, fish and chips, a burger for Corby, a delicious South African chenin blanc, creme caramel, carrot cake, cognac, and scotch for the men. We retired early and we were all very ready for sleep. The bed was heaven, the heated towel bars in the bathroom wonderful, with a separate shower, and a bath with a tv. I set out an itinerary before the trip so everyone would know what to expect. There were some minor changes to accommodate closures of some tourist spots, but basically the entire itinerary was followed.

The next morning we greeted each other in the living room. I set the times out for meeting for every adventure . We had a served breakfast( that was included) in the dining room set on a balcony above the lobby. It was delicious and leisurely. Lots of cappuccinos, eggs, streaky bacon, vegetarian omelette with veggie sausage for Kate, and fresh juices. Sway is very polite. She orders and says please and thank you. She is a very happy child with a good sense of humour and is also warm, and loves hugs. She is not a whiner. You will not see any pictures of her (maybe an occasional silhouette) as her parents do not want her image on the internet in a public space. I have always respected their wishes. But I can describe her looks. She is tall for her age, seven, has red hair with gold streaks, she is fit and strong and slim. Her eyes are blue. Her little sister, Neve, has this same hair. I love it not only because it is so beautiful, but because my darling Carrie’s hair was that same colour. There is no biological connection however, but it is just serendipitous. It makes me feel good. As I have mentioned over various blogs, I am the step mother to Corby, but wonderfully I am Nana to his girls, no ‘step’, and this is heart warming.

on the bus

It was very chilly in London, but we all had warm clothes and hats and gloves which was good, because the Hop on Hop off bus had a stop at our hotel entrance, and a trip on that to get an overview of London was part of the morning plans. I loved the tour despite the shiver factor. We just did the hop on part and didn’t leave the bus till near the end. It was definitely windy on the upper deck of the bus, but we huddled and occasionally went inside the bus. The commentary was good on our head sets and a hot shower was slated for our return.

views from the bus and a chilly but happy husband

That afternoon I had booked a special tea for Sway, and us too. It was a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed event/lunch, and it was superb, and also was situated in the hotel. It was accessed by a separate entrance with many visual delights as we descended the stairs to the restaurant. We were seated centrally at a banquette and served by energetic, charming waiters. The champagne which was part of it was delicious, and they prepared a virgin one for Sway. The little sandwiches with cut off crusts were special for her, with a different selection for us. The scones and fresh butter were amazing, way too many sweets, but it was all a splendid display, and completed with candy floss. Even the washrooms were cute with lowered sinks and toilets for littler people. We hobbled upstairs to our suite for afternoon naps. Afterward, Kate and Sway went to the gym to work out. Kate was doing a marathon when she returned to Vancouver so was training on the treadmill. I went to the pool for a swim. It was a magnificent space with a a large screen at one end that played videos of fish and underwater sea world creatures. There was also a steam room and sauna. It was a deep pool, but I saw this man standing at one end. It wasn’t until he got out and stood beside me that I asked his height. He was six foot five. No wonder he could stand in the pool. Corby walked to The Churchill Rooms that Charles and I had visited on a previous trip. They were and are absorbing and emotional. Corby was thrilled. Charles relaxed and read.

Dinner was booked for eight o’clock, as we had had our fill with Charlie tea, and it was planned to be a walk away in Covent Garden at the Opera Tavern, a Spanish tapas style restaurant. We had a semi- private booth at the back of the bustling, colourful restaurant, and a wonderful patient waiter who explained the small plate offerings, and terrific Spanish wines. The food was super and we ordered lots of little dishes. Sway ate and then went to sleep. Corby, who is tall and athletic is able to eat everything including anything we couldn’t finish. No waste. For me there were memories of our home with three hungry boys. They still have huge appetites as grown men. Love it! After the sumptuous feast we headed home, got Sway into bed, and enjoyed some more wine, fun, laughter and music. Already I was savouring every moment of our time with family. Luxurious travel, seeing great things, eating superb meals are all great, but this time together was what our trip was about.

the opera Tavern Spanish tapas

Saturday arrived and we were set to go on our tour with Amanda from Tours by Locals. I had used this company of tour guides many times, and really liked the quality of the tours, the pricing, and the flexibility. I like a private tour and this was perfect with the five of us, and it was to be orientated to Sway. Another great breakfast and then off to Westminster Abbey in a London black cab. They used to be called hackney carriage, and they were perfect for the 5 of us, and fun too because some of the drivers were talkers and good ones, with limey/south English accents, and most importantly knew London. Amanda was easy to spot at 9:00am outside the Abbey. She was terrific, so qualified and knowledgeable. The sanctuary is awesome and Sway particularly liked the tombs. We learned about the Gothic and Romanesque styles of architecture, and although Charles and I had visited previously many years ago with the boys, we learned new things. Corby remembered our trip from 36 years ago, and he even remembered the name of the hotel where we stayed at that time; The Gore. I checked it out and it not surprisingly has been improved greatly since we stayed there. But his memory delighted me. I lit a candle for Carrie as I always do in cathedrals and churches. We spent about an hour there and that was perfect for Sway.

imagine walking down that aisle on your wedding day

We then walked to Buckingham Palace. Sway hoped to see King Charles, but he was not in residence as we could tell from the flag that was flying. We walked through St. James Park where the ducks and Moorhens, well fed by the Royal caretakers were waiting, and the famous pelicans whose wings are clipped so they will hang about the park. Then we took The Tube to the Tower of London. It was fun to travel underground with Sway where we got to see a non luxurious slice of life. All part of the education. Amanda traveled with us and we arrived at the huge site of the tower, where I had booked our tickets to see the Crown Jewels as part of our visit. The grounds are enormous, and the tour inside to hear about Ann Boleyn and the rest of the prisoners was captivating. I do hope you check out the hyperlinks I have provided. They expand in detail on all I am telling you. The tour through the Crown Jewels was definitely a highlight, so much so that Sway and Corby spent about 15 minutes more than the rest of us checking it all out. We stayed outside after our visit and drank mulled wine to keep us warm while we were waiting for them. We also saw the famous ravens, Poppy and Jubilee. Lots of tales about these two, and the Raven that escaped from an enclosure during Covid.

Royal moorehens

in the Lyceum waiting for the lion King

All this touring made us hungry and as we were booked to see The Lion King at 2:30, we grabbed lunch to go at a pret- a -porter, and took a cab back to the hotel to eat in our lounge. We then walked across the street and watched the show. Great seats naturally, a terrific show, and snoozy grandparents. After the show we went to J. Sheeky for an early dinner. We walked through Covent Garden on our way following Charles with his GPS guiding. We had eaten there on a previous trip, but this time we were in the main part of the restaurant and again in a booth. By the time we ordered our meal Sway was fast asleep. The UK oysters were unusual and fresh. Charles fish soup delicious, Kate adored her Indian fish dish; monkfish and tiger prawn tikka masala with all the spices, Corby had local, farm raised, free range, garlic roasted chicken. I had creamed spinach and Cornish fish pie, Charles a seafood platter, my stomach is rumbling now, and then our walk home with Sway perched on Corby’s shoulders. She ate her smoked salmon in our lounge when we got home. Many very happy, tired folks, looking forward to a long day the next day before our trip to South Africa.