Arrival
The first day was jet lag day. We arrived at Heathrow at 7:20 am, but with the time difference our bodies thought it was 2:20 am. Everyone has their own way to attack jet lag, our method was to take advantage of showers offered to us at the airport via our first class tickets, and carry on with the day. We booked tickets on the Heathrow Express. The train took us non-stop from the airport to Paddington Station, from there we transferred onto the Underground and rode the train to King’s Cross station. My advice is if you can use the London Underground, do it, it’s very efficient and fairly easy to use. And as always, ‘Mind the Gap’.
We stayed the first 3 nights at the Great Northern Hotel. It’s a very nice hotel, but we chose it for the location. Our plans for the first day were to visit the British Museum, a 15 minute walk from the hotel. The next morning had us taking the Eurostar to Paris, which departs St. Pancras, right across the street, it couldn’t be a better situation.
The King’s Cross area will be familiar to Harry Potter fans. In King’s Cross station, which connects you to the London underground system, there is an attraction where you can get a picture wearing your house scarf, pushing a handcart already halfway through the wall at Platform 9 3/4.
When you look up at St. Pancras station, which is a separate station from King’s Cross and services international rail traffic, you can almost anticipate Mr. Weasley’s flying car getting ready to appear around the clock tower.
The British Museum is filled with treasures, it’s an amazing place. The Egyptian section is a must, but there are also exhibitions on early Greece, Rome, Roman Britain, Chinese Jade, Medieval Europe, the Enlightenment, and much more. There was a room I enjoyed, which showed the development and progression of time pieces, filled with ancient devices, clocks, and watches throughout the years. Grab a museum map and find what interests you.
And don’t forget to find the Rosetta Stone.
Even with the jet lag, we were full of energy to start our adventure, but by 5pm we were dragging. The time change was catching up with us. We found a nifty place called the Flat Iron for dinner. My wife commented on what a good business plan it had, limited entree items, but what they offered, they did right. We went with their specialty, a rump steak, sliced and served on a wood cutting board with a small meat cleaver for a knife; tender and delicious. They give each patron a tiny meat cleaver charm, which you can exchange for an ice cream cone. The night we were there the flavor was salted caramel, dipped in chocolate shavings. On the walk back to the hotel, we fell into an Irish pub called Millers, and ordered a perfect pint of Guinness to sit and talk about our day. My search for a good English Ale would start tomorrow. Back at the room, we prepared for our early morning to Paris and were in bed by 7:30pm. I believe I was asleep in less than a minute.
