4/29 Navigating the Underground & a Visit to Dennis Severs' House

Today, I headed out to the British Museum.  Bad Idea.  It took me three Underground trains and a lot of walking in very, very cold weather and wind.  When I got there, it was absolutely packed with families and other tourists, so I left and took a cab to the Dennis Severs' House. 

First, some photos to show you why you do NOT take the Underground if you have a larger than usual carry-on or don't like dragging suitcases up and down staircases.  Yes, there are almost no escalators in London subways. Yesterday, when I arrived at Heathrow, I took the Heathrow Express to Padington Station and took a taxi to my hotel.  Total cost was 45 GBPs, and well worth it.   Here is what the stairs look like:

 

 Here comes a train! 

 

Now, about Dennis Severs'.  He bought a very old house on Folgate St. in Spitalfields, and over the years, decorated it so that it reflected a particular imaginary family.  You are not allowed to talk or touch anything or take photos, but it is quite an experience.  There is no electric lighting, so you must walk carefully by candlelight.  The website is at https://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/ 

But, even better, do a Google search and then click on the images. The rooms are dark and dusty, with the smells of uneaten food, looking like someone just stepped out a minute ago.

Here is also an article about this house:  https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/attractions/secret-london-why-you-should-go-and-explore-dennis-severs-house-a3706256.html
 
This is the line outside his house.  There are no reservations on Sunday, and you go through in small groups.  There are docents on each floor to make sure you do not touch, speak, or take photos.  Cost was 5 GBP for seniors or concessions, like me.
 

 Here is the view down one direction of this street.

And here is the jarring look the other way! 

Took the Underground back to hotel, but did not like the selection of take-out food nearby, so I walked almost half a mile toward Victoria Station.  On the way, I found a chain cell phone store I had used before, Cell Phone Warehouse, and got a new pay-as-you-go SIM card for my i-phone.  The SIM card is what holds your phone number and the minutes or gigs of data you buy, but the important thing is that you need a phone which is "unlocked" meaning Verizon has not fixed the phone to prevent me from using other providers.  I know my I-phone 5 is unlocked because I tested it in Canada a few years ago.  All newer i-phones are supposed to also be unlocked. 

For 15 GBPs, I got 200 minutes within the UK, 5 gigs of data, and unlimited texting within the UK.  This is a LOT cheaper than using one of Verizon's international plans that are ridiculously expensive.  People on this side of the pond, by the way, are very used to switching out SIM cards if they go to another country so they don't get charged international rates.  Now, I will have coverage if I need to call a hotel or blow a tire or whatever. 

The very helpful lady popped out my old SIM card and replaced it with the new one.  Now I will be able to get email on my phone, make calls, and most importantly, be able to use the apps on my phone like Google Maps so I won't get lost while driving.  If I need more minutes or data, I can "top-off" my phone by calling the provider.  And, if I find another provider that gives me a combination of international and UK minutes, I will get another card. 

I need to take my two hot spots in to see if they can replace the SIM cards in one with a pure data card.  I am not sure if either is unlocked, so I brought them both with me. Right now, I am using the excellent free WIFi in my Hub hotel, and nearly all my hotels during my travels offer free internet, so I will not be devastated if I cannot do this. 

And if you are in the UK and need almost anything, you can stop in a local Boots.  I bought some shampoo because I don't like the stuff in the hotel and some antiseptic wipes.  Also bought a body sponge because I had forgotten that most UK hotels do not provide washcloths. 

Anyway, I walked at LEAST two miles today.  Tomorrow is going to be still cold, so back to indoor British Museum.  Tuesday is supposed to be sunny and a bit warmer, so might take a bus tour. 

4/27 & 4/28 SFO to London

I put my motorhome in storage today, took a cab to the Napa airport shuttle, and got an earlier shuttle than I had planned.  That meant I arrived at SFO airport about four hours too early, but no problem.  Just had extra time to get something to eat and time to check email and grade a few papers.  

Lots of really big planes in the international terminal.  Since I am taking an A-380, I took some photos of A-380s already there and loading up.  Note the three separate entrance ramps for this Air France plane.

Here is a United Emirates A-380 heading to take off.  

After a hamburger and coke, I sat and watched for my plane to arrive.  Here it comes!!

Interesting shape of the wings.  Also, a big bulge on the planes "forehead." 

You get two full meals on an international flight, especially one lasting 11 hours, as this one will be. 

British Airways has four classes on International flights, so I had bought a slightly more expensive World Traveler Plus ticket.  This meant that I had a wider seat with more leg room and only two-abreast instead of the three-abreast you get in the regular cabin.  With a window seat, there was also a covered bin next to me where I could store my laptop backpack, purse, and other things to keep them handy.  

Unfortunately, I can almost never sleep on a plane, even on an overnight 11-hour flight, as this one was.  It will be easier going home as the flight will be entirely in daytime.  One interesting thing is that the flight path was northeast from SFO, over Montana, then across northeastern Canada and Hudson Bay, over the southern tip of Iceland and Greenland, and finally coming in from the north over Northern Ireland to London.  Could not see anything, however because it was cloudy and dark the entire flight.  

It took almost two hours to go through customers and immigration.  I was glad I was not traveling with fussy kids.  Took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then a cab to my hotel, here.  The hotel is a little unique because it is a budget hotel and has very, very small rooms.  It is called "Hub Hotel by Premier Inn."  I have stayed at Premier Inns a couple of times and found them about equivalent to a Holiday Inn Express, except slightly smaller rooms and lobby, and no ice or pop machines! 

All of the Hub Hotels are relatively new.  They have even tinier rooms than most UK hotels. which generally have tiny rooms anyway.  They advertise the rooms as being high-tech and having free high-speed internet. 

I did ask for a room with a window when I arrived.  Can't open it, but it is something to look out of and gives me some daylight.  Large TV at the end of the very comfortable queen bed. There is also what looks like a bench at the end of the bed, but is really a pull-out desk.  This would be crowded for two people, but perfect for one person.   

Note the storage room under the bed for a suitcase. Next to the luggage storage, there is a good-sized drawer to put stuff.  The bed was very comfortable, by the way, with very nice linens.

Control panel at the head of the bed for lighting and temperature.  You also can select not to be disturbed or have the room made up.  

Decent bathroom, really, and a lot larger than the one in my motorhome. 

No food or pop machine in the hotel, so I went for a walk in cold, cold London to find some take-out.  Checked out a Starbucks and finally decided on a noodle shop.  Got a large bowl of Thai chicken and noodles and a cold Coke with a glass of ice for £8.40, or about $10, which is not bad.  I had enough chicken and noodles for at least two people.

I chose this hotel, not only because it was cheap, about £100 per night, but also because it was a block from an Underground station and very close to tourist things like Westminster Abbey, below.  Can you see the London Eye in the distance?  Took this photo on my walk for food.  The theatre where Hamilton is performing is only a couple of blocks away, also, so I can walk there on Monday night. 
 

By the way, I asked the cabby on the way to the hotel when it was going to warm up in London. (The high today was about 49.)  His answer was to ask how long I was planning to stay!  

Actually, the drizzle and rain is supposed to let up a little by Wednesday or Thursday, which is about when I will head out to Windsor for a couple of days.  Luckily lots of indoor things in London.  

I fell asleep at about 8:00 pm London time and slept until 7 am.   Kept TV on and enjoyed the almost-no-advertising British TV shows when I woke up a couple of times.  Mostly, they were history or gardening shows, which was really nice.  So much calmer than our reality shows and crazy news channels.   

4/8 New Blog for my Upcoming UK Trip - Flags

Just checking to see how this design looks for my new blog.  I am using it to keep my family and friends updated on the long trip I will be making soon to England and Scotland.

In creating a new design, I decided to put both the English and the Scottish flags in the blog background.  Then I discovered that the British flag already has the Scottish flag included in the "Union Jack."

Here is the Scottish flag:

 And here is the British flag:

Do you see the Scottish flag buried in this design? 

I could not find exactly matching images, but you can see that the blue background and the diagonal white stripes on the Union Jack are the same as the ones on the Scottish flag!   So I learned something new. 


History of British Flags

Here are a couple of articles on how the British flag got to be the way it is today. 

• http://donnahatch.com/history-of-the-british-flag/
• https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-hist.html