Tuesday/Wednesday (SFO to London)…

An on-time departure from SFO and favorable weather dropped us into London Heathrow before 7am. United 901 treated us very well. (We were happily surprised to get a last-minute business class upgrade literally as we were in line to board..yay!!) Gray, misty skies greeted us. We took the speedy Heathrow Express train from Heathrow directly into Paddington Station where we easily hopped a taxi to the Doubletree Marble Arch, near the northeast corner of Hyde Park. (The namesake Marble Arch formerly stood at the entrance to Buckingham Palace before it was relegated to this less grand location.) A new London hotel for us, but in a central location and a perfect way to take advantage of some Hilton points!

After settling in and washing away a day’s worth of travel grime, we put on fresh shoes and walked to Soho, passing our old-familiar Doubletree on Old Marlborough Rd.

We selected the National Portrait Gallery as an easy first-day stop. We entered as they opened their doors for the day at 10am. Yay…free admission. The gallery was a perfect way to jump into the days to come with a healthy dose of British history. The gallery is more of a who’s who of Britain then it is a study in fine portraiture. Kings and Queens to scientists and mathematicians to writers and philisophers to celebrities and politicians. Even a 3D hologram of Queen Elizabeth II!!

We had lunch on our return to the hotel. Burgers and fries at Byron on Wardour St. and a couple beers. Oh that hit the spot. Nap time…we caught 3 hours of much needed rest.

Refreshed and ready to walk more, we headed back to Soho and one of our favorite restaurants–Tapas Brindisa–from our last trip. Fantastic tapas accompanied by mojitos (one Elderberry mojito and one so-called Spanish mojito). Mashed potato-wrapped chorizo; manchego cheese; a fantastic tortilla. ¡Fantástico!

We shared a creamy dessert at our favorite drool worthy place on Wardour…a cheesecake-type thing with blueberry swirl on top. We walked slowly through Mayfair on way back to get a real nighttime rest.

Quite a busy first day!!