London sightseeing, Claridges and The Wizard of Oz

Sunday was a long day for me - started off with an early train into Waterloo and then a series of trips on the Underground, which was pleasant being much quieter than the normal weekday hubub.
We had travelled in to Waterloo Station and then crossed over to St Pancreas Station to see the recently refurbished Renaissance Hotel, and the station itself which is the UK hub for the Eurostar Train service.
The works in the hotel and station cost over £200 million and the end result is fabulous.
We had coffee in the Renaissance Hotel, and it put Starbucks to shame, no paper cups and decent cuppa with a lovely pastry for about the same price. The hotel do conducted tours of the building which I believe are well worth it.
The Olympic Rings are up in the Station to welcome visitors, but the massive bronze statue
is really beautiful

We crossed the City again by Underground and popped out near Westminster Cathedral, from where we walked along to Westminster Abbey, closed on Sunday for services, and saw the scene of Friday's Royal wedding. There were hundreds of tourists milling about in the area between the Abbey and Houses of Parliament, just a pity about the great unwashed demonstrators who are camped out on the opposite side of the road.

A beautiful morning sop it was a slow stroll past Downing Street, Scotland yard, and up to Trafalgar Square, round into Piccadilly Circus and then up Regent Street. Again very pleasant in the sunshine and without the milling Saturday crowds.

Made it to theatre land with ages to spare so headed along the "other" Hanover Street and ended up in Claridge's Hotel for a drink and a well deserved bit of peace and quiet. A lovely hotel, nice bar, very friendly staff and a well stocked gantry. I look forward to our next visit, perhaps for afternoon tea !!!

Headed off and timed it nicely for our Sunday matinee show at the London Palladium Theatre, The Wizard of Oz, as adapted by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

Despite the fact we had only been able to get seats "up in the Gods", once I got over the vertigo, I enjoyed the show - just a pity that Dick Turpin's family were running the bar - but once again, a captive audience and you either paid up of did without.

The Theatre was just about a full house, with the odd few empty seats dotted about.

A superb show, and in all probability one we will go back to see once it starts touring the "Provinces".


So - it was a tired wee group who set off back into the Underground and over to Waterloo for the run back to Runnymead / Eagham.

Our day out was really nice, back to reality on Monday once we get back to Edinburgh.