Later, not good-bye, London

I haven't blogged in several days because I've been too busy living this adventure, which is a good thing, right?  Right!

But, today we're taking a mid-week morning break and relaxing in front of a fire, while watching bad (sorry, U.K. pals) TV.   With choices like "West Wing" "Supernanny U,S." or "Road Patrol," we're both on our iPads.

We ended last week in London by enjoying a subtle Indian breakfast at Dishoom Carnaby, actually located behind Carnaby in a really lovely, quiet area with a pretty little park, Golden Square.  That was a nice place to sit and have the chai tea our waiter insisted we try--for free--since we'd said "no thanks" to it and ordered lattes instead with our eggs on naan breakfast.  Nice people here! And still a "no" to the chai, by the way.

Carnaby Street is still a fun traffic-free road.  It's very short, with quirky clothing stores sharing the limited space with tacky souvenir shops. No sign of Mary Quant,Twiggy or a pair of white go-go boots to be found.

Saturday morning we took a few tube transfers to Borough Market.  We LOVE this open air market, the oldest and largest in London, with a best guess opening date of 1014.  if it's edible and you seek it, you will find it here.  100 kinds if cheese?  Check. Sea creatures you've likely never heard of? Check.  Zebra steaks?  "Cook 'em as ya would lamb, luv. Keep it a bit rare."  Check.  But, also, fudge to die for, fresh squezed mango orange juice and carved-to-order turkey sandwiches on clrusty bread.

We bought some fudge (duh) and a basket of beautiful strawberries, which flew with us to Cornwall, and we headed back to the hotel to pack.

TIP:  knowing that I have rented apartments in Europe for over 20 years, I've been asked why I use hotels in London.  Several years ago, after searching for something in our meager budget, we settled on a lower flat on The Kings Road. Now, we don't require elegance, but we do want it clean, decently equipped and in a good location.  Well, this one had one out of three: a good location.  Although I still search before visiting, I've come up short.  However, there are so many great hotel booking sites that a nice one can usually be found at a reasonable price (Londontown.com, Laterooms.com, for example). If you stay in apartments in London, I'd be happy to have your recommendations!

For those who routinely stay in hotels when traveling abroad, let me share why we prefer apartments:  first, they are usually less expensive then a hotel (unless you stay at the Ritz or Four Seasons).  Second, an apartment allows you to be part of the neighborhood, if only for a short time.  Third, you have space to move around, read a book, watch TV, etc., in the living room while your partner sleeps in the bedroom.  And, you have a kitchen to cook the odd breakfast or sit and enjoy take-away for dinner.  Also, not to be overlooked is the benefit of a washer; especially important if, like us, you carry-on only.

NEXT LEG
We flew Flybe out of Gatwick to Newquay very early Sunday morning.  Now, I'd read lots of bad reviews about this British Airways subsidiary, mostly about lousy departure times and cancelled flights.  I decided to roll the dice because 1) it cost only around £24 ($30-ish) one-way, 2) Time wasn't important at that price, and; 3) I would get BA points.  Our experience?  It took off and landed on time!  We'll see if our luck holds on our flight to Paris next week, which lays over in Manchester.

I'm not including our first few days in Cornwell in this post, because it deserves its own post. I will say that we are totally in love with this part of England.   And Doc Martin sightings aren't the only reason, by far.  😉