We knew they’d give us food on the plane but, since we were sure it’d be better, we got a salad and a sandwich from the Publican at O’Hare
Here’s the view of London rooftops outside our hotel
We got coffee at the busy and oh so Instagramable place across the street
Then proceeded on to the National Gallery for Van Gogh and a little David Hockney. It seemed awfully crowded for a Wednesday afternoon.
The Van Gogh show was called poets and lovers and the first two pictures are the poet and the lover, although I don’t recall which is which. The Hockney show was Hockney and Piero (della Fencesca) and it kind of looked back at Hockney’s works and others in the collection, and a show Hockney was part of in 1981, The Artist’s Eye Exhibition, where artists put together their own works with others from the National Gallery’s collections.
After the National Gallery we got a little turned around but made it back to the hotel and checked in and got dinner. The place we tried to reserve at wasn’t open when we got there, so we walked into another place up the street, and talked ourselves into a table saying we’d be quick.
The next morning, we started our full day of touristing with coffee at a chain, Black Sheep. It was OK
Westminster Cathedral, built in 1895 and Catholic, not to be confused with Westminster Abbey, a royal church, and Church of England
Matching apartment block around the corner
We walked past Big Ben
Everyone wanted a pic as it struck 11:00 a.m.
And got doughnuts at Bread Ahead at Borough Market
Creme Brulee donuts that I first saw on Insta, and consumed in real life ca. 3 months later
We followed the doughnuts with lunch at River Cafe. Two starters, fresh cheese with olives and peppers and mashed chick peas, and a pizetta with fontina and figs
Two pastas – clam
Two pastas – pumpkin
And affogatto for dessert with vanilla and caramel ice cream. That might’ve been the same ice cream we finished our meal with in 2010 (I was very into iPhone Polaroids back then). I asked for the affogatto with the caramel ice cream and the server pointed out that their affogatos come with two scoops so we each got a cup with a small scoop vanilla and a dish of the caramel to share.
Then we walked back through Hyde Park and saw a fox and lots of birds including swans.
We went to see a movie – The Outrun, with Saoirse Ronan. I read about half the book before we left, and put it on hold again to finish when we get back.
Friday we spent most of the day on trains. Everything out of Kings Cross got delayed or cancelled. We were supposed to go to Leeds and from there to Skipton, but instead we had to go London –> Sheffield –> Leeds –> Skipton. It took a lot longer and a lot of standing on crowded trains.
We had dinner in a pub in Skipton
Breakfast at the B&B next morning. Best porridge of the trip so far, cooked with milk and sugar.
Then we started walking.
The guide book said the first day would be 16 miles and take 7 hours. Our phones said we walked more like 20 and it took 9 hours. It was getting pretty dark by the time we got to Grassington.
Here’re more views and I’ll tell you more about the rest later.
The Devonshire in Grassington – used as Drovers’ Arms in All Creatures Great & Small
Street in Grassington
