UK TRIP 2022 – PART III

May 8, 2022

London

Larry had brought me a lovely Mother’s Day card and gave it to me when we woke up. Very thoughtful.

Since we were meeting Christine Jenkins and her husband, Guy, for lunch, we decided to do a repeat of the lighter breakfast of the day before. Delicious once again, and just enough.

We had arranged to meet them at Colbert in Chelsey at one o’clock. Chris had sent us the menu, and I was thrilled. This place was an authentic French restaurant. (She had me at “French”!) It reminded us of a favorite spot across the river from Notre Dame in Paris.

We decided to walk from the hotel. It took about thirty minutes, quite a pleasant jaunt on a Sunday. We arrived about fifteen minutes early since we had allowed extra time. We found a spot to sit on the steps of the building next door. (Several others were already there. It appeared to be a common meeting location.)

At one o’clock, we gave the hostess Christine’s name, and we were seated. They arrived about fifteen minutes later, but we already had secured a table.

What a delight to see Chris again. We have known her since she was in high school. After she graduated, she went to Spain to study, and we replaced her doing contemporary worship music at the church. (Chris—or CJ as she is known professionally—is a terrific jazz singer.) We continued to lead worship for fifteen or more years. Larry played rhythm guitar, and I sang.

After college, Chris moved to London, where she still lives. Whenever she came to California to visit her mother, we tried to get her to sing in church with us. Sometimes, she agreed to do so. Chris’s mother remains a close friend.

When we moved to Japan, we led worship again for most of the time we were there. And it all started with Chris.

We had only met Guy once before a few years ago at the get-together after the death of Chris’s father. Because of the event, we did not spend much time with him. Now we got to know him a bit better. What a lovely man.

Their choice of restaurant was brilliant. I had an omelet, and Larry chose Eggs Royale, a variation on eggs Benedict, but with salmon. Both were delicious. Guy and Chris chose items from the prix fixe menu: starters and a fish entrée. Larry finished his meal with crème brûlée. I got one bite, and he finished it off.

On each of our trips to France, we did taste tests of this delightful treat. The one he chose compared favorably to our favorites: creamy, rich, and smooth.

We enjoyed the long, relaxed meal with delightful conversation and shared memories. This was a perfect way to spend Mother’s Day.

After lunch, we walked back to our hotel. The weather had been nearly perfect our entire time there. We kept being told it was unusual for this time of year. Once again, we brought the sunshine!

We needed a cold drink, so we went into the New York Bar again. It had become a favorite place. Once again, Frank took care of us. Along with our cold diet cokes, we were served a bowl of green olives and tiny whole grain crackers. Of course, I didn’t try either, but Larry managed to eat everything.

Before returning to our room, we stopped at the desk and made reservations for Afternoon Tea. Each day of our stay, we had watched a particular young lady going back to the kitchen and emerging with racks filled with plates loaded with the most beautiful pastries. In addition, she had taken plates of finger sandwiches to the tables in the tea room. It didn’t feel right to leave England without experiencing a real English tea.

After our long walks to and from the restaurant, we were tired, so we lay down to read, rest, and watch a bit of TV before turning in for the night.

May 9, 2022

We spent the morning exploring the area around the hotel. I was looking for a couple of small art prints for our guest powder room. I have artwork from many places we have visited through the years. The hunt proved to be a challenge. While going in and out of the local shops, Larry found a t-shirt and hat he wanted. I bought one more postcard in addition to the three I had purchased at the Tower gift shop. The store also had postage, so I got enough stamps to mail all four.

Still no small artwork.

The clerk in one of the shops suggested going to the Queen’s Gallery gift shop at the palace. Their current exhibition is of Japanese art. Having spent nearly three years there, we weren’t too interested in seeing more. But we went into the gift shop. After a thorough search, we didn’t find anything to work. We talked to the very helpful young lady in the shop and explained what we were looking for.

She suggested checking at Harrods. (We never got there.)

We stopped at the Palace Gift Shop and purchased a couple of gift items for our friend, Pat, who is a lifelong anglophile. We made arrangements for our items to be shipped directly to her home.

As we walked back to the hotel, we passed a shop we had seen before. I had noticed some placemats with drawings of London scenes on a rack outside. They were exactly what I wanted, but the placemats were too large. As we passed this time, Larry moved the rack and discovered smaller versions. Absolutely perfect, and two for one pound. The price was right. Success! [I need to get them matted and framed to put into our travel powder room.]

Back at the hotel, we prepared for our Royal Afternoon Tea.

What a delight.

The young lady we had noticed earlier was our waitress. We discovered her name was Petra. Of course, as usual, I began a conversation with her. I found out she was from Hungary. I had noticed many eastern Europeans seem to be employed in the hotels and restaurants. Another of the young ladies in the breakfast room was from Romania.

First, we were given our choice of several teas. I chose the Ruben’s tea because when in Rome… Larry picked the same one. He mentioned Earl Gray, his favorite, but I reminded him we had it at home, and he could find it everywhere.

The tea was light with a slight honey undertone. Lovely and refreshing.

Next, we received a plate of tea sandwiches. As usual, several of them contained items I don’t eat, so Larry got mine as well as his own. He didn’t eat all of mine in order to save room for the sweet pastries.

And they were worth waiting for! When we’d booked our reservation, we were told we would receive enough food to take extras with us for later. And we did.

The experience more than fulfilled our expectations.

Afterward, we returned to our room and read, wrote, and relaxed. Later in the evening, we made tea and coffee and finished our delicious pastries. I felt as though I was on a sugar high since I had eaten very little in months. However, it was worth it for the experience.