Chauffeured!

Friday, 9th September

Overnight rain cleared early in the day, but the weather remained overcast (as usual) and very humid and warm.

Today we had to check out of the Thistle Westminster and transfer to the Thistle Heathrow, owing to a 5.30 am check-in tomorrow. Fortunately the suitcases were still big enough to hold all the royal wedding souvenirs and after leaving the luggage with the concierge, we headed for the Underground. First stop was Covent Garden Market and the Royal Opera House. Our hopes of a tour through the Opera House were very quickly dashed - no tours until next Monday! So we wandered through the Market - it was just like being back at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne but not as many stalls.

As we had plenty of time, we decided to continue our religious experiences and walk to St Pauls Cathedral, which did prove to be a little further than we perhaps thought. It was an interesting walk though, passing Australia House and then through the law courts area, with the little streets and old buildings (so easy to imagine this area 200 years ago!). We also passed the church of St Clements with its walls bearing shrapnel scars from the Second World War.

St Pauls Cathedral was a beautiful building, with its wonderfully decorated dome and ceilings - so much lighter and airier than Westminster Abbey. We sat in a small chapel in the Crypt, watched a wedding rehearsal and talked to a clergy lady - a very interesting lady who explained that anyone could be married in the cathedral provided their father was titled. Of course!

Back underground again for another train ride back to Oxford Circus and an hour looking at the large department stores (for one of us, anyway, while the other "rested"). Selfridges makes David Jones look like a K Mart - departments included all the large designer houses and there was even a queue to enter the Louis Vouitton section. Unfortunately, we had a time limit so couldn't wait.

Returned to the hotel at Westminster (another underground train ride - we were really like little moles today) where the concierge had organised a chauffeured car to take us to the Thistle Heathrow. A big black Mercedes with blacked out windows! At this point, the day became really "interesting!" The driver matched his car and talked non stop at about 500 words a minute - his accent didn't help either. We kept telling us that he was a gynaecologist and obstitrician and had trained with a Polish professor (gave Les his doctoral thesis to read while we were driving along) and that he was making more money (500 pounds in three days a week) that he would make as a doctor back home - never found our where that was. All went swimmingly until we arrived at Heathrow, when we realised this driver didn't have the foggiest idea where our hotel was. We drove up and down Bath Road before he pulled into a service station and asked a couple of blokes for directions. Each told him a different direction! Back onto Bath Road and were nearly to Windsor before he decided to do another u-turn and then pulled into the Sheraton Hotel to ask directions again. As he kept saying he was looking for the Thistle Westminster, we didn't have a lot of faith in his navigational skills. Fortunately, he found a couple of other chauffeurs who were able to point him in the right directions and we actually had to tell him when we finally arrived at the hotel. He was also a little crabby because he didn't get a tip.

The Thistle Heathrow is perfectly adequate for an overnight stay. The porter showed us to our room, which absolutely STUNK of cigarette smoke (a non-smoking hotel), apologised and immediately organised a change of rooms. The room is a little smaller than London, but very clean. The bathroom is also smaller and when sitting on the convenience, one has to lean to the side to avoid the toilet roll holder. A box breakfast has been supplied as we will be leaving before 6.00 am - cornflakes and an apple bar.

Tomorrow - Vienna.