To Err is Human...

but usually not Lola who, in my view, has a divine gift of navigation. But today, she erred...just for a few a minute, but she will never live this down.  She had our bus number and stop correct but put us on the wrong side of the street because she forgot which way the traffic flows. I am still laughing. 

Buses are becoming our new mode of transport. The problem with our tube experience is that we're one stop from Victoria Station where we have to change lines--that involves walking, taking an escalator, walking, climbing stairs, walking. On the bus, we just get on and take a seat. Unfortunately, as we found out tonight during rush hour, the bus is subject to traffic jams.

Our day adventure was going to the V&A. The guidebook said the third floor was the most interesting so that's mainly what we toured. Wonderful stained glass displays, tapestries, jewelry and some art, including some paintings by William Blake. I never thought he was that great of an artist but I don't remember ever seeing any of his paintings in the flesh. We ate lunch at the cafe in the museum because that's also our new thing--it seems it's always lunch time after we tour a building.

From there, we walked to Harrod's where they don't give out maps, even though that store is bigger than most museums. We were on a mission to find (a) the room of chocolates and (b) Harrod's Christmas ornaments that my hairdresser made me buy; luckily, there was a sale on ornaments, buy two, get one free.  A million people work there and we asked directions from most of them. It's more difficult to navigate the store than greater London. 

We had picked out a restaurant and got on our first double-decker bus and ran up the stairs to sit in the front row just like little kids. It was easy since our stop is the first one on the line; when we came back from the theatre, we couldn't get those seats. Actually, they were fun for just a short while, then it was scary, seeing whether the bus driver was going to hit the motorcycles and bicycles in front of us. I would put London bus driver in the top 5 worst jobs in the world.

Since the bus was late, we didn't have time to find the good restaurant so we ate at a mediocre Italian place. When we told the waiter we had a little over an hour, he said "An hour? We could serve a wedding in that time."  It seems all the restaurants on Leicester Square are fast-food, bad, or both, so you have to go somewhere on one of the side streets.

We saw King Charles III which had some light moments but is actually like a Shakespearean tragedy. The theatre wasn't huge but the play had moved from a smaller house. I've read a few reviews of the play and it's mostly packed every night, but I'd really like to hear what the Brits think of it. Lola had pre-ordered a glass of wine for intermission...mostly because she could. Other people bought ice cream cups and other snacks which you can take into the theatre. I liked the fact that ushers came around and told us to sit down because the play was going to start soon. Also, no one told us to turn off our mobiles or upwrap our cough drops. On the other hand, the lady next to me had her phone on--it didn't ring but I think she was reading texts.

It's Guy Fawkes or Bonfire Day in London which tied in nicely with the play. We saw crowds of people wearing white masks but didn't see any bonfires or fireworks. A lot of the parks host firework displays but most of them charge to get in.  To celebrate, we are eating chocolates from Harrod's.  

Westminster Abbey at night from the top of a double-decker bus, shot through the windshield