England 2018 - Part IV - In Which I Return to London and Meet up with my Sister from Another Mister

I woke up feeling pretty refreshed after the lovely storm. I checked out of the Mercure, and got a taxi back to the station for my train ride back to King's Cross Station. I had a bit of luck there. The train I was supposed to get was cancelled, but the earlier one was slightly delayed, so I caught it instead. At King's Cross, I was to meet Lisa. We met on a Disney fans site, and have been friends ever since.

I don't normally post pictures of bathroom fixtures, but the ones at King's Cross were pretty fancy.

After meeting up with Lisa, and grabbing some lunch, we headed to our new hotel. The Marriott Hotel West India Cay that we stayed at has since become the London Marriott Hotel Canary Wharf, so I can't speak to what it's like now, but it was a very nice hotel when we were there. One thing we did notice was that the windows overlooked a courtyard, which looked directly into the rooms across. Not the best design, really, but the room was comfortable.

The Marriott

Privacy is So Over-rated

After we got settled in, we went out exploring the neighbourhood.

It was warm enough that we found a nice patio to snag some fancy cocktails.

Patio Cocktails

After that we wandered through the Crossrail Place roof garden. Entry was free.

Cross Rail Place Botanical Garden

We got drinks and snacks at the Big Easy. It's a Cajun themed restaurant/bar, which is kind of a fun idea when you're in England.

The Big Easy

Drinkers at the Big Easy

After that, it was time to get on the bus to Whitechapel for our Ripper Tour. We arrived early, so we went into The White Hart for a pre-tour beverage. Please note, the above link, and the tour, are not for the faint of heart.

A Cool Bar with History

The tour met outside the Whitechapel Gallery. As tours go, it was interesting, taking us to the murder sites, and giving some background about Whitechapel at the time. The tour guide had a projector, and would show relevant pictures on handy walls. The only disappointment was that he was a believer in the Freemason conspiracy theory of the Ripper murders.

Both Lisa and I are huge fans of Tiki culture, so no trip to London would be complete for us if we didn't go to Trader Vic's. It was everything I had dreamed of: lovely ambience, and fantastic cocktails. The pupus were pretty good, too.

Trader Vic's London

Lisa takes the Throne

Trader Vic's 1944 Mai Tai

The Loo was Massive

It had been a long and liquid day, so we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel.

London Taxis have Jump Seats

The next day, I flew home. It was the usual good Air Transat Club Class service. Would I come back to London? Definitely!

Coming up - Summer 2018 trip to Jamaica