Bubsy And Sissy: Tea Time, Kensington Palace, and The Mousetrap!

Today was a fun day! We had tea time, went to Kensington Palace and Gardens, searched out Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain, then ended the day by going to the London theatre district and taking in the play called The Mousetrap.  We also discovered the nightlife of London.

I chose a hotel near Kensington Palace for our afternoon tea time. It gave us a great opportunity to go discover the Kensington Palace and Gardens area. Plus seek out the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Wow, I totally underestimated the walking it was going to be. We finally made it to the Royal Garden Hotel that overlooked Kensington Palace Gardens after quite the walk.  We ordered the "Royal Tea" which meant it was the typical afternoon tea time but with champagne and strawberries too. First we were served the champagne and strawberries then the tea of our choice followed by finger sandwiches. I was brave enough to try the raw salmon finger sandwich. I know I'm shocked I tried it too.  I figure how many times do you get the opportunity to be in London having a traditional tea time at a 5 Star Hotel? I had to take advantage of all the uniqueness of the tea time experience!  Next came the three tier delights: scones on the bottom tier, mini cakes in the middle, and four mini desserts on the top tier. I think my ultimate fave were the scones. They were amazing and authentically "British" to me! The preserves served with the scones made them even better! Of the mini desserts the chocolate rolled cake was the best in both of our opinions. There was a mini lemon tartlet on the dessert tier....man, I wish I had been ready with my camera when Brad bit into that lemon tartlet....he instantly wrinkled up his face as he tasted that super sour lemony taste. :) LOL!

After tea we went over to Kensington Palace and Gardens. You can tour a section of the palace. It was nice to be able to go inside. However, both of us thought a palace should be a bit more impressive! The gardens outside the palace was impressive however! Kensington Palace is currently the temporary home of Prince William and his wife Kate. The queen has been letting them stay there during Kate's final month of pregnancy. Next up we searched and searched for Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain. We had a hard time finding it. It's located in Hyde Park not far from Kensington Palace but we walked all over before we finally came across the Fountains. I'm sorry to say neither of us was impressed with the Memorial Fountain dedicated to Princess Diana. It was a giant circle in the ground with water flowing through it. People were sitting around it on all sides with their feet in the water. Some people had their babies sitting in the water in their diapers. Yuk, I'm way too aware of germs to put my feet in that water. Brad laughed as I commented on how gross it was that babies stripped down to their diapers and numerous people were using it as a foot soak. Hate to say it but I would actually tell anyone visiting London to skip over that tourist attraction.

We then had to seriously hustle back to our hotel so we could get ready for the play we had tickets to.  While blazing through the crowds of people to get back to our hotel we started to laugh as we commented to one another, "This is likely how the boys feel when I try to make them speed walk during their long morning walk". Poor boys! The Mousetrap is a play based on the novel by Agatha Christie. It's the longest running play in the history of the world. Yes, not just the longest running play in England, the longest running play in the world. It's been going for 60 years! We both enjoyed it. Great experience! We then went to the Piccadilly Circus area...wow, nuts! People everywhere! It was clear that is where one of London's hip nightlife areas is. We soon decided to get back on the Tube to head back towards our hotel. We ended up ordering in dinner from the restaurant in our hotel. It was a long day with lots of walking and lots of sights. Relaxing in our room while enjoying an in-room dining experience was perfect.

We have truly used our hotel's room service during our stay here. Our hotel has been wonderful. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone. It's the perfect combination of being tucked away from the craziness yet close enough for easy access to the sights.  I was telling Brad early this evening that the hotels to come have a lot to live up to! Because the stay here has been terrific! Likely the best hotel I've ever stayed in.

Tomorrow we must get an earlier start than we have been getting on the day because we are on to Paris! Woo-hoo! Paris! Oh man, I have wanted to go to Paris for so long now. I've dreamed of going to Paris for my honeymoon for years and years now. I'm super excited! Eiffel Tower here we come!

Marble Arch

A art structure in Hyde park:

Afternoon Tea time:

Notice the raw salmon roll on top!

Brad and I both laughed at this mini dessert as Simon popped into our heads because the white chocolate stick reminded us of a rawhide stick! Lol! Look Simmie this one came with a rawhide stick!