The Morning After

Les Miserables - What a wonderful spectacle! No wonder it's the longest-running musical of all time. We noticed it was about 10:30 p.m. as we left the theatre, making it nearly three hours of running time. We got our money's worth in more ways than one.

We awoke this morning to read of a stabbing at that Notting Hill Caribbean festival last night, with a 15-year-old victim in serious condition. We'd taken notice of the large numbers of people feeling no pain at the fairly early hour as we wandered through, with police and ambulance attendants (including a bicycle squad) attending to no fewer than two people passed out on sidewalks as we walked by. No, the "vibe" wasn't quite what these two old fogeys were looking for and a couple of hours at the Victoria & Albert was more our speed.

Later in the morning we tubed over toward the Parliament Buildings and the London Eye Millenium Wheel to wander around. At about US $25 a ride, we decided to give the wheel a pass - we can view the wheel itself at a great distance in a great view from the 14th floor Hilton Executive Lounge for free - and contented ourselves with a view of Parliament across the water.

We aimed for the British Museum and managed to get lost coming out of the Underground. One can get lots of exercise at least, between transferring from one Tube route to another and the act of getting lost. Between all that walking and one too many antihistamines for Kathy after an encounter yesterday with her bête noire, blue cheese, we returned to the hotel for a nap.

We press clothes and pack later tonight and take a train to Harwich tomorrow to board the Jewel of The Seas.

We may dine a second time tonight at the Bengal Quay, an Indian restaurant just across the way from the Hilton. A pleasant young Hilton employee, himself from India, recommended it to us and our first dinner there Sunday night was deliciously spicy as well as reasonably priced. The former quality is quite easily found in London these days, the latter a little more challenging.