Visiting the Churchill War Rooms & Stonehenge
With only three full days in London, we had no time to dally, even though jet lag weighed upon us.
On the third day of our trip, May 23, the plan was to go to the Churchill War Rooms and have dinner with Reggie’s friends in the evening.
I had been up in the middle of the night twice–once with a severe leg cramp and another likely due to the differing time zones, I meditated and then crawled back into bed. The alarm jolted me awake at 7:30. Reggie remained fast asleep while I showered.
By 8:30, we were out of the hotel and set our sights for breakfast at Chestnut Picadilly, a cute little restaurant a half a block away from the St. James Hotel. Our meal consisted of cappuccinos for both, a turkey sandwich for Reggie, and a turkey and cheese croissant for me. Then we made our way through the lush, vast St. James Park to get to the Churchill War Rooms by 10:00 a.m.
The self-guided tour took us over two hours. When Reggie made the reservations, I thought I’d be going just for him, but I found myself intrigued. Churchill was an interesting man, and the activity that took place in that building was fascinating.
London, overall, captivated me. I liked the energy, even though it was bustling, and crossing the streets demanded the utmost focus and adherence to the rules to only step onto the street when prompted by the traffic signals.
After leaving the Churchill War Rooms, our meanderings took us to Trafalgar Square. There were long lines of people waiting to take photos by a red phone booth with the square in the background. While I wanted a picture by one of those iconic red phone booths, I wasn’t about to stand in a line. So we found one a half a block away, without a line.
From there, we walked to the Golden Jubilee Bridge to view the London Eye, located on the South Bank of the River Thames and Charing Cross.
In the early afternoon, we hailed a taxi to go back to the hotel to rest before dinner with Reggie’s friends.
Our evening began with Steve and Michelle in the bar of our hotel. Reggie met Steve on a golf course in Toronto, and their friendship has lasted nearly three decades. Steve spoke a lot about his retirement, with the focus on golf. Michelle spoke of her travels as a sommelier and the writing she does about wine. I listened a lot and shared a bit about my work in the writing world as an author, ghostwriter, and literary midwife.
We then walked to Benares, an Indian restaurant about ten minutes away from the hotel. It was the best Indian food I’d had in some time, perhaps ever. Michelle took charge of ordering most of our dishes. Reggie weighed in on one, and Steve chose the coconut naan. I found the garlic naan the best, as the coconut naan was too sweet for my tastes. The wine, red, was also perfect, but why wouldn’t it be with an expert at the table!
Michelle and Steve walked us back to our hotel, and then they hopped on the train. While they have a car, she admitted she doesn’t drive in the city, and Steve drives only for golf. Occasionally, they go shopping together, but she usually shops for smaller quantities and uses the train for the trek.
As I’m discovering with all evenings in Europe, they end late, much later than we go to bed in the States. And yet, I’m not overly tired. While I’ve been a bit jet-lagged, I’m not mentally taxed. I’m receiving every moment of the trip and enjoying the adventures.
A Saturday Trek to Stonehenge
Saturday, May 24, set aside for Stonehenge. Reggie and I rose early and had breakfast in the hotel. The service wasn’t the best, at least in the restaurant. The waiter said he understood Reggie’s order of “over easy” eggs, but what came from the kitchen were soft-boiled eggs. The waiter became very frazzled when Reggie sent the eggs back. And rather than take the whole plate, the waiter left the hash browns and ham, which then became cold as Reggie waited for the eggs. Thankfully, my scrambled eggs were perfect.
We went back to the room and collected our things. It had rained in the night, but had stopped when it was time to meet Ester, our guide for the day, and Yannis, our driver. We set out at 9:30 a.m. for a two-hour drive to Stonehenge. Ester kept us very engaged the entire drive, sharing many details about the construction of stone circles.
A Brief Stop at Woodhenge
We stopped first at Woodhenge, a Neolithic timber circle, just a couple of miles from our intended destination. Like Stonehenge, Woodhenge is a part of the Avebury World Heritage site. As I walked around the wooden “stumps” that formed the circle, I took a few deep breaths, grounding myself in the area and truly “being” there. Again, I repeated the thought, I am really here. We stayed a short time before heading onward.
It was a holiday weekend, Pentecost, 40 days after Easter, which is when Christ ascended, and so Stonehenge was very busy. It was a blustery day, and once again, I was grateful that I packed my puffy jacket and the Turkish pashmina that Shana, my daughter, gave me years ago.
Bathing in the Energies
As we circled the prehistoric monument in a clockwise direction, I could feel the energy from the stones and awe pulsed through my veins. Ester had a pair of copper dousing rods, and I easily felt the laylines as they moved to align with the energy. It reminded me of a childhood experience with my Uncle Ed, dousing for water with a hickory stick. Reggie couldn’t get the hang of the copper dousing rods, despite my repeated instructions. I later surmised that the metal in his body might have interfered with the energy.
It would have been lovely to sit and meditate if it had been warmer and there weren’t so many people, but just being there left me almost wordless. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience Stonehenge.
In the gift shop, I resisted the temptation to buy the kiddos anything, even though the t-shirts jumped out at Reggie and me. Reggie picked up Stonehenge ball markers, adding to the collection that began at the Churchill War Room. I bought a bluestone bracelet, a bluestone heart pendant necklace, and some postcards.
The bluestones are from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, about 180 miles from Stonehenge. They make up the inner circle of the monument, within the outer ring of the sarsen stones.
There was one bluestone near the gift shop, next to a sarsen stone. The energy from the bluestone was subtle yet stronger than the sarcen stone. Bluestones are thought to have healing energy for grounding, emotional stability, protection, and spiritual insight, to name a few.
The drive back to London was pleasant. We had more personal conversations, sharing stories about our lives, and Ester provided a bit more history of the area.
Rest Up for the Evening
When we arrived back at the hotel, Graham, the concierge, pulled us aside to speak with Reggie about the problems with breakfast, the blanket we had requested the night before that was never delivered, and a few other items. Reggie and Graham began speaking in more detail about the different changes that needed to be made at the hotel for safety reasons, like the shower. Having been in the business for his entire career, Reggie is always eyeing facilities. That was my cue to excuse myself.
I ducked up to the room for some quiet time. I had just settled on the sofa when there was a knock on the door. Upon opening it, I was greeted by a young man with a cart laden with pastries and a bottle of wine, which the general manager offered as amends.
So I poured a glass of wine and settled into reading the paper, a profile about the 94-year-old actress, Claire Bloom, whose career was launched by starring in silent films with Charlie Chaplin. I began my writing career writing personality profiles, and it was a treat to have the time and space to sink into a good story.
More Indian Food!
Dinner that night was at Chutney Mary, an award-winning Indian Restaurant. Yes, Indian two nights in a row. I had a martini with cardamom, which was delicious, and then we ordered many little dishes, just like the night before. Unlike the previous night, the food was much spicier. We had wild garlic naan, which was simply the best.
We strolled back to our hotel, finished up our packing, and then dozed off with the logistics of our morning travels to Paris in mind.