Last Thursday, we headed up to London for a weekend break.  We had some free hotel nights from Premier Travel Inn - as they run a loyalty scheme and Andrew stays with them a lot when he is away for work.  Rather than stay in our usual spot by Vinopolis, we decided to move to one slightly further along Southwark Street, a newer hotel and one that Andrew had recommended.  

Originally, we'd booked train tickets (and of course we both have an Oyster card for getting around) but the severe weather has massively disrupted train services.  Eventually we decided to drive up to St. Albans and catch our old friend the Thameslink in to central London.  We drove up on Thursday after dropping off the dogs at the kennels - journey was straightforward.  However, I felt very strange returning to St. Albans train station.  When I had cancer, I used to catch the train from Borehamwood (we lived minutes from the station) to St. Albans to attend the hospice there - Grove House.  An incredibly kind volunteer from the hospice used to meet me there and give me a lift to Grove House, and then take me back again at the end of the day to the station.  This was the first time I'd been back to the station since then, it hadn't changed a bit, and a lot of memories came flooding back.  

We hopped on the train, and were soon in central London, and arrived at our hotel.  We had a room on the 7th floor, with views of the London Eye, very clean, new and comfortable.  Time for a shower and a bite to eat then out to see "The Duck House" at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand.  OK - time for a rant.  £10 for two gin and tonics and £3.50 for an interval icecream - a rip off, and I'm not impressed.  However, the play was absolutely excellent.  Ben Miller and all the cast were very strong - good ensemble playing which you need with farce.  Very well written and we both sat there laughing right the way through.  A real treat to see something so good.  Afterwards it was lovely to stroll along and then get a night bus back to the hotel for a quiet drink before bed. 

Friday we had breakfast at Pret then headed over to the National Gallery, as I wanted to see the exhibition about the Northern Renaissance (a good follow up to the similarly themed one at the Queen's Picture Gallery recently).  However, although there were some excellent pictures in it, the exhibition was very disappointing, and also very small.  Afterwards, we sat in the sunshine in Trafalgar Square for a while, then headed off.  We went to see the Florence Nightingale  Museum as I've always admired her, not least for her love of statistics (she invented the pie chart).    

After we returned from the museum, we headed back to the hotel for some chillout time, then in the evening we met up with uncle Warwick for dinner.  One of Andrew's colleagues had strongly recommended the Boot and Flogger so we went there, just a short distance from our hotel, and very close to Borough Market.  The recommendation was a good one - it's an enchanting place, very old, full of wooden walls and floors, and curious nooks and crannies.  Service is excellent, lovely atmosphere, and we had a relaxed, convivial dinner with really good food.  Eventually got thrown out at 11 feeling the evening had flown by (always a good sign) and strolled back to our hotel happily.  

Saturday started with breakfast again at Pret (Andrew loves their porridge). Then we caught the Tube down to the O2 at South Greenwich.  It was lovely to wander around and then we headed to our destination, something I've wanted to go on for ages, the cable car across the Thames that was built for the Olympics, now called the Emirates Airline.  Paying with Oyster was easy, and we were able to board quickly, and very pleasantly, we were given our own cable car, not forced to share with other parties which was a very nice touch.  Soon we were high above the Thames, enjoying breathtaking views of the city and looking down river to the beautiful Flood Barrier.   As it was a clear, sunny day, we couldn't have chosen a better time to travel.  I loved it.  Once we landed on the other side, we decided to come back on the return trip, again magnificent.  The breeze picked up though, and our little car wobbled a bit on the high bits but I concentrated on admiring Canary Wharf! 

After landing, (a very smooth and easy experience) we went for a coffee, then strolled to the Pier, and caught a Clipper up the Thames.  Again, this is a lovely way to travel - you see so much of London's beauty from the river.  We got off at County Hall by the London Eye and thence via our old friend the RV1 bus service back to the hotel.  Time to read the paper and relax for a bit then out for dinner.  As we usually do when in London, we ate at Vinopolis.  We had a great meal, with terrific wine (as you'd expect!) but service was a bit patchy, and not helped by a large hen party near us which, although very well behaved, made the restaurant very noisy.  

Again, time for a relaxing stroll by the river after dinner, then slowly back to our hotel.  An early start on Sunday morning to catch the train from London Bridge station, and soon we were on our way to St. Albans again.  Back to the car park, picked up the car, and before long we were heading back on the motorway.  A smooth journey home, and then it was time to collect the woofs.  A joyful reunion, and a quiet day afterwards, unpacking and catching up.