An adventure to London on the sleeper train

Elizabeth and I are back in Aberdeen after a little adventure in London. She had a school Christmas trip there yesterday so we decided to go for a couple of days to have a look around. To add to the adventure we went down on the Caledonian sleeper train and it was pure luxury going to sleep in a comfortable bed then waking up in a completely different country the next morning. It is absolutely the best way to travel.

We left Aberdeen at 8:30pm on Wednesday night and pulled into Euston Station at about 8:30am on Thursday morning. We splashed out on a club car ticket which includes breakfast, a cabin with an ensuite and use of the club lounge at Euston Station where you get free drinks and snacks as well as use of the shower facilities.

The cabins are small but for most of the time you’re asleep and there’s a dining carriage for eating if you want to spread out a bit.

They provide eye masks and ear plugs.

I found it soothing sleeping on the train. The rhythms of the train rocked me to sleep so I slept pretty well. The only downside is they force you to have breakfast at 7am at the latest and I was fast asleep at that time. I suppose we could have skipped breakfast but when you’ve paid for it in the ticket you feel somewhat obliged. There are several menu options to choose from. On the way down I had the continental breakfast which wasn’t particularly healthy – white flour pancake and sugary yoghurt but it was a one-off and the fruit salad was good.

You’re allowed to take pets on the train and even into the club lounge at Euston Station.

This is the club lounge.

It was nice to go and relax there before hitting the streets of London on foot and boy did we give our feet a workout. I’m a big walker. About 30 years ago I worked in London for a bit and I caught the tube everywhere. I wonder now why I didn’t walk more. Elizabeth and I walked everywhere and indeed my conservative calculation has us walking over 15km on both days making it over 30km of walking for the trip. You see so much more when you walk around and get a better idea of how all the different places connect and fit together. You just need comfortable shoes.

Our first stop after leaving London Euston Station was Regent’s Park where we walked a small part of the Outer Circle before heading to Baker Street to visit a very famous house.

Everyone was so nice and friendly in London starting with this fellow at 221b Baker Street. I asked him whether I could take a photo of him which he thanked me for – I guess most tourists take a photo without asking – and then he even let Elizabeth join in the photo and provided a hat. The house is a museum – The Sherlock Holmes Museum – and open for tourists.

Next stop was Liberty of London which is a gorgeous mock Tudor building built in 1924 using timber from old naval ships.

Then we met a friend from my work who I haven’t seen for 7 years and we wandered off to Buckingham Palace.

Then it was off to Mildreds vegan restaurant near Victoria station for lunch. It’s so nice to have a plethora of exclusively vegan restaurants to choose from – they’re all over London – and I enjoyed my lunch at Mildreds very much. The dessert was good too.

Then we parted and Elizabeth and I hit the streets again this time heading for the Tate Gallery. We had a little look inside but it’s so enormous that we only saw a bit of it and we were starting to get keen to check out the hotel.

This is the back of Westminster Abbey

And the Houses of Parliament

A rather famous landmark here.

Thank goodness Guy Fawkes never succeeded in his plot to blow it up as it is truly magnificent from every angle and even the most hopeless of photographers among us can’t help but capture some of that beauty.

We finished the day at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant to see the Ride the Cyclone musical which is quite possibly the best musical I have ever seen. It was funny and moving with dancing and singing that will blow your socks off. The talent of the cast is exceptional and the dialog witty that will have you laughing out loud throughout. It is on until the 10th January so if you are in London you absolutely must go and see it. Stop reading my blog and go and buy a ticket right now. Jane Doe is played by Grace Galloway who will “wow” you with her flawless rendition of The Ballad of Jane Doe. They also did her makeup in such a way that she really does look headless and her acting reinforced that making her quite creepy. The rest of the cast were equally superb – each with their own unique story. The music was good too. I was already familiar with The Ballad of Jane Doe because Elizabeth sings it all the time but I’d never heard the other songs and really liked them. I wish they’d bring the show to Aberdeen as I’d absolutely go again. I don’t understand why it isn’t better known. I thought it was miles better than Six which got a full house at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen. The singing, dancing, music and writing was better in Ride the Cyclone. It gets 5 stars out of 5 stars from me. Southwark Playhouse is a lovely intimate theatre too which helped.

That’s the end of day 1. I’ll save day 2 in London for another post.