Day 1 - The Journey
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS AND HERE'S TO MORE LOCKDOWNS IN 2022 😂😁😀😄😞😟😠😡 (I found the emoji buttons)
Our first break is out the way and it was a splendid one. We always go away for New Year and why not I say, so this time it was London with a New Years Eve bash at the Hard Rock Hotel on Oxford Street.
Our day began on the 30th Dec in Barkers Tea Room in Cardiff with our usual coffee and thick slab granary toast with a big wedge of unhealthy salted butter mmmmmmmmm. A great way we start every break or holiday with.
Only one way to travel on the train at the moment what with Covid everywhere, First Class, always empty and you get away from all the pheasants. I bet you think i mean peasants, nope pheasants, they were making a hell of a clucking noise and not wearing masks..........that doesn't work does it? Pheasants don't cluck. See what i did, i replaced peasants with pheasants and changed f**king with clucking. OK skip that joke, scrap it folks, forget i even wrote it.
The Mad Bishop and Bear first in the station, nice pub, lots of space and good beers. That's when they have beers. We had one pint and then told me on second trip to bar that gravity pump ales were all off. Time to go. Over to the Sawyers Arms it is. Very lively in there and good music.
Why is it that as soon as we get in our stride drinking that hunger kicks in and takes over.
Bagels and pasties for our first night, well it would be if the pasty shop was open, bagels for our first night.
We know how to live, who needs The Ivy 😆
Day 2 - New Years Eve
Nice lay in, well 9.30am, up, shower and out. Dressed of course, not just out from shower that would be chilly.
Being as we've both done London time and time again we just like to wander wherever without a real destination to head for, no tubes for us this time as we are still trying to do the whole social distance thing where we can and I have to say we felt safer around the streets, bars, shops and restaurants of London than we do in Cardiff/Swansea, more people wearing masks everywhere which was good to see.
OFF WE GO.
From the hotel, down Edgeware Road, Oxford street, Regent Street and first stop Liberty's to see what tat we can't afford. All decorated from Christmas which was nice to see. Lots of weird clothing in there but then again in London no one takes any notice of what people look like, I like that.
We did buy something though, last of the big spenders, 2 hand crafted wooden Christmas tree decorations, a Squizzle and a Deer, a pound each. "Do you accept Swiss National Bank card?" 😉
The feature display in Liberty's
This shop was founded in 1875, some of the clothes look like they've been there all that time.
Carnaby Street, home to all the shakers and movers.......well it used to be, pretty generic shopping street now but they always have great displays there.
After Carnaby Street it was a large circle around Soho, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and back to hotel for 5pm as we're at our party 7pm.
Only the 12 mile walk today. Our London walking record is 16 miles in one day, not even close, bugger!
Excitement building, pampering done, dressed to look fabulous, IT'S PARTY TIME!
Sian looked even more beautiful than she already is, I tried the James Bond look but looked more like someone going for an interview at an undertakers, it will do.
Taxi to Hard Rock Hotel and were out on the town.
Strict entry rules, ticket holders only, covid jab pass needed or test taken on entry.
We were shown to our private table and Bollinger presented to us. May as well been asti spumante for me as I have no idea whatsoever and both taste disgusting but it will do for a freebie.
Hard Rocks Christmas tree
Freddie Mercury's piano.
This is the bar area behind where our private table was situated. They stole my lighting idea, yes i was open before Hard Rock Hotel, MY IDEA!
Our server showed us to our table, let the party begin. It's always difficult where your a couple out and about to have pictures together, it's either us as individuals or selfies and we hate selfies, in all the years we've been together which is 5 years now we've taken just 5 selfies, one for each year. Our server was very polite and took a picture for us, at last a proper picture.
While our meal was being served we had a live band who were excellent, it was made up of session musicians that have played with artists such as Eric Clapton, Sting and Bon Jovi.
We had starters but starters never look amazing as so small so no pics of them but our New York strip steak was WOW, cooked to perfection and so thick, brilliant.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! more free Bollinger, hugs, kisses and here's to our very special year my beautiful girl.
Didn't stay to much longer, think we left at 1am, party finished at 3am but after the long day we had it was time to crash out, one of our best new years along with Switzerland.
Day 3 - New Years Day (Not the U2 song)
Another lay in 10am, now that is lazy and today is a selection of park walks starting with Hyde Park and on to St James Park to feed our friendly Squizzles. We also have given ourselves a special treat but more about that later.
As we wandered through Hyde Park we saw they had a winter wonderland, a huge winter wonderland, LETS GO! Hold on, £5 just to enter, all rides are pre booked tickets, bars inside are pre booked for drinks, FORGET IT! Lets feed the squizzles.
One thing with St James Parks squizzles is they never let you down. They are so friendly and just come straight up to you, take monkey nuts out of your palm or even climb up your leg to take one from you, that's why they are the second animal on our pets list for our new home.
The huge winter wonderland, looks great from outside.
We have been thinking of our new business venture and have been looking for new premises in different locations, we think we found one by Trafalgar Square, It's fate.
Covent Gardens Christmas tree is always well done, compared to Trafalgar squares which looks like the last tree in the forest.
On to our special treat. A Canadian bar in London, The Maple Leaf.
On entry there is a bear called Charlotte with ice hockey gear on. Not sure if the bear has come all the way from Canada and just cause it came wearing ice hockey gear also doesn't mean it's Canadian but it's a good look. I'm guessing if it's a bear that actually does play ice hockey it must be Russian as they train bears.
Now it's a very simple dish but it's the best tasting dish we've ever had. Triple cooked chips, with Canadian cheese curd and rich salted beef gravy, a heart attack on a plate but it is so worth it.
I had the original which is just the 3 things I stated which you see in the picture, Sian had the poutine with added bacon and sausage, that was amazing, I was slightly jealous.
I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR POUTINE!
A slow walk through Sussex Gardens and I showed Sian where I lived for a year in 1991.
The Love Actually tree.
What shall we have, COCKTAILS! Sian had the Hurricane and I had the Southern Rock which the Hard Rock had based on my Oceanic Rock Legend but nowhere near as many spirits or as lethal.
Another 12 mile walk and after the walk, food and beer there was only one thing left to do, CRASH OUT!
Day 4 - Do anything day.
We were a bit broken to be honest with you after to full on days of walking, food and drink so we decided it was a bar crawl day.
With all good intentions we had a planned afternoon but in fact only hit 2 of the bars we had planned to visit as we had missed a few of our regular places so far like The Sherlock Holmes, Punch and Judy, Rutland Arms, The Roundhouse and The Fitzroy Tavern.
Our first stop was The Marlborough Head, another regular haunt of ours. A very nice pint in there and time to move on. The weather was turning as we had great weather all weekend so couldn't complain but we didn't want to be walking place to place in the rain, I suggested cocktails at the Hard Rock Hotel. No need to twist Sian's arm there, big fat YES!
We arrived and there was a free table in the bar area with a stage view. Later there would be songs from west end shows performed by the casts of those shows, we wouldn't be staying for those.
4 or 5 cocktails later we were a bit merry I have to confess but in good spirits, so much so we were naughty. Well, I will confess here, because we had spent over £120 on just drinks for us both i bought 2 glasses with one of our rounds. So those glasses we would have to collect from the shop on the way out. If you paid for when with your drink they were only £4.50 if you bought them from the shop they were £9.95.
We like our glasses and always collect them in pairs, 2 were paid for but some how another 2, the ones in picture fell in to Sian's coat. How did that happen? On collection of the glasses I had purchased I told the shop assistant I had paid for 2 hurricane glasses and 2 pint glasses, I was trying it on and guess what........it worked, I got 4 new glasses. We walked out of the Hard Rock clinking like a glass factory, TAXI!
They were so good we kept the glasses to sniff 😂
Back to our room and time to rest, it had been a exhausting break but another amazing one we both loved.
Day 5 - BOOOOOOOOOoooooo, home time.
Up and out and on to train at midday, going back in style First Class again but some how didn't feel as exciting going back to boring Cardiff.
And there we have it, our first trip away for 2022 over in a blink of an eye but it was a great way to start 2022.
And on to our next jaunt out and about, PARIS!
Now, France has stopped UK travellers from entering but we don't go until 4th Feb, fingers crossed it will all be good for then as I have tickets for France v Italy in the 6 nations and hotel next to the Stade De France paid for. We live in hope but as a back up we have an apartment in London pre-booked so at least were going somewhere from 4th till 8th Feb.
So guys until our next trip........
Serve All, Love All, Peace All, Kevlar Out!
