we had a four hour layover and finally connected up with our connector flight to lhr...i enjoyed three films, two of which i wanted to see, my week with marilyn which i thoroughly enjoyed and the adventures of tintin which just proved that i'd rather see live than animated...the third was real steel which was fairly good with hugh jackman great in his role, sort of a non-singing curley.
we arrived in london and took the heathrow express to paddington which was under major renovation so our usual exit on eastbourne terrace was closed. after depositing our luggage at the hotel elysee, we headed for piccadilly and the royal academy of arts's hockney's landscape exhibit...we stopped at fortnum/mason for a purchase of majestic marmalade with gold flecks...we then crossed the street and entered the exhibit...although i enjoy hockney's portraits, his scenic designs, i grew tired of his landscapes although i enjoyed a few for the boldness of colors...we walked over to piccadilly in search of dinner and had our expected meal of pub grub at st. james pub...i had the fish and chips with a pint of london pride..our eating neighbors were two american women from little rock, enjoying a meal away from their tour.
i finished our first day by going to the noel coward theatre to see hay fever...the first act was slow, made slower by my jet lag...the second act was much better, in fact, excruciatingly hilarious (quoting a review) centered on a game and couples re-pairing...the third act tied the play up in a nice bow...a long day came to an end...i discovered something important; i kinda figured out the ins and outs of the west end...i'll probably get lost in the future, but not as easily as the past...
