(I Was) In London!

So I started this post on Monday morning this past week, exactly five days ago.

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I'm now 26 weeks!  And in London!

The flight here was a little more difficult than I expected - my memories from traveling long haul during my previous pregnancy must have been severely rose-tinted or else it really makes a difference to be pregnant with twins and nearly two years older.  I thought I'd be good because my last long haul flight previously occurred when I was 29-30 weeks (and after an absolutely insane working schedule also).

But my compression stockings at one point felt like they were amputating my legs right below my knee, and I stupidly didn't pack enough GD-friendly snacks.  Also, I didn't pause to consider how long the flight is from Hong Kong to London - I had the vague idea that it was a little over 10 hours - but actually, it's more like nearly 13 hours!  That's 3 hours longer than a flight to Sydney which is when I took comparable flights for work previously.  My flight landed late Sunday night, which apparently is prime time at Heathrow because of all the business travelers getting in in anticipation of meetings on Monday, which extended the flight time even more.

But no matter, I'm here!  Let's see how the days go.  I have managed to come here during an interminably rainy and gloomy and cold period, but strangely that doesn't dampen my spirits at all.  I love London!  It's a city steeped in such history and beauty, truly one of the great cities of the world.

The big party is tonight at the Spencer House, London's "most magnificent 18th century aristocratic palace" which is apparently the only one in the city to have survived fully intact.

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That's as far as I managed to get on Monday, because I had to go into the office to do a little bit of work, and then I went to John Lewis to get some baby clothes shopping done, and I also was hoping to run to Mackage to buy a winter coat, but I ran out of time.  I did manage to scope out a bunch of dresses and bags at Selfridge's online (they have a great click and collect next day service if you're ever in town for just a couple of days) and to score a ticket to Hamilton (!!!) for the next evening's performance (Tuesday night). 

I stayed at The Ned in the city, two blocks' walking distance from my firm's London office.

It's probably not my first choice of hotel but it is still very nice, and I decided to go with it for convenience and because it was on our office list.  The decor is really fun - you feel like you have stepped into some early 20th century hotel room, with lots of Art Deco and vintage finishes like a (faux) rotary telephone, heavy draperies, a small dressing table, a tiled bathroom, and beautiful crystal goblets.

 

 

 When I was in town, the streets were occupied by an Extinction Rebellion (people protesting cars and carbon footprints and shouting about climate change) and also mainly shut due to the Queen's speech and the ongoing mess of Brexit.  It made getting around pretty challenging but thankfully I had my Oyster card and re-acquainted myself with the tube.

 I feel like wherever I go nowadays I meet with protestors and street closures!

 

 Sloane Square, where I engaged in a frenzied 2-hour bout of shopping, was beautiful.

 The Spencer House turned out to be as incredibly well preserved and as beautiful as touted.  I have come back with a copy of the book on the house, as a memento.

The chandeliers alone... and just every detail on the walls and the ceilings - so overdone, yet so elegant.  I didn't really manage to capture or do justice to the glories of the rooms, as I was trying to avoid getting any people in my shots!

I took a surreptitious selfie near the end.

 We had drinks in the retiring room on the ground floor, which looked the most "normal" if you will.  But I mean, this was in the bathroom!