Cheryl: Weekend in Wokingham- London Part 1

We were amazed at how easy the self-check-in was for Lufthansa. Because of my status on United (Premier Exec) they put us in Business Class and treated us like First class…very comfy!. We arrived at Heathrow and John (my client’s driver in London) drove us to our first hotel (built in the 70’s for non-business travelers) where we dropped off our luggage and then caught a train to spend the day in London. I actually understood and remembered the locations because of (I almost hate to admit this!) all of the Regency Romances I read when I was younger! LOL! I knew about Weybridge and Ascot and Covent Gardens and Drury Lane. It makes me absolutely want to re-read my Patricia Veryan collection (hers are the best!!) Anyway…we got off the train at Waterloo station and were halfway across the bridge when an ice cold bucket of water was dumped upon our heads. It was actually rain….but it was wetter than rain (is that possible?) and more dense than rain. Within a heartbeat we were 100% soaked. Nick said “I don’t think we could be any wetter if we jumped off the bridge into the Thames!” Then the wind picked up and we were freezing! YOu guessed it...No umbrella…and no winter coat (too bulky to carry around). Once across the bridge we had Irish Coffee and let ourselves dry out a little at a little Irish Pub. Then we went to a store and bought a cool mini-umbrella (soft green) and a cool green safari purse to put it in. We checked out Covent Garden and the Theatre district and ate Cornish Pasties. We also went to Somerset House (which plays prominently in Veryan books because her characters are in trouble all the time). Somerset House now houses an art gallery (as well as the Naval Offices) and we spent some time in the art gallery and checking out Nelson’s Stair,etc. On Sunday we went to our main hotel "St Anne's Manor".Check-in was delayed (as they had rented the entire Manor House and grounds to a group for the weekend) so we went to a little “strip Mall”(?) in Wokingham. There was a bowling alley (smokey!) and a little “American” restaurant called Frankie & Bennie’s. We hung out at the little restaurant and listened to oldies and talked and laughed. It was a wonderful day! While we waited out front of the restaurant (for the cab to take us back to the Manor House) they played Nat King Cole’s “Smile, though your heart is aching”. Nick took my hand and put it on his shoulder and we danced in the mist to that lovely old song. There are certain moments in life that are seared into my memory…crystal clear for all eternity. This was one of those moments.