Liverpool to London

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I awoke early reluctantly so I could be at the train on time. Found out that the ticket I booked was good for all day so I got on the first train out of Liverpool. There was no change of trains so we made it to London in 2 1/2 hours. I got to Euston Station and took the Tube to Paddington Station. No I didn't see a bear anywhere. From there I took a cab to the Elysee Hotel. Check in wasn't until 2 so after leaving the suitcase with the hotel, I walked to Argos. Argos is a department store that uses computers tablets for people to place orders. If they have it in stock at that location, the clerks go in the back warehouse section and bring it to you at the check out. It was pretty cool. I remarked to the clerk that it reminds me of how McDonalds does it. She replied that a CEO of McDonalds actually came to that location and took pictures and asked about how it all worked. I got a fan and wanted a face cloth, but had to purchase two hand towels. When I got back to the hotel, I cut one of the hand towels into 4ths. Hotels don't carry face towels so I improvised.

I checked in and discovered that yes, I did get a single room. The room with a bed and a small bathroom is about the same size as the small bedroom in my parents house. But the place is very new in design. Everything is clean. Best of all the AC actually is in the room and not on the roof where I can't control it. The location is just north of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It's in a little street that has a few restaurants and shops as well as a laundry mat just 2 doors over. I can now do some laundry before I leave for Europe on Thursday.

I left the hotel to head for Charing Cross so I could get my Pass Card (This will get me into over 200 places for free for the next 3 days) and to explore the city a bit. Charring Cross is in the Little Italy section of the city, so I had a small slice of pizza and a berry smoothie. I then decided to head to Trafalgar Square a couple of blocks south. As I turned the corner, I stumbled upon the National Portrait Gallery. Entrance was free so I went in. I really liked it. It showed painted portraits going all the way back to the Tudors and up to the Victorian age. I spent about 2 hours there. I took the Tube back to my hotel. I was in the mood for ice cream so I went across the street to the market. They didn't have what I liked but the Italian restaurant next door did! Great tasting treat.

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