It was early December when Alkis surprised me with a Christmas holiday in London. I was thrilled, to say the least, as I had only been to London once and that was almost 30 years ago. My only worry was whether I'd survive the 5-hour flight to Heathrow Airport. Considering how much I love to travel and how much I wanted to discover London, I promised myself that I'd make a good effort to control my fear. By 6 o'clock in the evening, Cyprus Airways had taken off. Despite my nervousness, I was finally able to enjoy the flight, which was quite uneventful. I even took photos of London from the plane just a few minutes before landing.
It was 9:00 pm (local time) when Cyprus Airways safely landed at Heathrow. When the plane came to a halt, I was able to breathe again normally! It took us about an hour to get to the hotel by taxi. Due to the time difference, I thought I'd feel sleepy and tired but actually I was hungry but in such a great mood! As soon as we set foot in the luxurious lobby of Chancery Court Hotel, I felt like a queen in her palace. Check-in at the reception was fast and efficient and soon afterwards, the Guest Relations Officer showed us to our room, which combined style and elegance with modern, high-tech amenities while capturing the authentic spirit and comfort of home. I loved the wooden structures in the bathroom, the double set of sparkling white, velvety towels and, naturally, the king bed. Although it was late, we had some wine and finger food at the bar adjacent to Pearl Restaurant. On our first night in London, I slept like a baby!
DAY 1 - Christmas Eve
Breakfast consisted of a rich buffet with hot and cold dishes, a wide variety of fresh fruit and juices, muffins and scones, freshly baked bread and croissants, cheeses, smoked ham and turkey, cereals and various jams. We were both starving, so we had a little bit of everything from the buffet in addition to tea, toast, eggs and bacon which we could order in the dining-room. Soon after breakfast, we set off to enjoy this Christmas Eve in the heart of London. We walked to Oxford street and did some window shopping. The Guest Relations Officer advised us to go shopping on Boxing Day when the sales start officially and prices drop to half. In the evening, we enjoyed our drinks at the bar and then had dinner at Pearl Restaurant.
DAY 2 - Christmas Day
I guess it was a bad idea to go for a walk as it was pouring and we knew the heart of London would look like a ghost city as there are no buses or trains. Christmas Day is the one and only day in the year when London shuts down! It's like August 15 in Nicosia. I suppose people are busy unwrapping presents and celebrating with their families. At 10:00 am, there was hardly anyone in the street! Although we carried an umbrella, we got wet and went back to the hotel..... laughing all the way! We changed into dry clothes and spent the rest of the morning talking, taking photos and reading books in the lobby, which was so very relaxing. We had lunch at the hotel as most restaurants were closed on Christmas Day and spent the afternoon watching TV in our room. In the evening, we dressed up and got ready for the festive Christmas Dinner at Pearl Restaurant which we had already booked beforehand.
The food was excellent! Our congratulations to the Executive Chef. I had London cured salmon for starters, Roast Norfolk Turkey breast served with sweet chestnuts, cranberries and vegetables and, of course, Christmas pudding for dessert. But, all of a sudden, just before dessert at about 11 pm, the lights went out. At first I thought that it was part of the entertainment and the pudding would be flamed at our table! Well, it was simply a power cut. The staff carried candles from the bar in practically no time and placed one on each table. It was so romantic that I wished the power had never come back. The power was restored in about 15 minutes but our puddings arrived slightly burnt. Alkis couldn't eat his, but in the country of the Christmas pudding I ate both after having removed the burnt part.
.....to be continued