Day 5 - Exhausted Moores at the Milestone

We had a very exciting and very tiring day today. We left the Victoria Spa B & B in Stratford at 9 and took the train to London, and a cab to the posh Milestone Hotel off of Hyde Park. I have really never seen a more beautiful hotel, or one so dedicated to amazing service; the introductory lecture alone took an hour, and I got much of it on tape to my glee. We got upgraded somehow to a suite, complete with bathtub (!!) and robes and slippers and fruit on the table and lilies that they took away for me, and organic scent-free soap in the bathroom and even paper business cards with our address for the weekend with contact info, and a daily printed weather report and on and on. Oh and you can watch TV from the bathtub if you want, I know because I just did it *insanely happy giggle*. They served us tea and biscuits while we waited for our room to be fixed up. And of course the wifi here is lightning-fast, unlike the Stratford trickle, so I uploaded some photos.

We sort of spun around in our suite, hugging ourselves in glee, and then ran out to the Globe, making it at 5 minutes before the curtain, to see "Timon of Athens" - which I have never seen as it is so rarely done. And you know what? The production was fabulous. I didn't expect lots of people dressed as black ravens doing Suzuki stomping and flying - but it totally worked. The lead was incredibly good and so were all of them.

They we walked up the embankment to a very old pub for dinner, and walked down to the National, had cake there (I watched) and went in to see a very touching production called "The Year of Magical Thinking" with none other than Vanessa Redgrave. We were all very sleepy and exhausted, but also riveted by her incredible performance. Terry was the first one to stand up cheering (unusual). It was about a writer who lost her whole family . . . I sort of don't like to think about how awful the story is. But it was gorgeous.

Then an excruciatingly-long tube trip home with 4 changes . . . and my lovely bath to soothe my aching bod and very sore feet . . . and I am about to fall into bed with those soft white sheets and that extremely soft coverlet. The boys are already asleep. We are all just wrecked. But merrily so!

I do not know what possessed Terry to book this hotel. But God bless him! I am glad I am getting to stay at a place like this at least once in my life. I want to bring Mom here someday! And my friends . . . and Theo . . . yeah, right. I just wish everyone could experience this.

Oh and we discovered that both Patrick Stewart and REM have stayed in our suite . . . *giggle* I know we will probably not stay anywhere like this again. I feel like "Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris"!