We needed to go to London to get visas for Mongolia (long story).

And it's cheaper to go on an off-peak train and spend the night at a modest hotel than it is to go first thing in the morning with the commuters.

So the idea of a London interlude was born.

From the coffee and shortbread procured from the chirpy train trolley man on the way down, to the brisk walk home from Newark station on the way back, it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip (although the walk back turned out to be action-packed: someone got arrested en route -- pinned to the ground in the middle of the road by three no-nonsense policemen).

Our Bayswater hotel was unremarkable, but the location -- right by the tube station -- was great.

Highlights:

-- Robust Greek coffees at the Byzantium Cafe, looking out over a rainy Moscow Road;





-- A walk round the neighbourhoods of Notting Hill, admiring the blossom and the chimney pots, the elegant facades (in varying states of upkeep), and the smart cars entrusted to the garage-less streets;







-- Merlot and small plates at the Sun in Splendour, Portobello Road (prosciutto and salami, Scotch eggs, and arancini on hummous);

-- Another of those classic English breakfasts from Cafe Roma, looking out onto a bright, sun-lit Bayswater morning;



-- Walking a great swathe of London parkland -- Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James's Park -- and admiring parrots and oaks and squirrels on the way;







-- Getting the VISA...;



-- Drinking great-tasting green juice from Crussh;

-- Touring the fascinating royal trails of Kensington Palace (the state apartments of Queen Mary II, who died here in 1694; the state apartments of King George II and Queen Caroline, which conjured up Handel and ridiculously wide court dresses; the rooms where Queen Victoria's rigorously controlled childhood came to an abrupt end as she presided, as the 18-year-old new monarch, over her first Privy Council meeting; and the fashion trends set by Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, and Princess Diana);













-- Taking afternoon tea in the Orangery (with a cake-stand loaded with teeny sandwiches, bite-sized bagels, scrumptious little scones with cream and jam, and delicate little mouthfuls of cake and dessert);



-- Walking on to Buckingham Palace (such a long time since either of us had trodden these well-worn routes);





-- Fetching up briefly in Whitehall Gardens, before repairing to The Sherlock Holmes for Shiraz and nachos.



-- And taking the train home...