One more time in Rome...and on to London!

We had a wonderful stay in Perugia...but all too soon our time had come to an end.  On August 8th we left, and took the train to Rome for one night before flying to London.  Since our stay was brief, we decided to try something new...and booked a night at a convent called Suore di Santa Elisabetta.  It is less expensive than most hotel rooms in Rome, and comes with a free breakfast.  The only thing you need to keep in mind is that the doors close for the night at 11 P.M.  It was conveniently located within an easy walk to the train station...where we could catch the express train to the airport the following day.   We had a nice stay there and would definitely consider this type of booking in the future.     

Dining Room where your free breakfast is served.

A terrace located on the fourth floor.
Unfortunately, there is no shade to protect you from the sun.  

Since we didn't have much time in Rome, we decided to do one activity during our visit.  We chose to visit the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars.  The museum is located in a very interesting neighborhood lined with lovely restaurants and cafes.   

It is part of the church of Santa Maria della Concezione del Cappuccini.  Beneath the church there is a series of small chapels that contain the bones and mummified remains of an estimated 4,000 individuals.  The bones are artistically displayed throughout the chapels.  You are not allowed to take photos, so these pictures were copied from a free site on the internet.  If you are in Rome, I highly recommend a visit to this fascinating museum.     

On August 9th, we departed for London, England.  Soon after arriving we experienced a downpour...which seemed like an appropriate greeting for this city.  

Once again, we decided to try something different...and booked four nights at the Imperial College dorm rooms.  The college is located in a great location next to the famous Royal Albert Hall and very close to many of the museums in South Kensington.  I have to admit...the accommodations were not as nice as the convent...but we were in a great neighborhood close to many of the sights that we wanted to visit.

I had been to London many years ago and don't remember much of what I saw...but I loved our visit here this time around.  It is an exciting, vibrant city with much to offer, but very expensive.  Everything from food to movie tickets seemed to cost more.           

Buildings near the campus where we stayed.  

Above and below...some of the shops and restaurants found in South Kensington

One of our favorite things to do while we were in London was to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V & A.)  In fact, we loved it so much, we went there on all four of the days that we were in London.  Each day we would go for a couple hours to see various exhibits.  This was possible because almost all the museums in London are free!    

The main entrance to the V & A.

Above and two photos below...the courtyard of the V & A

Inside the lobby of the V & A

Above and below...photos of the cafes located inside the museum.

Photos above and the two below...the beautiful ceramic staircase...
which was once used as the entrance to the museum.  

There were many fascinating exhibits in the museum.  Below are just a few photos of what you can see if you visit it.

A room filled with copies of the original pieces

Above and below....a large exhibit about the theatre.
Above....costumes from The Lion King
Below...War Horse    

The museum library

I really enjoyed seeing the temporary exhibit that featured fashions created by the French designer...Christian Dior.   

Lance and I also took a guided tour of the Royal Albert Hall.  It is a concert hall that offers an event almost every day of the year.  Almost every famous person or group you can think of has performed there at some time...including The Stones...The Beatles...Frank Sinatra...Van Morrison...Jimi Hendrix, etc.  Winston Churchill gave some of his famous speeches from here, and the Queen owns a private box for viewing events...although she only attends once a year.  However, she does offer her tickets to her personal staff for a nominal fee.  In fact, many people own private boxes which have been passed down from one family member to another over the years.  Recently one box went up for sale for a whopping 3 million pounds.

While we were here The Proms were taking place.  The Proms are an eight-week summer season of daily classical music concerts and other events that are held annually.  They were founded in 1895, and are now sponsored by the BBC.  

A mural with just a few of the many people who have performed at the Royal Albert Hall.  The artist who created this is the same one who did the Sargent Peppers album cover for the Beatles.    

The Albert Memorial...located north of Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens.  

One of our main reasons for traveling to London was to attend the musical play, Hamilton.  We enjoyed a delicious meal in the modern building pictured below before attending the play.  We were fortunate to see most members of the original London cast and they were excellent.  If you ever have the opportunity to see Hamilton please go...you won't be disappointed.   

I loved the theatre they used for the Harry Potter play appearing in London.  

We also bought tickets for the play Come From Away...which was also very good.

  

This is Hyde Park...where we saw a salsa band and salsa dancing...

and people dancing on roller blades.

Everywhere you look in London you see flowers.  They must love cool, rainy weather.

Of course we had to ride the Tube...but it was expensive.  We paid about twice as much as we did in other countries for our tickets.  

London is a great cosmopolitan city with so much to offer.  We really enjoyed our brief visit here and are looking forward to returning some day soon.