We had decided to take a short city break before the sailing season really started. Our calendars matched for the last weekend of March, hoping the weather would be tolerable. For this long weekend, we took the Wednesday evening flight from Helsinki, arriving at Heathrow at 9 pm.

With long day of work and travel, we opted for the more expensive and quicker version of getting to the city, the Heathrow Express. I had picked a hotel that was only a five minute walk from Paddington station. That was quite handy with the Bakerloo line also whisking us to our adventures.

In the evening we still took a quick walk in Hyde Park before heading to bed. After a good night’s sleep, it was time for some serious tourist work. I have been in London a few times, but this was a first for Jaana. With so much to see, I had been able to squeeze a list of top three attractions that were to be seen. The British Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. I spent days on planning routes and securing tickets so that we could also enjoy our stay, and not only to perform.

First stop: British Museum. You could spend years there, but we only spent five hours in total. My aim was to see the Rosetta stone again. On my previous visit, there was no glass casing, but it seems that people don’t know what don’t touch means. I can still remember the history lessons and the picture in my book. This has been the key to unlocking hieroglyphs and the rich Egyptian history and a priceless artefact.

After we had brushed up on our Egyptology, Greek history, Japanese culture and a host of other fascinating facts, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Westminster and saw beautiful cherry blossoms in the parks. Serene peace and a moment to just stop and sense the wonder of life.

It was time to head back to our hotel for a quick change and some dinner before heading off to a fantastic experience at His Majesty’s Theatre: Phantom of the Opera. Such a great show, and I could do it again. Even though the music and songs are stupendous, at times I caught myself being amazed by the exquisite staging and how the set worked technically.

With two full days of activities still ahead, it was time to head back and catch some sleep. It wouldn’t be acceptable to miss out on Westminster Abbey just because one was tired.