I was in Heathrow Terminal 2 yesterday June 4 for the one year countdown to opening on June 4, 2014. While it is still a building site, it is almost finished.  The builders are getting ready to handover in November for six months of testing before the first passengers arrive.  It is a beautiful airy building, enormous, but human.  Here you will be able to walk from plane to train in less than ten minutes. 

A weekend in London with family to see the David Bowie Exhibition at the V & A was made all the more enjoyable by staying in the city and discovering that area of London.   We stay in the Travelodge near Liverpool Street Station (5 minutes walk) and it was clean, cheap, and quiet.  I booked rooms in January and we paid £50 per night for family rooms.  From Liverpool Street, exit at Bishopgate cross road, turn to right and go up Devonshire Row/lane to find the hotel. It is only five minutes.  Great food 24 hours a day at the traditional London caff, Polo Bar. 

Guided by London-based daughter, we did a pub crawl of traditional city pubs on Friday night.  There are some real treasures out there, holding out against progress, like the Ten Bells, Commerical Tavern and the Pride of Spitalfields.