The Return Home

The final morning in London was sad and the weather reflected my mood. During the entire trip the weather had been amazing. No rain. No gloomy skies. At times, it was a bit overcast, but for the most part, the sun was out. The weather was in the low 50's for the high and it worked.

The morning we left, it finally rained. It was drizzly, not a downpour. I was sad but I knew I had to go home. London didn't want me to leave either.

With one last look at some of the sites on our way out to Heathrow, I said my mental goodbyes.

The trip to the airport was quiet. That will happen at 6:00AM. But it was a fast trip, compared to our arrival. It was the right time of day and we were going the opposite direction of the morning rush hour traffic.

We arrived at the airport with no problems. We checked in, again, without any issues other than a printer error, which was fixed at the counter. We got through security fairly easily...at least for mom and I. Again, dad had slight issues, but for the most part it was a smooth entrance.

Once we were all put back together, we ventured off to the US Airways Club. I made a slight detour on the way, stopping at a gift shop to use my last twenty pounds (no point in changing that back) and then proceeded to the club for breakfast. After a sad/pouty selfie and some other family photos, we were headed off to the gate for boarding.

It all passed by fairly quickly. The next thing I knew, we were at the gate, boarding the plane and I was once more in my cushy Envoy seat. While no less spectacular than the first time around, it didn't hold the same fascination as our arrival trip. It was no longer new (so no need to take more pictures of the seats) and I was now leaving and going back to the US...when I would have much rather have stayed in the UK.

I got my sparkling wine as we boarded, though the flight attendant did ask if I was over 21. I told her yes and she asked if I could prove it. I thought it was funny, but said, yes I could, and started digging through my bag for my passport. She laughed a little and patted my back saying that I was too eager to prove it so I must be. I told her I was well over 21 and almost 31 and mom, who sat behind me, said she'd vouch for my age. I also ordered a Bloody Mary for after we took off and the same woman (who was wonderful) kind of had an 'ooh, gurl' moment and then proceed to have fun with the three of us as we each, in turn and without chatting with each other, all ordered a Bloody Mary. She even made a comment about how we must be family. Lol.

However, unlike our trip to the UK, I watched as many movies as possible. There was kind of no reason for sleep, so while I enjoyed my breakfast and lunch (yup...two meals again) I watched four different movies: White House Down, Wolverine, World War Z and Hitchcock.

I actually enjoyed White House Down. Wolverine is just getting old...this particular storyline was a real stretch. World War Z was interesting. I'm not finished with the book yet...so I can't fully compare it. And Hitchcock was good. I think Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren were wonderful.

We landed stateside in Charlotte and by that time, mom was full-blown sick and I was tired. So, off to the club we went again, to kill time. The long layovers are great to ensure that you make your next flight, but the suck because if you are on time...you just WAIT AROUND. I read, I checked emails, I drank (yes, that was my theme for almost the entire trip) and waited.

Finally, it was time to board the final leg of my flight (my parents still had one more trip back to New Mexico, but luckily the next morning). After a chugged (yes, chugged) a gin & tonic just before take off, I read a little longer and listened to some music before catching about 30 minutes of shut eye. When I woke up, I read a bit more before we began our descent into Dallas.

Our luggage made it (woot) and mom and dad headed off to their hotel while I waited for Mel to pick me up. I had a headache (from the drinks, I'm sure, and the lack of sleep). I wasn't picking Bailey up that night, so when she arrived, we decided to grab a late night dinner at Pop Diner and then I was back home.

By the time I was back and my apartment and ready for bed, I had been up for roughly 24 hours. I was exhausted but all I had were amazing memories of London and my trip with my parents.

Maybe we'll get to do it again one day...but if not, it will be something I will always remember and cherish.

Now...what to do with these... ;-)

London Trip - November 12 - November 18, 2013

London - Day 2

Sleep never felt so good.

Waking up in London the next morning felt good. Finally most of the jet-lag had left me and I was ready to face the day. And the day started with a run through Hyde and Kensington Parks. 4.5 miles along the outskirts of the parks and back to the hotel. I was up at 7am with my alarm and was ready to go by the time the sun came up, at 7:15am.

It was cold. But it was definitely pretty. Plenty of people out and about at that hour, both running like me and heading to work. I passed by the Winter Wonderland area (like a lit carnival/playground) and then up to the Diana Memorial Playground, followed around to Kensington Palace (don't know if William, Kate and George were up yet or not) and then back up the south side of the park to return back up at the hotel.

I was able to compete the run in under an hour easily and when I returned to my room, I was thrilled for the hot shower.

I met up with my parents in the lobby at 9am for breakfast. Now, figuring out where breakfast was (ie which of the locations in the hotel we were supposed to go to) was slight challenge, but we were victorious.

Fueled for the day ahead, we split up. Dad was heading off to Harrods while mom and I left for the London Eye and whatever other adventures we decided on along the way. With tube passes in hand, we headed up to Marble Arch Station and made our way down to Waterloo and then out to the Thames where the London Eye was.

Finding the London Eye was easy (it's a big Ferris wheel...you can't miss it) but finding where to get tickets was tricky. But with perseverance, two tickets were purchased and we headed right into one of the pods.

The ride was smooth and super quiet. There was another couple from England with us, as well as four Germans. We each took turns taking pictures for each other and continued to enjoy the ride. The views were pretty awesome. Definitely the best views in London...better than St. Paul's and I had done that before. Mom is not great with heights but she was able to do this with ease as each pod was completely enclosed. I highly recommend it.

Next stop, the Tower of London. We decided to walk over to Westminster Station so that we would be able to walk across the bridge for the Eye over to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament to take pictures.

Then we took the tube over to Tower Hill and arrived at the Tower of London. The space around the Tower has definitely expanded and improved in the last 10 years. More shops and exhibits surround the historic site, so before you even get to the gates, you can see some additional history, purchase tickets and shop to your heart's content.

When we arrived, there was some sort of 'event' happening because when we stepped over to the Tower, they began firing canons. Yes, canons, plural. I think there were three different canons and they kept reloading and firing. We never did stop to ask what it was about, but it was interesting enough to stop for a few moments before moving on to the reason we came.

So...the Tower of London: home the Crown Jewels, Beefeaters, ravens and of course the site of many beheadings and other deaths. Always a pleasure.

It was a beautiful day for this visit. A bit windy, but inside the walls, you would never know.

And I don't know about you, but every time I look at Tower Bridge now, I picture the character of Lord Blackwood, from the movie Sherlock Holmes (yes, the Robert Downey, Jr. version), hanging from the partially built Tower Bridge after Sherlock has practically kicked him overboard. Good news...no such image there today. ;-)

 

Mom and I continued to wander throughout the Tower of London, taking in the sites, photographing the pretty magnificent buildings and enjoying the weather before finally making our way over to the Crown Jewels. Sorry folks, no pictures of the jewels...not allowed.

Fun fact...if there are any Doctor Who fans reading this, the picture below should look really familiar to you, but only if you watched the recently aired Day of the Doctor 50th Anniversary show.

And for those same DW fans...here is one of the said Ravens. It didn't look to be in need of new batteries. For those who don't follow DW, this is one of the many ravens that live on-site at the Tower. They are taken care of by the Beefeaters that live at the Tower as well. They each have names and they also have their wings clipped...however, that hasn't stopped at least one from escaping recently. It even made the news.

No worries...he was picked up and returned to the Tower unharmed.

And here's another fun fact...the Tower of London used to be home to a ZOO. Yup, a zoo, long before the London Zoo was ever founded. They would have the animals roaming an area of the grounds...and needless to say, some of the predators would eat the other animals. Thus, the zoo didn't remain around long.

From the Tower of London, we headed to London's Southbank where we walked along the river Thames and took in the sites, such as St. Paul's Cathedral.



We also stopped by the Tate Modern. This is a very cool museum which is housed in an old factory. One of the main attractions here is the large open art space which you see as soon as you walk in. In there is an installation that changes every 6 months or so. Sadly, when we walked in it was completely blocked off because they were changing it from one installation to another. Sad day.

One more fun fact for the day...we kept seeing signs that said 'No Busking' and we didn't know what that meant. It wasn't until later, when we asked a family friend, that busking is singing/performing for money. Who knew?!

So our last stop for the day was to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I had seen a stage combat demonstration here 10 years ago in the museum portion of the building, but never had the pleasure of actually going into the performance space.

But that changed!! Thanks to the London Pass, mom and I got a fantastic tour, led by our tourguide below.



The tour was great. We learned how they rebuilt the Globe (as the original burned down many many many years ago, i.e. pre-Great Fire of London) and how theatre was illegal in the city of London back in Shakespearean times, so you would have to cross the river to be able see it.

So, when the tour was over, we started to head back to the hotel. Crossing the Millennium Bridge, we were able to have great views of St. Paul's Cathedral again as well as back at the Globe.

Dad's adventure at Harrods apparently was still going on when we got back, because he was no where to be found. Mom and I changed for the show we were seeing that night and grabbed dinner at The Park Room in the hotel. I don't know if I was ridiculously hungry or if it was just that good, but the club sandwich and fries that we had were unbelievable.

Dad did finally arrive back at the hotel...bags in hand...before we left to go see ONCE. I had been very excited to see this show. So many people I work with were recommending it, saying it was something I would love and needed to see. I had meant to see it when I was in New York about a year ago, but never made it happen. So, when mom had asked what I wanted to see while we were in London, ONCE was at the top of my list.

The pre-show was pretty awesome. Members of the cast came on stage a little after half-hour and once the house was open and played music and sang as if they were actually in the little pub that was setup on stage. I even went up there and got a drink! :-) Ah...warm beer...but in a collector's cup!

This was a beautiful production and I was happy to see it. It's not your traditional piece of musical theater and I think that's refreshing. If you get the chance, do. Some of the symbolism (aka dancing) stretches it a bit, but overall, beautiful and great music.

So with the performance done, we headed back to the hotel. And of course, there's nothing wrong with ending the evening with a gin and tonic and a huge piece of chocolate cake...right?

I thought not.

London - Day 1

When we touched down at Heathrow, I was very excited. We had flown in over London and could see everything from the London Eye to The City (aka their downtown) itself. It had been just shy of ten years since my first and subsequently only trip to the UK capital, and I was just as excited, if not more, than the last time.

Stepping off the plane and into the terminal was a bit eerie. Remember that scene from 28 Days Later, when the main character (the actor's name escapes me right now) wakes up in the hospital and starts wandering through the abandoned city of London? That's what it was like. At 7:50am, the London Heathrow airport (at least terminal 1) was deserted.

However, the site that made me giggle: a Ben & Jerry's ice cream vending machine. No joke.

Anyway, we made it to baggage claim, after walking what felt like at least a mile of walkways (again, no joke) and all of our luggage arrived. This felt like a good omen for the rest of the trip. When I was last in London, I was to be there a month and it doesn't bode well for your month-long trip when your luggage doesn't arrive until 4 days after you do.

Luggage in hand, we pop into a taxi and into the city we went. Granted, it was morning rush hour traffic, so it definitely took longer than anticipated, but as we got closer to London, I was beginning to recognize areas and landmarks. We drove passed the Royal Albert Hall and along side Kensington and Hyde Parks (where I would be continuing my marathon training) and then we finally made it to our hotel, The Grosvenor House. Beautiful hotel. What was even better, we were able to check into two rooms upon arrival, which allowed for showers and a bit of a rest prior to a day in London.

I walked into my room. Damn. Way bigger than my last hotel room in London. King sized bed (it was a twin ten years ago), ample space to walk around (Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs was bigger than the previous room) and a glorious bathroom (I don't recall much about the last bathroom, other than washing clothes in it).

And while we are on the topic of bathrooms, let me make mention of the bathtub/shower. I don't think I've ever seen as many levers as were in this shower. One to turn on the bath, one to adjust the temperature, one to turn on the shower, one to turn on the handheld....and if you didn't do them in the correct order or didn't shut of the correct ones, the whole system didn't function properly. And no, there were zero instructions, so it became a process of trial and error.

But the waterfall shower head made it all worth it in the end.

Ok, so, we got cleaned up and dad took a nap. Mom and I knew that we couldn't sleep yet (though we severely wanted to) so we headed out in search of our London Passes and a fish and chips lunch.

Picking up to the London Pass - good
Finding a pub for fish and chips - good
Going in search of the Tardis - bad

I got it in my head that the Tardis (aka the blue police box from Doctor Who) would be at Charring Cross Station and relatively easy to find. WRONG. Yes, a big blue box should be easy to find....if you are looking in the right spot.

We began by heading south to Trafalgar Square (the London Passes were picked up outside the Leicester Square tube stop).

With a quick photo op with the lions at the base Nelson's Column (sorry, those are in mom's pictures), we continued down in search of Charring Cross Station.

Once we reached the Horse Guards and Downing Street, we knew something was wrong...ie we had gone too far. With a quick look at the map, we determined that instead of going straight, as we had from Trafalgar Square, we should have made a left.

So, we looped around at Embankment and discovered Charring Cross. Great! Now we just have to find the big blue box. Simple, right? WRONG AGAIN!

We made a complete circle around the station. I knew it was on a major street, and not one of the cobble stone alleys, based on the Google Maps locator. Granted, I didn't have cell service in London, so unless I could hook into a wifi network on the street, I was out of luck searching via Google Maps. Finally, we gave up. We were tired, and we still had a decent walk in front of us to get back to the hotel, via Buckingham Palace. Defeated, I located our next route (on an actual map) and we headed out in search of the Queen's home.

The walk was lovely. The weather was nice; chilly but sunny. The leaves were turning slowly into the pretty fall hues I've grown accustomed to in the northeast and it was the ideal setting. The number of runners out and about was phenomenal. I want a job where I can go for a run in the middle of the day.

While at Buckingham Palace, there was no changing of the guard ceremony happening that day, but we did witness the changing of both sets of guards. No pomp and circumstance, but it was entertaining nonetheless, and not from a regal standpoint. Mom and I were giggling most of the time, making up what they were saying to each other and watching them have to shift by the quarter of an inch at a time based on the head movements of their leader/commander, etc. Fascinating.

 

 

Continuing on our walk, we reached Wellington's Arch, located at the southeast corner of Hyde Park. Mom and I went our separate ways here, she to Harrods and myself to the hotel. I got to the room, set my alarm and took a 30 minute nap. I swear, mom knew about this and right at the 30 minute mark, she called me. She, having just gotten back from Harrods and realizing dad was still asleep, said we should go downstairs for tea. We ended up having coffee/hot chocolate from the coffee shop off the lobby and got onto the wifi to check mail, say hello on Facebook and upload pictures.

It was here that I discovered that the Tardis was NOT at Charring Cross Station, but at Earl's Court Station....in the complete opposite direction of where we had been. Ugh. So...the Tardis would be located another day.

Once we were done in the lobby, we headed back to our rooms once more to get ready for dinner as we planned to meet up with some friends at a pub down the street from the hotel, The Audley. We met at 6 and finished dinner around 7:15pm.

 

By 7:30 I was back in my room and passed out.