So much to catch up on.


A few weeks ago we finally made it to London. I wasn’t working yet (more on that later) so we headed out on Saturday after what has now become our weekly tradition – a traditional breakfast. Eggs, ham, bacon, hash browns, baked beans, and a fried tomato and mushroom. Very nice. It’s a bit of a heart attack, but it keeps you going for a while. I’ve scaled it back recently with a breakfast bloomer (sandwich) and hash browns, so that should give my arteries a few more good months. (really…. the only difference is, the entire breakfast is between 2 pieces of bread, and no baked beans, which is kind of weird anyway. MT) From there, it’s just two blocks to the catch the train and then 25-35 minutes to Paddington station.



Our agenda was manageable, with the British Museum first and a quick look at Westminster after, dinner, and back to Paddington. We hopped on a bus right outside the station and climbed the stairs to fix our plate-sized eyes on the magical streets of busy London on a Saturday. Absolutely stunning. Every street is a postcard - and I was watching television. Television! In London they have plasma-screen televisions on city buses. Anyone who knows me will excuse me for watching TV during my first look at London, for this television was playing highlights of the Dakar Rally. All I needed was Myra feeding me whole bunches of grapes and chicken drumsticks while fanning me with giant fern leaves.



Myra brought me around when we arrived at the Museum and joined the million-or-so other tourists and decided on the two or three exhibitions to check out, but were delayed when Myra found a room with books in it. There’s whole sections of ancient temples and real mummies (they let them wander around but they can’t really move that fast, so they’re not dangerous) and I think they had the same flame that Man discovered fire with still burning in a room somewhere, and Myra finds the books. In her defense, they were old. Whatever, I liked the swords (ancient samurai swords – amazing), so you could make fun of me just as much.


The Underground took us to the heart of the city in minutes. The Underground isn’t what I expected. It’s a little claustrophobic due to the cramped quarters and extreme heat, but it sure gets you around fast. The station spit us out literally at the foot of Big Ben, which is far more amazing in person. I think they refinished all the gold leafing on it, and combined with the gothic architecture of Parliament, it’s really quite incredible.




Right next to it, Westminster Abby is equally incredible and the scale is enormous. We missed the opportunity to go inside, but we’ll catch it up on the next trip. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around the London Eye/Aquarium area and saw a great performance by a band called Portico Quartet out on the walkway on the Thames, and then had a lovely dinner in Soho (Kettners, if you know of it, Kathy). Being inexperienced travelers, we (I) got antsy about leaving for the train station early in case we lost our way, so we then made our way back to the station.



Soho on a Saturday night is crazy. The streets were already shoulder-to-shoulder packed, when a Hare Krishna parade pushed their way through Leicester Square. Never a dull moment. A little re-routing was required after a section of our line was closed, but we reached Paddington to find our train delayed due to a fatality somewhere along the way – not sure what the cause was.





A quick visit, but now at least we’re a little familiar with the place for next time, and our first excursion is in the bag. We’re heading back in in a couple of weeks for a play (Thanks Kathy!). Reading is perfect place to see the UK from. Oxford next, and then maybe Windsor, all only minutes away.