Walking London

Yesterday a friend had a long flight on her way to Asia, broken up with an 11 hour layover in London.  Val, Angelina and I met up with her in central London and took her on a whirlwind tour.  I got teased for my "well modulated" voice.  Kris said she felt like she would just need to push a button and the walking tour audio companion would begin.

It was really fun to revisit some favorite parts of London.

As I walked from Tottenham Court to meet the others, I stopped to take the above picture.  A young woman came over to me to ask for directions.  She wanted to go to the National Gallery, and since she seemed confused by my directions, I told her I was going in the same direction and we could talk together.  She is from Rome, and if I understood her explanation, she is a marriage counselor and this is her first holiday in England.

Once the four of us ladies met up, we found a Wetherspoons and had the requisite fish and chips along Charing Cross Road.  From there, we walked to the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square, popped into Starbucks for a much needed coffee, and then took the bus to St. Paul's.  From there, we crossed the Millennium Bridge and did a rapid tour of the Tate Modern.  (We aren't really modern art fans, but they have clean toilets!) 

We then carried on one of my favorite walks, past the Globe Theatre, pausing at the Golden Hinde (a replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship) through Bourough Market and past Southwark Church.  We wandered past the creepy London Dungeon and the Winston Churchill Britain at War Museum, which I've never gone into but perhaps I should.  

Beyond Tooley Street, we entered More London.  This is where I love the contrast of City Hall and Tower Bridge, with the Tower of London across the Thames.  

I love the contrast of old and new in this part of London.  This is walking through More London on the way to Tower Bridge.

By this point, our tired feet thought it would be good to hop on another bus.  We caught a bus down to the London Eye, unwittingly picking the perfect time of day for a pretty picture. 

Just a few feet further, we had another great photo opportunity for the Houses of Parliament before crossing Westminster Bridge.  

We walked across the bridge and over to Westminster Abbey.  Sadly, I had remembered the wrong time for Evensong at Westminster Abbey, but no one minded too much :)  We then walked down to Victoria Station for a quick dinner.  From there, Kris headed back to Heathrow on the tube and we three London ladies headed our various directions.  I actually went back to where I started my day, and met a friend for a farewell coffee.  She's moving to North Africa not too soon after I leave.  We had a good time talking, but after the walking around in the brisk wind, I struggled to keep my eyes open!  We didn't linger too long, and I soon found my way back to Tottenham Court to go home for much needed sleep.

My Fair Hats.

At long last, I have finally remembered to get the hat pictures from Laura.  They speak for themselves.

One of my favorites.

(a little bit big!)

This last one was truly an incredible hat.  I would love to wear it to a wedding someday!  Sadly, it was a little out of my financial reach.

Laura and I were going through and swapping photos tonight.  We have so many!  I'm really thankful that I've taken a lot of pictures.  As I flip through them on my computer, they bring back so many memories.  Laus and I have had some great experiences in the year we've been housemates.

One Week.

One week more in London.  My daily goodbyes are becoming a bit more frantic as I realize how few days are left.  

Saturday I took the train to meet Kate, a friend from a few years ago who lives outside of London.  Even though she’s only an hour away, we have only managed to get together one time in the three years I’ve been here!  She was visiting her family, who live in the northwest outskirts of London.  Kate met me at the train station and drove me to St. Alban’s, a little town north of London.  We had a great lunch at the Waffle House, a lovely little restaurant.  It is one of those old buildings with the low, exposed beams and a real fire crackling away.  

Sunday, I woke up and went to Heathrow to meet Krysta, a friend I met just before coming to London.  She was also preparing to move overseas, to Latin America.  She and I have kept in touch occasionally.  When I read that she was coming to the UK for two months, I sent her an email to see if we could meet.  Sunday I met her flight and she came to my house for Sunday night.  It was great to see her!  We went down to Edgeware Road in the evening for a fabulous meal at a favorite Lebanese restaurant.  

Today, I met up with my work colleagues for a goodbye lunch at a place of my choosing.  I’ve wanted to eat at the Slug and Lettuce pub for a while, so I chose that as our venue. With a name like that, who wouldn’t want to give it a go? :) The food was excellent, and every Monday their food is discounted 50%.  I had a final round of fish and chips with minted mushy peas.  

Afterwards, I returned home, where Krysta had been catching up on emails and the like.  We then made our way to Waterloo, where she caught her train for the rest of her journey.

Reality and finality is starting to settle.  After waving goodbyes to Krysta, I wandered back to the tube to return home.  I went via Tesco to meet Laura and we both did a little shopping.  Needless to say, I didn't need to get a lot of groceries.  Laura and I are both feeling fairly melancholic tonight.  After we made dinner, I told her she could use the rest of the onions and sweet potatoes I had leftover from earlier dinners.  She made a pouty face and said, "You won't be here to use the onions!  Aww..."  Even though we've known I would be returning to the USA, this still seems to be coming rather quickly.

I can remember moving to the USA at age 13.  It felt foreign, even though I had been there before.  I have been back and forth between the USA and the UK several times in my three years here.  While it has always been great to see family and friends, each time it felt a little less like "home."  London started to feel more familiar.  Oddly enough, when I would arrive at Heathrow and wrestle my bags onto the tube, I felt relaxed.  I had just "visited" the USA and now I had returned to the UK.  Now, somehow, that needs to start to change again.  The friends I tried so hard to make here will be the ones I have to say goodbye to and the friends I said goodbye to will be the ones I get to know again.  Eventually, I'll start to forget the routes I've become familiar with in London and I will have to relearn some roads in Pennsylvania.  Sometimes I want the adjustment to happen quickly and easily. At other times, I know that loosing that familiarity with London is part of the closing of a chapter.

Melancholy is the mood of the night.  I felt fine on Saturday, but the many goodbyes are catching up to me.   Not to worry, sleep always cures me!  On a brighter note, my cold/sore throat is starting to ease.  My belongings are skimmed down to what will fit into my carryon and suitcases!  

I generally don't think of myself as materialistic but packing has been a stretching experience.  Just today I took a few more things to a friend and dropped others off a charity shop.  I did a lot of sorting and donating when I moved to London, but I suppose even then, I could still store items.  My favorite aunt and uncle graciously let me fill up a corner of their attic!  This time, it either goes to charity or fits in a suitcase.  I probably should have done the same when I moved here! :)

I find I process my thoughts as I write, and while my mind would happily continue tonight, my fingers and eyes are tired.  Tomorrow is another day.

Sniffles

England gave me a parting gift.  I have a really bad cold and sore throat.  My body can't seem to decide if I should sneeze or cough more.  I'm going to need to buy more tissues, and it's not because I'm crying my way through goodbyes!  

Today I stayed at home (it was a schoolwork and packing day) and drank umpteen cups of elderflower cordial and hot water.  Coffee didn't appeal and even my herbal teas just didn't taste right, but this cordial and hot water combination hit the spot.  As I sat still reading and writing my responses for class, I needed the hot drinks to keep warm! I multi-tasked by doing laundry at the same time and hanging it over the radiators to dry.  That brought to mind the changes that I am so looking forward to about housing in the USA: good heating and clothes dryers.  

Laura came home and called into the lounge to me, inquiring how my day had been.  I sniffled and responded, "It's been ok."  She popped her head in, face full of sympathy.  "Aww, has it been an emotional sort of day because of leaving and packing?"  I was so confused.  Why would she think that I was emotional about leaving today? I'm not upset about that today. Haha.  Then I realized...Oooh.  The sniffing.  The tissues.  The slightly froggy voice.  I guess I can see why she would assume that after all!

After much deliberation about what we should cook for dinner, we decided to live the luxurious life.  For the first time in my three years in London, I ordered pizza to be delivered.  It was Papa John's, no less.  After a day of homework, it felt like a return to college days as we ate pizza and watched a movie.