Mind the Gap - Tales from London

Part 1

October 18, 2012

After a very long flight we began our decent into London, Heathrow. A quick peek out of the window and the sprawling mass of London below took my breath away. "I'm here" I thought to myself, "what do you know!" All I need to do is get through immigration, get my luggage, and find myself the Underground, Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden. Gripping my passport like a life preserver, I made my way - eventually finding the right que for foreigners and presented my identification to the surly man in the booth. "What's your purpose in visiting?" he growled. I replied in perhaps a much too perky voice, "To visit friends." To which he looked me up and down and asked, "You? What friends have you got in London?!" Now I know I was looking a bit rumpled and red eyed from my travels, but surely I looked like the sort of person that might have a couple of friends at least. He looked unconvinced, but did let me through in the end.

I was right proud of myself for getting myself and my luggage to the Underground and was soon clickity-clacking my way into London.

Then it was my wheelie luggage that was clickity-clacking across the cobble stones of Covent Garden and down the streets to my hotel. After a quick change in my very tiny, but satisfactory room, I knew that I must fight off the weariness and go take a good wander of my surroundings.

Covent Garden! Teaming with people, overheard snippets of conversation in at least a dozen languages, bits of blue sky and sunshine streaming; I have arrived!

There hapened to be an open air food market going on that afternoon, quite serendipitous as I was starving!

After finding a good people watching spot on the curb, I sat down and scarfed my Buffalo Mozzarella Panini in a most unladylike manner, whilst watching the hub-bub around me. Then it was off to walk the streets and alley ways near by.

I did a fair amount of window gazing, popped in a few shops, but mostly just tried to get my bearings and take in the amazing buildings around me.

I even managed to find a phone shop to buy a temporary phone for use while here, having discovered only a day before I left that my own phone would not work over seas. Alas, no instagramming for me in London!

After a good long ramble, my eyes dazzled and my ears buzzing, I decided it was time for another sit down. This time at an outdoor cafe with a glass of wine.

The Lumberjack agreed, so we sat and watched the evening coming on and discussed our plans for the following day.

Part 2 next week!