Another day, another country

Up early this morning to pack, eat breakfast, and head out to the airport on the Aircoach, whose stop is 3 doors up from our hotel. We each have two bags – a suitcase and a garment bag – and when we’re in the hotel that gives us a nice choice of clothing, but it’s a pain when we’re in transit – especially with no lift in our hotel. Fortunately we are both in good shape, thanks to various exercise programs so we were able to sling our bags along with no problems.

I had an unusual amount of trouble getting through security. First I somehow dropped my ticket, and we had to scramble around looking for it. Then I forgot I had my camera in my back pocket. So there was a pat down for that. Then I went back through the scanner, and was chosen for a random pat down. I asked the patter-downer if she’d give me a little shoulder massage as well, but she declined. Once we were through security the rest of the trip went very smoothly. We did meet another couple from Oregon on the jetway. They surprised us by asking, “are you from Oregon?” We wondered how they knew, but they had recognized the outline of the state on the OSAA pins I have on my backpack.

We landed in England and walked off the plane – no customs, no passport, no hassle. Dave had arranged for a car & driver to pick us up and take us to the hotel, and the driver was a little late which made him a little tense. But he got there not too long after we did and took us right to our hotel, which is near Buckingham Palace and very service oriented. It took a long time to get checked in and up to our room because both the woman who checked us in and Bogdan the assistant concierge who took us up to our room (very small, no view, intense flowered wallpaper that matches the bedspread, blue lights in the bathroom and the showerhead in the ceiling like a light fixture) wanted to talk and talk, and about all we were hearing was “blah, blah, blah, Ginger.” We went down to the bar and had the tea sandwich assortment – 5 tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off - to see us through until dinner. Then we went upstairs to unpack, and headed out to brave the Tube.

When I was a student at the University of Sussex I’d come up to London most weekends and take the tube to get around, so I felt pretty confident. We bought two Oysters, the refillable fare cards, and then started off. We’d originally planned to go to Covent Garden, but decided to go to St Paul’s instead, which meant 3 different tube lines. The signage is so good that we just moved along with everyone else (it was rush hour) as if we knew what we were doing.

I love St Paul’s, and when we go there it was raining slightly and also in the middle of the evening service, which meant we got to hear both singing and organ playing. It was one of my favorite places to come when I was here, and it still is. I don’t know what it is about it, but I love it. Dave says it’s not old enough. We’ll be back.

We sat and listened for a while, then left. We walked over the Millenium Bridge, and then along the Thames to the London Bridge tube stop. We rode the tube back to Victoria Station, and we were home. Dave had been a little nervous about using it, but now he’s a pro and we’re going underground whenever we can. Here’s what, though. In all the places where there is two way walking traffic, you keep to the right. But when you’re driving, you keep to the left. Where’s the sense in that, I’d like to know? Also, you should be reading this in a London accent. Those of you who are using a Cockney accent in your heads need to switch it up. And if you’re still using your best Irish accent, you’ll need to move along from that.

Bogdan had recommended the restaurant right next to the hotel (and associated with the hotel, since you can charge food to your room). Yelp also recommended it, so we decided to give it a try. Also you don’t need a booking, so that let us be flexible. It’s called bbar, and it features South African food. We had a delightful South African Pinot Noir and 4 small plates – vegetable tagine, orange scented carrots, a SA version of lumpia, and chicken livers in peri-peri (piri-piri in America) sauce. It was a wonderful meal of unusual and delicious flavor and texture combinations. Totally enjoyable. We also had dessert – cheese plate for Dave, sticky toffee pudding (which is actually more like a cake, by the way) for me. While Dave’s boar belly at Farm remains the top single item, this meal took first place overall. We had our happy faces on for sure.

The other great thing about bbar is that it is right next door to our hotel, so we just walked in, went up the two flights of stairs, and we were done. Here’s what we’re trying to do: to appreciate each moment as if we were remembering it later. It’s a hard thing to do, since my tendency is to focus on the negative. But this is an amazing trip we’re on, and we need to be celebrating it all the time.

You thought I was joking about the blue light, didn't you?