Hello, hello all from London, UK! Everything is going just swimmingly (aside from the story I will relay shortly) and Michael and I are doing well. Our flight went well from Philadelphia to London, I am so glad that we did not miss it after our plane was delayed in Richmond. However, though Michael and I made it... my suitcase did not. At first, it was okay because I was told it would be delivered the next day (today) to our hotel and I did surprisingly well considering all I had was a dress and the outfit I wore on the plane (seriously! you can ask Michael... I was SUCH a trooper!). But today when Michael and I went to check if my luggage had been delivered, we found it was not there. After speaking with the baggage 'people' I soon discovered there was no record of my bag... meaning they had no clue where it was or when it would be delivered!! Well, we skipped our afternoon planned to see the Tower of London, St. Paul's, and All Hallows on the Ave and took a trip down to Gatwick airport! (We are now pros of the Gatwick express... any questions see Michael or myself) After much, much ado a delightful man who worked at the Gatwick information desk (his name is Kadine and he is now my BFF) helped me solve the problem, though it seemed like the bag was truly lost or still in America. He agreed to take me back to the baggage claim area to see if it was there somehow, and so I got to go back where all the employees go! It was really neat actually, yes I'm a dork, but that was one good thing about this experience. Long story short, we turned the corner to the baggage claim area and what is the first thing I saw? MY (ugly) BAG! I couldn't believe it- it was there all day, even when I talked to the man at that desk he said he could not find it! Well, it was a learning experience and a test of my patience and ability to adapt! I think I succeeded... but maybe you should ask Michael at a later date.
Aside from that unfortunate event, I have thoroughly enjoyed London. I was surprised to find that I really do remember the city from my trip back in 2000, but I love seeing everything again! Yesterday, Michael and I arrived at around 8:30 and then went straight to our hotel in Kensington. It was a beautiful and sunny day, perfect for our arrival! We then went and had lunch at a pub we found around the corner, and afterward rode a bit on the sightseeing bus (tacky, I know, but a good general picture since we leave tomorrow). Unfortunately, it did start to pour (typical London weather), so we hopped off the bus and decided to tour Westminster Abbey. I absolutely loved this tour- it was completely self-guided so Michael and I were free to roam where we desired. My favorite parts were Queen Elizabeth's and Mary Queen of Scots' burial sites, as well as Henry VII's chapel. The only thing that disappointed me was Poet's Corner. While great writers like Dickens and Shakespeare had huge plaques/memorials... writers like Emily/Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen only had a small square in the bottom corner of the wall! Honestly... they should have the WHOLE wall! Jeez louise. After that the rain cleared up (and it got really cold- I love it!), and we finished our bus tour. Michael and I decided to briefly return to our hotel before setting off on an evening stroll of Kensington. We ended up on a dead-end street with slightly sketchy people trying to climb over the fence on one side... so we traced our route back and took a different route. Two hours later.... we eventually found our way home (I forgot the map... haha)! We got completely turned around and ended up running into an American girl with a church group who helped us get back to our hotel! We saw lots of cute pubs and stores though, so it was definitely not a waste! Then we ate dinner at the pub near our hotel, the Blackbird. It was a wonderful way to end our first day in London!
Today, aside from our brief trip to Gatwick, Michael and I saw changing of the guard (in the pouring rain..) and then walked down Mall to Whitehall, which was an absolutely charming area! Its right near 10 Downing Street and a lot of the buildings in the area house government offices (those not in parliament). We then went to the Churchill War Rooms and Museum, which I thought would be okay, and that turned out to be fabulous! It was so fascinating to see the War Rooms, but the Churchill Museum really made the tour amazing! I won't bore you with what I learned, but it was a great experience. Though the morning was fun and filled with seeing London, as I've said our afternoon was far from that. After returning from our successful Gatwick trip (and after I changed clothes!) we set out for an evening in the Trafalgar/ Leicester Sqaure area. We walked around and found where the Mousetrap is playing, and plan on seeing that when we come back in a few weeks. Then we had a delightful dinner at the... well the pub I don't remember the name of... oh wait Michael is walking outside to read it (we're still in Leicester)- Garrick Arms was its name. Great meal (by English standards...) though! And now Michael and I are going to head back to our hotel where Michael will likely fall asleep and not wake up for another 24 hours. Seriously though, the kid sleeps like a rock. He's reading this so its okay that I say that. Any comments Michael? He would like to say... that it was just because he was exhausted from the flight! Sure... haha Anyway now that we've had that odd commentary for y'all I will say adieu and then bonjour again from Paris tomorrow!! We are both tres, tres excited but at the same time nervous.. so I'll write again tomorrow (hopefully) about our first day in Paris!!! Email me if you would like, I check it whenever I get to update the blog. Love you all!
love you so great to read of your adventures, including Gatwick two times!
You and Michael saw a lot in a short time...hope your chunnel trip was fun and that Paris has been fun today. love from Grammie
Erin Stoecker
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i cant believe you survived..
...without your bag, i mean seriously.