LONDON

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We said goodbye this morning to the beautiful countryside and headed to London. Martin, our driver from our first day, drove us to London. He was a great guy! I asked him if we could stop to get a quick bite to eat at the half-way point. (It was a 3 1/2 -4 hour journey). Martin said, "Sure, I'll stop at the next rest area.". I was a bit deflated, thinking ... "Um, a rest stop is not really what I had in mind.". Let me just say that England does rest stops RIGHT! There were a variety of foods offered, 2 coffee shops (with couch seating), a bookstore, children's play area, a baby nursing and changing room (an entire, decorated room), massage chairs, shops, fresh flowers, grocery store, and freshly made food served on dinnerware and with proper utensils! We were amazed. I want to make another note as well. No one is on their cell phones. Each group of people you look at, they are having conversation. I didn't see any mobile devices - and there were easily hundreds of people here. Before delivering us to our apartment rental, Martin gave us an impromptu driving tour around the city so we could familiarize ourselves with where we were in relation to the sights. He also shared pieces of his story with us and showed us where he went to school, where he lived as a boy and even the exact place where that infamous photo of young Princess Diana (with her see-through skirt, holding a child) photograph was taken.

Arriving into London confirmed for me that I am definitely a country girl! After a short walk to dinner and back I had my first migraine of the trip due to the car exhaust and cigarette smoke in the air. Our apartment is located on one of the main thoroughfares and it's very noisy. Lots of interesting people watching opportunities. I do desperately miss the quiet countryside. I will miss waking up to the sounds of the doves that were nesting in the eaves of The Old Dairy Barn and our rooster friend in the farm across the fence.

Our flat is in a beautiful period building in Earl's Court, Kensington. The flat has 12 foot ceilings with moldings and interesting architectural details. It's a 3 bedroom apartment. The beds are comfortable. There is a concierge here that has been most helpful in organizing cabs, tours, etc. Also, maid service comes with the flat rental (for what it cost, it really should)! Not just make your bed kind of maid service but the maid service that comes to the room in the mornings and washes your dishes, cleans your kitchen, etc. --- EVERY morning! I could get used to that.

Bright and early tomorrow the Americans hit the streets to see the sights 😊.

We ate supper at another great pub that was just down the block. John tried an ALE & PIE pairing. Three different meat pies were paired with 3 different ales. I have photos that I wanted to include in this blog post but believe it or not the internet in London is on/off again as well so technology is not cooperating, as it is taking me a very long time to even get the text down. I will try to add the photos in the morning, so come back 😊.

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