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Published: July 26th 2012
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I felt quite emotional as I came into land at London Heathrow early on a Friday morning after having been away for a year and half. Life had been pretty hectic in Hong Kong and I hadn't really stopped to think about my summer holiday. I had a five hour flight to Mumbai, two hours in Mumbai airport and then nine hours to sleep on my way to London. I had great views of the city and could see Wembley stadium from the air. Only then did it hit me that this was my home and I was back!
Right from touchdown, the Olympic hype was everywhere, from arrival teams at the airport and fan waiting zones in the arrival hall. Of course I had my own fan (my mother) waiting for me at the airport and we had a lovely jubilant reunion!
I instantly appreciated all the low buildings, greenery and blue skies. On my first morning I enjoyed a coffee in the sunshine of the back garden and was happy to be home!
My first weekend home, and I was already out and about at a wedding in Kent which was lovely, and a group of
us were reunited, having not been together in the same place for five years! It was a perfect reunion as one of the group got married and we all danced away together in the evening. The day after the wedding I had another reunion, with my Dad and that had been a long time coming - almost a year and a half apart. We drove back to his house and had a lovely dinner together.
On the Monday my Dad and I went into Central London for a cultural day! We visited Somerset house to see a Rolling Stones photography exhibition and the Courtauld gallery, in which there were actually lots of very famous artists including Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Cezanne, Degas, Matisse and more. From there we went to the Tate Britain for a bit more culture! It was nice walking from place to place, across London's bridges over the Thames. Unfortunately later in the day the British summer completely failed to appear so we took cover from the rain and cold in Starbucks before yet another lovely reunion with my Auntie and Uncle. We had a lovely dinner together close to the Southbank. It's nice to see the
city preparing for the Olympic games with posters everywhere and signs on lamposts. There are even Olympic lanes on the roads that will become Olympic vehicle only lanes during the games. Just spending the day in the centre of town, I overheard the word Olympic so many times in the conversations of those passing by!
Back in my hometown suburb and I've enjoyed chilling out and not being quite so busy! Sitting in the garden itself is a novelty seeing as that is impossible in Hong Kong. I have had a few odd moments though where I realised I've lost touch a bit with my own country! I bought a coffee for my Mum and I and when the lady handed me my change, it took me half a second to recognise it - because I had forgotten that two pound coins exist! I'm probably the slowest shopper around as well as I spend ages wandering the aisles looking at everything!
Very noteworthy is the Argentinian dinner I had in London! Might sound random, but one year ago I went to Argentina with a very good friend of mine and we had our reunion in London so we
found an Argentinian restaurant....and oh my it was good! Very authenic and bought back many many good memories. If anyone else has Argentina withdrawal symptoms, head down to Buen Ayre in Bethnal Green for a great bife de lomo!
So far, so good!
It's good to be home
JHG
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Re-entry is always a bit tricky
Hope you will blog about all the Olympic excitement. We were happy to be home for about 6 months. It was good sitting still for a while and reconnecting with friends and family. We did not travel nearly as long as you did. We began to get itchy feet again. Our first extended trip was in 2007 and we are leaving in about two weeks for 5 months. Can't wait. Embrace being back home and with family.