I have missed a few days, but I have some time to write now, so I will seize this opportunity. Thursday was quite busy, filled with packing, visiting Kel’s dad, and running a few quick errands. Thursday night, we began our travel, catching a flight to Dallas. It was a brief flight, and from there, we continued on to London. Fortunately, getting through TSA and customs went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. We arrived in London around 1:30 PM local time.
Afterward, we took a train to another station to reach our hotel. However, the second station was experiencing difficulties with their trains, causing us to wait about 45 minutes before we could board one to our next destination. I noticed a woman there who was very frustrated, kicking and hitting the call boxes. While I could understand her feelings, I didn’t think her behavior would have any impact on the speed of the trains.
We arrived at our hotel and took some time to rest before heading out for dinner. We dined at Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Restaurant, and the food was quite enjoyable. However, the table next to us was quite loud, prompting me to turn off my hearing aids. I initially switched to party mode, but it was still too noisy due to the excited crowd. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to get some sleep.
I managed to get a good nine hours of rest. Although jet lag lingered for a bit, a cup of coffee helped me feel much better. It’s hard to believe I’m back in Europe after all this time—I left in 1999, which feels like ages ago. My daughters weren’t even born yet! London certainly is a bustling city; I wasn’t prepared for how crowded it would be!
We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before heading out to explore the city. We decided to take the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour, which allowed us to see a variety of landmarks, including the iconic Tower Bridge! They provided us with earbuds, and we listened to the tour guides as we traveled around London. It was a delightful experience. I love British humore. We disembarked near the Tower Bridge, where Tommy and I took a leisurely stroll to capture some photos.
For lunch, we indulged in our first British scones, which were quite tasty. The clotted cream was different from what I had back home, but I appreciated the experience.
After completing the tour and wandering around, we caught a city bus back to the hotel. I had to call my bank after using my card, despite notifying them ahead of time that I would be in London. Lol! Now, we’re resting at the hotel, waiting to meet up with friends for dinner.
I’m having a great time. My anxiety has diminished, and I’m starting to adapt to the time change.
