Headed Home

If all goes according to plan, I should be able to fly back to the United States today. It's been a lovely Christmas holiday in London, but I wasn't planning to spend this much time or money here. During my three bonus days I've taken advantage of the Boxing Day sales, ridden the London Eye, heard a Boxing Day Baroque Concert, and toured the city. Last night I attended a lovely service of music and readings for the Christmas season at St. Paul's Cathedral - a wonderful reminder that Christmas is not just one day.

Merry Christmas from London, and I highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a new and meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Evening Ride on the London Eye

The tube strike was over today, and so I decided to make the most of another day in London by seeing the city from the best possible vantage point. After a visit to the Saint Paul's gift shop and a liesurely stroll through town, I took the Central Line and Northern Line to Waterloo and joined another queue - this one for the London Eye, the 445-foot ferris wheel on the banks of the Thames River.

A lot of people had the same idea, because the park was full of happy tourists and there was about an hour wait to get onto the Eye. About 15 people at a time ride in the capsules, and my group began their flight shortly after 3:00 p.m. The sun set over London during the one-hour ride, so I had a magnificent view of London at twilight.

Boxing Day Madness in London!

Once again, the best laid plans often don't come to pass, and we get even more interesting adventures as a result. A blizzard that's headed for the New York City area forced the cancellation of all of today's flights from London to New York. That means I'm "stuck" here in London for another day or two :-)

I realized from the beginning that this was to be a short, whirl-wind trip, so this change has given me some time to relax, go shopping, walk through London, and try some new restaurants. A great way to unwind after such an intense Christmas experience. The problem is that the London Subway Drivers staged a one-day strike today over a pay dispute, so the Underground and many trains were not running. Boxing Day is the Day After Christmas, and the sales and discounts are as huge in London as the are in the states. Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus were absolutely mobbed with shoppers, and the buses were stuffed full of people who would normally ride the tube - like me. Because today is Boxing Day, the cabbies charge a holiday surcharge, but I was lucky enough to find a driver who just asked the regular fare to come back to the hotel after a long afternoon of supporting the British economy through shopping.

My favorite teas come from Whittard of Chelsea, which has several shops around Picadilly Circus, so I stocked up. I also manage to find a few London Christmas ornaments, and an additional converter so I can charge my phone and laptop at the same time. Then I spent some time walking around Trafalgar Square, where the fountains had FROZEN, and took the bus to Westminster Station to walk around the Abbey and Parliament. A lot of people were out enjoying the day and continuing their Christmas celebrations.

Happy Boxing Day from London!