I see London

We are nearing the end, folks.  10 days and I am out of this joint.  I already said good-bye to my cousin, Esben last week.  He left for vacation in Thailand.  But before leaving we went for an Irish coffee, nice cakes, and Austrian wine.  Not a bad end to a nice summer.  By the way it is still raining everyday and hardly goes much higher than 60 degrees.  I really missed out on the traditional summer this year....

Last time I was in Denmark they were having one of the worst winters on record.  This summer they are having THE rainiest summer ever.  We had more rain fall in one day this summer than it on average for most other summers.  I bring the extreme weather.  It feels like a wet rainy, elongated east coats fall.

So  was very happy to get away to warm, sunny London last weekend!

I was worried about the trip because beforehand the weather looked like it was going to be cold and rainy the whole time.  And also, I don't know if you heard but there were a few people stealing things and lighting things on fire that they shouldn't?

I decided I wasn't going to go.  Then my co-worker convinced me that I should go. Ok, I'll go.  I tell my cousin.  Then my cousin said, hmm maybe it's not safe, maybe I probably shouldn't go,... there was a bus on fire nearby...they have a 10pm curfew.....hospital is on red alert....maybe not safe.   Forget it I am not going.  I call the airline to cancel the ticket.  That'll cost me $175.... no refund...crud.... Well I'm not going to pay for nothing.  I'm going! (This is the night before I leave).  E-mail my cousin I'm going.  She e-mails me back in the morning...still doesn't think it's a good idea. Ok I'm not going to go.  Check my phone... Text from cousin: "Screw it! come over!"  and so I did....me and my newly greyed hairs.....

48 hours in a city with nearly 8 million people, probably 16 million people during the tourist season... isn't much time.  But we made the most of it.

My cousin Aisling is a nurse and lives at the projects set up for the staff at the hospital.  It's in a cnie neighborhood, but the individual arrangements are a little on the small side... but at least she has a sink in her room?

Friday night we went to a local sports bar downstairs and had a bacon, egg and cheese burger...a favorite from my summers working at the Hazlet pool club.  We decided we'd get some food here and then figure out next steps.  But food turned into beers, and beers turned into shots, and sports game turned into cover bands of The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and well sitting around turned into dancing...and that's about how Friday night went.

Saturday we woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed.  We changed, grabbed a coffee and muffin at a coffee shop, and headed for the tube.  We took the Picadilly line down to St. James Park and took a stroll through her majesty's garden.

As we approached the castle, we realized the crowds were gathering for something.  Not knowing what, and not having time to dawdle we continued on.... Once we got to the position for a perfect shot of the front, the gates opened up and out stomped the royal marching band!  What a treat hah

We scurried through the park and out to Big Ben and Westminister Abbey where our good friends Will and Kate were married.  Sick of crowds and tourists we found a nice little park next to the river Thames with a lovely view of the London Eye.

 

We gave up on tourist attractions and headed to Oxford Circus to go SHOPPING!  One of the big purchases of the weekend were my first pair of skinny jeans, and well, because you can't wear skinny jeans with Reeboks...a new pair of shoes.  The flats I brought to Denmark I have owned since highschool.  That's over 10 years ago, crazy enough.  And well, 10 years of running around and your bound to get holes in your shoes:



So My shoes ended their wonderful career in a British dumpster in Hammersmith.  R.I.P. my Steve Madden Mary Janes, you served me well..

 

After meeting up with more Irish nurses for an Italian feast, we hit the town hard.  First trying 4-5 different martinis at Drity Harry's in Covent Garden, then mozying over to a member's only lounge in Soho where the bartenders treated us to some free drinks and not to mention the really drunk girl at the bachelorette party who was sneaking me shots that her friends were trying to make her drink even though she didn't want to.... Then there's a quarte pounder with cheese at 3am and boom I am back in college again!

Then next day we woke up at the crack of 1pm walked around Hyde park for a couple hours.

  Then we tubed it to the airport.  Unfortunately the last stop (the airport) was shut down due to techinical difficulties.  So everyone and their mother was getting off at this stop and having to take the bus.  What a nightmare.....  People almost crying pleading with the driver to please please just go to terminal 5!  Others threatening if they had a gun they would hijack the bus and even others declaring now I know why there are riots in this damn country!

Holy anxiety attack batman, get me off this bus!  Relax people!


I made it back to the cold rainy rain that is the Danish summer of 2011.