SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA
As I sit here in our disgustingly large family room in San Carlos, I'm remembering all the wonderful experiences that I've been able to enjoy and positively aching to go back "home." Our last day in London will stand out clearly in my memory. We packed it with as many things as we could and it renewed my obsession with the amazing city.
As soon as we arrived back to Boundary Road from Gatwick Airport, we spread out our baggage and stuff in the living room and repacked, making sure there was plenty of room for all the contents of our Christmas stockings. Lily and I rushed the process, finishing early to make lunch. We then hurriedly ate then grabbed our purses and made our way to our beloved Turnpike Lane Station.
On the tube, we consulted the map and decided to get off at Russel Square to re-walk the heavily trodden path to our weekly BLC classes. As we set out towards the University though, everything seemed different. There were no students. As we passed by the place where the Hare Krishna man had always been giving away free lunches to the mile long queue of University students, all we saw was an empty stretch of concrete. Lily and I entered the deserted campus and passed by the ULU store to find it dark, locked up and closed. We realized that the University of London was out of session, so we decided to take a short cut through the British Museum to escape the eeriness.
We found the entire population of London crammed inside the British Museum and lost all our feelings of loneliness as we exited through the grand marble gateway onto the correct street (we were heading to Covent Garden). Newly re-energized, we walked passed adorable pubs and chic fashion stores until we arrived at the two floor Covent Garden Market. I was filled with happiness as we stepped inside my favorite place in London. I was flooded with memories as we passed by the spot where we had listened to a man with a guitar and a voice just like Bono sing all our favorite U2 songs a few weeks earlier. It all felt so familiar. We then found a Barclay's map and plotted our course to Trafalgar Square.
Lily and I passed the National Portrait Gallery and were reminded of the stiff Tudor portraits and the lovely cream tea we had had down in the museum's basement. When we went by Saint Martin in the Fields we calculated that we had attended a total of three concerts in the sanctuary and had three highly enjoyable lunches in its historic crypt.
As more and more memories came pouring in, I felt happy to revisit but so sad to be leaving. From Trafalgar Square we walked down the Royal Mall towards Buckingham Palace and the huge monument to Queen Victoria. There were lots of people and tourists promenading down the mall and others with their faces pressed up against the bars of the palace watching the guards. I could just see us a few months ago on our Barclays bikes coming around the corner and seeing the palace for the first time on our trip.
Next, we walked through St. James Park and watched tourists snapping their fingers at fat squirrels to make them waddle dangerously closer. When we reached Westminster Bridge, we saw intricate Big Ben which looked amazing in the setting sun. We crossed the bridge to the South side of the Thames and found ourselves gazing up at the London Eye. I had ridden it four times in total but the last time I rode it the view had the most meaning because I was getting a view of my new favorite city. We walked by the Eye and down the Thames River walk towards Tate Modern.
Lily and I were pointing out our favorite sites and places we'd been without each other and retelling our favorite London stories. When we reached Tate we bought an orange fizzy drink and walked across the Millennium Bridge. Everything seemed so right. The Globe Theater was silhouetted against the 3:30 pm darkening sky, St. Paul's was perfectly centered on the other side of the bridge and there was a candied nut stall where we got two cups for only 3 pounds.
At St. Paul's we sat and ate our nuts and watched as the cathedral began to light up. Then we walked around the mostly closed up financial district. As we went down yet another alley with darkened shop windows I said to Lily,
"You know, I don't want this deserted Square Mile to be my last experience in London."
"Me too." She replied, so we popped on the tube to the British Museum.
We looked at the Olympic Medals on display and a Japanese print of a wave. When we were satisfied we hopped back on the Piccadilly Line to Turnpike. We walked the familiar path back to Boundary Road and the 123 bus passed us. Suddenly I had an idea, we could hop on that bus and go to swim practice with Haringey Aquatics; it was the right time after all. My logic quickly crushed the idea but just the thought of seeing our friends again brought back even more memories.
I'm missing London so much every day. Waking up in my own bed, watching SUVs prowl in parking lots and unloading boxes of junk back into my room feels wrong, but I have memories to live on and my tube card is still in the front pocket of my purse ready at a moment's notice when I get the chance to revisit my home.
Abby
As I sit here in our disgustingly large family room in San Carlos, I'm remembering all the wonderful experiences that I've been able to enjoy and positively aching to go back "home." Our last day in London will stand out clearly in my memory. We packed it with as many things as we could and it renewed my obsession with the amazing city.
As soon as we arrived back to Boundary Road from Gatwick Airport, we spread out our baggage and stuff in the living room and repacked, making sure there was plenty of room for all the contents of our Christmas stockings. Lily and I rushed the process, finishing early to make lunch. We then hurriedly ate then grabbed our purses and made our way to our beloved Turnpike Lane Station.
On the tube, we consulted the map and decided to get off at Russel Square to re-walk the heavily trodden path to our weekly BLC classes. As we set out towards the University though, everything seemed different. There were no students. As we passed by the place where the Hare Krishna man had always been giving away free lunches to the mile long queue of University students, all we saw was an empty stretch of concrete. Lily and I entered the deserted campus and passed by the ULU store to find it dark, locked up and closed. We realized that the University of London was out of session, so we decided to take a short cut through the British Museum to escape the eeriness.
We found the entire population of London crammed inside the British Museum and lost all our feelings of loneliness as we exited through the grand marble gateway onto the correct street (we were heading to Covent Garden). Newly re-energized, we walked passed adorable pubs and chic fashion stores until we arrived at the two floor Covent Garden Market. I was filled with happiness as we stepped inside my favorite place in London. I was flooded with memories as we passed by the spot where we had listened to a man with a guitar and a voice just like Bono sing all our favorite U2 songs a few weeks earlier. It all felt so familiar. We then found a Barclay's map and plotted our course to Trafalgar Square.
Lily and I passed the National Portrait Gallery and were reminded of the stiff Tudor portraits and the lovely cream tea we had had down in the museum's basement. When we went by Saint Martin in the Fields we calculated that we had attended a total of three concerts in the sanctuary and had three highly enjoyable lunches in its historic crypt.
As more and more memories came pouring in, I felt happy to revisit but so sad to be leaving. From Trafalgar Square we walked down the Royal Mall towards Buckingham Palace and the huge monument to Queen Victoria. There were lots of people and tourists promenading down the mall and others with their faces pressed up against the bars of the palace watching the guards. I could just see us a few months ago on our Barclays bikes coming around the corner and seeing the palace for the first time on our trip.
Next, we walked through St. James Park and watched tourists snapping their fingers at fat squirrels to make them waddle dangerously closer. When we reached Westminster Bridge, we saw intricate Big Ben which looked amazing in the setting sun. We crossed the bridge to the South side of the Thames and found ourselves gazing up at the London Eye. I had ridden it four times in total but the last time I rode it the view had the most meaning because I was getting a view of my new favorite city. We walked by the Eye and down the Thames River walk towards Tate Modern.
Lily and I were pointing out our favorite sites and places we'd been without each other and retelling our favorite London stories. When we reached Tate we bought an orange fizzy drink and walked across the Millennium Bridge. Everything seemed so right. The Globe Theater was silhouetted against the 3:30 pm darkening sky, St. Paul's was perfectly centered on the other side of the bridge and there was a candied nut stall where we got two cups for only 3 pounds.
At St. Paul's we sat and ate our nuts and watched as the cathedral began to light up. Then we walked around the mostly closed up financial district. As we went down yet another alley with darkened shop windows I said to Lily,
"You know, I don't want this deserted Square Mile to be my last experience in London."
"Me too." She replied, so we popped on the tube to the British Museum.
We looked at the Olympic Medals on display and a Japanese print of a wave. When we were satisfied we hopped back on the Piccadilly Line to Turnpike. We walked the familiar path back to Boundary Road and the 123 bus passed us. Suddenly I had an idea, we could hop on that bus and go to swim practice with Haringey Aquatics; it was the right time after all. My logic quickly crushed the idea but just the thought of seeing our friends again brought back even more memories.
I'm missing London so much every day. Waking up in my own bed, watching SUVs prowl in parking lots and unloading boxes of junk back into my room feels wrong, but I have memories to live on and my tube card is still in the front pocket of my purse ready at a moment's notice when I get the chance to revisit my home.
Abby
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