Tuesday, June 27, 2006

I must confess, I didn't really want to go to London. It wasn't on my Top Ten list of places to visit before I die (or before I leave Germany, whichever comes first). I was just forced into going when my very impulsive husband spent one arm and two legs on tickets to see Bon Jovi in concert in Coventry, England, which is only a couple of hours away from London. So, I put on my "let's make the best of it" face and dutifully boarded our RyanAir flight at 11:15 p.m. for a quick jaunt across the English Channel. I had no idea what waited for me on the other side.

I have this friend named Eric who travels to and from London all the time. He e-mailed me about 4 pages worth of very important things to "know before you go," like which way to look when you cross the street. Of course, at most intersections in London, the English have been kind enough to paint instructions on the ground for those of us who aren't used to traffic on the opposite side of the road. "LOOK LEFT" or "LOOK RIGHT" signs can be found at each crosswalk, a subtle reminder not to step out in front of the giant double-decker busses that race through the city. Thank you, British folk.

Eric also gave me the 4-1-1 on riding the tubes (that's the subway), shopping at Harrod's (the largest department store in Europe, possibly the world, but also the most expensive---probably where Gwyneth and Madonna shop for the little ones), river cruises and bus tours, and the many famous pubs. We didn't really make any definite plans, but we had a general idea of where we wanted to go and what we specifically wanted to see. So off we went to the tube station, armed with the latest Rick Steves book and a few hundred British pounds, ready to see this magnificent place called London.

We boarded the tube and once we figured out which direction we needed to go, we set out for Westminster, home to Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and Hard Rock Cafe (you can't make a trip to London without stopping at the Hard Rock. Where else can you buy a T-shirt that says "I spent more money on my lousy hamburger than on this pathetic shirt"?). We tried to blend in with the locals, but the more we tried, the more we stood out like giant sore thumbs. I'm not sure if it was the fanny packs we wore to protect ourselves from rampant pickpocketing, the 59-pound digital cameras that hung around our necks, or the fact that Mom kept referring to our location as "WestMINISTER," in spite of my subtle corrections.

Needless to say, I fell in love with London the minute we stepped out of the dark subway tunnel and onto the bustling street right across from Big Ben. London went from being way down on the bottom of my "to see" list, straight to the top of my "must see 100 times before I leave" list. In fact, I'm planning a girls-only trip back to London in the fall, after the kids start school. But Blake doesn't know this. So let's keep it on the down-low, OK?

By the way, the concert in Coventry was awesome. After 20 something years of singing, recording, and touring, Mr. Bon-Geriatric-Jovi still has what it takes to wow a crowd. Seriously, it was terrific and I'm glad that we went. Of course, I'm still wondering when the ringing in my ears is gonna stop.....

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