cindyandmike.com

It’s been so long since we’ve posted anything…..we’re still waiting on Mike to finish his London trip blog….and yes, he’s home! We had a wonderful time in London together! We had lunch and dinner together every night, in between Mike’s classes. We went to the theater, shopped, ate and drank! The highlight was experiencing Mr. Van Morrison in concert. It was an outdoor concert, so we brought winter coats and a picnic. I brought wine, cheese, and bread from my excursion to Paris…it was yummy!  I really enjoyed Paris with my college and after-college roomie,  Amy C. Jones. Here is a picture from our boat cruise on the Sienne River in Paris. Yes, we’re pimping for a spot in the WKU Alumni magazine.

Sam is doing great…he had “Meet the Teacher” day today and loved being back at “his school.” It took a minute to understand that he was going to be in a different room, with different teachers. After 5 minutes of being there, he loved it! Yippee! Maggie, oh, Miss Maggie. She’s a highly energetic little girl! And she’s going to be one-year-old on Sunday! We cannot believe it…the time has gone by so much faster than Sam’s first year. Why is that?!  She’s all over everything and will be walking soon. She loves to eat and laugh! Sometimes at the same time.

Decided to go for a walk and explore.  St Paul’s is just outside my hotel door, so I walked over to see if I could get in.  There was a long line of tourists, and it’s a bit rainy.  So I decided to keep walking.  I found a tube station and jumped on the Central line over to Oxford Circus.  They call it Central, but it’s the red line to me. Chicago’s lines are all colors, and every line here has a color, but the they also have names and apparently go by the names.

Wow, lots of people.  This is the shopping area, kind of like Michigan Ave, but with lots of stores on the side streets as well.  Everyone is bumping everyone else with their umbrellas.

I found an electronics store and bought the right power adapter, as I brought the wrong one with me.  Now I can properly run my laptop.  Talked to a guy about a SIM card for my phone, but my phone is not unlocked, so that would not work.  He wanted to sell me a new one for £10, but I declined.

I bought a couple of long sleeve shirts, as I only brought one, and no jacket.  It’s supposed to be rainy and high 60’s all week, so I don’t know why I did not bring the right clothes.  At least Cindy packed me an umbrella.

I took a nap from 5pm to 7:30pm.  I was extremely tired.  Got up, wandered around for food and found most places were closed.  What?  It’s Saturday night.  Then I realized I’m in an area of town that is more business than nightlife, hence everything being closed.  I did find a pizza place and had a small pepperoni pizza and some tiramisu.  I haven’t managed to have a proper beer since I’ve been here.

BTW, I love the words used so common here that we rarely hear in the US, like rubbish, cheeky, etc.  Finally fell asleep at 3am.

I flew out of Indy at about 7:15pm Friday night, via Washington Dulles, and arrived at London Heathrow at about 9:45am.  Called to have a chauffeur pick me up as it was cheaper than a taxi and because the tube can get a little crazy with a big piece of luggage.  Still cost $80 US (vs $140 for taxi.)  Exchange rate now is $2 to 1 pound.  Ride was 45 minutes to my hotel.  Nice Benz.  Quiet driver.  I did manage to sleep on the flight a bit, but I’m tired.  Time is 5 hours ahead of Indy/NY here.

I got to the Club Quarters hotel around 11am or so and thought there would be no chance to check-in, but sure enough, they had a room for me.  Friendly chaps.  About the same as the Club Quarters in Chicago, which means small, clean and functional.  That’s fine for me, as I’m not too picky as long as it is clean.  I’m going to shower and then explore.  When I look out my window I see St Paul’s Cathedral.  That’s where Diana and Charles were married, where they had Churchill’s funeral, etc.  Pretty neat.

Sam and Maggie had a great time this weekend…they both love their “swimmy school” and probably will be sad when our classes end this week. Sam has been learning how to kick, “scoop,” blow bubbles, jump off the side, etc. etc. Maggie and I do her class together - we just kick and splash! And sing “Wheels on the bus” several times over! They love the water - thank goodness!