When your nephew asks you to join him on his first out-of-country excursion, with the intent of seeing a football game in the UK, it shouldn’t take more than half a second to make the decision to say yes. It probably took me less time than that. Major planning commenced, with maps and google searches and a list of things to see and do.
I like to have a general idea of logistics when I travel so that time is maximized for experiencing the most, but my nephew had said to me that he didn’t see the need to plan that much in advance. Oh, to be a newbie traveler with this kind of naivety. I logged this to memory, so when we got off the plane in London Gatwick and had to make our way to the hotel via various train connections, I looked at him and said “Okay! Lead the way!”, which was met with a very bewildered facial expression. I’m fairly certain I smirked. Good thing I’m a planner.
Go Big or Go Home in London. Our first day in London was a fast moving day. I wish I’d have worn a pedometer, because we walked. A lot. Tower of London over Tower Bridge, up Bermondsey Street, over to London Bridge, by Monument, grabbed some food, and then back to the hotel for some down time. After very little sleep on the plane and arriving early morning in London, the new experiences of a giant city, a foreign country, accents, train stations, and culture shock left someone in desperate need of a nap and some quiet. Welcome to jet lag, my nephew. Once we had a little rest we headed back out to Covent Garden and Neal’s Court, grabbed some food and beverages (my nephew’s first time legally buying a drink), headed over to Trafalgar Square, took the tube to Westminster Abby, House of Parliament, and London Eye, and finally tubed back to the hotel, where we ended day 1 in the hotel bar with a final drink. Whew.
“To see the world in a grain of sand,
and heaven in a wild flower,
to hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour.” ~ William Blake
It was a perfect weather day and evening. Covent Garden and Neal’s Court were spectacularly busy, colorful and eye-catching, but my favorite spot was Trafalgar Square, which vibed of peaceful feelings with the lingering of friends and lovers enjoying the springtime air. It was disappointing to see Big Ben under miles of scaffolding, but the details in the gothic style architecture of Westminster Abby and House of Parliament were simply incredible. Next time I find myself in London I’m carving out time to tour these two places. From red phone booths, ballerina and lion statues, monuments, locks on bridge posts, iconic locations, river views, tube stations, and realizing you’re in a city not your own, my senses were delighted and exhausted and primed, all at the same time.
Mind the Gap. Suggestion, Advice, or Words of Wisdom.
London Day Two. There’s only one blue phone booth in London, and we were determined to find it. We tubed over to Earl’s Court to take the obligatory photos and walk the quaint neighborhood streets nearby. Spring is in full bloom with trees budding and flowers brightly on display everywhere we looked. Our “A” game was seriously lacking in navigating the train system, and we accidentally made it to Notting Hill, twice, because we couldn’t figure out how to get out of Earl’s station and onto the right line. After two mishaps and wasted time, we finally decided the easiest way out was to simply change tube lines. Thankfully they’re all connected at some point and we finally wound up where we wanted to be.
After our morning jaunt all around the underground, we went back to the hotel for a quick rest before going to the football match. Since the whole purpose of this trip was to see a match with Team Arsenal we had planned far in advance and become club members so that we’d have first crack at the tickets when they went on sale. Much to our dismay, the match we were hoping for was rescheduled to a date outside of our travel times. Feeling the disappointment start to sink in, we quickly looked for other teams to go see, and found Millwall as our backup. Now, a moment of honesty. I’m not a super soccer fan like my nephew is, so any game was probably going to be okay with me, but the way things turned out, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Millwall is unbelievable. What a stadium. What a game. What an experience. These fans take their fandom and passion to a whole new level. It’s impressive, entertaining, vulgar, and passionate. Never in the United States would you ever hear the term “You fucking wanker!” slide off the tongue so easily. Austin declared, “My heart feels so complete! There’s nothing like English football!” I believe I agree. And even not being a super fan, I would go back to a game in a heartbeat.
For our final evening in London we headed over to New Bond Street for a little shopping, then tubed over to walk the beautiful curves of Regent Street lined with handsomely lit buildings and ostentatious sports cars zooming by. My trendy nephew had made us reservations at the swanky Ice bar, which was a uniquely entertaining experience complete with an engulfing insulated cape-like robe and gloves to wear over your coat because it’s -7 deg Celsius and even the cocktail glasses are made of ice. Shopping is not my thing, no matter how chic and contemporary the area may be, and by this point my senses were fatigued and battered from over-stimulation, the evening was coming to a close, and it was time to navigate us back through the tubes and to the hotel.
Leaving London. This was my second trip to London, and although they are nearly decades apart, I found myself with just as much sense of adventure this time as I did the last. Both trips were short and jam packed to see as much as possible, and I think the next time I find myself in London I’m going to have to try to slow down and move about at a more leisurely pace. But that’s so hard to do in a city as magnificent as London. ‘Til next time…
Sunflowers and Fog 