London Oct. 21st -22nd – London Calling and Homeward Bound

For the first time in 20 days I was heading west. I awoke early Tuesday morning, very early, for my flight from Budapest back to London. I’d seen so much over the course of this trip and while I was ready to sleep in my own bed and eat an American cheeseburger, I was sad to see my trip winding down.

I arrived early in London and took the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. As I landed at Gatwick I realized that I’d flown into London eight separate times and had, upon this flight, managed to hit the four major London area airports, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Gatwick, in the last twelve months. No wonder I had so many frequent flier miles! The Gatwick Express was an easy way to get into London and put me a couple of blocks away from Theresa’s apartment.

After the early morning I decided to take a quick nap…well that turned into a much longer nap than I had planned for. I guess I was worn out from all this travel. I woke up mid-afternoon and put on some clothes to work out in. Given how my stomach sickness and sinus congestion I’d not worked out for the majority of this trip. I figured a fast walk would get my blood flowing. Theresa’s apartment being a two minute walk from Buckingham Palace puts it in a great place for some outdoor exercise. I did a quick loop of St. James Park checking out all of the birds that were being fed, and dodging large droppings that came from all of this feeding. I walked up to Trafalgar Square and then back down the mall to Green Park. Making my way up to Hyde Park Corner and then back to Theresa’s. It felt good to get out at a brisk pace with my iPhone blasting.

Theresa arrived back at her apartment and we decided to get dinner at a local pub called The Albert. It was great to eat a meal with someone after several weeks of eating alone! Theresa and I had a great time laughing and talking about my travels and her work.

Today, after a few errands around London, my call in London was over and I headed to the airport. Now jetting my way back to New York I’m re-reading some of the things I did and am thrilled to have had the opportunity to take this trip around Europe. I’ve seen a lot of museums, castles and churches. I’ve spoken a number of different languages, at least some basic words albeit poorly! It challenged my comfort zone but also allowed me to see many new things and learn much history.

I’m looking forward to a few weeks at home before I continue my world travels that will take me to see totally different things in Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. So for now I say Cheers, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, Dobrý den, Viszontlátásra, and see you next in Dubai!