London & The Return to Normalcy

This is the final part of a series of blog posts recalling my overseas adventures in the United Kingdom in fall 2015.

Sunday, Oct 4:

Sunday, my last day in the UK, was spent partially at the British Museum. Like the Museum of London, the place was huge and we could not possible see everything even in a day, much less the few hours we spent there. But it was great seeing the Rosetta Stone, ton of Greek and Egyptian artifacts, and even some Celtic stuff. Funny, the British Museum is more like a Smithsonian place and less of a museum about Britain. Lunch was at a restaurant in the museum which was pricey but good (for me, but Ann got adventurous and ended up disappointed). The day ended back at the flat for an English trifle, which was sooooo good!

Monday, Oct 5:

Got to the airport early. Heathrow is smart – they delay telling you what gate you’re in until just before boarding so you have to spend time in the central shopping (duty-free!) area, while the gates themselves are bare-bones. Got through customs and baggage quickly, and promptly got stuck in a Super Shuttle trying to get on 395. It annoyed me but amused me that a 7-lane (10 if you count HOV) highway could get more congested in both directions than the generally 4 lane roads in London.

Tuesday, Oct 6:

I was exhausted and had a headache, so I took the day off to rest, unpack, and begin clearing my DVR (the latter of which was very important work). Man, I bought a lot of souvenirs!

What I Liked About London:

• The accents
• The history everywhere you looked
• The ease of transport options (walking, taxing, subways, etc.)
• The day with Ann’s friend Phil
• The night with my friend Trevor
• That I lost 10 lbs on the trip
• That I budgeted almost the perfect amount for the trip, as I did not put a single penny on my credit cards
• Not having to tip, even if it meant things cost more!
• Getting nearly everything done on my to-do list.

What I Didn’t Like:

• The dead-end streets with minimal pedestrian cut-throughs
• The stress of trying to be a tourist everyday rather than living a little in the city
• No time to write except when already exhausted
• The volume of coins we could collect by getting change
• The walking-heavy first few days, well before my legs adjusted to all the walking
• Didn’t have the time to check into King Arthur tourism or hopping the Channel to visit Paris.

Overall: 

Well worth the time, money, and effort. No regrets.