London, Part 7

**Start at the beginning: Part 1 London, England

I have shown pictures of my visit to London, so now I want to share some of the experiences I had while I was visiting...........................................

The week that I went to London there was a heat wave. If I am not mistaken, it was about 85 or 90 degrees mid week. One day while I was on the tube a woman passed out from the heat, the incident even made it on the local news. I was very surprised to learn that there is no air conditioning in the city. The reason for that is because it never gets that hot there.

Late in the week, I was wandering around the city and came across a small shop. This specialty store sold all kinds of drinks and teas and such. I asked for a cup of ice and the owner tried to sell me everything but that. I told him all I really wanted was a cup of ice and he said it would be fifty pence. At that moment I wouldn't have cared if he charged me a pound because it was so hot outside. He begrudgingly made me the ice and I could tell he was mad. So, when he handed me the cup of ice, I looked him in the eyes and told him thank you, and I was being very sincere. He looked at me and I could visibly see him soften.

One of the coolest guys (blokes) I met was named Desmond. I met him one day after I had been to the pub and drank a few beers. He was sitting at the bus stop and had this huge patch over his eye. He actually started a conversation with me telling me he had a stye removed from his eye. And being that I was slightly buzzing I started telling him how nobody would talk to me and how I was from America. He responded that he loved America and I really needed to get outside the city because the people were friendlier. I told him how some of the locals were great about giving directions when I had gotten lost. I had the best chat with Desmond. We talked about driving, public transportation, visiting America, car insurance in England, and so much more. I even told him about being from the South and it was just a great conversation. Right before we got to my stop, I told him that I was so happy that I met him and had a great time talking to him.

Another day that week, I went to all the museums. In one of the museums there was a long table in the middle of the room. There were pictures down both sides of the table of a woman and a man from birth to death and the different kinds of medication that they took. I guess the take on the exhibit was how pharmaceuticals affect our lives. This piece of art was so profound it brought me to tears!! That has never happened to me before. I tried to take a picture of it but it didn't turn out, but it will be forever etched into my heart and mind.

Another interesting bit of information is there are two buses with the number 266. One is bus 266 to Hammersmith the second is bus 266 to Brent Cross. I kept getting on the 266 to Brent Cross. Whenever I got on that bus we would ride all over West London. It was amazing!!! There were areas of neighborhoods that reminded me of the smells you smell at the fair because there were so many different types of eating establishments. In one neighborhood, there could be Chinese food, Thai food, American fried chicken, Indian food and anything in between. There were people bustling around up and down the streets going about their daily activities. By the end of the week, I realized I could get to the guest house much quicker if I took the bus 266 to Hammersmith; thirty minutes as opposed to three hours on the other bus.

Another great thing about the public transportation system in England is that when elderly, pregnant women or a mom pushing a baby stroller got on the bus or the tube, people would actually give up their seat to these people. I thought that was awesome.

I saw some very handsome men while I was there also. They were dressed very smart, and the women were too. Especially those that worked around Parliament. I have never seen so many men wearing skinny pants, and actually look good wearing them.

Tomorrow, I will wrap up my trip to London on the blog. Please leave me some comments and let me know how you like the pictures or what do you think of what I have written. Thanks. 


Continue.. London: Part 8

London, Part 6

**Start at the beginning: Part 1 London, England

The next day I saw the great Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye. For this post I am just going to show some of the pictures that I took while I was there. On the days that I was doing all the sight seeing I did not interact much with the locals. On occasion when I did get lost, the locals were always awesome about helping me out and pointing me in the right direction.

I seemed to stumble upon most of the sights that I found. Saint Paul's Cathedral was gorgeous.

This is actually art that I was allowed to take a picture of in the Tate Modern.

Big Ben and The London Eye in the background.

 Westminster Abbey

My absolute favorite Buckingham Palace. I got to see the changing of the guard, so I got there at the perfect time to see it.


Continue to London: Part 7

London, Part 5

**Start at the beginning: Part 1 London, England

Due to the drastic change in time, I only slept about 4 hours. I got up and went outside and was able to smell the cool night air and just contemplate how far I had traveled. I was in England and so excited and couldn't wait for the morning when I could go explore.

I started out early that morning at about 9 a.m. I was told I should give everyone time to get to work before getting on the tube. The first thing I did was try to follow the map to no avail. Everything is spread out more than I expected. I do believe I walked a country mile. As I was walking I came across Tower Bridge. I just kind of stumbled across it and it was a beautiful sight.

I walked around so much that day and saw so many historical sights and it was amazing. That day I also walked across the Millennium Bridge and at different intervals of the bridge there were people cooking peanuts. The smell of the peanuts, the warm sunshine and the music you could hear while walking down to the Tate Modern Museum was electric. I can close my eyes and immediately I am taken back to that amazing day in London and I swear I left a part of my heart there.

To Be Continued.......................London: Part 6

London, England

Last summer I traveled to Europe and it was the most amazing experience. I always wanted to visit England since I was a little girl and I finally got the chance. I had never been on a plane, never been out of the country and especially never thought I would take such a trip alone, but that is what I did. I was really out of my comfort zone, but I loved/lived every moment of it.

I figured this week I would give the people who read my blog posts through my friend Ginny's blog a break and talk about something upbeat and positive for a change.

On July 12, 2014 I turned 40 years old. The next day I left home at around 9 am and went to my parent's home, left my vehicle, and my brother Donnie drove me to the airport in Raleigh, N.C. Now, granted I had never been on a plane before and I was trying NOT to think about plane crashes, so I busied myself with making sure I had everything packed and I was texting friends and family letting them know that once I made it to Georgia, I would be cutting off my data on my phone and go off the grid for the entire week. I was going ghost and I was SO looking forward to that.

I had a slight case of the nerves, because my brother dropped me off and I was on my own. A woman on a mission......to conquer my fears and try something new. After waiting around for about an hour or so it was time to get on the plane. So, I made my way and found my window seat. I sat beside a man named James on this particular flight and I was secretly wondering if I looked like a first time flyer. We really only spoke small pleasantries before take-off, everyone seemed a bit on edge or maybe it was just me.

Before the plane took off I began to get a bit misty, thinking of family and friends, and of the pain I was trying to leave behind. Then the plane began to move down the runway and I felt invincible almost, like nothing could touch me. I could feel the hummmmm of the engine, the announcements from the flight attendants, the air from the air conditioning, and I was about to soar.....Do you know what I did? I put my nose to the glass and I had my eyes wide open.....I was thinking to myself ...BRING IT WORLD..... Nothing can touch me now.

A few tears did escape when we got up in the sky because it was the most beautiful scene my eyes have had the pleasure to see. My beloved North Carolina, my home, below me and it looked spectacular. Everything was a miniature version of itself. The vehicles looked like toy cars and the buildings did also. I began to relax and enjoy the ride, after all I was on my way to Georgia for my connecting flight.





TO BE CONTINUED.....................................London, England: Part 2