London is COLD!!!!

London is rich in history, but this place is FRIGID in the Winter!!!

I paid to upgrade our flight tickets here (to "Premier Coach" -- that's what Virgin calls their business-class service) to ensure that we had a nice, comfortable seat -- so we could SLEEP on the plan and get in-sync with the European time zones. Unfortunately, someone in Upper Class (first class) had a medical emergency during our flight, so just as we were trying to fall asleep, flight attendants began RUNNING up and down the isles (repeatedly) with arm-loads of medical gear. (You know it's bad when they get on the overhead intercom and ask if there are any doctors aboard...)

Naturally, our in-flight service went downhill from that moment onward as well (our flight attendants were now more preoccupied with the "issue" in first-class -- than seeing after the needs of the rest of us.)

Two comments: 1.) I was actually VERY IMPRESSED with the professionalism by which the flight attendants handled the situation. They are obviously trained for these situations, and they were fast and attentive. 2.) The ONE PLACE you do NOT want to have a medical issue is 35,000 feet in the air halfway across the Atlantic Ocean!

We think that the person just had some sort of panic attack. She was unconscious for a bit, but they revived her and didn't need to take her off on a stretcher or anything like that.

Enough with the boring flight stuff...

London:

We arrived at Gatwick Airport (which is some 30 or 45 miles south of London.) So, we had to catch a train from the airport to downtown London. MOST people take a train called the Gatwick Express. But, with the US dollar taking a BEATING over here, I opted for the cheaper (more local/slower) train.

It was fairly PACKED -- and didn't have room for luggage. We "accidentally" squeezed ourselves into a first-class cabin -- and rode in a first-class coach the whole way to London. (But, the other first-class passengers were NONE TOO PLEASED with our illegal presence.) ;-) Damned Yanks!

Once in London, we caught one of the legendary black cabs to shuttle us to our hotel. The cabs are NICE!!! (And the drivers even nicer!!!!) He was SO polite and helpful. :-) Plus, the guy drove like a champ! First, everyone's on the wrong side of the road. Second, they are all driving like mad men (and women.) Our cab driver was equally as wild, but in a somewhat orchestrated manner. He was an artist at driving the traffic, and took great pride in his work. I tried to tip him upon our arrival, and he actually REFUSED a tip!

Our bed & breakfast is clean and quaint, and located in the heart of London. I had considered getting an American Hotel (e.g. a Holiday Inn Express on the outskirts of town.) But, the daily train ride into town was going to cost as much as the nightly accommodations. So, I selected a little bed & breakfast from the Internet.

I'm assuming the higher-priced hotels have all the "typical" US-based accommodations. But, our lil B&B's accommodations are nearly as cramped as living aboard our boat or driving cross-country in our camper trailer. We have all the basic amenities, but, the shower is nothing more than a TIGHT shower stall. The whole bathroom feel like the head/bathroom of a boat (slanted floors with a drain hole in the middle and such.) Again, I'm assuming our accommodations are tight and weird because this is some sort of British flat (condo) that was converted into a B&B -- so things had to kinda be retrofitted into place.

Breakfast has been pleasant. Great breads, croissants, etc. They even make us fresh eggs, bacon -- and baked beans! Yes, the British serve baked beans during breakfast! And, yes, we ate them!

London itself is simply RICH with tradition and history. When you think of it, they have basically crammed all of the elements of Washington, DC, New York, and Los Angeles into ONE city. London holds the nation's financial district, government seats & houses, media stations, times square, etc., etc. Pretty much, anything that is "UK" or "British" -- is headquartered somewhere within London.

We have spent the past three days seeing and EXPERIENCING as much of this city as possible. We have ridden in the black cabs, on the double-decker buses, trains, and the underground. We have even taken a cruise down the River Thames. We have seen Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, The London Eye. We have heard Big Ben chime (multiple times,) and sat in the balcony gallery pews of the Shakespeare Globe Theater. We have eaten fish & chips, drank pints of various British brews, and eaten desserts "puddings." Three times now, we have walked across River Thames bridges (including the wibildy wobbely Millennium Bridge.) We have seen London Bridge, Tower Bridge and numerous other bridges.

I believe London would be a WONDERFUL place to visit for a longer spell -- in the SUMMER TIME!!!! It's COLD here folks!!! We can feel the evening breeze blow through our hotel windows. As we walk out in the morning, we are greeted with a winter bite. (The British call it "fresh" -- as in to say, "it's a bit fresh out this morning.") Then, there's the wind chill of the roof-top (open) rides daily on the double-decker buses. You get a chill that you just can't shake -- and you carry it with you all day. Then, we return to the hotel after sunset, to find our window WIDE OPEN! (The front desk says that the chambermaids leave the windows open to "freshen" the rooms.) Brrrrr!!!

Thanks to the Christmas season, many of the streets and buildings are aglow with lights and decorations. There are also several holiday festivals underway. We attended Frost Fest one night. It was appropriately titled, because it was COLD!!!

Tonight, we were supposed to attend the Winterfest in the park. But, we were so chilled, that we had to return to our hotel room to warm up again. (We'll try the park again tomorrow night.)

Bottom line: London IS a great place to visit (in the Summer.) It would also be nicer to visit when the USD is a bit stronger against the pound. Right now, the exchange rate is a little more than $2 USD to the Pound. So, it's a bit of culture shock to spend TWICE as much as you are used to paying for things.

Honestly, there wasn't anything too shocking or surprising about London (other than the sticker shock due to the weakness of the dollar.) London seems to have more tourists than locals. It's a VERY cosmopolitan city. On the streets and in the restaurants, I seem to hear more German, French and Dutch than English. The town has EVERY ethnic food that you could imagine. I found it "interesting" on the tube the other day to hear a young Asian man (maybe 24 years old) speaking with a THICK British accent. This city seems to be a larger melting pot than any US city that we have ever visited.

The only other thing that I will add is that the British seem to be VERY patriotic -- and seem to take a bit of pleasure in periodically poking fun at their American "cousins." Whether it's on television, or on a tour bus -- they seldom miss the opportunity to toss out a little zinger every now and then. They don't seem to do it in a harmful or "negative" manner -- rather, they seem to enjoy "sparring" with words. Again, not FIGHTING with words -- just jousting a bit. They like to point out things like, "the first Hard Rock Cafe was here in London." They kinda fail to mention that it was launched here because a pair of Americans were sick and tired of not being able to find a decent hamburger in this town, so they created the Hard Rock. I have also heard them toss out a few (well deserved) zingers about the proliferation of Starbucks here. Folks, there are more Starbucks here in London than there are in Pinnellas County, Florida. Then again, it's COLD HERE -- they NEED a Starbucks on EVERY CORNER here!!!! Whereas, in Florida, I guess we should have a Ben & Jerry's on every corner...

(Hint: You can click on any image to see a full-sized version of it.)

Cheers,

Nick & Kelly