My Trip to London - Day 2

I have no idea how I slept that first night in London, but I slept well. I woke up early too, around 7 a.m. I spent some time figuring out how to turn on the telly in my tiny room, and made myself a cup of instant coffee. I also spent time online, letting friends know I'd arrived safe and sound, and getting directions to the things I wanted to see that day.

The hotel served breakfast in the basement dining room and before long, I was headed that direction. I chose an English breakfast, which probably wasn't my best decision. Baked beans for breakfast? No thanks. The bacon was the thickest I'd ever seen, and undercooked for my taste. The coffee and toast were good, though.

After breakfast, I stashed my suitcase in the hotel lobby and headed out. I was hoping to make my way to the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street. When I was planning my trip, I asked my kids where they wanted me to go while I was in London. The only place they could think of was that museum and I wanted to be sure I got there. According to my map, it looked like an easy mile or so walk from the hotel. No problem...or so I thought. Looking at Google Maps today, I can believe it was over 6 miles. My feet sure knew it that day.

The street signs in London are located on the sides of the buildings, if there are signs at all, and the streets jig and jag with no notice. I was thoroughly lost after an hour or so. I stopped to buy a paper (got a complimentary tea towel!), and asked directions. The newspaper vendor had been brought into that area just for the Royal Wedding paper sales, and he didn't know there was a Sherlock Holmes Museum, let alone where it was located. He did, however, have plenty of knowledge of Colorado, where he'd spent a number of years. It's such a small world.

I finally spotted a sign for Baker Street. About halfway down the block, I saw the sign for the Museum, and the costumed Victorian bobby outside. Success! I paid my admittance fee and waited my turn to enter with the others. There were four flights of narrow, steep stairs leading to small rooms full of authentic furnishings and items that were mentioned in the stories, including life-size wax figures. The gift shop is in the building next door to the museum, and I spent a few minutes looking around, picking up a few souvenirs for the boys.

Leaving the museum, I noticed a small fish and chips restaurant across the street. I'd promised my oldest son I'd try them, so that became my next stop. I'm not a fish fan on a good day, and I'm afraid that particular restaurant's fish didn't agree with my taste buds. The chips, however, were delicious, even though there wasn't any ketchup to be found.

After my long walk to the museum, I decided to find a Tube station and take the easy way back to my luggage at the hotel. The Tube is the subway system and it's incredibly easy to get around. There are clearly marked train stations every few blocks with large, easy to read maps. I had purchased an Oyster card the day before, which is the Tube's version of a bus pass. Swiping the card at the yellow card reader at the beginning and end of each trip deducts the amount of the trip from the card balance. I thought the fares were very reasonable and I was able to spend a minimal amount of money and travel around London very easily. There's also a train about every two minutes, so waiting is minimal.

Retrieving my luggage from the hotel lobby, I went back to the Tube station and caught a train to Waterloo Station. I was going to stay the next few nights with a friend from high school, who happens to be living in Reading, England, a suburb of London. I purchased a ticket and found the platform. The trains to the suburbs leave about every 30 minutes, which is really convenient.

Disembarking in Reading, I called my friend, whom I hadn't seen since we were probably 13. DJ said she was already in the village and about 2 minutes away. By this time, jet lag had set in again and I was exhausted. I was very happy to see her drive into the parking lot with her adorable daughters. I marveled at her ability to drive on the wrong side of the road on the way to her house. The roads seem impossibly narrow, with lots of twists and turns. Add that to the system of roundabouts, and I've vowed never to drive in England.

I felt like a horrible guest, but almost as soon as we got to DJ's house, I went to bed. And slept for hours. I woke up to an amazing dinner (DJ's a fantastic cook!) and started getting ready to venture back into London. It was the night before the wedding, and I was determined to be on the streets.

I took the train into Waterloo, then got the Tube to downtown London. I made my way to Westminster Abbey with the assistance of several helpful Londoners who gave great directions. The crowd at Westminster was enormous, and growing. I'd really hoped to be across the street from the church. But most of the people there had been camping for at least 3 days and there was no room for even one more person. I wandered around the area a bit, looking for a spot I could squeeze into. No luck. I asked a couple of people where a better vantage point would be and got directed to the Mall, the street I'd been on the night before outside Clarence House. By this time, most of the streets in the center of London had been closed to automobile traffic, and there were thousands upon thousands of people. I'd never been in such a large crowd in my life, and yet, I felt completely safe. There were police officers every few feet all along the streets, watching the crowds. I was pretty sure there were several plain clothes officers in the crowd as well.

At the corner of Horse Guards Road and The Mall, I met Elizabeth. We struck up a conversation and discovered that each of us was looking for a good spot to view the wedding procession. Deciding that two heads were better than one, we set off to find an empty space.