My second visit to England.
And I thought it couldn't get any better... :)
Day 1
Sunday, December 14, 1997
I arrive again!
Again, flying British Airways,
but this time on a 747 (!), the long flight is made enjoyable.
I arrive in London on Sunday at 7:00 am.
I push through customs much quicker than last year, when it seemed that everyone and their dog
was arriving at the same time!
Julian picks me up around 8:00 am, and we load my bags into his (temporary) car.
The drive to Julian's house was nice, as I got to see some of the surrounding London
countryside that I didn't see last year.
I meet Lyndon, an old school friend of Julian's who was staying the evening prior.
We unload my bags and exchange a few gifts, and then it's off to a pub just down
the road, for a great pint and lunch!
We then spend some time driving about the local countryside.
Although it is a little hazy, the scenery, as always, is beautiful.
We spend some time in a small, scenic village named Shere.
A small, but very pretty, stream runs through the middle of the village.
There are ducks of several kinds on the water.
A row of homes stands nearby, but one notable thing is that the doors are so short!
There are also several other wonderfully preserved homes and businesses
in the town, as well as the required town church!
We popped back to their house for a quick nap to let me recover from jet lag.
After dinner, we pile into Lyndon's car and head over to a supposedly haunted
pub for a drink and a look around.
No ghosts, but we do have a nice big order of "pub chips" that we can't finish!
Day 2
Monday, December 15, 1997
London!
After a great breakfast and a quick toss around of Julian's Nerf "American"
football, we purchase "all day" rail tickets,
pack our bags, and head out on the 40 minute train trip to London.
We arrive in Waterloo station.
It is a huge, but very pretty, train station with a central clock that, apparently,
is a famous meeting place, as it is suspended quite high above the floor!
We check our luggage into a storage facility, since we're meeting John, Marianne,
and Mark in London later, and head out on our adventure!
Since I've never lived in a large city with subways, the London "Underground"
was definitely a new experience for me.
The "toob" (tube -- underground -- subway!) is a great place to "people watch"
as, to be expected in any big city, has a large variety of people to watch!!!
This way for more adventures!!!!!
return to the trench