Back at it again...in London!

London. The start of Grecian vacation of a lifetime. A bucket list trip to soften the blow of turning half a century. We've got a house on a Greek Island. Friends and family. A sense of adventure and a need for R&R. 

Get ready. Set. Go!

First stop: Horley, England. 

An English breakfast to begin and a BIG nap. Yummy late night veggie curry at Spice Boys (nobody else open on our California hours.) Next morning, let's go for a run. It's 5:30am... cool air blankets my skin, a beautiful borough. What could go wrong? Just a quick left turn...sure, I can find my way back. Lost in a maze of brick Tudor houses... circles and circles— trust yourself... find your way. Calico kitty greetings, light mist on my arms. A hour of feet hitting the pavement. Lost in Horley makes for a good workout. 

I'm ready. Ready for a little adventure for sure. 

Take the train into London. A whirlwind of landmarks to show our first-timer. What I'm first caught by are the faces--tucked away in palaces, towers, abbeys and often unnoticed. I start to look--to wonder--about these faces and what they've seen, heard, watched over time. Erected with holiness, honor, violence or power. What would they say if they could speak? Would they take pride in their homes or cower with shame for the atrocities they've witnessed. 

Do the gargoyles really protect? Do the angels sing? Or the lions roar?

Will the kings and queens govern with pride and ethics and justice?

The horses and unicorns storm to our rescue?

Or is it time to do that ourselves?

London by Bus!

I just spent an hour describing my day to you and somehow I lost it all!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So here are the photos. Buckingham Palace--impressive, yet packed! Didn't wait in line--an hour and half, but what an icon here! the public can go inside to selected areas when the Queen is vacationing in Scotland! Westminster Abbey and House of Parliament building. Wow! Gothic and beautiful towers and spires, guarded by the famous clock tower himself, Big Ben. I especially loved the Poet's Corner (burial sites or memorials to Chaucer, Austen, Shakespeare,) and the markers for Darwin and Newton! Very enlightening to see the great revolutionary scientists honored at the church. Covent Garden: a great entertainment center with shops, great food (falafel!) and street performers. I watched a guy escape chains and a straight jacket and other performer walk a tight rope and juggle knives! St.Paul's Cathedral: stunning, with an amazing dome 550 steps up! Couldn't go in (too late) but the first part of the done is called the whispering gallery--supposedly you can hear your whisper from 107 feet away in a few seconds. How cool! The Tower Bridge and Tower of London--symbols of the history--good and bad--preserved for us to remember and reflect, and to move forward in our future more carefully. And a show. Shakespeare's Mid Summer Night's Dream--with my friend Abby at the Globe Theater! The original Shakespeare#s Globe burned in a fire, and then was destroyed in later years. An American actor/director spent his life rebuilding an exact replica in the same techniqe (no metal screws or nails!) It's a beautiful replica in the round, close by where the original stood so long ago. I really enjoyed hanging out with Abby (my friend Sheila's niece) and her boyfriend Aaron, and his parents from New Zealand. (go Jane go!) The performers were so hilarious, and I was honored to watch such comedic talent. Such a cool day. London has much to offer. And I had not enough time.

Here's to the future-- may we reflect on the past, and continue to evolve with peace and humanity.

Love,

Lori