IF IT'S THURSDAY, IT MUST BE LONDON

Samuel Johnson (d. 1794) once said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Although we've all been here before, some of us many times, our list of “possible destinations” this week is long enough to last into next year.

 

I remember once driving with our old friend Tosh Lee in Scotland where the beauty of hills and locks was so overwhelming that she said it was almost too much, like drinking heavy cream. We all felt that way about the Dordodogne. However, all that curdled the moment we arrived at the Bergerac airport. 

First, there was no one at the Europcar office to give the car keys to, or let us into the returned-car lot. A note on the office window said they were out (Duh!); just leave the keys in some other car company's lock box. But no instructions about where to leave the car itself. Fortunately, Bob bumped into someone who gave him the secret code for the lot. 

Then, there was the airport itself, which was little more than a quonset hut, where we spent a couple of hours waiting for Ryan Air to fly us in crowded seats to London.

And next came passport screening. We waited easily an hour in line as only one or two windows inspected passports and visas. We watched one person led off by police and a couple more finger-printed. The one good part was that when we got to the luggage carousel, our luggage was about all that was left to be picked up. No waiting there. 

The Stanstead Express train took us in 47 minutes to London, where we caught a cab to our flat. Never have I seen such a jumble of people, cars, taxis, and buses. It felt as if we were in the middle of a hill of angry ants. An hour later, we arrived at the flat, which is adequate but below expectations.

After stocking the kitchen for breakfast and tulips for the table (Thanks, Karin.), we found a great Italian restaurant: Sergio's. Some red wine for Bob and me, and TWO glasses of Prosecco for Karin, the tensions of the day began to seep away, and that night we slept the sleep of the righteous.

Bob promises to take some pictures today!!