We took the train into London ( I didn't realize how far away Gatwick airport actually was from the city.) It was a good opportunity to see lots of the English countryside and do some people watching. We arrived at Victoria Station in London and the 'overwhelming' began. I'm not sure there is a better way to describe the feelings I had on a a fairly regular basis during this trip. The station was crawling with people.
We took a taxi from the station to our hotel. Guess who had never been in a taxi before? Yeah. I know. Pathetic. Kevin assures me that London taxi drivers must pass rigorous tests before getting a license. That may be true but it's kinda hard to admire the acumen of your driver while clutching the door handle in a futile attempt not to be flung about the car.
Our room wasn't ready when we arrived so we took a walk in Hyde Park, which was right across the street from our hotel. The park is spectacular and around every corner is a scene more beautiful than the next. The problem is that, at this point, jet lag had attacked me with a vengeance. As we were walking, Kevin was talking but I could not focus on anything he was saying. I was in a mental fog and completey convinced that I might become violently ill at any moment. I have no idea how I kept from barfing in that historic park.
We made the very long walk back to the hotel and finally got settled into our room. Kevin was still officially working and had a meeting to attend that afternoon. All I wanted him to do was leave the room. I figured I could be asleep before he made it to the lobby. He must have been able to read my mind because he gave me the 'jet lag' lecture. Basically, you have to stay awake until it's 'bedtime" where you are, otherwise you'll end up messed up for the entire trip. I knew he was right but I was still plotting ways to send him to the meeting and go to sleep.
Kevin convinced me to take a double decker bus tour while he was working. It basically hits all the landmarks and historic sites. They have about 500 of them careening through the streets of London. You can 'hop on and hop off' at any of the stops if you want to take a closer look.
I hopped on.
I did not hop off.
It was just chilly enough to be uncomfortable so I began the first part of the tour in the enclosed, bottom portion of the bus. I spent the next hour falling asleep. "And to your left, Big Ben and Parliament"...zzzzz. "And if you will look to your right, the famous Harrod's department store"...zzzzz. Finally, I gathered the energy to climb the steps to the upper level of the bus. The cool wind coupled with the fantastic views perked me up enough to really enjoy the rest of the tour..
The bus dropped me off very close to the hotel. I had just enough of a 'second wind' to waste an hour on a futile search for a cup of coffee. We had passed something like 37 Starbuck's on the bus tour. Apparently, that corporation had decided to boycott the neighborhood surrounding our hotel. I gave up and made my way back to the hotel. Kevin was still working but the sun had gone down so I felt no guilt at all about sinking into the most delightful slumber.
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