We flew to London. I honestly have to say that during the first leg of our flight, I already felt like I was on vacation. I was on a quiet plane with minimal interruptions, a soft seat, and a good book. That was enough for me. I felt recharged after just a few hours of that. Of course, I knew that the trip was just going to get better from there, but you know you need a break if you think the plane ride is wonderful. We arrived in London and it was technically the next day even though we hadn't slept much. We somehow made it to the hotel while dragging our luggage onto the "tube" (London's version of the subway). We checked our bag into the hotel and went and found a little place to eat. They didn't know how to split the check for some reason, which I found annoying and entertaining all at the same time. We used a "hop on, hop off" tour bus to get around the city. You get on and off as you please. London was a very fast paced city. They drive on the opposite side of the road, which I never got used to. The lanes are very narrow compared to what we are used to here, and defensive driving is on a whole new level there. It is survival of the fittest. We were on a double decker bus and were just sure that it was going to hit a lamppost or a building several times. Their ability to maneuver is amazing, I must say. I was also shocked with all the luxury cars. Almost every car was a black Mercedes. Occasionally, we would see other cars, but they were mostly high end vehicles. No Fords or Kias. The people seemed very abrupt. At first I thought they were rude, but after awhile, it just felt like they didn't have time to be friendly or polite. It seemed like they valued efficiency more than kindness. It didn't totally bothered me. We only had one day there and we wanted to fit in as much in as possible. Here are some of our favorite visits:
St. Paul's Cathedral
London Tower
Big Ben
Kensington Palace
London Bridge
More Kensington Palace in the gardens
Hyde Park
We walked about 13 miles that day and were exhausted when we got back to the hotel. We hadn't eaten dinner and I was perfectly content to just go to bed, but Jason insisted that we eat something. I did have a little meltdown at that point. It was overwhelming to interact with so many people and not feel able to talk about Eli at all. I think we were exhausted and hungry and Jason made the right decision to get us food. He walked across the street to a little store. He bought some cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese and crackers. I started eating the cottage cheese and was confused for a minute or two; seriously.... I looked at the package over and over again to make sure it was really cottage cheese. It tasted soooo much better than the cottage cheese I buy at Costco, and I was sure it was something else because the discrepancy was that big. As we ate the rest of the dairy, it was pretty clear that Europe had completely different standards for food. It was so, so much better. Before we left on our trip, I was reevaluating my relationship with dairy, and since we've been home, I can hardly eat it. I know what REAL cottage cheese tastes like now, so I won't be duped anymore. This went for all the dairy in Europe. We had whipping cream, ice cream, cheese. Even the dairy on the airplane that was stocked with food from the UK was head and shoulders above anything I have ever had here. It is really quite embarrassing how awful the dairy is here.
The next day we drove across the countryside to Stonehenge, I decided that I was born in the wrong country. I'm pretty sure. I really like dairy, I would look just fine in a black Mercedes, and I value efficiency more than some other traits that I should probably work on developing. I felt I would fit right in if I were to buy a little English cottage in the countryside.
I didn't know much about Stonehenge before, but it was such an incredible thing to see in person. From what I remember, it was constructed by a "sophisticated prehistoric" people. The rock formation helped them keep time. There was special significance with the winter and summer solstice. It was a sacred place; a place of worship. It was also a place of burial. They have no idea how the people moved the massive stone into place, which is a lot of the reason that this place is so intriguing.
I am so sensitive to "places of burial" and it
seemed like we went to a lot of places like this while in Europe. They would often bury people in their places
of worship (like below their churches or at Stonehenge). That idea makes perfect sense to me now. Places of burial are sacred ground.
I felt mostly reverence as we visited Stonehenge and wished
that there weren't so many people there (a common complaint I seem to
have). I wondered about these people and
their way of life. I felt like it was a
sacred and beautiful place.
