England - Leaving Nether Burrows Farm for London

The taxi driver had a hard time finding us down that narrow lane but Dana was finally able to coach him through to find the cottage.  Steve, Mike and the girls and I piled into the taxi leaving Dana and Roger to drive his car home. 

We got to the train station in Derby and bought our tickets.  Finding the platform for our train was easy however the first train that arrived was full. This was just the beginning of a journey that would involve a few packed trains most notably the one where we had to stand for the 90 minutes to London.  The only room I had was for my heels as I tucked my feet under a seat and held onto my ginormous suitcase for dear life.  

A very kind man offered me his seat but I declined as I was afraid of upsetting this delicate balance I had with my luggage.  As crowded as the train was, everyone was very polite and understanding even when they had to climb over suitcases to get out the door for their stop.

The last leg of our journey was on the Underground from St. Pancras to the Barbican station near where Dana lives.  On the train, I stood near a very young mother who was seated with her two-year-old son.  He entertained all the travelers and was cute as a bug.  His mother noticed my luggage tag.

"You're here from America?"

"Yes.  New York."

"I've never been abroad before."

"Neither had I.  This is my first time abroad."

"This isn't abroad," she sniffed.  "This is rubbish!  This is London!"

Her thick accent told me she was a hard working mother who had never seen the beauty in her own city.  She told me about her dream to someday take her young son to Disney World.  I took the little stuffed duck I had attached to my luggage and handed it to the little boy.  He eagerly took it and started playing with it on the floor of the train.  I just smiled and hoped his mother would someday remember the American lady who'd given it to him and sent a silent prayer to The Universe that someday she does get to take her son "abroad".

Mell insisted I take this picture at Barbican station

We finally arrived at Barbican station and walked to Dana's flat where she and Roger were waiting for us.  Dana lives at the Barbican Estate which is a fascinating bit of history.  It was built in the 60s and 70s on a 35-acre site that had been bombed by the Germans during World War II.  The Museum of London is part of the complex and there is an amazing view from Dana's flat of the steeple of St. Paul's Cathedral.

The Barbican Estate

The view from Dana's flat

The same view after the blitz in 1940.

My jetsetters right at home in London

In true Dana fashion, she had lots of energy and was ready to show us the sights even though it was late in the day.  She put on Mary Poppins as we researched restaurants for a dinner destination and went over our must-see list before taking off for the city.  Buckingham Palace was definitely on my list!

The next few hours were full of all modes of transportation which I cannot even recall to chronicle here but I do remember all the places we ended up thanks to Dana's mind boggling knowledge of the city.  

Syd looking like she fits right in on the Underground

Buckingham Palace.  Unbelievable.

The Nelson Mandela statue.
Notice the flowers still surrounding it
honoring the man who died only a few
weeks before this was taken.

The flowers that had already been removed.

Me and my darling man

The London Eye.
A blight on the London landscape,
in my opinion

Covent Garden

Street performers have been entertaining the crowds
at Covent Garden since the 1600s.
Punch and Judy were among the first.

 

On the double decker bus!

Big Ben.  I never knew it was part of the
Parliament building!

By the time we had hit all the sights, it was 7:30 and we had reservations at Amici Bio.  This restaurant turned out to be one of the culinary highlights of my entire trip!

The food here was amazing!  So many vegan options yet the omnivores were happy too.  Steve and I were still talking about the meal days later.  I'm so used to saying no to desserts as most aren't vegan but this restaurant didn't disappoint me.

Chocolate cake with soy vanilla ice cream

We walked down narrow side streets on our way home and I was reminded of scenes from movies I'd seen and books I'd read.  It was so hard to believe we were in this magical place.

Our first day in London was exhausting but so much fun and an amazing experience!  I fell asleep to the sounds of the end of Mary Poppins snuggled up in Dana's guest bedroom.  One more full day in England before heading home.  Where had the week gone?