London Bridge adorned for the Olympics

The Flight, July 10

We flew British Airways out of JFK to Heathrow.  The flight was completely uneventful which in airline terms means it was outstanding.  It’s been over 20 years since I last flew BA, glad to see they are still awesome.  While other airlines seem to compete on making you miserable, BA excelled at the opposite.  Free food, free booze, free blankets/pillows (yes, some airlines charge) and an on time flight.

London, July 11-17

We stayed with Michelle’s cousin Keith and his wife Theresa in South Harrow, a suburb of London, about a half hour train ride from downtown.  Theresa is an excellent cook who kept us overfed while Keith kept the whiskey flowing.

Our time was spent between visiting family and seeing some of the major sites in London: Westminster, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, riding the London Eye, and the British Museum.

Aunt Silda

The weather was not good, cool, cloudy, and rained every day. Locals say it’s the worst summer in memory.

Walking around downtown was difficult with lots of blocked paths and streets, all in preparation for the Olympics.

Egyptian Loot

What struck me most about London was how it appears to be a very livable of it city, coming from someone who hates cites.  Although there are lots of people, cars and noise it’s far less oppressive than a city like New York.  The bus system is excellent, the best I’ve seen, anywhere.  We had no problems navigating the buses and subways. Public transportation day passes cost about $10 which included our train to downtown.  You can’t even get into NYC for that price.  Kids are free.

While the highlight of London was staying with Keith and Theresa,  I would say the second best was the British Museum, lots of interesting loot from around the world.  While not a huge museum it had impressive collections of Greek and Egyptian antiquities.

Theresa and Keith

Our next stop is Paris, we take Eurostar via the chunnel tuesday afternoon on our way to a rented apartment in the center of downtown.