Across the Pond

"And look at the view from your balcony

 the sunset is searing the sky

 and how proudly you are pointing out to me

 London through your eyes"

 - Pet Shop Boys, The view from your balcony

Those who know me know I'm an Anglophile. From novels by Agatha Christie, Peter Lovesey, P.D. James and Ruth Rendell, to television shows such as Inspector Morse, Fawlty Towers, Doctor Who, Black Adder, and Midsomer Murders, to following Instagram accounts that are nothing more than photos of various British locales, from a young age I've been a fan of (nearly) all things English. Heck, I even used to regularly watch Prime Minister's Question Time on C-SPAN during my teenage years, and listened to the book-on-tape of Margaret Thatcher's The Downing Street Years memoir.

You can imagine my exuberance when, in late spring, some friends asked if we'd like to join them on a trip to England this summer. I was able to get the time off of work for it, as was Ashley. The final roadblock - and what had prevented me from making the trip up until this point - was a terrible fear of flying. Whenever this is brought up in conversation, people will invariably remark, "You mean you've never flown before?" And the reality is that I have. Thirty-one years ago, to California and back. It was an unnerving experience, one which I did not wish to repeat. But, sometimes the right people ask, and the destination is too alluring, so, our trip across the pond was made. Truth be told, the flights weren't all that bad. I'd do it again, maybe.

It's been almost a week since our trip to England ended. We spent nearly two weeks over there, seeing the sights, and taking-in all we could possibly experience during those precious vacation days. Our traveling companions were Kelvin & Jess, their daughter, Saoirse, and Jess's mom, Deb. I'd roll with them anywhere. A fellow Anglophile, Jess arranged a hearty itinerary, which we mostly followed, making a few alterations along the way. Ashley & I had never been abroad (aside from Canada and Mexico), so it was good that our first trip there was with people who had been before, and knew how to navigate things.

Our international flight landed at Heathrow around 7:30am on July 28. A lot of these journeys tend to be overnight, from what I've gathered. Something to do with better fuel economy? Regardless, we'd all been up for awhile but, not wanting to waste our first full day there, we soldiered on. That first day is a bit of a blur, honestly. I don't have an exact memory of what we did, only that we walked around a lot. It was fun, though. Ashley & I were able to check-in to our accommodations that afternoon, and promptly crashed. We were staying in a nice little hotel in Westminster, just a couple of blocks from Parliament/Big Ben/Westminster Abbey. Our friends were in an Airbnb in the Hampstead part of London.

Our first few days were spent in London. The first bit of tourism I vividly remember doing was visiting Westminster Abbey. England is an old country (at least, compared to the United States), and exploring Westminster Abbey was the first real moment of that hitting home. The building is centuries old, and is where the monarchy has its coronations and weddings, and where literally thousands of people are entombed, including Queen Elizabeth I, and Charles Dickens. So much history. There was a lovely courtyard area, where we happened upon a festive event that had fun things for kids and families to do. There was even a vicar there dressed in his collar and a pair of shorts - slightly incongruous, yet ultimately it fed into my memories of seeing something similar in an episode of Midsomer Murders.

We visited a multi-level toy store called Hamley's. It had a rather large Playmobil of the original series-era starship Enterprise that, if I hadn't been abroad, and worried about the size of my luggage, I would have been sorely tempted to procure. Jess led us to the open-air Borough Market, where vendors sold their edible wares. The sights and smells and were tantalizing. We lunched there, then moved on. We walked along the South Bank, by the Thames, which is a lively, festive area, full of people and food trucks, and the London Eye. That is where I took notice of a place called the London Dungeon, making a mental note to try and go there before our trip was over.

It only rained one day while we were there, and even then it was only light showers. That particular morning, we toured the Royal Mews, caught a glimpse of the Changing of the Guard, then walked over to Kensington Gardens, passing through Hyde Park and the Mayfair area along the way. There are so many park and gardens in London, all of them seeming to feature ponds, a swan or two, some geese and ducks, and a plethora of pigeons. Oh, and scads of massive London Planetrees (a species closely related to the Sycamore). It was when we were in Kensington Gardens that it rained, and we took shelter under one of the London Planetrees. Completely dry (and cool) under its massive crown spread, I shall never forget the time we spent there.

One morning, we met up with our friends in the delightful area of Richmond, for a puppet show performed on a docked barge. It was pretty neat - 45 minutes of performers expertly manipulating their marionettes, presenting a program of several short stories (most famously the Tortoise and the Hare). I think Saoirse enjoyed it. Afterward, we walked along the river, and ended up in Kew Gardens. That is where jet lag caught up with me and, in the early afternoon, Ashley & I bailed and took the subway back to our hotel. I felt better the next day, and we resumed our activities.

1st of August saw us depart London for Oxford. We left from Paddington Station and, a short 50 minute train ride later, we were in the city of dreaming spires. We spent two nights there, and I felt the need to pinch myself several times so as to remind myself it was real. We toured Magdalen College, one of the 39 colleges that comprise the University of Oxford. We walked by several other schools in the city center, had lunch at the Covered Market, walked along the banks of the canal, visited Blackwell's Bookshop, had dinner at Nando's, toured the Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers museums, toured the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre, and walked by the famous Bridge of Sighs and Radcliffe Camera. Our friends went out to Blenheim Palace on one afternoon, while Ashley & I went on a guided two-hour tour of sites from the filming of the Morse, Lewis and Endeavour TV series. I fell in love with Oxford. It's a lovely place.

3rd of August saw us return to London, Ashley & I to the same hotel in Westminster, and Kelvin, Jess, Saoirse and Deb to a different Airbnb in Hampstead. During the second leg of our London experience, we visited Harrods department store, and saw The Mousetrap (the play by Agatha Christie, now in its 70th year in the West End). We also toured the Natural History Museum, walked up to Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, and rode the London Eye. Ashley & I looked around the National Gallery for a bit, explored the Tower of London, walked across Tower Bridge, and were able to circle back and do the London Dungeon. I'd highly recommend it if you're a fan of haunted house attractions, and the bloody side of British history. Oh, and of course we saw a movie while we were there (Bullet Train, in case you're wondering). We also met up with our friend Grant, who has been a guest on our podcast. We spent several hours imbibing and chatting with him at a pub called the Ship and Shovell.

Our last full day in England was spent at the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios attraction. A bus picked us up early in the morning and, nearly an hour later, we arrived at the destination. It was a self-guided tour, and we spent a few hours looking at all the sets and props that had been used during the filming of the eight Harry Potter films over the course of a decade. It was fun, and prompted me to re-watch three of the movies on our flight back the next day. Speaking of which, the journey home ended up comprising 22 hours of wakefulness for us. It was a long day, and I slept well that first night home.

We finished-off our last full day in England with the six of us enjoying dinner in the beer garden of the Freemasons Arms pub, in Hampstead. It was a gorgeous evening, with good food and good company. Like most of the evenings there, it stayed light until almost 10:00pm. Nighttime in England, at least at this time of year, is shorter than it is back home. Also, the people are more polite. It's difficult to adequately describe, but there's a kind of courteousness there that I came to appreciate. No one is trying to be your best friend, but they're just... polite. That goes for the dogs, too. None of them were on leashes, and yet, whenever their paths crossed, they merely acknowledged one another, and moved on.

It's a cliched thing to say, but this truly felt like the trip of a lifetime. From the locales, to our traveling companions, to (kind of) conquering my fear of flying, there is so much about the vacation that will forever remained emblazoned in my heart and mind. The week since we've been back has been filled with fond memories, as well a mild bit of depression about no longer being over there. I got into a routine of walking a lot, visiting new places, seeing our friends every day, and being away from the responsibilities of my day-to-day life back home. Readjusting to reality has taken some time. And, I think I may still have some jet lag. It was worth it, though. I shall always remember with fondness our trip to that sceptered isle.