Last Day in London

Tony and I ventured out to Abbey Road this morning.  I have said many times on this trip you can spot tourists because we often walk on the right instead of the left.  Here, Londoners not only drive on the left, but they generally walk on the left.  It is very confusing.  Today, however, it became glaringly apparent that tourists are also very rude.  Londoners have continued to surprise us at every turn with house kind and helpful they are.  Regardless of whether it is sincere or not, it is heartwarming to feel so welcome everywhere we go. Tourists, on the other hand, often surprise us with how rude, thoughtless and obnoxious they can be.  When this happens, we just pray they are NOT Americans.  

We had a wonderful lunch at another magnificent historic pub called The Harp.  This pub has been named the best pub in the nation several years in a row.  I don’t think many tourists go here because when we walked in most of the patrons looked like bankers who were there drinking their lunch, and they all stared at us when we entered.  The lady behind the bar, however, was incredibly friendly, and she took our order.  In addition to some great beer, we ordered The Harp’s homemade sausages on homemade buns with onions.  I got lamb sausage (YUMMY!), and Tony got the pork sausage.  

Following lunch, we indulged in some delicious gelato – I had hazelnut, and Tony had some sort of chocolate. 

I am so ready to get home, sleep in my own bed and see my sweet little Ella, but I am already missing this place.  London is such and vibrant city, and there is just so much to do.  I may be a girl who has spent most of her life in small town Chattanooga, but I have always felt that I am meant to be a big-city girl.  Whether it is Boston, Chicago, Munich or London, I think I need to live in a much larger city at some point in my life.  My years in Cincinnati gave me a taste of a somewhat bigger city, but all my years of travel make me realize that I need more.  While Tony and I are both worn out, it is a good sort of exhaustion because we have seen and done a lot, but we also feel there is much more to do.

I remember someone telling me not long ago that only 20% of Americans have passports.  If you are part of the 80% that does not have a passport, seriously think about getting one sometime soon and go somewhere.  See the world beyond the U.S.  You won’t regret it.  There are places I have visited that I would probably not visit again, but I have never regretted going anywhere.  If you think you cannot afford it, remember that not everyplace is expensive. 

Life is too short to live it all in one place.