day eighteen: london / home

Well, this was it. The end. Our flight out of Heathrow is at 1:30pm, so we didn't have to get up so dreadfully early as some of our other travel days.

• As planned, we hit the Zetter's restaurant for breakfast. Just like in Paris, we are the only ones there right after they open. Robin has been dying to try the featured ricotta pancakes since we arrived. They live up to expectations.
• Today is bank holiday in England, so the city is still very quiet. This also means that the Underground stations and trains are not crowded at all, which is great since we are lugging our bags around.
• The train ride to Heathrow is quiet and takes about 45 minutes.
• After checking in, we roam some airport shops and settle down for one more pre-packaged sandwich from a coffee shop. It is about this time that we start noticing small groups of young, obnoxiously loud, American girls milling about. It turns out that we will be sharing the flight with a bunch of the cheerleaders from one of the groups performing in yesterday's parade. I overhear one genius tell her giggling friends "GAWD, it is so AWESOME! They don't charge tax here. We are saving SO much money!" I just wish I was a fly on the wall when she (or her parents) see her credit card bill and she learns that a pound is not quite equal to a dollar.
• The flight is loooooong. No sleep for me. The only decent, working movie to watch is Just Like Heaven and Robin and I play "Guess the Ending" throughout. I think Robin peeked in on Pride and Prejudice a bit later as well.
  
• We eat twice on the place, including a really tasty spinach and tomato risotto with red wine. Sadly, no oreo cheesecake on this flight.
  
• Lys and Carl meet us after we get through customs and give us a ride home.
• Once in the house and the kitties have been given the appropriate amount of lovin', I head out to run some pre-Robin's-birthday errands, and pick up Q-Doba. We have been missing the queso dip somethin fierce.

We are now home safe and sound. Our own bed feels wonderful, especially with the added warmth of the two cats.

day seventeen: london, new years day

We actaully fell asleep after 3am so we are a little surprised that we both pop awake around 10. We said we would get in touch with Reid around 10:30, but it doesn't actually happen till 11:30, which was OK. He was still asleep. We decide to meet up and try to catch some of the highly-touted London New Years Day Parade.

• Everything is closed in our neighborhood, including Starbucks, so we have to grab juice and pre-packaged muffin in a quickie-grocery across the street from the tube stop.
  
• We meet Reid at his Underground station and decide to hop on train heading towards the center area near the parade route. We hop on the wrong train. Getting back on the right track takes a little longer due to some stations still being closed.
  
• We arrive at Oxfrd Circus and start walking to Piccadilly Circus, with a brief stop in the Apple Store, aka "Geek Mecca".
  
• When we finally hit the parade, we are, the say the least, underwhelmed. We were expecting something rivalling the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It felt more like the Founder's Day Parade for Alma Colorado. No pomp. No flair. No style. The weirdest thing to me was that ALL the bands were American high school marching bands. There wasn't a single band from the UK. There were, however, British baton twirlers and cheerleaders, but we don't want to go there.
  
• We walk down Piccadilly checking to make sure some of the better locations to get High Tea were closed (Fortnum & Mason, The Ritz, etc)
  
• Feeling a bit thirsty and peckish, we stop in the Rose & Crown pub for a pint and some nachos and chips. This will not be our last visit to this location today.
  
• It is now dusk, and we walk through the east end of Hyde Park and find a fair happening along the northern border of the park.
  
• About halfway through the fair, just when Robin is trying to decide which carnival ride we should get on, I realize that my wallet (passport and all) is not where it should be. I instantly remember not picking it up before leaving the pub, so, we head back.
  
• The wallet is recovered and we then tube it back to Leicester Square to find a spot for dinner. Five minutes off the Underground, and Robin realizes a purchase from the day's shopping is gone. It too was left back at the pub. This item was left when she popped into the ladies room when I made us go back for my wallet. Two train trips and a lot of quick walking and we rejoin Reid with all possessions safely in hand.
  
• Our last meal in London is very similar to our first. We hit the Wagamama in Leicester Square for asian noodle bowls. Mine is so spicy, my mouth needs a recess midway through.
  
• Back to the hotel to pack for the trip HOME. We say adieu to Reid. He will be staying here till Thursday.
  

OK. That's it. We are done. At least with the remote trip reports. Keep checking back, as we hope to revise, expand, and fill in the gaps of these reports. Also, there will be tons of photos. 680 in fact, many which correspond to blog entries.

Time to finish packing then get some sleep. Like in Paris, we want to hit the very nice restaurant for breakfast before we head out to he arport. We should be on the ground in Denver by 4:30pm.

Cheers!
Gavin