On to London

 June 16

We get up to go down for breakfast at 6AM. It’s a little better than the standard Hampton Inn buffet breakfast and we know that it has to hold us for awhile. They have the black currant jam that we’ve all become quite fond of. So, toast is on my plate too.

Sunrise at the airport .

It’s a 5 minute walk to the airport. We make a little parade, all pulling our luggage behind us. The others check their bags in but since I’m not doing an international flight, Easy Jet isnt ready for my bag. We say our goodbyes and they go on through security.  I follow about 30 minutes later. I know their gate was tentatively 14 so I go there in hopes of waiting the hour till boarding with them. And there they are! All looking at their photos on their phones. We do last minute airdrops of photos to each other and then it is truly time to part. What wonderful people to share a wonderful trip.

It’s a short flight to London. In fact it takes more time to get from the airport to our Airbnb than it did in the air. I take a bus from the airport to a bus station that is on the subway line. Figure out how to buy a ticket for the tube. Only had to ask one person to find the right line and direction.  Nick is waiting for me at the exit when I get off the train.  Happy reunion! 

We walk the 5 minutes to our place.  It’s a nice residential neighborhood with shops and restaurants near the station. Our room i# very sweet filled with everything roses. It is a comfortable place to call home for the next 4 nights. We unpack and I realize I don’t have my computer! I remember taking it out of my backpack at security. I couldn’t have left it there…… but it definitely isn’t with me and that is the only possibility. Fast forward…..found a website for the Edinburgh airport lost and found. They have it and will mail it back to me in the states, at a price, of course, but less than replacing it and I will have my computer when I get home. Could be a lot worse.  So, I’m now doing this on an I pad with a screen keyboard. Again, could be worse.

Our anniversary was when I was in Scotland so it is now time to celebrate it. Nick does some research and finds an Argentinian restaurant that is consistently mentioned as a good place to go before a show.  He also got last minute tickets to see Phantom of the Opera. What a special way to celebrate the start of our Europe Trek Adventure! 

We each got the pre-show special where we each picked a starter, a main and a dessert. We purposefully got different things so we had quite an extensive tasting . Everything was delicious. It was a short walk to the Her Magesty,s Theater. The theater itself is wonderful and ornate. The perfect compliment to the show.  The costume#, the set, the singing, the acting, the dancing. Wow!

TheWest End was hopping after the show but we were ready to get back and call it a day. And what @ day it was!