Calm down the cats. When they see two large suitcases they know that we are both leaving and none of them are happy about it. Tommy and Harvey were especially gloomy, extra scratches and loving didn't hurt.
Downstairs to ensure the cat's other bathroom was acceptable. Vacuumed, shook out all the rugs, changed the litter. Looks great.
Make a few more notes for the cat sitter and looked out the window to see Arizona Shuttle pull up to the stop sign and make a left -- wonder if he'll find our street or overshoot like most people.
We love the shuttle service. You can park for free in their lot and the ride to/from Phoenix (PHX) is $37 each way. For $15 more they will pick you up at your house. Leaving my car in their lot for a few days is one thing, I didn't want to do that for three weeks.
So we're finally ready for our adventure to begin!
Get to the airport three hours ahead of our flight, get checked in and start wandering, grab a quick dinner and wait to board the plane.
I always fly Premium Economy these days, I'm too old to go in steerage. I've only been flying Air France so that is all I have to compare to ... British Airways doesn't hold a candle to Air France. Chairs were small, TV was smaller, food was mediocre, cocktails were hosted, so that was nice. I watched movies, one after the other because that's how I roll.
Still unable to sleep on a plane, I just need to help the captain fly, manage the turbulence, line up for landing and ensure we get there, no time for sleep.
Arrived, found our luggage, customs was a breeze (that was a nice experience) and found our driver (always a bit nerve-wracking) and headed to our hotel. Never experienced a more convoluted entrance into the city, tiny roads, turn right, right, left, right, straight, left, left, etc. Felt like we were driving in circles. Finally arrived and got checked into the hotel, found our group and had the welcome chat and then a lovely dinner.
Our hotel overlooks the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Funny, I always thought the Tower of London was one of the Towers on the bridge. Not. The Tower is not just a tower, it's an entire compound comprising 45 acres! See that large building in the center? That's where the armory is located. Moving from the left corner of that building to the left corner of the next outter ring is the entrance to see the crown jewels. If you EVER get an opportunity to visit London and have time to see the Crown Jewels, DO NOT PASS UP THAT OPPORTUNITY! The swords, the vestments, the crowns, the orb, the spoon, the sceptre -- really, its all too much!
They didn't allow pictures -- which would not have done anything justice, but still, no pictures. Bummer!
Got up this morning after an attempt at sleep to a nice breakfast and we were off on a bus tour of this interesting city.
Our room overlooks the Thames River and the Hanvengore, the barge that took William Churchill's body to Waterloo for burial. Doesn't look like much from the window, but it's pretty nice up close.
Hanvengore
There have been 5 different Tower Bridges over history -- remember the song, "London Bridge is falling down..." Well, yes, it was. It was torn down and aother put in its place, And then another. This is a pic of the 4th iteration of London Bridge. It was purchased, dismantled and moved to Arizona, where I understand many very old things have chosen to move there to recover.
4th Tower Bridge, now spanning a portion of Lake Havasu
This is the current Tower Bridge. Quite lovely and all lit up at night,
Current Tower Bridge
Still have much to say and share about today, but I didn't sleep well last night and it's catching up to me. More details and many more pictures to come.
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