Wimbledon, of course.

Once it was determined that I was going to do this trip to London, I knew I wanted to visit Wimbledon. TJ took this photo of me at the Wimbledon tube station.

The yellow jacket is Jim's, he was wearing it the last time I saw him, in Swan Lake, in late June, 2015.  It is his Pearl Izumi bicycle jacket. I kidded him some that trip about wearing a bike jacket no where near a bike.  He replied it was a nice jacket, so he was going to wear it. There is a denim bag over my shoulder in this photo that I have carried everywhere I have gone this trip. It is my Jim bag, a gift to me from Sharon. The denim is from an old pair of Jim's Levi's. In it is a packet of tennis themed photos of my brother.  I am wearing socks that say Santini on them, worn while riding on Tram with my brothers.  In an old email I found his words on dealing with grief to be helpful.  "we didn't have that option in 1955 (grief counselors) and managed somehow to get through it all to a better place."   This trip is part of that, finding that better place.

I took a rest day on Saturday

Gz, BDE and TJ left early for the Tower of London. The college girl took a tour out of the city with 30 or so fellow students (Windsor), and I took a quiet walk through the local neighborhoods to the Chelsea Embankment.  Essentially a stroll along the Thames between the Victorian Albert Bridge and the Chelsea bridge.

I passed by the street market at Sloan Square. It isn't as impressive as Portobello Market in Nikki's neighborhood, but it is a good spot for people watching. Good choices by us all, I believe.

St. Paul's Cathedral

The girl's orientation schedule got rearranged and she had a free day to hang out with us. The posse headed her way (the four of us... You know who we are) and GZ  and BDE got to see her neighborhood. We stopped at a local quick-mart near her tube station for a quick bite before hopping on the Central line at the Holland Park Station. 8 stops east, and we arrive at St Paul's.  Easy. We are all getting to be pros at using the tube. Sort of. St. Paul's doesn't allow photography inside, but it is an amazing place. The ceilings alone are worth the visit.

After leaving there the Grands and I walked back to the tube station  and, with the aid of google and paper maps, found her work address for her internship. I now appreciate more than ever the grid system used to lay out places that I live.
We found GZ and BDE as we finished that task, and TJ joined them to stay longer in the city while the girl and I checked out the tube ride back to her neighborhood.  We had a bite at a patisserie near her tube stop and made the climb back up Notting Hill to her flat. I managed the tube back to our place, Central line, three stops. Skyping took place past my bedtime, with the grands Mother and other Grandmother. We carry our families with us.  Always.

Kensington Gardens and Palace and pond

Cooler today, at last. The lad and I walked back to the Kensington Park area to see things in more detail. A tour bus had just arrived so we ate lunch and toured the gardens before entering the (not free) palace.  Worth it though I took no photos inside.  We stopped by the Victoria and Albert museum again on the way back to the hotel so TJ could see the one European exhibit he missed yesterday.

A mix of photos.

TJ slept in today with no big plans for the day. Later we walked up to the Victoria and Albert museum then headed back to our lodging to hide from the mid day sun. We ventured out for a walk about 6, to St Luke's church again. The college girl called just as TJ and I had decided it was cool enough to eat and he and I hopped on the tube for 3 stops to her tube stop. We made at least 2 wrong turns from there but eventually made it. She had a few places in mind and we chose a real Italian pizza place. So not Papa John's. We grabbed a taxi instead of the tube for the return trip. A successful day.

Moving in Day

GZ and BDE left late this morning for a few days out of the city.  We hope they have fun and stay cool.  The two college kids and I took a cab to the girl's flat that will be her new home for about 8 weeks. There were a few glitches, but short lived and someone arrived to let her in and show her around. We met one of her flatmates. There are 3 total and possibly 4 eventually. We went for a tour of the neighborhood, primarily the Portobello Market area, an upscale street market that is a big tourist attraction.

I think she will be fine.

Not even the British Museum is cool.

We had a good idea for beating this record breaking heat wave that has had London in its grip since we arrived.  The British Museum would surely be cool... We even took a cab, assuming it would be air conditioned. No and no.

What was cool though, was walking across Russell Square afterwards and finding some old landmarks from when JB and I were there on my sabbatical leave 20 plus years ago.  It took a few minutes to get my bearings, but the hotel, the local pub and the tube station were all still there.  Pub food and beer for those so inclined.  Very cool.  Finally.

Sunday church services at Westminster Abbey

We did our first expedition on public transportation today, taking the underground from South Kensington station to Westminster.  The green line, if I remember right. The Abbey is closed to tours on Sunday morning, but church services were about to begin at this magnificent 500 year old church.  All  five of us agreed that a Sunday morning service at the Abbey was an experience we didn't want to miss. It was beautiful!

The high point of the trip, for sure. The unusual heat here in London is beginning to wear us down, and as the oldest among us, I am struggling a bit.  No working a/c in the apartment doesn't help.  We will be looking for something to do inside tomorrow, with record heat expected. Wish us luck!

The family at Battersea Park

Another very good walk today, though rest stops were necessary with the un-British hot temperatures. We opted to visit water, cooler near the river(?) , winding our way through historic Chelsea to the Chelsea bridge. The grands got their first view of the Thames from there as we crossed over to Battersea Park.  We found a shady spot for an impromptu picnic from a vender, then we stuck to the shade as we followed the river to Albert Bridge. The return crossing provided an exceptional display by the British air force for the Queen's birthday. Close formation, wing tip to wing tip..  Memorable stuff. I gave up early as I began to wilt in the heat, although not before we saw Sir Thomas Moore's statue, and were turned away from the church we had hoped to see.

After a rest, the grands and I ventured out to buy the college girl a phone for her stay here.  BDE scouted the neighborhood later and found an Italian restaurant that served very good food. We rounded out the evening by Skyping with Oslo. Pretty good for our first full day.

London!

We made it, travel weary of course. More later, probably, though internet is sketchy at our apartments.

St. Luke's church, on our first walk.

First Post

I hope to use this space for blogging from my tablet. My only other option is the family food blog, and that just feels wrong.

We will see how this goes.....