london, day 5

we celebrated our last day in london by sleeping in. when we eventually rolled out of bed, got ready and packed, we were off to grab a bite to eat. though we were both craving breakfast, it was after 11, so we knew we would likely end up settling for lunch.

we headed back to the covent garden area, as there had seemed to be a lot of eateries. consistent with our previous experience there, the area was lively and energetic. the sun was out in full force and it was an absolute stunner of a day.

we found the perfect little cafe, and were thrilled to find that they served breakfast 24/7. could this day get any better? we enjoyed a leisurely brunch, and i learned that bacon is ham, and pancakes are crepes. i didn’t care about the terminology, it was all delicious.

after eating we were on to our one sightseeing stop for the day--st. paul’s cathedral. we had passed it on saturday night, and it was a gorgeous view as we walked across the millenium bridge. just a sidenote about that--the millenium bridge is a pedestrian bridge crossing the thames. when it was built, the traffic was so heavy that the bridge was unintentionally swaying. they had to shut it down for several months and refortify the structure before opening it back up.

at any rate, we were interested in seeing the interior of the cathedral. for whatever reason, it was the first question out of all our new-found friends mouth; ‘have you seen st. paul’s yet?’ it always says something to me when the locals hold a place in high regard. and it did not disappoint.

because of our sheer laziness and time constraints, we opted not to pay the 9 pounds for the full run of house, but we were able to get a good glimpse at it from the entry way, and it was magnificent.

after spending some time there, it was time for me to head back to the hotel to pick up my luggage and be off to the airport. deb’s flight left four hours after mine, so she had some time to kill, and we said our farewells at the tube entrance.

i made it back to the hotel, picked up my bags, and grabbed a cab to take me to paddington station. it was my first and last time in a cab in london, and it is quite a different experience than any other place i have been. it cost me about 6 pounds to get to paddington station, which made the decision to not try and drag my luggage up and down tube station steps, absolutely the right call. from there it was back on to the heathrow express.

i made my flight without incident, and was happy to come home to my faithful canine companion, but sad to have to return to real life.

it was an incredible trip, and perhaps the most incredible thing of all was realizing once again how ideally suited deb and i are as travel companions. this is the first time the two of us have traveled internationally without also having other folks with us. i was slightly concerned that the close quarters and 24/7 interaction would have us at eachother’s throats by the end of the trip, but it was not the case at all. in fact, when deb called on tuesday to say that she missed me, i was not surprised, as i felt the same way. assuming i do one day get married, i am going to have to take a couple of trips with my husband-to-be before i will be able to commit to eternity!

i am finally through the busiest two months i can remember in my career, and not having another event until january is giving me some room to breathe again.

i have thought a lot about the london trip since returning, and it seems to have had an interesting effect on both deb and i. you may remember that the two of us were supposed to go to montreal back in august. i ended up not being able to go, and deb went with a friend of hers from ny. it ended up being a blessing in disguise for her friend, who had just gotten out of a relationship, and desperately needed a distraction. it was then that they started planning a trip to london. deb had invited me, but i knew i would not be able to go. about a month later her friend backed out of london, and things fell into place so that i could.

when that happened, it was my feeling that this trip was important for some reason. that it had a purpose. but the result is not one i would have expected. i have been looking for a change for some time now, and i am now seriously considering moving to london. it would be temporary, maybe a year, maybe three, but though i have never been a big city girl, it was comfortable even in it's newness. i have always stuck by the fact that i would never live abroad--i love living in america entirely too much. ask me what has changed, and i won’t be able to tell you, except that as crazy as it may sound, it doesn’t feel crazy at all.

i also realized that the reason i am still where i am, despite having wanted to leave for some time, is fear. as much as i desire a change, at least now, i know what i can expect on a daily basis. i’m afraid that if i leave, i won’t be able to find the right job, or i won’t have the energy to make new friends, etc. etc. up ‘till now, the fear has overridden the need for progress, but now that i have been able to call it what it is, i’m hoping i can get over it and just get on with my life already!

there seems to be quite a few event planning jobs in london that would pay enough for me to be able to live reasonably comfortably, but i’m all about connections, so i’ll take any leads anyone may have to offer...and, i guess we’ll just see how this all plays out!

if you are interested in reading the travel report, in order, click here. and once again, the photos can be found here.

ooh. ooh. ooh. one random thing i almost forgot! they have this really common dessert there that is fairly incredible, called bannoffee. it's a bananna toffee pie, and holy hannah, i've got to find a recipe!