Katie's First Day in London

May 25, 2007

This morning is actually the 26^th, but I am writing about yesterday—Katie’s first day in London. She’s sleeping right now, still a little jet-lagged, so I figured I’d use the time to write a bit before I wake her up to start our ‘art museum’ day.

I picked her up at Heathrow Airport and then took her back to my place in Bloomsbury, after her very first ride in the tube, a difficult journey with her cumbersome luggage, and an exhausting trip up my four flights of stairs.

Since Katie and I had already planned to go out to eat lunch with Vince, we went out for some real London cuisine—the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut. It was nice to just sit and talk with her and see her relax after her flight. It’s been way too long. But we had much more to do than just eat stuffed crust.

We were just around the corner from Trafalgar Square, so Katie and I went there and looked around. (This is when Katie confiscated the camera from me). I haven’t written a blog for a while—not since I promised to more often in Germany, actually—but Vince and I went to the English National Opera the other day to see Death in Venice. After the first act was over (finally) we left, since the show was too boring to possibly sit through another 2 hours. We went over to Trafalgar only to discover that, instead of pigeon poo-covered cement, it was all covered in grass. People were picnicking and lying around. It’s absolutely beautiful. So that’s what Katie got to see during her first trip in the square. She was amazed at how much you can see in just that one spot, with the National Gallery behind you, the square and Nelson’s column directly in front, Big Ben and Whitehall down Northumberland Road, and so much more just lurking around.

Anyway, I wouldn’t let Katie see everything in one day, so we avoided the area where Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey are, walking down Pall Mall and down to Buckingham Palace. Katie shot some typical pictures of the palace guards and the Queen Victoria Memorial, and then we set out to try and find the roving van of a German bakery that was rumored to be in Kensington near the German Embassy. We walked all the way down Constitution Hill, Grosvenor Road, through Wellington Arch and Hyde Park, and down to Sloane Square and Kensington near Harrod’s. We never found our bakery van but did a lot of nice walking. We got so exhausted, actually, that we laid down under a tree in Hyde Park and had a bit of a respite.

Refreshed but sunburned, Katie and I turned our heels to Oxford Street, where we made a quick visit to Selfridge’s and the oh-so-entertaining American food section. But they were pretty much out of German pretzels in the bakery, so we left. After doing a little grocery shopping, Katie really needed a nap, so we headed home and let her rest.

Still, the day was young (it doesn’t get dark here until nearly 9 pm) so I dragged Katie out of bed to go to Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill. The walk is really grueling, since it’s uphill and we had already walked so much, but we finally made it and took in the view from a bench for a while. The walk back was much easier and we had a really good time walking around Queen Mary’s Rose Garden in the inner circle of the park. Katie loved the flowers and archways and weeping willows.

On our way home, we got a little lost walking through the park but managed to find our way out eventually. We actually crossed this little bridge and, on the other side, I saw a kid’s toy puppet sitting in the grass. It was behind a fence with pointed railings, so I picked up the puppet and set it on the fence (it’s about chest high). A group of students was walking behind us and didn’t see my put the puppet there. They started yelling about how creepy it was and gathering their friends, only to the great amusement of Katie and I. They stood around taking pictures and talking about it as we walked away. It was pretty darn funny.

Hmmm…Since I didn’t really write as faithfully as I should have in Germany, I suppose this is my chance to sum up that trip. I had a really nice time relaxing in the mornings while my aunts were at work, and I did a lot of running through the wooded streets and forest and the nearby Freizeit Park. It’s all so beautiful there—it’s a very nice mix between the suburban and the natural that we simply have not achieved in the U.S. We were too busy building and cutting things down to realize that, if we just left the trees intact, our surroundings would be so much more amazing. I spent my time between Biergartens in Kornwestheim and on the Neckar River, Wine fests in my aunt’s town of Rosswag, outdoor swimming in Bietigheim, and big dinners with my German family. It makes me really sad to think about the trip, actually, because I know it was one of my last chances, maybe for a few years, to relax and spend time with the aunts, uncles, and cousins I never get to see when I am at home.

But, I still have three weeks there. And it will be even sweeter, since Katie will be with me. My aunts are letting us plan a 7-10 day road trip through Germany, camping and visiting the major cities. And we already have the rest of London planned out as well. I can’t wait to show Katie Germany—if she’s impressed with the gardens and parks here in London, I can’t imagine how she’ll react to the regular landscapes of the area around Stuttgart. And everywhere else I plan to take her.

Well, I am going to try and wake her now, since the museums she wants to see start opening in less than a half an hour. I’ll try to write more often but things will be pretty busy around here. Love you guys and see you all very soon.

Love, Jessica