It’s a crazy time in our world right now. Then again, isn’t it always? There’s a war in Ukraine and Israel. Plus, another war is coming up in November which is better known to voters as Election Day. If you watch the news or read it online the campaigns are in full swing. If you’re like me, you probably can’t wait for it to end. It’s true it never really does end, but things do calm down a bit the Wednesday after the election. There’s always something going on in this world and unfortunately the news agencies get more attention when it’s bad. And so it goes.
There’s a reason why I don’t discuss politics or anything controversial on my Substack, I prefer to keep things light. We have to find the joy in our lives. It’s important to have fun and just take a break. I use the “Find the joy” line often because I believe in it and I think it works. Case and point, I do read the news on my iPad but as the election draws near and with everything else that is going on in the world, I tend to stay away from it. One of the joys I think of these days is our European summer trip. Yes it’s been several months now since we went, but I think of it often and it puts a smile on my face despite the bad news.
If you remember we visited four countries on this trip and although I have yet to write about all of them, I want to focus on London, England, which was our last stop before heading back to the US. I had visited England back in 1989 with my Dad. Unfortunately it was more of a church business trip than a vacation so I didn’t get to do much the entire week I was there. Thankfully, this was not a church business trip.
After a few days in Paris and Disneyland Paris (formerly Euro Disney) we took the bullet train into London. That was fun. Going through the underwater tunnel through the English Channel was something I’ll never forget. You don’t realize you’re traveling underwater until you’re not. It certainly was the perfect way to travel to London. I highly recommend it.
We stayed at the Westin Hotel which sat on the banks of the River Thames. You can see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre across the water. The highlights of the trip included dinner at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants just down the street from our hotel. If you haven’t had his Beef Wellington, trust me, you are missing out. I’ve written about our visit to Hell’s Kitchen last year, so getting another opportunity to dine at a Ramsay restaurant was a must. We ate at his pizza restaurant as well. English cooking gets a bad rap, but we had a good culinary experience while on the other side of the pond.
The highlights of the trip included visits to the Winston Churchill Museum, Big Ben, also known as The House of Commons, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. We spent our last evening at His Majesty’s Theatre to see “Phantom of the Opera.” I did schedule a trip to see Highclere Castle where the filmed the TV show “Downton Abby.” Unfortunately I didn’t plan that very well. I spoke with Peter the concierge at the hotel and he informed me unless I rented a car, which I didn’t, a taxi ride will cost 250 pounds and there’s no guarantee I can get a taxi back to London since there are no taxi services at the castle. Again, poor planning on my part. We’ll try again next time.
“Phantom of the Opera” is one of the most popular musicals of all time. It was amazing to be in the theatre where it all began back in the 80s. I’ve seen several productions of “Phantom” in the US. The London performance was outstanding. Truly the best one I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any pictures inside the theatre, but I did take a couple outside. If you do go to London and enjoy musicals, I can’t recommend enough to see “Phantom.” It was worth every pound.
Are you checking flights to London? I hope so. The weather was cool the whole time we were there. It even rained at times. It was a welcome relief compared to the heat in Italy. When’s the best time to go? I would say summer because it does get cold there in the fall and winter. However, if you don’t mind the cooler weather, go during the offseason when it’s cheaper to go. If you’ve been to England, what was your favorite thing to do there?
I hope reading this does help you find the joy in your life. Trust me, it might just make your day better. Until next time, peace, love, tranquility. Thanks for subscribing!
British House of Commons/Big Ben
Sounds like you had a jolly good time in London. On the European trip that Aimee and Dominic are taking me, a brief stay in London is planned for me to meet my pen pal of almost 60 years! She is taking the train from Yorkshire and we are taking the Eurostar bullet train from Paris. We will be having tea at Fortnam and Mason - the British thing to do! Since we will be staying in one area, my pen pal gave me a walking tour for Aimee and Dominic while we have tea.