First Stop: London

We have arrived in London. Both Evan and my flights were long and tiring. Mine, however, was comfortable. I am a new fan of Icelandaire. The seats had both plenty of leg room and seat space.  Even wedged between 2 men from Seattle to Iceland I had enough room to be comfortable. If you did not need to purchase head phones the movies were free with a wide selection of entertainment options. Arriving in Iceland to change flights was an interesting experience, however, since although arriving at nearly 7 AM it was pitch black outside and continued to be dark  at 9:00 AM when I left.

Evan waited for me at the arrivals gate at London’s Heathrow Airport. He had arranged for our first splurge, a taxi to Shoreditch – Cost for the trip 50 Pounds which equals $81. We kept dinner cheap and ate kebas for 10 Pounds. Exhausted we went to bed early.

Rather than book hotel accommodations we have opted to share space in a private home.  Staying in Naseem’s home the up-n-coming area of Shoreditch is great. Shoreditch is London’s equivalent to NYC’s West Village. Evan found the place on Airbnb. Not only is it economical but it puts us in a neighborhood of residences and small businesses without the tourists surrounds of a hotel district. We feel right at home sharing space and walking to various neighborhood destinations.

Keeping expenses down is a bit of a challenge. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, even in its neighborhoods. We spent 20 Pounds ($32) on a Vietnamese soup Pho for dinner with nothing but water to drink. Evan quipped the same dinner in Vietnam would cost $5, and probably around $15 in Seattle. But, hey, most of the terrific museums are free and filled with amazing artifacts and treasurers.  Evan’s favorite is the Geffrey and mine has been the Victoria and Albert.

Cheers,

Mom