Friday, August 12, 2011

London Calling: Sisters Reunited!

Traveling to Watkins Glen, NY from Dubai immediately begs the question, 'when is this tele-portation thing going to happen?'  With 31 hours of travel ahead of you the anxiety of how to kill the time that lies ahead of starts to set in.  The aid of 'sleep-enhancing drugs' - check.  The next 5 episodes of 'True Blood' - check.  Counting the number of freckles on Matt's arm - check.  Now what to do with the other 20 hours?

Thankfully Matt had the answer.  Why not take a longer layover in London and stop in to see my sister and Basile?  It's so crazy it just might work!  And work it did.  While our bags hung out in transit we strolled off the plane with no worldly possessions and on to the tube to Gloucester Square - headed towards Cockfoster's (and giggling the whole time).  (Truly I don't know what came first the adult film stars or the lewd tube station names).

And there we were in Lisa's living room at 7:45am in just enough time to send Basile off to work with a quick coffee.  The day was ours!  Naturally we wandered around and found cupcakes for breakfast (honestly one of the few things open at that hour) and took a stroll around town before meeting Basile for lunch.  I can't think of a better way to spend a layover!
The gaggle at Kensington Palace.
Somewhere in the last 6 months we morphed into clones.
I haven't been back to London for 8 years after I studied abroad.  We look a stroll to Manresa Road in Chelsea to see the old dorm.  Man, if I could tell that girl what I know now!
My university stomping grounds - the Chelsea Potter.  (And a place were you can have a pint at 11am guilt free!)
We had lunch at the delicious Cinnamon Club just a block from Parliament it's located in an old library and serves up fab UK-Indian fusion. 
Getting our Church of England on at Westminster Cathedral.
Oh no!  Big Ben is ticking down the time that I have to be back at the airport!
I worked as an intern in the Commons in 2003 and it was great to come back to visit, if only I had enough time to sneak back into the Stranger's Gallery (totally want to hear Prime Minister Question hour on the News of the World scandal)!
An epic moment, the sun in London!  Parliament looks beautiful in the glow.  The Thames however shows off her beige-y shimmer...we love her anyway!

And then our jaunt around London town came to a quick end and we were faced with the most formidable of all tasks - staying patient at Heathrow airport (extra screening, what?)

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