Slowing Down ? a little bit

Each of the previous visits, no matter how rushed or unplanned, had their charms (the beer at the London Pizza Hut is amazing) but the idea this time is to experience London at a slower pace. Not sure if this is necessarily the best way but it’s definitely different. We’ve been here a week and last night was the first time we spent any time in the city proper. We’ve joined a gym, saw the Odyssey, hiked up to the two best view points of the city from Northern London (Primrose Hill and Parliament Hill) took a walking tour tracing the steps of Jack the Ripper and his victims (still can’t figure out who did it) but haven’t seen Tower Bridge or Buckingham Palace. We’ve walked through White Chapel where Jennie’s relatives lived after fleeing the pogroms in Russia before coming to America and tried to figure out “our local” (i.e. our neighborhood bar - no luck yet) in Camden Town but no Crown Jewels or Changing of the Guard. Running along the canals in the morning while listening to the Rolling Stones, walking in Regents Park and Hyde Park, we’re getting to the more famous sites slowly but we’re not there yet. Some of the daily cadence on this trip is similar to ours at home, we have tickets and reservations for a lot of stuff over the next three weeks (saw an amazing tribute to Amy Winehouse, got tickets to Sex Pistols in Wales and a show at the Camden Fringe Festival etc.) we’re planning the next leg of our trip and making reservations in those cities while face timing with Valerie quite regularly (after she figured out the time difference). Some is much different, a lot of naps no more than two activities a day (in our defense we’ve been sick).

Leisurely Walks

Not sure if today’s stop is the British Museum or Piccadilly Square Pizza Hut but knowing we have time for both, if we choose, is the attraction of this slow travel style.  - Eric