AN ELEPHANT FOR KAREN

It May Not Be The One You Wanted But I Found One!

Well...this is it. We head to the airport shortly for the trip back home to Toronto. To those Weight Watchers people reading this blog, no I will not make it to tonight's meeting but I will be there next Wednesday for sure! We land at 3:10pm and the only way I could make the meeting is if I convinced Jamie to go straight from the airport to Weight Watchers. That is not going to happen. He went there on the way to the airport and I can totally understand why he would just want to "get home" on the way back. I think I want to get home too if I am being truthful. I also like the idea of having a week to get back on track before facing the "official" scale again.

I had promised Karen I would send her a picture of an Elephant in London. I had almost given up when the elephant above was standing before us at the Waterloo Tube Station. So...there you have it Karen!

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful sunny day. We started with the normal breakfast spread at the the B&B. I had 2 toasted English Crumpets with Jam and Weetabix Cereal.

Then we ventured out into the city.

Our main goal for the day was to go to the Tower of London so that is where we headed. From the entrance we could see the Gherkin Building and some other building structure I have named "little Gherkin in need of Weight Watchers"

After entering we were greeted by a tour guide who was absolutely fantastic. He seemed like an actor, and certainly had the Shakespearean voice of one, but was actually an official charge of the Queen who lived full time at the Tower of London with his family. The cheesy looking outfit he is wearing costs about 1500 pounds and he has a 10,000 pound uniform he wears about 25 times a year on more formal occasions.

One of the most fascinating parts of the tour was Traitor's Gate. We had seen the other side of it on the River Thames Cruise but this was the entrance where traitors were brought in by boat to be held prisoner until they were executed. It is referred to as the world's first "one way street". Once you go in, you almost never go back out.

We were then taken on a guided tour of the Tower with tales of murders and executions. It would have been a wonderful day full of horror stories except these stories were true! I can't describe the feeling that you get knowing that so much history happened where you are standing...and so many horrible things too. Jamie and I kept touching stone walls and wooden beams. We were touching history in perhaps the same place the hand of another famous and/or Royal had been.

Although we did go in the tower and surrounding buildings after the tour, most of the pictures are external as you aren't supposed to take pictures inside. Many people, including Jamie, took some pictures anyway. I think I only took one picture of a chapel. I will post Jamie's on Facebook after we are home.

We did see the Crown Jewels. Incredible, breathtaking, unbelievable. Seeing Queen Victoria's small crown was the highlight for me. Absolutely no pictures of these were allowed though.

After the Tower of London we had Fish and Chips on the street (I know, I know, but I did say I would have it twice more and this is the second time)...home tomorrow followed by a return to health.

We then walked around the city a lot until we got back to St Paul's Cathedral and The River Thames where stopped to take pictures one last time...sigh.

We also walked passed this restaurant that we have passed several times over the past few days. I had to take a picture because I just love the look of it. The restaurant has hanging baskets all around it and to me it just looks so beautifully British.

The plan at this point was to return to the B&B to have a couple of hours sleep and then head down to the SOHO area before seeing a production of Blood Brothers at the theatre last night. The reality was that Jamie slept and I prepared all my stuff for the blog today (knowing I would have little time this morning) and packed. I figured if I prepared everything for the blog up until yesterday afternoon  I would only have to add in the evening which wouldn't take much time. That way I could post my blog before I left for the airport. The plan worked! :-)

Once Jamie was up and we were both ready we headed out to the SOHO district and walked around looking at clothes shops etc. We didn't buy anything but we did see one shop that we thought was kind of funny. The name of it left absolutely no doubt as to what a person would be buying if they went in.

After walking around for an hour or so it was time to do what we do best...eat.

Jamie has been wanting to try a Thai place since we got to London so that is where we went. I brought my Weight Watchers gang with me (if you haven't read earlier blogs I have been carrying the name tags of the people at our last Weight Watchers meeting with me...that way they get a vacation too and I get a reminder to be healthy...at least that is the theory). but looking at their tags only reminded me how much everyone there loves wine. So I had a drink to you!

On the "food" front I had Chicken Pad Thai and Duck Spring Rolls. It's the last night (as if I wouldn't have found another excuse if it wasn't).

When we were finished dinner we walked around some more and then stopped into a place we had heard was good called Molly Muggs across the street from the show we were going to see. I had a beer, Jamie had a Ginger Ale, and the place was empty so we just kind of stared at each other and reflected a bit on how great our vacation had been.

Then Jamie, myself and the entire Weight Watchers gang went to see "Blood Brothers". The show has been running here for 20 years!

While using the bathroom...sorry..."the loo"...I saw a sign for a business that I thought was an absolutely brilliant idea. If we don't have it in Canada we should. The business is called "Scooter Man", and the concept is a "person AND vehicle" taxi for drunk people. If you drink too much you call Scooter Man. He/She shows up with a fold up scooter, puts it in your trunk, drives you AND your car home, takes the scooter out, and goes merrily on his way. How brilliant s that?!!!

We were a little worried that after 20 years running. "Blood Brothers" might be a little "tired".

Our tickets were cheap "half price" tickets in the second balcony, but when we got there they told us we were being "upgraded" and they moved us to 4th row orchestra centre. The seats were fantastic!. I think that after 20 years they can't fill the theatre on a Tuesday night so they closed the second balcony. The Orchestra level and 1st balcony were still full though.

The show was WAY better than we ever anticipated. Such a sad story and so well told. The voice of the lead actress was perfection, but the entire cast was great. The best part about the show though was that FINALLY Jamie cried at something before me! We loved it!

After the show we left the theatre and saw that the Molly Muggs place we were in before was now full, so we went in and I had one more drink. Guess what they had going on? A drag show...shocker! You would think by reading this vacation blog that Jamie and I lived at drag shows, but the reality is we never go out to bars back home. If we see a drag show once a year it is unusual.

The show was quite fun though. It was sort of "sing along" drag. In the picture below she is singing a song about a guy named Dennis and every time she says his name everyone at the bar screams "Dennis? Who the F**K is Dennis?" and the song goes on...silly fun really.

One thing I like about drag here is that the drag queens actually sing with their own voices. In Toronto they only lip sync to other people's songs.

"Dennis? Who the F**K is Dennis?"

More walking the streets of London followed. Jamie wanted to eat one last time, believe it or not, so we went in search of some restaurant he had seen earlier. We found it about an hour later...closed.

We did stop in to another place though and we both had Chicken Noodle Soup.

It was finally time to walk down the streets of London toward the Tube station for the final time. We weren't sad. Just happy we had been to such a beautiful place.

So now I finish my "vacation" blog, with the exception of details of the return flight home when I blog tomorrow. It is a really strange feeling leaving. This has truly been the best vacation Jamie and I have ever had, and we have been able to reconnect with so many wonderful friends and relatives. Jamie has officially been introduced to my "Scottish" family and that feels wonderful. This all makes us a little teary eyed at the thought of leaving. We are definitely coming back in 2013 though.

Nonetheless, the journey has been a long one (at least for us), and quite active, so we feel ready, even anxious, to get home. I know I am anxious to get back to "health". One can only take so much eating out. Truthfully, my stomach doesn't feel so great anymore. I need to listen to my "feedback".

It has been great to share this vacation with all of you and I really appreciate all of your comments along the way.

Chubby Alan...disappearing soon
at a blog near you!

Be healthy!

Alan

Bye England and Scotland!
We will be back!