I’m sorry about the blog-break we’ve had for the past two days, but Wifi was out in the entire area of our hotel in London. You guys probably needed the break, but it drove me crazy not reporting the news of the day. I’ve gotten kind of used to it, you know, even if it’s just for me, myself, and Irene, plus a handful of faithful supporters.
We expected Mom and John Luke around 2:00 on Friday, so around 2:45 I started the pacing process. I remember having that same nervous anticipation as I watched out the window for mom to come to Monroe when my kids were babies. At 3:15 I finally spotted a van, but as it got closer I discovered it had tinted windows that would rival a member of the drug cartel of Mexico. Also the name on the outside wasn’t what I expected so I just kept alternating between staring-without-staring at its dark windows and looking down the street for another van. Inside the van, John Luke was laughing so hard at me, as they were waving and carrying-on trying to get my attention and I completely ignored them. Soon the van stopped and out they came; heaven had arrived in London!
Time is money, so to speak, so quick hugs for all, then to the room for a suitcase drop off, and off to board the London double-decker tour bus. In spite of a cool afternoon, we headed straight for the top—the breezy open-air top deck. We were rewarded with the most incredible view of London. It wasn’t long before darkness spread over the city, but London was prepared for that and the most remarkable lighting on each historic building made the tour even more magical.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for the first night in London, it seems we had more fun yet to be exposed. The next morning when 2 Papa said he didn’t sleep well the night before, John Luke mentioned he didn’t either. But 2 Papa claimed JL slept great. Apparently 2 Papa slept better than he thought as JL confessed that he had gotten up, thinking it was morning, and took a shower. After he was squeaky clean, he discovered the time was 11:58 pm. He had only been asleep about one hour before the ill-timed shower. We all laughed so hard, but I’m ashamed to say, I doubted him, thinking maybe he dreamed the whole episode. If his mother, a deep dreamer, a sometime sleep walker, and frequent sleep talker wasn’t my daughter, I may not have doubted him, but past experience got the best of me. For proof JL calmly took 2 Papa over to their room and pointed to the wet towels. It was all true—the wet towels were the proof I needed.
Other activities during our London visit included Madame Tussauds Wax Museum where we partied with Audrey Hepburn and taught Albert Einstien the finer points of a cell phone; Ripley’s Believe it or Not where were got lost in the mirror maze and gagged at the woman with a face like a mule; The Tower of London where a delightful guide made us feel like we were there when the expression “lost your head” really meant that you lost your head; the Aquarium where we tiptoed through the walk with nothing but a piece of Plexiglas between us and some very large sharks; the subway where 2 Papa held up his end of the man-thing by never asking directions; the musical Wicked where singing and dancing and a incredible script can even hold the attention of a fourteen year old boy; the Eye of London (huge ferris wheel built to view the city) where we found an amazing city looked even more amazing; restaurants and more restaurants where 2 Papa proved to the sharks that size doesn’t matter—in teeth, that is as he devoured his prey quite successfully.
London is a city of eight million people and unlike any city in the world that we have ever seen. Its history is so deep and complex, its attraction so extensive and plentiful, its areas so extended and diverse, that we hardly made a dent in it. Yet, we loved every minute of acting like tourists with “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” and flashes of our camera. Then we loved, almost as much, sitting in the hotel room watching a movie together proving that there’s no place like being with family from home.
Tomorrow we board the bus for Oxford and we’re excited to show our loved ones our home away from home and a quieter side of England. Coming to London and never seeing Oxford would be like going to New York City and never seeing West Monroe, well, West Monroe or Nashville or Kansas City or Billings. Anyway, the large cities are fantastic to visit, but it’s in the smaller cities, towns, and villages that the heartbeat of a country can truly be found.
“Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Mark 1:38
See you back in Oxford. Love you all.
Hugs, 2 Mama
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