WHEN IN LONDON

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How many miles
To London town?
Three score and ten;
Can I get there
By candlelight?
Yes, and back again.

As we climbed down off the bus at the Adelphie Hotel, a gentle rain almost mist-like began to fill the late June air. We headed to the bar and laid our baggage with the concierge and discovered they served drinks in those days on a Monday morning. The traffic from nearby Kings Cross Highway was making a busy noise as people sped off to work.

A quiet side street in London, just like on our honeymoon

TLW (The Little Woman) and I would start our first day of our honeymoon and life together in Europe in London town, and we were both excited at the prospects. TLW had maps and sights she wished to see, and I was just so happy to be alive, with someone I had just married less than 24 hours. We couldn’t check into our room yet so we would go and explore the city. That became the blue print of our vacation life for the next 42 years.

We are both lovers of history, can’t stand lying on a beach when the world beckons with things to see and do for the first time. We planned to see a lot: London, Paris and Rome with side trips enjoying everything the cities had to offer, and fully intending to see them. There was the famous Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard, the post office tower from the top and the historic Westminster Abbey, to name just a few. We would go to the London Theatre and TLW was itching to meet for the first time, her Dad’s brother Uncle Matt and his sister Mary. What the Irishmen were doing in London and not Dublin was beyond me.

London has probably the most misleading reputation. It is known for its stiff upper lip folks, who are dull and extremely lifeless. Nothing is further from the truth! Londoners are a great people, extremely hospitable and very welcoming. Of all the countries I’ve been to, Londoners are the best by far.

It was a grey overcast morning as we took the Metro, or subway as we call it, and headed off to Buckingham Palace. The London system is the oldest in the world, and very efficient and easy to navigate. Ascending the steps to the street, we were greeted by a long avenue and a beautiful park, filled with trees and people going in all directions. Unsure of how to get to the palace, we asked this gentleman in a bowler , umbrella and a London Times under his arm if he could direct us to the Palace.

“Certainly… Cross over to the park, on your left is a stairway that will take you to a pathway. Once on the path, make a left and head straight.”

We thanked him and set off to our destination. After descending the steps as directed we were about to make the left, when suddenly we heard behind us fast approaching running steps. Suddenly I am tapped on the shoulder and the gentleman who directed us was panting that we needed to walk through the park first and then make the left. See if THAT ever happens in good old New York City?