Last Stop London

12/24/2018

London would be the last stop on my 2018 wanderings, and it was wonderful for it to be a visit with a friend. Sarah and I were roommates in DC before we both headed to Europe. Over the past year Sarah has gotten her Masters and I'm excited to say has just accepted a job in London.
I stayed with her in her West Kensington flat for 10 days, and thrilled in getting a little window into being a local. It included a lot of time on the London Underground, which I love and totally enjoyed. My sister, Kristine, had given me a hit list of things to do, and that combined with the feeling of not being in a rush made for a very laid-back visit. I didn't have to think much, just look at my list of possibilities and choose what would work that day.
With that system in place I visited Camden Market, Chinatown, walked by the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial, spent an afternoon in Victoria Park, visited the Wallace Collection, the Banqueting House, the V&A Museum and the Natural History Museum, went out for Indian food on Brick Lane, saw the haunting torches of the WWI Armistice 100th Anniversary Memorial outside of the Tower of London, had several pints at different pubs throughout the city with Sarah. It was a wonderful time, in a beautiful city, with a good friend, and the perfect end to nearly a year of travel.
It was both very normal feeling, and simultaneously strange to be heading back to the states. The great thing was that it felt like time. I had a bit of travel fatigue, and was looking forward to being in the same place for a while. Months of travel really make you appreciate what you have back home, and one of the best things about travel is that feeling of going home. It is one of the best sensations, and gives you a nice warm glow in the center of your stomach. I know I'll never loose my travel bug, but for the time being I was happy to be going home.