Landed In London

Unaware of the pandemic which would begin looming over the world in 2020, I began making grand plans to travel. I wanted to revisit favourite and familiar places in Europe, explore hitherto unexplored destinations, lie about on a Greek island and wander the streets of Istanbul one more time, accompanied by the haunting calls to prayer that ring across that city of seven hills.

Now four years later these plans have been realised and sitting in the lounge room of a house in North London, which has been a constant refuge on my travels to Britain over many years, I can finally exhale. I have landed.

Or more accurately, we have landed, because between the dream and the current reality I have been joined by a dear friend. Together we have survived the uneventful but very long flight from Australia and been amazed by the almost complete lack of human beings involved with the on boarding and off boarding aspects of the flying process. We have conquered the technology to set up apps to allow us to access every aspect of our extremely ambitious travel itinerary because it can no longer be done without them, and we have via the fifteen-minute magic of the Heathrow express, found ourselves at the gorgeous Paddington station. Five minutes down the road in an avenue of terraces with a central garden, sits the Queensway hotel and our first home for this adventure.

The young man who checks us in, notes the length of time it is taking by advising us that he is seeking rooms which can be accessed with minimum stairs. He has taken our measure and I, for one, am extremely grateful. I remain extremely grateful as the vicissitudes of jet lag, old legs and the emotional impact of just getting here, works its way through my system.

Paddington is very close to central London and my erstwhile companion, and I have walked to Buckingham Palace through Hyde Park (a grounding, if somewhat foolish six kilometres) passing the Marble Arch, Speaker's corner, and a seemingly endless array of monumental statuary, all equally fabulous. And heroic. And possibly slightly off centre in these more culturally aware times.

The next day we take the hop on hop off tourist bus. We don`t hop off. We do however see London in all her glittery, monumental gorgeousness. It is lovely to be back.