Thursday 11 September 2025
Travel doesn’t always go according to plan and yesterday we were reminded that one has to be ready to adapt. Leaving the ship, getting a taxi to Southampton Coach Station, and enjoying our reserved seats as we rode into London’s Victoria Station all went according to plan. The hitch came once we arrived and were hit with the reality that the London Tube workers were on strike. That caused our plans to go a bit awry. There was a long queue but no taxis to be had at Victoria and everywhere the bus stops were thronged with folks hoping to ride the city buses which were beyond standing room only. And of course, it was raining. So we walked away from the area of the station and summoned an Uber. Soon enough we were in Hampstead with our bags up in our room at La Gaffe and ourselves down in the lobby sipping tea graciously provided by Lorenzo and enjoying a delightful and totally unexpected visit with Amanda before she had to dash off to Heathrow for her flight back to North America. Next after a meal at the familiar The Coffee Cup, we checked our Hampstead’s newest gelato shop, Amarino before heading back and collapsing on our bed at home in La Gaffe. With the Tube strike still on through today not to mention the rain, we opted for a day in Hampstead, getting unpacked and settled in, enjoying conversation with our local friends, savoring a lovely meal of British pub food at The Old White Bear complete with Guinness 0% properly poured, and just enjoying that we’re back! Tomorrow’s soon enough to continue our London explorations.
Well, there you are! Good that the crossing was easy even if the “landing” got a little complicated. Enjoy all your wanderings in and around the continent! Looking forward to more posts!