A jaunt across the pond...the flight from hell and beyond

A close friend got married in Oxford over the Thanksgiving weekend and gave us a good excuse to fly across the pond and escape the grind for a few days. We left on Wednesday evening on the worst flight ever. Not bad because the weather or the airplane or anything, bad because we had the most obnoxious tour group traveling with us. They couldn't sit still for a minute and repeatedly disregarded warnings from the flight crew. Frustrating to say the least, but we arrived London safe and sound early Thursday morning to a beautifully sunny day and the flight was soon forgotten.

Rather than pay for the Heathrow Express, we decided to take the tube -- cheaper and it would give Sue some time to wake up. Our reasoning forgot one important thing: rush hour in London. Ugh, the crush of people with all of our bags was a nightmare, but we managed to get to Sue's in due time. The crazy thing about flying to London from NYC is that it's only about 6 hours, so even if you get a nap in, it won't be enough to get you through the following day. We were exhausted and still had to meet the wedding crew for Thanksgiving dinner, so we (smartly) decided to wander around Greenwich and stay close. Besides, B had never been to Greenwich and it was the perfect day for the Home of Time.

Greenwich Park from the Royal Observatory:
The Royal Observatory sitting atop a hill in the park:
GMT!


After Greenwich we made our way to the other side of the hill and over to Blackheath. It had gotten cold at that point and we were both so tired, we just had lunch and headed back to Sue's for a nap. No photos of our Thanksgiving dinner that night. We met at the Founders Arms Pub on the south bank and got a chance to meet some other wedding guests. We had a nice time, but by 8:30 we were both pooped and headed back to Sue's.

The next morning we slept in and wasted half the day, but still managed to get to one of my favorite spots for lunch. Despite being FREEZING out, Borough Market was still hopping:
If only I had more money...


Huge paella pans:
We just missed the pheasant:
Looking across the Thames toward St Peter's:
Look how clean St Peter's is!!


A much-needed (pub) break from the cold:
Holiday shopping at Oxford Circus:
That evening we met up with Sue for a night out in Greenwich -- drinks at Bar du Musee and dinner at Mogul. We didn't get too crazy because we had an early wake up call for Oxford. I'll post more on the wedding later, but here are some shots of the next day wandering around Oxford. The weather was awful - cold and wet and windy. I wasn't feeling too hot either, so overall it was the most miserable day. I felt bad for B having to lug me around, but I was glad to see Oxford for the first time.

Amnesty bridge:
The Thames:


Ponies!

The garden in front of Christ Church:
High Street Oxford:
After a cold and damp day in Oxford, we took the train back to London for our final night. We stayed at a hotel near Victoria and ran into RWhy's sis, brother in law, and aunt on the train. Small world! The weather was still miserable in London so we just had a nice Indian meal, some pints at the local pub, and then early to bed. Paradise Indian Restaurant was a nice surprise -- yummy and reasonably priced, plus very close to the hotel.

Monday we woke up decently early and ventured out into the cold. We didn't have much time before meeting up with Jamie & Ellie for lunch, so we just saw the sites along the way.

Carnaby Street in Soho. Some peace, love, and Christmas theme going on:
Chinatown London, pretty weak compared to the likes of SF, Vancouver, NYC, but Chinatown nonetheless:
Some festivities we came across in Chinatown:

Met Jamie & Ellie in Trafalgar Square and witnessed this madness going on. Putting up a ginormous Christmas tree in front of the National Gallery:
After lunch we got our luggage and made our way to the airport. Before we knew it, the trip was over and we were back to reality. But it was fun while it lasted!