goodbye london

i woke up the last day in London to sunny skies and the news that a plane out of Egypt had been hijacked.

it's bad enough to see that after the bombing last week of the airport in Brussels that but the authorities in Cyprus on TV were saying it wasn't a terrorist attack [really? tell that to the people kidnapped] and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades responded to a reporter's question about whether the hijacker was motivated by romance, laughed and said  "Always there is a woman involved".  hey asshole - here's a news flash - the person hijacking the plane was a MAN.  

GOOD JOB CYPRUS.  your politicians make Trump look presidential.

also, to the dick head that hijacked the plan and later threw a letter off the plane to his ex wife - next time use a stamp.  

i think my tolerance has sunken to new levels.  as i clear security at Heathrow for my flight out, my rucksack is unpacked, rexrayed and swabbed for explosives. they take away my toothpaste which was a medium size with just a few drops left.  i just hope everyone else on my flight is as well screened.

recently i seem to get rerouted alot and my brother, knowing this, suggests if they try to reroute you through egypt today - decline.  

once on the 'safe side' of security i beeline for the United Club - there is always a pleasant face there, fast wireless, free food and cocktails.   and a power outlet at every seat that accommodates both uk and us power cords.  what else could a girl ask for?

the stop at the united club may have been a mistake when the next leg of my journey plays out but in the moment i was loving it.

london - not being a tourist

i had a good relaxing time in london.  tried not to be a tourist but was willingly taken anywhere my friends wanted to go.  had some great food - fantastic thai, impressive pizza and yummy veggie burgers.  i did two of the mueseums... the British Museum because i wanted to see the Rosetta Stone [amazing] and the Royal Academy of Arts because they had a Monet exhibit [like the Art Institute of Chicago].

London is so massive [8.5 million people!] it's a 45 minute [minimum] subway ride anywhere and forget using a Uber - just too much traffic.  i'm a small town girl and the closeted air of the underground was claustrophobic for me.  also, with the shadow of the Brussels attacks just a few days ago it makes a person wary to be in a crowded public place.  

i had a chance to go up to Cambridge and it was nice to get out of the big city and see the old colleges that are so often referenced in the US.  

when i landed it was warm and sunny but mostly it's been spring weather here.  rainy, cold and overcast but the spring flowers and trees are blooming everywhere.  there are thousands of dafodils blooming - i can hardly believe there are any left for the rest of the world. 

mostly it was great to spend time with one of my closest friends who i had not seen since 2013 and meet up with some other UK friends.  

takes my breath away

no, it's not big ben or a bridge or any of the other landmarks around london.  i was multitasking, dressing to go out for the evening and talking to someone on the phone when i looked out the window of my friends apartment.  i was literally speechless for a moment as i saw the laser.  my friend has an awesome apartment across from the royal navy observatory where they mark greenwich mean time and at night there is a laser that marks GMT line.  

that's pretty cool right?  because there's only one of those in the world and the rest of the world's time is based on that laser.  0 degrees longitude!  awesome

landing in london

i had barely landed and logged onto a wireless network when my phone lit up

with messages and news alerts about the terrorists bombing of the airport in Brussels. 

in the aftermath Belgium has been ripped to shreds by the news agencies.  some calling Belgium a failed state.  others just calling out their security services as pathetic. 

whatever the case, these attacks will gain the terrorists nothing.  not a great start to my stopover in london to visit friends for a few days.