SUNDAY, SEPT. 2
We landed in London at 11:00am and were immediately thrown off by the English accents, almost indecipherable for our inexperienced ears. Nonetheless, I decided this was the time to buy my Sim card. Not the smartest move. Sigh. A sweet, young man suggested we buy the “3” card and plan, assuring us it worked everywhere in Europe and in Ireland.
We took the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, then called an Uber to take us to Golders Green, where we had an Airbnb. This was our first transportation mistake. Golders Green is not close to Victoria Station, and the ride was expensive. Silver lining… we had a nice, long introductory ride/tour through London.
GOLDERS GREEN
As we waiting for someone to let us into the small row house, we sat sweating in our raincoats on a broken stone wall, our luggage at our knees, the sun beating down. People walking by wore t-shirts.
It was quite a task maneuvering our bags first over the cobbled driveway, then up the very narrow, slightly twisty staircase to the second floor. The apartment was small, one room, but nice and bright. The one bed and a futon couch/bed were immediately in use. We passed out, but with an alarm set to go off in an hour.
The alarm sounded like a pan hitting our heads. Oh, the dazy/dizzy-ness of travel. We had a plan though, and off we went to the grocery store, then up a hill to the Golders Green park, an idyllic place, crowded with weekend picnickers and people strolling quietly through rolling lawns, a formal garden, and a small zoo. We heard many languages spoken as we walked along the parameter, and I realized I was visiting a very different London than I remember from over twenty years ago. I wondered if this diversity was partially due to the neighbourhood of Golders Green.
Pasta in the Airbnb for dinner, out cold by 9:00pm.
