I touched down in London a little before noon. Since my husband’s flight from Tel Aviv was not scheduled to arrive till that night, I made arrangements to spend the afternoon with a friend who lives not far from London. She was a former colleague at the TV station and she moved to the UK with her husband and two boys a few years back. We had stayed in touch and she was more than happy to meet up with me.
I took the shuttle from the airport to my hotel located in the Mayfair neighbourhood that is known for the iconic Marble Arch. The monument was designed and built in 1827 as an entrance to the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, but has since been moved to its present location, making it a very popular roadside attraction.
Historically, only members of the Royal Family, the King’s Troop, and the Royal Horse Artillery were allowed to pass through the arch. But today, anybody may pass through it as often as they like. My hotel was but a stone's throw away from the arch, so you as you may have guessed, I passed through it as often as I liked during my stay in that area.
When I got to the hotel, my friend was already waiting at the lobby. She said her husband and boys dropped her off and left to check a train exhibition at a museum. I checked in and put my feet up for a little bit while my friend and I chatted in the room. It had been years since we last saw each other. She told me she had been terribly homesick and missed the company of old friends. She was really glad to see me. So was I. We had a lot to catch up on.
After feeling rested, we went out for lunch. We took the tube and got off at Waterloo Station and walked to Wagamama, which I learned, was a popular British restaurant chain (at the height of its craze at the time of my visit) that serves East Asian food in the style of a Japanese ramen bar.
I found it ironic that my first meal in London was Asian, not that I minded, for I love Asian food and I can, and will eat Asian food anytime and anywhere! And with all due respect to the British people, I must say British food is not something one really craves or get desperate for, even when one is on British territory. I still have to hear a non-British person search high and low for fish and chips, bangers and mash, mushy peas, black pudding, Shepherd's pie, steak and kidney pie, Yorkshire pudding, or even the Sunday roast. I told myself I would be staying in London for the next two days and would be coming back after exploring other countries, so there would certainly be plenty of time to sample some authentic British fare. In the meantime, I ordered the Wagamama Ramen recommended by my friend. As a frequent customer there, she confidently said that it was the best item on the menu.
Despite the flurry of customers, we were attended to right away, for the restaurant had a very efficient system. We ordered at the counter and the staff punched our requests into a PDA device which was wirelessly sent to the kitchen (so high-tech and so advanced at that time!). He then wrote a number on each of our paper place mats and told us to wait at the table. Our food came after a few minutes. Efficient indeed!
I enjoyed my bowl – ramen noodles in a chicken, ginger, and miso (paste made from fermented soybeans) soup base topped with grilled chicken, barbecued pork, large prawns, tea-stained boiled egg, chikuwa (a white, tube-shaped dumpling made of fish, egg, and some starches) and wakame (a type of Japanese seaweed). The bowl was garnished with spring onions and menma (a Japanese condiment made from fermented bamboo shoots). Despite the humid weather, I found this refreshing, and very filling, too.
After lunch, we crossed the Golden Jubilee pedestrian bridge and just walked around the Westminster area, passing by the main attractions like the Westminster Abbey, the Westminster Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament, the Jewel Tower, and the Big Ben Tower. We strolled along the banks of the Thames River and watched the boats cruise by. Then, we headed to the South Bank via the Westminster Bridge to see the London Eye and to stop for tea - English Earl Grey for her and tisane for preggy me. I would have ordered decaf coffee, but since we were in London, I thought it was fitting to have afternoon tea instead (even if mine was just a pretend-tea).
My fatigue seemed to be gradually manifesting (as I didn’t sleep on the plane during my overnight flight from Canada and my legs were starting to get sore), so my friend asked if I wanted to go back to the hotel. I told her it was probably a good idea. On our way back, we squeezed in a little bit of window-shopping since my hotel was also very close to Oxford Street (window-shopping seems to be a tried and tested fatigue therapy). Even with achy feet from all the walking that we did, we couldn’t resist checking out the line of shops and department stores.
My friend tearfully bade me good-bye at the lobby. Our short meeting made her reminisce about old times and old friends back home when we still had our TV careers. Now, we both live totally different lives with a totally different focus. Who would have thought? It was too bad she couldn't meet my husband because she had to head back home. Her boys arrived shortly to pick her up and I was able to meet them. I made a promise to go back and she promised to visit me in Ottawa.
I walked up to my room and took a long, relaxing bath. My husband arrived from the airport at around 8:30 pm and after he got settled, we had a quick dinner of salad and sandwiches at the hotel restaurant, sipped some tea (yes, tea again...chamomile, this time), and retired for the night.
It had been a good first day in London, being welcomed by a familiar face in one of the cities I had long wished to see, and seeing my husband again after his week-long conference.
Our official European exploration was to begin the following morning.
Photo Credits:
bighospitality.com.uk, timeout.com, motoringsearch.com
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