Cheerio

I’m really not normally a tense flier. But given all the news lately, it’s hard to not be worried as I get ready to head to London for the weekend. Tanks are surrounding Heathrow and and two suspicious people have been arrested, which I guess should be seen as a hopeful sign that the Brits are doing their jobs. I know that half of it is just the anxiety of trying to get work done before I leave and figure out how we’re going to get to the airport (I think we’re forced to drive given our schedules) and then figure out where to park (Logan has the most expensive airport parking I’ve seen yet). But I checked the plane out--it’s a 777 and our seats aren’t great seats (right across from the toilets), but they are convenient seats (right across from the toilets). And we got a section of two instead of one of those ghastly long rows of five. The inflight movies suck (yes, I checked out everything), but I’m hoping to sleep anyway, as we arrive at 6:25 tomorrow morning. We’ll take a quick nap in my parents’ room (unless, by some miracle, the hotel will give us our own room at 7:30 a.m., which I doubt) and then off to sightseeing.

I picked up Rick Steves's London 2003, which looks like it has some great walking tours of the city (walking around it my favorite way to get to know a place). The Rick Steves books are also great because they have highlights of all the museums, and given our very short time frame, it will be helpful. But I think we’ll have enough time to get the flavor of the place. Since my parents arrived first, I’ve asked Peter to make reservations for us and the Tweedle Twins for afternoon tea tomorrow at the Orangery at Kensington Palace. You probably didn’t know this about me, but I’m a sucker for crustless cucumber sandwiches and real scones (not those hard as rock things you get from Starbucks) with clotted cream. With a nice pot o’ tea? Brilliant! Saturday morning we’re off to Ipswich to see a friend I haven’t seen in almost six years! Emily was a close friend when I lived on the kibbutz; she’s an English woman who married a kibbutznik. Anyway, they’re back in the U.K. and they have a new son, so I can’t wait to see her after all these years. Saturday night is dinner and a show with my immediate family (necessary to distinguish as 99 percent of my extended family on my mother’s side will be at this wedding, including all those British relatives I’ve never met) and then Sunday is the wedding. Happily, it’s an afternoon wedding, so Sunday is also good for sight seeing. Then, back Monday night. That’s our planned itinerary. A large anti-war protest is scheduled for Hyde Park on Saturday, but we’ll miss it with our excursion, and I have to say, given the terrorist threats, I’m not at all upset to be missing it.

So, till my return, I’ll drink a pint to you!