Saturday in Greenwich & London

   Although I was not feeling well, I managed to pull myself out of bed, get dressed, pack a bag for the day, and head to Reading Station to go into London to with friends for some R&R.  Well, everyone, it was well worth the effort!!!  My friend, Danielle, and I went to Greenwich today since it was absolutely beautiful outside (sunny and warm)!!! It only costs 20 pounds to get an all-day pass for the train, London tube, and buses, which is an awesome deal. We took the train from Reading to London Paddington Station; then two tubes and a bus rideto Canary Wharf; then another train from Canary Wharf to Greenwich. The first thing we did was head to Greenwich Market to get something to eat. I got a Spanish sausage tapa ("on bread" or "sandwich") with chips -- it was the best thing I have tasted over here to date!!! We sat on Greenwich dock along the Thames River while we ate and people-watched (my absolute favorite pastime!!). After we ate, we headed to Greenwich Park and went to the Observatory. I got a picture of The Prime Meridian (0 degrees 0'0"). I was standing across the line dividing the West from the East. How cool is that!!! Not only have I stood West to East over the Prime Meridian, but I also stood North to South over the Equator!!! And I have pictures to prove it!!!


     After Danielle and I walked down from the Observatory, we went back to Greenwich Market to do some "window" shopping. I was very tempted to buy some wonderful items; however, I did not since I really must save my money right now to buy furniture for my house and food for my fridge. Maybe next time I go I will buy some things. I did find a some gifts for up-coming birthdays and anniversaries, but they will have to wait as well. The market closes at 5:30pm, so Danielle and I went to meet two more friends at Trafalgar Square in London. It was really awesome to stand at "the lions" and see Big Ben, the National Museum, and other places I have only seen in the movies. We sat up on the huge lions and just "people-watched" for about an half-an-hour. We then got a bit thirsty, so we headed for a pub to quench our thirsts. We found a wonderful little pub called "Tom Cribb." Tom Cribb was London's world champion bare-knuckle boxer from 1804 to 1822, who was trained by Captain Barclay. The pub was very awesome and we had a good time laughing at our day today.

    We then met up with two more friends, so we went to dinner in Piccadilly Square. We had such a fun time together, laughing about everything and nothing at all. When someone mentioned a work-related topic, we quickly changed it and talked about something else. It was so great to get together in London on such a wonderful day/evening. After we finished dinner, we all took the tube back to Paddington Station, where we split up to head back to our respective areas of living. Two live right outside London, so four of us said good-bye to them. We hopped on our train back to Reading Station and had many laughs on our way home. Once at Reading Station, we each caught our respective buses home. I walked in the door at 11:30pm.  The entire day was probably THE best time I have had here in England since arriving.

    The friends I have made here are so wonderful and I will continue to say that I am "blessed" to have such an awesome group of people to experience the once-in-a-lifetime opporturnity.  I just pray they feel the same about me.   (Pictures to follow soon)