Departure, Feb 4, 2019
We didn’t want the typical tourist trip. We didn’t want to go to a new place and feel compelled to see all the must-see sights. We didn’t want to compete with vast hordes of tourists and cruise ship passengers all vying to check the boxes on their bucket lists. We wanted a place that was somewhat familiar territory so there wouldn’t be too much of a learning curve. We wanted enough time so we wouldn’t feel compelled to rush from place to place, or fit too many things into a day.
London in February fit the bill. The tourist count would be lower than summer, the language wouldn’t be too much of a barrier, and the weather would be manageable. If we can handle Antarctica, we should be able to deal with a London winter. We’ve been to London a few times, including my three years as a kid, so we’ve already seen a lot. If we miss a thing or two, it’s not the end of the world.
Two and a half weeks would allow us time to set our own pace. If we want to just hang out in a park, or cut a day’s plans short because our feet hurt, so be it. We can have busy days and we can go to the major attractions, but we can also have the luxury of lollygagging when we want. Renting a flat near a tube station gives us a comfortable home base, but easy mobility.
That’s the plan. From February 5th until February 21st, we’ll be temporary London residents.