October 27

It’s 2:00 am. I’m in a guest lodge in Oxford, England. If you can’t sleep...blog. Last Sunday started with an Uber to the airport. If you haven’t tried the Uber app, you’re missing out. I had 3 seats to myself on the flight to Toronto which was a treat. Brian and Carole picked me up at the airport. They were amazed I had only a backpack but I had to travel light with the journey I had planned. Brian and Carole treated me like a king (self proclaimed though I am) for the next 4 days. The highlight for Brian and me was golfing on Monday. Brian and I competed against two of his buddies in a game called “Nicole millionaires”. For 16 holes, Brian was carrying me on his back. On 17, there was a huge carryover. Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. I stuck my drive 10 feet from the hole and parred.  There was some hooting going on!  Another highlight was reminiscing about our misspent youth in Kelvington. We sat in matching recliners talking about life, love, loss, and family. Wonderful time. I flew out of Toronto on Wednesday evening and landed in London at 9am Thursday. One of my sister, Paulette’s friends picked me up at Gatwick. I stayed with John and his wife, Dee, for the first day. They toured me around the south coast. We stopped in small villages with cobble stone streets, historic buildings, and quaint little shops. Of course , we had to stop for a pint in a pub that was established in the 1300s. We finished the day with fish and chips and tea before nighty night.   Friday started with a train trip to London Victoria Station. London in. Day with Alvin Kolach...Buckingham Palace for changing of the guard, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Golden Hind, Globe Theatre, Whitehall, Scotland Yard, Westminster, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, and more. Yup, I set a new record for step count - 34570 steps. Yesterday, I toured The Royal Museum which took most of the day. The collection is beyond comprehension. The Rosetta Stone is the star attraction, but the collection of pottery, weapons, statues, petroglyphs, clothing, etc is too much to absorb. Apparently, the displayed items only account for 1% of the museum’s holdings. Incredible!   Getting to Oxford required some new experiences. I had to purchase a subway ticket from a machine, catch the right subway train,and transfer to rail train at Paddington Station. Mindbending experiences for a prairie boy. Leaving the crowds of London was a relief. October is not busy season. I can’t imagine being in London during peak season. The trip to Oxford was lightning quick. Trains can reach speeds of 300kpm!  After taking a bus to my accommodation, I went to a local pub for a beer and burger. I’m having a ball. Now I should try to sleep. The plan for tomorrow is worship at the Oxford Cathedral, a walking tour of Oxford, then on to Wales.