London day five - Winding down

The excitement that I had when I first landed in London has mostly diminished. Today it was a struggle to get up and go out sight seeing. There is so much more to see and do in the city, but my energy level is shot. The crazy week of work and training I had before I even came, on top of two weeks of nonstop going, has finally caught up with me.

I slept in today but did manage to get out to see the two places I was interested in. But when I got there, I discovered they were closed. They are only open Wednesday through Sunday. As I was making my way back to the tube, I heard horse clops on pavement. It was the people involved in the changing of the guard from Buckingham. It rained today so they didn't actually do the ceremony. You just never know what you'll see at any given moment in London.

I came back to the hotel to try and have lunch with Tony, but that didn't work out due to his work schedule. So, I thought it would be a perfect day for a massage. I lucked out and found a place within half a block of our hotel. It felt great and was just what I needed to rejuvenate me for my trip home tomorrow. A cat nap before he got in from work was icing on the cake!

I think all the sight seeing has gotten to Tony, too. Last night I woke up to what I thought was him talking on the phone. It turns out he was reporting that he had a fireplace that was partially caved in and he had no idea what to do to fix it. It let me know that instead of just looking at the castles and the beauty of them, he was thinking about how to reconstruct them. Only a man!

I asked if he remembered it this morning and he said yes. And that he's been having the same dream now for three nights. The strange thing is he doesn't dream nor does he ever remember if he does. Maybe he can get all these ruined castles fixed while he's over here.

This evening was bittersweet. We went to dinner with two guys from Tony's work so I could meet them. Afterwards we walked around a bit. The weather was very mild today and carried over into the night. While I'm ready to go home, I sure wish he was going with me. I don't look forward to managing the five hour time difference and the technology challenges of staying in touch. It's just so much better having him in person.

I've had a wondrous time these last two weeks exploring Europe. We have seen and done so much. We've made so many amazing memories. I will cherish them forever. I've taken nearly 2500 pictures as proof.