“Oh, to be in England”–the first line of a Robert Browning poem that raves about being in England in April and May. I did the April part, and it was beautiful.

And this is just London. I love beautiful landscapes, whether formal gardens or rolling countryside, and I really love cool, preferably old, buildings, so I was in my element.

The part about travel I temporarily forgot was the discomfort of not knowing how things work. Turns out I could use my phone for the metro, but mine seemed to require an extra step, so I was always the bottleneck in the queue. Also, yes, there are public restrooms, but you usually have to pay with a two-pound coin, which I never had. In England, of course, there’s also remembering to look RIGHT first, when crossing a street. I couldn’t quite believe nothing was coming from the left, so I looked both ways, but looking right  BEFORE the first step into the street, that I kept forgetting.

A few more cool old things:

Certain places draw a lot of people for a reason. They’re interesting or beautiful or mystifying. Something, anyway. So we go and ideally we try to be kind to those around us hoping to appreciate the same thing. It’s not always easy. There was a people mover in front of the crown jewels so you saw (briefly) and were automatically moved along. Unfortunately, we can’t always count on the consideration of others. But let’s be those who are considerate, who do take pains to treat others as we would like to be treated. Please hold me to it.

There was so much to see, but a few days among teeming hordes is enough, so we headed west, stopping for lunch at a pub with ties to both The Wind in the Willows and Three Men in a Boat.

I mean, come on. Look how photogenic it is. AND dog friendly AND on the River Thames? How could we not? Just say YES.

Almost forgot: I was accepted into the program I mentioned last month, so there will be a lot more uncomfortable initial moments, but also so much more to learn. Woo-hoo!

Wishing for you patience in crowds, interesting things to see and do, and glimpses of beauty wherever you look. Grace and peace, as always, to you and yours.

Note: Remember how it took me nearly a year to talk about one month in Australia? England was only two weeks, but it will definitely need more than one post, so please check back for more later. Oxford and more coming up next!