London

I arrive late morning at Heathrow Airport. Andy sends me a royal greeting and meets me at the airport.

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My seat mate on British Airways gave me a cryptic piece of advice about getting around London and the UK. As I purchase my ticket for the Heathrow Express and board the train, I understand what he means.

Getting around London is easy… Taxis, trains, the tube, and buses…

We take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station. (Yep, the same one as the bear…)

From here we take a taxi to Islington where Andy lives.

And there’s Dewey, the wonder dog, my Dewster…

I drop off my stuff…

…and we head out for a walk through Islington…

…along the canal.

Folks live in these houseboats and can “park” here for 2 weeks at a time.

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Islington just off the top edge of this map where the blue circle encloses Upper Street and the canal.

Here’s the bigger map, though not a good picture, showing where Islington is in relation to the rest of the city.

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We stop for a pint and some food to share… a charcuterie board and trifle chip at a pub called The Narrowboat.

The rest of my first day is a blur from jet lag. All I remember is that Andy took Dewey out and picked up some beer, wine, hummus, and nibbles from the local grocer and I fell asleep.

I can’t believe I am in London!