It was a perfect weekend in London. Mostly good weather, walks around Hyde Park, a good hotel 1 block back from the park for 50 pounds a night, a good show and a new job for Gina. We forgot our camera so no pix, but we'll be back.
The main reason for the trip was so that Gina could attend an interview. She was offered a position which will entail her providing nursing care to people in their own homes. She is delighted as this is the position she had wanted. The pay is excellent although the hours are long (10 hours per day) and living in is required. She will ideally work 2 weeks on and 2weeks off. I will continue my teaching and will join her for long weekends etc. When we return to NZ she intends to return to Britain to work for this agency for 12 weeks per year. I will join her at the end of the period and we will travel over here. That's the plan folks!!
London seemed to have a lot less traffic so perhaps the new charges are working. We took a bus tour from which we are able to get on and off so we saw enough of the major sights to work out which we want to return to. My favourite was Trafalgar Square on a fine clear evening. It is easy to imagine it as it was 200 years ago. We saw Claire Bloom at the Theatre Royal after a good value dinner in a Tapas restaurant around the corner. BTW on the bus tour we had a wonderful guide who told us many interesting things. Such as the origin of the word "hangover", which derives from the fact that after watching the hangings at Tyburn (now Marble Arch) the crowds would get hopelessly drunk and feel terrible the following day. Similarly "on the wagon" comes from the need of the driver of the wagon transporting the prisoners to remain sober so that he could be sure that all arrived securely. Apparently everyone else was under the influence. Hopefully that included the prisoners.
I was really impressed by the relatively quiet wide streets lined with Georgian buildings that characterised the part of London we got about in.
And thank god for the underground and the intercity trains. That's what 60,000,000 people do for you. And the money around! Black 2 door Bentleys gliding past, huge mansions etc etc etc!
I prefer NZ anyday!
