Wednesday, February 4, 2009

T-6 and counting

So, a week from this very minute, I should, in theory, be winging my way across the Pond to London. Yes, that's right. So far American hasn't tried to cancel my flight, I am (relatively) healthy in knee and lungs (4 weeks of pneumonia, bronchitis or some other lung ailment notwithstanding) and I'm making moves towards leaving town. Phew.

I've picked up some cash for the night I get there (yay the dollar is better!), bought a new toothbrush and re-read some guidebooks. I have a list of every conceivable work of art I would want to see at the National Gallery (first stop). I've also identified some restaurants I need to hit for bangers and mash, fish & chips and toffee pudding. Diet be damned! I need to cancel the newspaper, book a shuttle and pack. Them I'm gone.

I'm leaving despicably snowy Boston for recently-newsworthy, snowy London. I will ignore the fact that a very good British friend of mine said, and I quote, "It never snows in London, that's a perfect winter holiday for you." It appears that the 6+ inches snow will melt before I arrive and that 40s will be the rule. So that crisis averted. For now. I hope.

The last few days, a little of that "I don't want to leave home" feeling has crept in, but not too bad. As much as I love traveling and devouring a foreign location, I'm still a homebody at heart and always feel sad leaving home, even if just for a little while.

I am bringing the new laptop with me, under the guise of blogging while I'm there and writing some travel bits I may someday be able to use. I'm meeting old friends and new while there, which is always exciting. So stay tuned next week, I'll try and update often.