Our trip to the UK started off rocky. First I threw my back out lifting something at work so my back was all “muscle spasm – muscle spasm”.
Then I woke up the day of the flight to find that I got my period 7 days early. WTF!! Grrr. So I loaded myself up with a heating pad and pills and we dropped of Fergus at the doggie-sitter and headed to the airport.
My parents were in town to see an opera so they gave us a ride to the airport. It was so nice to see them before we left. I don’t see them enough. I need to remedy that.
Gerry and I arrived at Vancouver airport to catch our connecting flight to the UK (we couldn’t find a direct flight) and we had a few hours to kill so we headed to the airport Milestones for a quick dinner. I don’t think they have the same quality control at the airport restaurant as they do at their other restaurants. I’ve had this dish 100’s of times and it has never been so bad. 🙁
We got on the plane and I started to do my “trying to get comfortable” ritual. I like where flying takes me but I am SO uncomfortable the entire flight. I’m 5 foot 1 and my
feet never touch the ground so when I sit in a plane so I have devised all kinds of ways to travel in comfort. One is by using my carry on bag as a foot rest so my legs don’t fall asleep.
The flight was uneventful. Gerry’s not a great flyer but I think he did remarkably well. Maybe because we got to sit beside each other and snuggle. 
Or maybe it was the sleeping pills we got from my doctor. Ha ha.
Not only did the sleeping pills curb Gerry’s travel anxiety but they knocked me completely out. The flight over to the UK was so easy and we arrived at 12noon (UK time) feeling rested and ready to rock!
What I’ve realized from taking the sleeping pills during my trip is that in my normal (non-drug induced life) I don’t sleep well. The days I took sleeping pills I woke up full of happy energy feeling amazing. I normally wake up feeling shitty and tired. So that’s something I need to look into. ;(
My wonderful Aunt & Uncle (my Mum’s Sister) came to meet us at Heathrow and we all took the train back into the city.
It was nice to see them and we made plans to see each other the next day.
Gerry and I got off at Victoria Station and made the 5 minute walk to the condo we rented
through Air B&B. The first thing we noticed about London (besides all the cars being on the other side of the road) is that sidewalks are wonky as hell. Imagine pushing your suitcases over these sidewalks for 5 blocks. It was hell. Ha ha.
We got to our condo and it was wonderful. Our host Alessandro was a sweetheart and gave
us a quick rundown about what to do in London and then gave us the key to our place.
Alessandro had many suites to choose from in the building but I chose this one because it was 2 levels and had a balcony. If you need a place to stay in London we highly recommend this place.
The stairs were WAY steeper in person then they looked in the photos. It was like
climbing a ladder. Ha ha.
After we freshened up we decided to try and stay awake until bedtime (despite the time difference) so we went out for a cup of coffee and wander around London a little before we got groceries. My friend recommended we go to Caffee Nero for a good cup of coffee and it was just around the corner from our condo. This is when we realized that you can’t get
drip coffee in London.
It’s either instant coffee or press coffee. No drip. I won’t go into details but Gerry was
miserable about it the entire trip. ha ha.
We decided to wander in the direction of Whole Foods (so we could grab food supplies and
have dinner at Saf Restaurant). On the way to Whole Foods we bumped into this place!!
Buckingham Palace sure is big.
Our favourite thing to do when we travel is to walk. Walk walk and more walking. You end up stumbling onto things that you don’t expect. As we wandered through Hyde Park we bumped into Royal Albert Hall. Hi Albert!
Here’s something else we noticed. Not a lot of garbage cans in London. Like none. Also … bathrooms. Not a lot of places to pee. Gerry may (or may not) have whizzed in Hyde Park. Whoops.
Got to Saf and had a great meal. Delicious soup to warm the soul after all that walking hit
the spot.
I could have camped out there all night but we were starting to feel a little woozy (jetlag) so we hopped on the tube and headed back to our flat. 🙂
If you go to London – make sure you buy the LONDON TUBE app. It’s only .99 and it is fantastic! You don’t need wi-fi/internet to find the route you want to take. As long as you know which tube station you want to get to – it’s really easy to navigate what trains to take. We used it to get ALL around London and only got lost once. 🙂
We got back to our flat and crashed. Good night!!
Hi Sarah. I was just reading the other day that grapefruit seed extract can get rid of cancer. There have been studies done. It won’t hurt you to supplement, and it can’t hurt. I also had a cat that may or may not have had cancer and I gave her that and COq10 and she lived 6 more years and she’s still alive. So, I don’t know if that cured her or if she never had it. The vet said she thought it was cancer, but I didn’t think so because it was not black on the x-ray. I couldn’t afford the biopsy, because it was going to be anywhere from 800 to 2500 dollars and I would also have to drive the poor cat a long distance and she hates driving a few miles. I thought she might have arthritis but who knows. You can try the GSE, and the COq10. That is a co enzyme that our bodies quit making as much of if we get ill, it’s purpose is to regenerate cells. I have also heard that certain herbs and veggies are good for this. They all have different anti oxidants in them, some are stronger at ridding our bodies of stuff like this. I hope you will get well. x
Thank you!!