London Calling – Stogan Stories

For all the times I’ve travelled to London, there’s never been a reason to blog about it. It’s not that it hasn’t been fun. I’ve had some pretty good adventures in London, and made some good memories (many of which are best left undocumented – largely karaoke, for the record).

This week felt worth a post though, since it’s the first time in many years that I’ve been here for fun. No work, no obligation, just wandering and seeing the sights with friends.

And this guy.

We wandered. And had coffee in a former toilet. And took many, many trips on the tube.

After a number of trips to London, it’s nice to have some people here to see! It was amazing to catch up with some old friends and shore up connections with new ones

And what would London be without a beverage or two? (Or three)

My friend Letitia often notes that one of the greatest privileges in life is traveling somewhere and doing nothing. I couldn’t agree more. The ability to go back to places we’ve been, or know that we’ll have the opportunity is a total luxury – and being able to stay with friends where we can pet a dog, make a cup of tea and do laundry has made that a notable portion of this leg.

The dog. The takeout. Not pictured: the laundry.

And then it was time for J to ‘go for the gold’. A journey that begins in Stuttgart. Fingers crossed he wins a trip back next year, and not a trophy to carry for the next 2 weeks. Our bags are full enough!

With Jay off to Germany, I had time for one more adventure. Our friends were heading to see a holiday pantomime and invited me to join. And why not? As a child, my siblings and I had watched WAY too many repeats of The Cinderella Gang on TVO. I figured it would be a throwback – it wasn’t quite – but was still a fun evening!