Jeremy's Cool Travel Blog: 48 Hours in London

On April 1 I took the 13 hour flight from Singapore to London, where I would spend the next couple of days before my April 4 flight home. My original intention in passing through London was to visit my longtime friend, Julie Sage, who I'd not seen in many years. Unfortunately it turned out that she would be in New York for a conference, so I made arrangements to stay with my friend Andrey whom I met in Kalymnos back in November. I had been a bit hesitant to ask Andrey if I could stay with him, along with his roommate, Alexi, and girlfriend, Julie, but after Singapore I couldn't bear staying in another crowded, over-priced hostel. Thankfully Andrey was kind enough to give me a place on his couch, even though (unbenownst to me) he was quite busy preparing for a couple job interviews.

I landed in London at 5:00 am on April 2 and caught the tube to Andrey's place, which is close to downtown in an area that was formerly a big dock yard (near Canada Water and Surrey Quays stations). Even though we'd only hung out for about a week in Kalymnos and had since not seen each other in over three months, we got along well right away. He, Julie and Alexi made me feel at home after my long trip. The three of them left for work shortly after my arrival, so I took advantage of the quiet time to have a much-needed nap before heading out to explore a bit of London, which I'd not visited in about 25 years! The location of Andrey's apartment is conveniently located near the Thames river and the 'Thames Path' which goes along the river towards downtown. It was a nice day (a magnificent 12 degrees in comparison to the dreadful heat in Singapore), so I made my way along the Thames Path and enjoyed the walk along the river and through various neighbourhoods. Along the way, I enjoyed my first flavourful beer in months and a plate of bangers and mash - so good! At the Tower Bridge I crossed the river and walked to St. Paul's and then onwards to Covent Garden where I enjoyed another pint. In all, I walked over 12 km before catching the tube home from Leicester Square. Once back, I received surprise news from my friend Julie - she'd be back from New York early the next morning, so we'd be able to meet after all. I was very happy, as we'd not seen each other for about 7-8 years and I wasn't sure when our next opportunity to meet would be. With this good news in hand, I met Andrey and his girlfriend Julie for dinner that evening. I was glad to get to bed that night, jet-lagged and with sore feet.

Me and Julie: friends forever!

The next day I made plans to meet Julie at her place in the Islington area, only a few subway stops from Andrey's apartment. It was fantastic to see my old friend again after so many years and to meet her 15 month-old daughter, Marguerite. (Her partner, Richard, and young son, Paul-Martin, were at work and daycare, respectively, so I unfortunately did not meet them.) What amazed us both was that it seemed as if no time had passed; we were into our old banter right away. This is a sure sign of a solid friendship - a beautiful thing. We only spent the afternoon together, but it was so good to catch up in person, to reminisce about old times and share a few laughs. Merci pour un bel apres-midi, Juju!

I promised Andrey and Julie a home-cooked meal that evening and they voted for burritos, so I got the ingredients on the way home and made them a tasty dinner, which we all enjoyed. It was fun to cook after many weeks of eating in restaurants.

The next morning, I made my way to Heathrow to catch my mid-day flight home. Whereas a few days earlier I had been ambivalent about my short visit to London, I left very happy with the past two days. Andrey and his girlfriend Julie were great hosts and I had fun spending time with them. Seeing my friend Julie was wonderful, and I also very much enjoyed discovering London, even if only for a short time. I really like this city, particularly the post-war brick architecture. I look forward to returning before another 25 years.