Jim and Kim's Travels: London, England Here We Come!

After months of plotting, planning, dreaming and scheming, it was time to go to London with my sister and her husband! We were pretty excited and looking forward to visiting Dad's cousin Ann, his grandmother's house and generally exploring London. 0 sleeps!

Pam and I believe in the meaning of 11:11. While we were having coffee on the day of our flight and talking about Dad and his childhood, Pam looked at the clock and said "11:11." Yup, I hope Dad knows we're making this trip in honour of him.

And we're off to Halifax from Fredericton...nice evening for a flight.

Beautiful sunset over the St. John River...

With a quick stop in Halifax to change planes, we were on an overnight flight to London. Judging by the names, I'd say we were flying over Wales here. The flight went by quickly and we all managed to doze a little.

Not sure what the crazy zig zagging was for, but we arrived in London around 9:30 a.m.

And here we waited and waited for a wheelchair. Seriously, Air Canada? When people order a wheelchair, they don't need to be told they have to walk to get it. That's why you order it ahead. They didn't cover themselves in glory here. Eventually, we had a very nice young lady look after us and whisk us all through immigration.

Pretty giddy! Oh yes, let me warn you now...there will be many selfies to follow!

We were staying at Marlyn Lodge again. Jim and I stayed there on our last visit and loved the extra space of a flat, the proximity to several good pubs, and the two tube stations nearby.

The communication with the management team was excellent and, with our detailed instructions for self check-in, we were soon inside.

The first of many "wine times." We alternated meeting at each other's flats before going out for dinner. I guess the adapter is solid proof that we're in the UK!

Selfie warning! I think we were telling the guys to "look up."

And an exasperated Jim...

Ahhh...a familiar sight on any of our trips...the guys looking at the map.

Our first of several evenings at Goodman's Field, a Wetherspoon's restaurant, across the street from our accommodations.

Nom...we had the best french fries (chips) in London wherever we went.

OK...slightly out of control here.

Pam and Trevor and I went for a little walk after supper to the Tower Bridge, which was close by. Nothing says London like the Tower Bridge.

Another of the selfies that I'm not sure how I manage to take, but like it when I see it.

These catwalks are part of the Tower Bridge tour that you can take. The floor of the catwalk has a glass section so you can see the bridge below.

The old and the new...the sprawling Tower of London with all new construction on the skyline. The Gherkin used to be the dominant building, but is now disappearing among larger and newer skyscrapers. Pam and Trevor were last in London 36 years ago on their honeymoon, so this landscape was practically unrecognizable to them.

The Shard, which was completed in 2012, with City Hall on the left. Supposedly, the architect was offered $1 million for its design, which he refused, asking instead for a flat at the top, which he later sold for $56 million.

One of the many cruise companies on the Thames.

Here is how most of our days started and ended...our tube station of preference was Tower Hill, and it usually involved some view of the Tower of London. The sun setting on our first day...