Wrap Up of the Trip Part II

So on Friday I went to the Tower of London. I would say, for the money, it's one of the best tours in the city. The Beefeaters (they used to be guards, now they are tour guides) are just great. They have so much information regarding the Tower. And the coolest part, they live inside the walls of the Tower. There are about 3 dozen of them, and they live there with their families along with a large regiment of active duty military men, guarding the crown jewels. Which is the most breath-taking exhibit I have ever seen. They are simply beautiful. I can only imagine what a 5 pound crown feels like on your head. As I wandered through the rest of the tower grounds/buildings I was specifically struck by the grafitti that remains from the prisoners. And I have to say that it's not like what we think of as grafitti...they are truly small and sometimes large works of art; beautiful carvings left on the wall. I can't imagine being forced into one of the small cells and left there. It must have been just miserable. I took so many pictures there I had to laugh when I got back to the room and was looking through all of them on the camera.
That night, I found a tiny Lebanese restaurant, and had simply the best meal I have ever eaten. I can't even begin to describe how good the food was, and the waiter was awfully cute as well. He wanted to know when he could see me again, and I had to tell him I was headed back to the States in two days. Anyway, the food was simply fantastic. I was really spoiled with all the delicious ethnic cuisine that I was able to get, compared to what we have here in VT. I think that's the part I miss the most about the city.
So on Saturday, I went shopping...Harrod's and Harvey Nichols to be precise. I have never seen anything like those two stores. For anyone who doesn't know, they are two of the most exclusive department stores going. I bought a beautiful handbag at Harvey Nics and really cool shoes at Harrod's. I was very tempted by a beautiful pair of Jimmy Choos at Harrods, but I simply refuse to pay the equivilent of $600 for a pair of dress shoes. I have to say that after a while I was pretty overwhelmed. The food courts were amazing, with delicacies you could only dream about and the clothes were simply stunning. It was a really long day, but I had just the best time and then headed back to the hotel to pack.
On Sunday I headed to Heathrow around 9 in the morning; and I'm glad I did, even though my flight wasn't until 1:30pm. The lines in the BA terminal were out of control. It took me about an hour to check in and then another half hour to get through security. The lines just seemed endless. The flights were very uneventful; although I must say that I sat next to a really nice guy from Bel Air on the flight from JFK to Burlington. He was cute and very fun to talk to, and he kept my mind off the fact that I was exhausted and not feeling very well.
On the whole, I'd have to say that this was just the greatest trip; and I'm not sure how I'll ever top it. I'd go back and in fact I'd move to London in a heartbeat. I simply loved the city that much. Now however, it's back to real life and getting ready for Christmas as well as all other kinds of drama. More later!