The end of the road
Trip Start
Feb 11, 2011
1
15
Trip End
May 12, 2011
London, England, United Kingdom
Thursday, May 12, 2011
After flying halfway around the world over the course of nearly 3 months, our astounding luck did finally run out, and a strike by the Italian luggage handlers resulted in our spending most all day at the airport in Rome... we did finally get off the ground and arrived in London Friday evening and had a wonderful meal at a pub downtown. Once again, we were so very fortunate to have Uncle Steve and Aunt Angie with us to help entertain the kids on a fairly heinous 13-hr travel day. We had arranged for a lovely flat in Greenwich... very close to a tube station, allowing for easy access to downtown London. We spent all day Saturday checking out Big Ben, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, and seeing the skyline from the vantage point of the world's biggest ferris wheel (The Eye).
The strain of the endless planning, research, etc. resulted in our delegating the London itinerary to Chaaya and Neela... so we spent a lot of time in playgrounds and the world's greatest toy store (Hamley's). We had excellent Indian food and lucked out with pretty mild and relatively dry weather. Highlights included Neela's 4th birthday... she requested a "long ride" at the top of a double-decker bus, which we were easily able to arrange. We had a lovely lunch at Giraffe restaurant, topped off with 'babyccinos' (steamed milk/sugar/cinnamon sans cafe), and then spent some quality time at a playground in Kensington Gardens. We were also very fortunate to be able to meet up with some dear old friends at Green Park. The complex surrounding the apartment building featured several ponds, an ecological preserve, and lots of growing fowl families, making for some great leisurely strolls.
So, at long last, we boarded our final flight from Heathrow and landed at JFK on May 12th. While we certainly enjoyed the priceless exhilaration of so much travel and discovery, we were also increasingly fatigued by living out of suitcases and constantly packing/unpacking. Thus, we were both thrilled to be "home," and pleasantly astonished by what a long and wonderful trip it had been. 3 months, 18 flights, and enough tastes, smells, and wonders to last a lifetime. Thank you all for bearing with us; it's been so much fun to share, and we sincerely appreciate all of your sweet and thoughtful comments along the way. Whenever we were able to log on, we eagerly anticipated the feedback you all so graciously offered. We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible into our cozy (small) apartment in East Harlem at your earliest convenience. I don't think we're going to be flying for a little while.
Lots of love to all,
Shirish/April/Chaaya/Neela/Devika
