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Why do I love doing this?
I just returned from a rather impromptu camping trip that could have been scripted for an “I Love Lucy” episode. And yes, I was Lucy. I have camped my entire life. Until I was in college, I didn’t even know there were campgrounds, much less ones with bathrooms. My parents’ idea of camping was to go for weeks on one of the barrier islands where we collected our drinking water into large Army canteens from dew or rain. Our bathroom was a shovel and a roll of toilet paper kept in a coffee can to keep it dry. Then I was a Girl Scout leader for 12 years and we…
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Day 20: Transitions
I have a wonderful life. My work is wonderful, my family is wonderful, and I live the way I want to live. This strikes me often – but especially today when I have to transition from a true “holiday” back to the world that supports me. I was a bit tearful walking from La Gaffe to the Tube station this morning. I had a nice visit with Lorenzo over breakfast – how I will miss his lattes’ – then it was time to leave. It’s never as much fun ending a vacation as it is to begin one. The logistics of leaving London were easy: Walk from La Gaffe to…
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Day 19: Last Full Day in London
I am not going to lie – I am going to miss London. This is odd – because usually, I HATE large cities. And if I had to do the Tube every day at rush hour, perhaps I’d hate that. But a city with over two thousand years of recorded history – everything you could possibly want to do – architecture that rivals any place in the world – a population as diverse as the planet – and because of that diversity, really good food – it is no wonder that whenever I am away too long I yearn to come back. I leave tomorrow, so I had some specific…
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Day 18: London Fog…
Well… actually that’s the maker of my coat – which I hauled around the Mediterranean for 2 weeks and never used. Today, it earned the space it took up in my carry-on. It is chilly, gray, and drizzling rain. But not foggy. That was just from my Sherlock Holmes imagination. I puttered in my room thinking it would clear, but eventually decided to head out anyway. Shock-of-shocks – I didn’t eat breakfast! The weather makes it a good day fto see a museum. Did I mention that London has 300 museums? I try to visit one or two each time I visit. (I have repeated the British Museum 4 times –…
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Day 17: Sunday in Hampstead
It’s chilly today. I went downstairs and had breakfast and two latte`s. Then Bernardo and Androulla Stella picked me up and took me walking on the Heath. We went to the West Heath which I didn’t even know was there. My colleague, Pat Coccoma and I had walked the larger East Heath in March which covers acres of land. The West Heath has both paved and landscapes areas and areas of wilderness. There’s a section called the Pergola and Hill Garden which you can see in the pictures below. [slideshow] Bernardo is very knowledgeable about the history of the Heath. He and Androulla have lived here 50 years and he…