London: Day 5

So, I'm not doing any better with getting to bed before midnight...it's actually a bit before 1 a.m. here. But, it is my last night in London, and I shall take full advantage, even if by way of packing well into the night.

Most important news of the day: finally made it to Pretty Ballerinas on my way back to my hotel from a meeting. Of course I bought a pair of lovely ballet kitten heels (can't believe I covered up the heel in my photo). Very comfy with a flex sole, which is pretty much mandatory for me. The shop is about 6 ft. x 6 ft...tiny. There were two employees and myself inside, and we were stepping all over each other. Still, it was adorable.

One of the shop keepers said she's Lithuanian and we got to talking about family meal traditions. I told her Phil and I switch off every year from my family's Catholic Italian Christmas Eve dinner (seven fish...including spaghetti with squid sauce) and Phil's Catholic Polish Valea celebration (pirogi and dumplings)...really, we can't go wrong here with our food choices. However, Phil's grandmother makes borsch, a traditional (and disgusting) Polish soup with vinegar and sour cream and mushrooms. It makes the whole house smell. When I mentioned it, the Lithuanian girl instantly knew what I was talking about and wrinkled her nose. She also said pink is my color when she took my picture with my new shoes (I knew I liked her).

Other important news of the day: I actually had dinner with a live (and fun!), human being and was not stood up. More on that in a bit...

So, woke up bright and early and headed to my first meeting at 9 a.m. with a legal publication for my law firm client. The office building is located on Carter Lane, and the editor told me it used to be the main road in London. It's actually closed to traffic now and can't be more than eight feet across. (See photo.)

Had another meeting at 10 a.m. with a different legal pub and ended up walking in front of St. Paul's to get there, so now I have a better photo...even a double decker in the background! The reporter I met with was very sweet and we had a good time chatting. She's the first person I've met who's ambiguous about the U.S. election. She said her boyfriend is consumed with politics, so she tends to tune it out. To each her own.

Walked back to my hotel (stopped at Pretty Ballerinas as I mentioned) to do some work and later on was able to catch Phil before he left for work. It was nice to talk with him, but it made me really miss him, and it sunk in that it will be four more days before I come home. I'm sure Paris will do her best to distract me, and I will oblige.

Grabbed a smoothie and a snack at the Bond Street station (a couple minutes walk from my hotel...love my location), and headed to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square for a lunch break. I visited in 2001 and had fond memories, so I was glad I was able to get back.

I'm infatuated with Impressionist paintings, and they have a nice collection here. I know Monet has been ridiculously commercialized, but I saw the real deal when I went to his former home in Giverny, France, seven years ago and it further locked me in as a lifetime fan. I love the pastel colors and the hazy brush strokes. The paintings feel optimistic and dreamlike to me. Also, I think it's fascinating to be in the presence of the original subject that was painted, as with his water lilies garden and Japanese bridge at Giverny. I had forgotten that his London landscapes of Parliament were at the National Gallery, and it had the same effect.

Also, I love it when a collection has art represented over the artist's lifetime. For example, I'm getting better at being able to tell when Monet's and Picasso's paintings were completed based on the brush strokes and abstractness of the paintings (although I definitely have an amateur appreciation). It's fun to review the transgression of an artist's work and consider his influences.

One of my favorite paintings (because it brings back fond memories of my art history classes) is The Arnolfini Portrait by Van Eyck. I seriously bought a convex mirror for my living room because I loved it so much (there's one in the painting). It also was cool to see Caravaggio's The Supper at Emmaus, which I was taught is an incredible depiction of an artist's ability to contrast light and darkness with depth. Perhaps you don't care. Too bad. Knowledge is power, baby.

By the way, if there is a such thing as having a former life, I'm convinced that I previously was some kind of artisan who moonlighted as a ballerina. I also probably was Asian, as I'm infatuated with that culture (one of my favorite domestic museums is the Freer Gallery in D.C., which has an awesome Asian art collection). Somehow all of this talent got lost in translation because as much as I'd like to be, I am neither an accomplished dancer or artist. Actually, I suck a little at both. I think if I could do anything besides PR, I would be a stained glass artisan. I'm sure this sounds crazy, but give me some room. My brain is feeling fried from all of the over-stimulation (and free radicals from waffle dogs).

When I was in college, I started acquiring art prints and small pieces of art as I could afford them (my mom can attest to this because I stored all of this in my bedroom at her condo while I was in school). Some kids spent their money on beer, and I was the girl who got broke buying art. Yes, this screams NERD. If you must know, I also had the most kitchen appliances under my dorm room bed (bread machine, George Foreman grill, steamer). See, a whole new side of me most of you didn't know (or probably want to. Like I said, it's late and what the hell).

Did a bit of work from the comfort of one of the cozy leather chaises in one of the galleries. Some people like to work from Starbucks, I'll take a gallery. Then headed to BBC headquarters, which was a really cool experience. BBC has 25,000 employees around the world, 2,000 journalists and 250 bureaus. Crazy. And, it also has seven radio stations and four 24-hour news networks. The news rooms were huge, and it was fun to get a tour. I didn't even ask about taking a photo since I about got frisked by security while getting cleared to go in. Oh, heard today that the reason there are no trash cans in public areas is because the government views them as easy targets for terrorists to detonate bombs. Good reason, albeit inconvenient.

From BBC, headed to King's Road for a little shopping and dinner with Becky, a friend of a girlfriend at work, Kellie. Becky and Kellie went to school together, and Becky just moved from Chicago to London with her husband for his job. They've been in the U.K. for one month as of today.

Found a super huge Zara (per Becky) and couldn't resist going in (I'm addicted!). I bought a white shirt with ruched cap sleeves. I seriously have a weakness for ruched clothing (read on). Nice for work. Then, spotted Jigsaw, a retailer my friend Kim said she likes when she heads overseas. Bought a china blue long-sleeved ruched top (told you). I've been so happy that china blue has been a hot color the past few seasons. I love it!

Walked further down King's Road and saw some awesome gray ruched boots (did I not say this is a problem?) They were marked down 50 percent, but still expensive, so thank goodness they didn't fit because they were the last pair. So cute though! And, a flex sole with a fun heel. (I think Phil called them in advance to make sure they hid my size.)

Becky had sent me very detailed directions to our restaurant, Chutney Mary, which serves delish Indian (another favorite of mine). After walking for 15 minutes, I started to panic that I had been cursed to eat dinner alone every night in London because I thought I was lost. Then saw the street I was looking for (whew!). I was so glad to meet Becky since we had been e-mailing back and forth and I was starving. We started with wonderful breaded rock shrimp with a lime chutney...so good and perfectly spiced with a great trace of lime. Then we shared a couple entrees -- buttered chicken and chicken tikka marsala -- with basmati rice and chili cheese naan. Yum!

I had a great time with Becky. We talked quite a bit of politics (she's a MSNBC news junkie and has a Slingshot that lets her watch it on her computer). She was sweet enough to walk me to the nearest Tube station, and I headed home. Organized all my acquired paraphernalia from the journalists I met with and boxed it up for FedEx (my colleagues make fun of me for shipping magazines and paperwork to myself from myself, but added up, that stack gets heavy...no way I'm lugging it all to Paris). Packed up most of my stuff, checked e-mail and here I am.

I'm beat and headed to bed. Tomorrow: Paris via the Eurostar Chunnel train! Wish me luck. I'm having visions of feeling completely bewildered at Gare du Nord.

Bonne nuit!

London: Day of the Waffle Dog

Today was the day of walking in the wrong direction repeatedly...and the waffle dog! BREAKING NEWS (I'd scroll this along the bottom if I could): my curling iron is dead. I blew it up (no one was hurt). Damn European outlets and wussy USA adapters. And, I was stood up again by the same reporter for dinner (his pick this time). I also was on my feet for 10 hours and had four meetings. That's a lot for one day.

Anyhoo, I hauled my arse out of bed early this morning to hit the gym. Ran 2.5 miles and was lucky enough to score a treadmill that calculated miles (yes!). A guy near the bench press told me the bar weighed 10 kg (20+ lbs), so thank goodness I double-checked with the front desk because it really weighed 20 kg (40+ lbs), which is a ginormous difference.

Schlepped back to my hotel and worked till 12:30 p.m. A story I've been waiting on from an Associated Press reporter (I met with her Jan. 11) finally hit the wire this morning. I figured it would run while I'm out of the country -- it's like going to the bathroom and then your meal appears...sort of. As of this morning, 123 outlets picked up the story, including outlets like the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Forbes.com, etc. Check it out here. This was a double whammy because two clients were mentioned. Yippee!

Next -- the waffle dog. Mind you, the photo is not as pretty as the portrait I initially saw, but it sure was delish!

After scarfing down my dog, I walked five minutes to the Wallace Collection, a private museum in a mansion setting in Manchester Square. This place was the coolest, and it was my first visit. I flew through it since I only had a half hour before I needed to get on the move for my 2 p.m. appointment. There was incredible artwork mixed in with super cool French and Dutch furniture from the 16th century and the best armory I've seen that was really viewable up close. Turns out I'm developing quite a liking for horse armor, and they had some really detailed examples here.

I liked the display of ornate gunpowder flasks (I'm not a gun person, but these were way cool) and amazing armor for Indian and Persian warriors. Even saw a fantastic sword that belonged to a sultan in the 1700s. Oh, and there were a kick ass mace and shield that I really liked.

The rooms were covered in rich, velvet wall coverings and tapestries and featured tremendously high ceilings. There also was a Gone with the Wind-esque staircase. I also enjoyed the angelic portraits of young girls squeezing birds, cats, dogs and lambs. But, my favorite was a hilarious (maybe just to me) marble sculpture on a table in the dining hall of Venus spanking Cupid. The bottom floor featured a display that walked you through the process of gilding furniture...very interesting.

Side note: Before I forget, police cruisers here are BMWs. Nice.

So, got off the tube at St. Paul's station for my meeting at CNBC Europe and ended up with backward walking directions from the Tube to the building from a receptionist. At least I got to walk past St. Paul's Cathedral (designed by Christopher Wren...I remember my art history!). I included a pic I snapped while hurriedly backtracking to get to my meeting. I visited there in 2001. Cool crypt.

As I was trying to confirm my location with passers-by, I mistakenly referred to Holborn Viaduct as Hogan Viaduct. Guess I had the Hulk on my mind, which made me laugh out loud.

I ended up walking an extra 30 minutes (which probably accounts for the huge blister I have), but called the producer in advance to let her know what happened. She was great about it. Finally made it and she showed me around and introduced me to her colleagues. They just got a new set, so I asked her if I could snap a quick no-flash photo to show my colleagues and she suggested instead that I hop up in the anchor seat and she snap a photo of me (fun!). She also was the second person I met to suggest I eat at Borough Market near London Bridge (only open on the weekend), so I was sorry I wasn't able to make it there in time on Saturday (only open till 4 p.m.).

From CNBC, I headed to the Financial Times, where once again, my navigation skills failed me. Mind you, I was walking through tiny alleys and, I actually walked by the Borough Market (slap in the face!). The reporter I met with made me feel better when he said he sometimes gets lost in the area, although I think he was fibbing. Had a great meeting (one hour). Chatted about the usual biz and then of course got on a tangent about our election. He actually wrote a column about it a couple weeks ago that further propelled me into the "undecided" category for the Democratic race. Can't wait for the debate in Cleveland on Tuesday to sway me.

He walked me to the Tube (I must have appeared to be a navigating disaster), and then I headed to meet with a contact at a PR firm in London (we have a mutual client, so I wanted to make introductions). Said hello and chatted for a bit and then walked to the USA Today office (no troubles). I waited for the reporter to finish negotiating with his editor about a story on Cuba that he was refusing to write (they wanted him to start it and it was 7 p.m.). He took me to a nearby pub to take a load off and we talked for 30 minutes and then he walked me to the Tube, which I took to the Piccadilly area for try #2 with my no-show from last night.

Backstory: the reporter e-mailed me this morning to apologize, saying he thought our dinner at Nobu was tonight, not last night. So, he suggested a new joint, Le Meridien, a French restaurant off of Piccadilly Circle (which reminded me of Times Square when I got off the Tube, btw).

When I got dropped off at the Tube, I was running 15 minutes behind, so I e-mailed the reporter to let him know I was on my way. Got there and there was no sign of him. Then got an e-mail back from him that said he had been there but was told there was no reservation under my name, so he went back to his hotel. I e-mailed him that I was at a table and he said he was coming back and would be there in 10 minutes. I waited another hour (ughhh...thank goodness for Blackberries) without word, so I ordered (I had already eaten every ounce of bread on the table). Got scallops with chorizo (presented flattened like pepperoni) and risotto, and the band-aid worked, although I felt really tired. I got there at 7:45 p.m. and left at 10 p.m. Makes for a long day when you figure that I left my hotel 10 hours before.

Got a note on the way back that we were at different locations. He sent a note this morning with a recommendation and then sent another note about the place I mentioned. Here, he meant the original place was near the restaurant I actually went to. Very confusing. It's just not in the cards I guess.

Came back here and did some work and now am about ready to snooze off. Haven't been able to get to bed earlier than 12:30 p.m. since I've been here. Maybe tomorrow...my last night in London.

London: Day 3

So, I just got back to my hotel, and I'm a bit peeved because I got stood up at dinner. C'est la vie, I guess (can you tell I'm getting ready for Paris?). I can't recall when I've ever been stood up before, and I felt like the wallflower at the homecoming dance. The bus boys kept staring at me and chatting, and I kept thinking that they were probably making bets on how long I'd wait before ordering or leaving (1:05...and yes, silly, I stayed and ate).

The funny thing is that I was originally supposed to dine alone at Nobu, but then invited the reporter along, so I guess it shouldn't matter that I ate alone. And, he did e-mail this morning that he'd most likely be late. I left 2:15 after our reservations, so I definitely gave him a chance. Strangely enough, I've met him for lunch before in the States, where he's based, and he's a really nice guy. He strikes me as a workaholic though, and I suspect he got caught up at work.

So, apparently I have a thing with Nobu making me feel like a loser. When I first made reservations, the gentleman on the phone kept apologizing for my having to dine alone (a.k.a. I'm a loser). Then, when I called back last week to upgrade my reservations to two, Giles introduced himself and said he remembered me (horrifying). "How lovely that you've found someone to accompany you to dinner," he said. "Not that there's anything wrong with one dining along, but it does give one a boost of confidence, doesn't it?" At least Giles wasn't there tonight. (P.S. I assume Giles has a butler gig for his side job because every movie I've ever watched with a butler is named Giles.)

Enough about dinner. Today actually was another great day, just with a bit of a sour note at the end. I started off with a meeting at a trade publication in Surrey, which is 30 minutes southeast of London. I took the national rail to get there and miraculously, my trip was pretty smooth (took about an hour to get there from my hotel).

I love the trains, but have to say that I'm completely puzzled that there are no trash cans anywhere in the subways on the sidewalks. I keep giving my trash to vendors. Very strange. And, I haven't noticed a lot of litter, although people leave their newspapers on top of the subway escalators and others pick them up to read. It's like some sort of unofficial library. Kind of funny to watch.


My meeting went for 45 minutes and went very well, although I was kept waiting 45 minutes (but at least not stood up!). Definitely was worth the trip because opportunities for a few different clients were unearthed. The editor and publisher I met with chatted my ear off about the American election, which is emerging as a trend for my meetings. They admitted that everyone is obsessed with the U.S. election and asked me all kinds of questions about the caucus and the voting process. They were under the impression that you had to officially join a party through some complex process to cast a vote. I set them straight, and then we all talked about how we want to be super delegates. (P.S. All of the papers have updates about our election on page one.)

I left Surrey around 1 p.m. and then headed out for lunch (I was starving!). I called Phil before I left the station and woke him up (whoops). Mr. Wells recommended his favorite pub, The Grenadier, in Westminster, so I headed there with plans to visit the Chocolate Bar at Harrod's for dessert (I'm doing such a great job of getting lean for my race, aren't I?). The Grenadier is tiny and 352 years old. It was the former officer mess hall of the Grenadier Guards (hence the name). I had to wait a few minutes for a table, but during the wait, the owner decided to make me his pet. Perhaps he does this with everyone, but he told me all the details of the pub and its famous guests (including an Afghan general who visited this week and sat at the table next to me and folks from the French embassy who were currently seated at the table on the other side of me...I only caught some numbers and thank yous in French...not a good sign for Paris).

I was seated next to a cozy fireplace (there are a few in the pub) and was torn between ordering the famous fish and chips and the chicken and leek pot pie of the day. I ended up with the pot pie mainly because my father-in-law and I had a conversation about not knowing what leeks taste like a couple weeks ago (Dad: they taste like celery). It was delish, and my server complimented me on being a good eater (sadly, this is not the first time I've received this compliment...Amy, you're not alone!).

On the ceiling in the room where I was seated was a bazillion dollar bills inscribed with notes from their previous owners. I left my own autographed dollar to be added to the collage.
Harrod's was really close by, so I popped over to the second floor for the dreamy Chocolate Bar. Paddles churn large vats of chocolate, which is channeled in pipes to the bar where it's on tap (my kind of bar)! I had strawberries and marshmallows and dipped them in milk chocolate. Soooo delicious!

I was headed into the subway to go back to my hotel and catch up on some work (e-mailing on the subway was only getting me so far), when I saw a giant Zara, one of my favorite clothing stores in NYC. There was even a home section! I went in to scout it out, but was disappointed. Nothing big about the home section (sorry girls), but I ended up buying a skirt.

Got back to my hotel and prepped for my next meeting at 5 p.m. Met with the business editor at The Economist and had a great conversation. He's really nice and offered to be a go-to for his biz reporters down the road (yes!). Met with him for about 45 minutes (no waiting) and then headed to back to the Mayfair area 45 minutes early for dinner. I poked around and saw a hilarious (to me) restaurant called the Polish - Mexican Bistro (????). Phil's fam is Polish, so I thought they'd like the photo.

I scouted out Nobu and then remembered that the Hilton next door has a super sweet bar on the 28th floor, Galvin at Windows, with great views of London (another tip from Mr. Wells). I navigated through a mess of black tie guests in the lobby to the elevator and sat myself down for a drink and a good view. Unknowingly, I ordered my most expensive drink ever (the chef has a Michelin star, so apparently you can charge a bazillion dollars for a drink and not price it on the bar menu). I ordered a Brazilian flirt (pineapple, amaretto, Brazilian rum and pommery champagne) and captured some notes from my meetings that I didn't want to forget. Bill was 13.25 pounds, which equates to around $27, and damn, that drink was good.

Walked next door to Nobu, checked my coat and waited for my guest at the table. You know the rest, but I should mention that the sushi rocked (Nobu has its flagship restaurant in NYC and is the creation of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Robert DeNiro is an investor) and I had the best mojito of my life: cinnamon and pear. My server felt bad for me after I waited for an hour and brought me some edamame to tide me over. I should mention that the first time I ate edamame in a sushi joint, I ate it pods and all (lots of fiber...very chewy) before looking over at my tablemates and noticing that they were sucking the edamame out of the pods and then shedding the skins into an empty bowl (oh, that's what that's for), Sadly, that was not that long ago. We learn.

Tomorrow: Back to the gym and three more meetings. I'll try not to embarrass myself.

London: Day 2

I rang in Day Two a little grumpy and groggy this morning. First, I woke up later than I liked (10:30 a.m.) and honestly could have slept another two hours. I had planned to work out in the morning before setting off to explore (Phil and I have a race in two weeks), so I hurriedly got ready and called the front desk to ask what floor houses the fitness center. The receptionist said it was closed (!) for refurbishing but that I could come get a pass to a club nearby. I was caught off-guard because I confirmed in advance that this hotel had a gym, and its closing wasn't mentioned when I checked in. But, I did like the thought of having free access to a full-scale gym.

So, got directions and a pass, walked the 10 minutes to get there and the bloody place was closed. Turns out they're not open on the weekend. I went back to the hotel to ask about another location, and the concierge sheepishly apologized and offered to pay for the cab to another location, which was about a 10-minute ride away. I took him up on his offer (good customer service!), but decided to go later in the day so I didn't miss admissions for anywhere I planned to visit.

The day really picked up after that, particularly when I found a tiny spot called Pure Waffle down the street to eat a late breakfast. Yum! I had pecan and butterscotch waffles with a cappuccino. They have smoothies (got one later in the day when I was on my way back to my hotel) and waffle dogs (yes, a hot dog wrapped in a waffle). I don't think I'll be able to leave London without enjoying a waffle dog (I know my husband will roll his eyes when he reads this).

Next, I passed the most adorable shoe store I've ever seen: Pretty Ballerinas. If you don't already, there are three things you need to know about me: 1) I love carbs. 2) I love ballerinas 3) Did I mention that I love carbs? So waffles and ballet flats made me a happy girl. The shoe shop was closed, but I'm definitely going back (sorry Phil).

Although the British Museum (free!) was only two Tube stops from my hotel, it took me about a half hour to find it once I got on foot. My map sucked, so without knowing it, I kept passing it up via different routes. The trek was worth it, and I loved the visit as much as my first one seven years ago. The museum houses the Rosetta Stone, which was the tablet that finally enabled experts to translate hieroglyphics, ginormous figures from the Parthenon pediment (part of the roof of a famous Greek temple), Cleopatra's mummy! and really ornate samurai and Chinese carnival costumes. I also saw a Roman baking tool from 200 A.D. that looked like a cupcake pan, which for some reason I thought was hilarious.

I was a dummy and forgot to replace my camera battery before I left, so I don't have pics from there. I do have cool ones that I took in 2001 at home, though.

There's a whole gallery that houses all of the mummies and sarcophagi they have, and I noticed a display that housed mini statues of servants that were placed in the dead's sarcophagus so they were absolved of chores in the afterlife. I think I'm going to start carrying statues of maids in my purse so I can get out of cleaning chores.

Next, I went to Kensington Palace to see Diana's dress collection in the exhibit, Diana: A Princess Remembered. I'd taken the requisite trip to Buckingham Palace the first time I was in London to see the changing of the guards, but hadn't visited Kensington. Actually, I have a funny photo of my girlfriend and me posing with/torturing one of the guards. We really were fearless.
Anyway, the tour through Kensington Palace was a bit of a snoozer. I liked the dresses, but there were only 12. I was expecting to admire a huge collection. So, my favorite part of this visit was designing my own Kensington Palace crown with a bunch of six-year-olds. I'm keeping that thing forever.

On the way back to the Tube, I walked through the Kensington Gardens and admired The Round Pond and everyone in-line skating and dog walking. Saw an adorable whippet that made me think of my greyhound Zippy.

I came back to my hotel around 4:45 p.m. (did not wear my crown on the Tube) and then changed for the gym and took the complimentary cab. Ran for 20 minutes (of course they closed within 30 minutes of my arrival) and realized the treadmill speed and distance calculated is in kilometers and the weights for the bench are in kilograms. Definitely makes things interesting. At least I knew I ran for 20 minutes!

I took the Tube back to my hotel and grabbed a smoothie from Pure Waffle. I chalked up a new line to my running tally, so now I've ridden on seven of the 12 Tube lines by my second day. Going 12 for 12 is looking pretty good...

I started feeling sleepy when I got home from the gym, so I decided to stay in for the remainder of the night. Originally, I was going to go out to King's Road for shopping, but I'm sure I'll find an evening this week to go back. So, now I'm recapping my day and prepping for my meetings tomorrow. The weather is supposed to get up to 60 degrees this week, which rocks. I've been having good luck on my travels as of late. Tomorrow: business meetings and dinner at Nobu (we'll see if Giles makes fun of me...I'll tell you tomorrow).

London: Day 1

As I'm struggling to keep my eyes open since I've had about 3.5 hours of sleep in the past 36 hours, there are two things that I'm proud of from my first day. First, I lived my dream of bringing just my purse and a carry-on for a nine-day trip abroad (well, sort of. I ended up checking my bag since it was so ridiculously heavy. I like to bring accumulated magazines from home with me when I travel). And, second, I sucked it up and took the Gatwick Express and underground Tube from the airport to my hotel with my heavy luggage. No cabs. (Although, my shoulders might curse me in the morning.)

Today and tomorrow I get to be a tourist since my business meetings start Monday, and I covered a lot of ground on day one. My piggies are oinkin'. Before this trip, I read my journal from my first visit to Europe seven years ago, and in one entry, I mentioned (with pride) that my girlfriend and I rode eight of the 12 Tube lines. Well, today I rode six different lines, so I'm well on my way to crushing that record since I've got four days to go.

After making it through the insufferable immigration check-in line at Gatwick, I grabbed the Gatwick Express to Victoria station and then bought an Oyster card (thanks Gary!), which is a "smartcard" that charges you the lowest fare based on your travel. From Victoria, I took the Tube to Bond Street, which is the area where I'm staying. Great shopping that will make it easy to break the bank, but I only bought post cards today.

I was having issues with access to e-mail and calls via my global phone, so I fiddled with that before taking an hour cat nap once I got to my hotel. What a difference an hour and Starbucks can make! After my caffeine recharge, I took the Tube to the Tower of London, my all-time favorite London site. How can you beat the Bloody Tower (prisoners scratched messages into the walls with their nails..ewww), crown jewels and Henry the VIII's hilarious "package" armor? It's also near the London Bridge, so there are great views.

I stayed till closing (4:30 p.m.) and then headed to one of my favorite art galleries: The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House near the London Eye. The museum has an amazing collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. I love visiting private collections that are displayed in former residences (i.e. masterpieces are hung over fireplaces), and the Courtauld is a great hybrid of a traditional museum and a private collection. To add another dimension, the Courtauld's exterior (it's in the shape of a square) makes you feel like you're in a piazza in Italy where you're in the courtyard.

The collection of Van Goghs, particularly Van Gogh Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, got me all revved up for Paris where I hope to visit Montmartre for the first time, the community where Van Gogh worked and lived (as well as other well-known artists).

Closed the Courtauld down, too (wow, I live so on the edge), and then headed to Chinatown for some ridiculously delicious potstickers (again, thanks Gary!).

This joint was tiny...my hotel room is actually bigger...and an older woman makes potstickers in the front window. You're seated wherever there's room, which means with completely random people. I was the only American in the room, and my dining mates were Chinese and German, both languages of which I can speak about one word each. (Reminds me of the time I was in Switzerland and trying to speak German to a man I didn't know was British and he told me to please speak English because I was hurting his ears.) So, I feel like I haven't talked much today, which is one of the weird things about traveling alone. I've never traveled this long on my own. It's scary and exciting, all at once.