We're in London. My body is not totally convinced yet, but we are definitely in London. We touched down at Heathrow Airport a few minutes early at 6:30 Friday morning trying hard not to think of what time it was back home. An hour or so later we had cleared passport formalities, claimed our luggage, and gotten a whole lot more exercise than either of us wanted. It's an interestingly designed terminal, and "fast track" apparently has a different meaning. After a couple of phone calls, we eventually connected with our patient transfer driver who, having received his instructions from someone who didn't understand the difference between arrival time and pick-up time, had been hanging around the airport for two hours. Poor guy - and by then the 35 minute drive took over an hour. But it's okay; we're in London.
We have seen a lot in spite of the jet lag, and God is answering Valerie's weather prayers. We took in the changing of the horse guard ceremony (alternate days to Buckingham Palace and able to get much closer) and then meandered by Downing Street (the prime minister didn't invite us in) on our way to Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey while waiting for our room to be ready. By the time it was, we were ready for a shower and a rest. The last couple of days have been like that - sightseeing and rest-taking, with history, beauty, and some great little eating places punctuated with the results of compressing too many time zones into a nine hour trip.
Perhaps the most striking view (and the biggest crowd) was at the Tower of London where a unique memorial to Britain's casualties from World War One is almost complete. Imagine 888,246 blood-red ceramic poppies spilling out of the tower and covering the moat. The final poppy, one for each British casualty, will be placed on Armistace Day, November 11. I'll post a picture when we get home; meanwhile, check here
Tomorrow we fly to Amman, and the tour begins Tuesday. Our goal and prayer is to be over jet lag by then. Stay tuned....
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