London Bridges

Tower Bridge

I almost got stuck in Paris. I had a train ticket from Gare du Nord to St. Pancras station in London. Going through passport control, the agent looking at my passport flipped through the pages two or three times with a very confused look on her face.

“Where do you live?” she inquired.

“I live in California,” I said. 

I realized she was probably thrown off because I had an American passport with stamps from all over the world, the most recent of which was from the UK, where I was headed. I explained to her that I had flown from the US to the UK, and then entered the EU via my flight to Rome; however, when I entered the EU in Rome I was not given a stamp, but simply had my passport scanned.

“Ah ok,” she said, allowing me to proceed to the train.

Taking the train from Paris to London includes a 31 mile stretch under the English channel, none as the Chunnel (Channel Tunnel). It’s one of the modern engineering miracles, and the history for the idea goes back to the early 1800s. It’s kind of eerie, dark, and a bit of a mindfuck realizing you’re travelling under the sea. 

I arrived in London and tried to see about an early check in at my hotel. I was only staying in London for one night before heading back to LA the next day, so I didn’t splurge on a nicer hotel, but found something simple, modern, and close to Piccadilly Circus station. Early check was gonna cost $40, and luggage storage would cost $15 a bag, so I opted to drag my luggage up the street to a pub where I had a few pints and some pretty good fish & chips while I waited for check in time. 

I met up with my friend Jen for dinner once again, this time at a wonderful Portuguese chicken restaurant, Casa do Frango. We gorged on perfectly charred quarters of chicken with a spicy piri piri marinade, croquettes, tomato salad, chorizo rice, and of course the infamous Portuguese egg tarts: pastel de nata. And a few glasses of wine for good measure. 

After a very satisfying dinner, we walked along the Thames as Jen played tour guide and showed me both the London and Tower bridges, while reminiscing about some of her early days partying in good ole Londontown. After our walk along the river we headed for the nearest subway station and said our goodbyes as we were headed in opposite directions. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to return the favor and show Jen around LA one of these days. I’m spoiled to have such an amazing contact across the pond. 

I made me way back to Picadilly Circus near my hotel. As luck would have it, one of my music industry friends from LA, Jeff Delia, was in London amidst a European tour with one of his artists. We were fortunate enough to meet up for a drink at a little cocktail bar that just so happened to have a recording studio downstairs (naturally). 

I hadn’t seen Jeff in a few years so it was really nice to catch up, talk about music, life, travel, and the inherent joys and sorrows of getting older. It was a nice chat and a good reminder of the excitement of connecting with people when you’re out and about in the world. 

The next morning I took the train to London Heathrow, checked my bags, made a beeline for the Virgin Atlantic lounge (so posh btw) for one last full English breakfast before sliding ever so comfortably into my seat for the 11 hour flight back to LA. 

Landing back in LA

My first Eurotrip was pretty successful all in all. I ate well, saw ancient ruins and art from true masters, put my French lessons to good use, and connected with some friends old and new. 

What more could you ask for?