My “Go Go” Trip to London

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Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy [sour and dour] all the time (Proverbs 17:22, GNT).

My wonderful and amazing wife, Barbara, and I are in London today. It is a bucket list trip, and a friend told me that as we age, we have “go go” years, “slow go” years, and finally “no go” years.

My wife is a “go go” girl (perhaps I shouldn’t use this phrase), and I’m knackered (British term that means I get “no go” after a few hours with her on a trip) trying to keep up with her.

When we first arrived, walking down their “mall,” which is a large walkway linking Trafalgar Square with Buckingham Palace, I noticed this mall was lined with British and American flags. “Wow,” I thought, “What a nice way to greet me.”

Then I became sour when I heard that President Trump was in town and even more dour when I wasn’t invited to the State Dinner hosted by the King for Donald and Melania.

But my misery wafted away when someone sitting next to me, as I enjoyed my first of many British fish n’ chips, while listening to my tale of woe about the flags, said, “Bloke, you just need to know your onions (British term meaning proper understanding).” I now felt accepted being called a bloke — a much better term than some of the phrases used to describe me back in the States!

However, I can’t help but wonder if the British often seem so sour and dour because, unfortunately, they do know their onions.

The first day of our trip involved me keeping up with my “go go” wife. She had me out walking at 7 a.m. for a three-mile walk to get to an 8:30 a.m. Tower of London tour. It was a three-hour tour, followed by a three-mile walk back to our hotel. And she was only getting warmed up for this trip! 

This is day eight, and we’ve been averaging five million steps a day, seeing everything possible, which has included trains, buses, Uber boats, and walking — walking, walking, walking. 

We spent the first few days seeing the things everyone wants to see in London, which also means very long queues (British term for long lines). This included the Tower, the Crown Jewels, Beefeaters (watch for a future Interruptions explanation), Tower Bridge, the wiggly wobbly foot bridge (wiggled and wobbled when first opened and had to be closed and rebuilt), Trafalgar Square, long walks along the Thames River, the Churchill War Rooms, the National Gallery, Kensington Palace and Gardens, the British Library, St. James Park, Hyde Park, the Birdcage walk …

HHHHMMMHHM! (OG* term for tired and pensive)

I bet you are getting “no go” just reading this list, but Barbara says, “We’ve just begun and have only three days left.” Pray for me! Uh, oh, she just said, “Let’s go take a ride on the Eye (large Ferris wheel contraption with pods instead of seats). It’s only a stone’s throw (British term for another million steps) away from Westminster Abbey.

Cheers! I will be glad to be back in the U.S.A. soon.

*Old Guy (that’s me).