Christmas in London

We have had a respite from the winter cold of Russia. We have traded it for the wet cold of London. Instead of having the snot in our nose freeze from the cold, we have the bones in our knees and back screaming from arthritis from the humid cold. We are fortunate to have been offered a house to stay in with our brood of grown children in exchange for cuddling by our friends puppies while they are on vacation. Lucky us.
We have spent the holiday reconnecting with old friends, family, shopping the after Christmas sales on Oxford Street,visiting our favorite restaurants and museums, and going to the musical Oliver.
It has been wonderful to turn on the shower and be greeted by instant hot water with pressure instead of turning on the water and doing three chores in the house while we wait to see if any hot water is ever going to show up in the morning, and waiting to see if there is enough pressure to get the soap out of our hair once we are in the shower. It is also lovely to be able to just drink out of the tap and have a nice salad with real lettuce. We enjoy many things about Russia, but these are a few of the frustrations that still get to us.
London still has a heavy hold on our hearts and on the hearts of all of our children. The architecture is interesting on every corner and in every neighborhood. The antiques still lure us into the shops. The exhibits still lure us into the museums. Yesterday we came down the escalator into the tube and listened to the most amazing busker singing an Italian aria that was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. We just stopped and listened to him for about 5 minutes. He definately earned the pound I dropped in his hat. He could have been singing professionally anywhere, he was that good.
We look forward to returning to our Rusian adventure but are sorry to say goodbye to our children, our friends and beautiful London.