4-7-2 to Thamesmead

We flew into London via Gatwick Airport which is in the south of London (In my opinion you should try landing at another aiport, this one is just too far from city center). We were going to stay with Julie who we met in Nairobi back in February.  She gave us directions on which train to take and which stations to go to.  We were to take a train from Gatwick going to London Bridge then the underground tube and, after that, a bus to her place.  We went to the train ticket counter, got the ticket that would take us to London Bridge Station, and asked a security guy for directions to the platform. He told us to go to platform 1.  We hopped on the train and off we went to London Bridge.

Actually not. We caught the wrong train!  We were on the Gatwick Express which goes directly to Victoria Station. Not a big deal geographically, but the cost is twice as much. When we got off the train we saw the queue at the exit, they were checking the boarding passes. We got to the guy and he said "Either you pay the full fair of 18 Pounds each or go back to Gatwick and catch the right train to where you were going."  Those were terrible options, it was already so late (half hour there and another hour back, no thanks) and we were running low on our British currency since we spent 18 Pounds already on the first tickets (London is very expensive! ~1.6 Dollars exchanged for 1 Pound).  It felt kind of hopeless. But then the other ticket attendant saw us and had compassion. He, nearly silently and without making eye contact said "Go ahead."  Thank you Jesus! What a blessing, we got to London in the half the time for the half the price. Next we had to find our way to our actual destination so we went to the Tube. (If you've never been to Victoria Station imagine Grand Central Station in NYC at rush hour).  The place was bananas, so many people scurrying about here and there, so many tunnels and turnstiles to walk through, and a queue that went on and on. We thought about buying our tickets from the machine but after the previous "near disaster" we decided to play it safe and go to the ticket counter.  When we got near to the front of the line a woman immediately in front of us gets some tickets from her husband and then turned to us and said "You want these tickets?" She handed us two day passes for the Tube and hopped out of line with her husband. Wow, Thank you Jesus, again! We just got a free ride on the Tube, plus the bus transfer we'd need to get to Julie's.  

When we finally made it to Julie's on the double decker bus, she greeted us and welcomed us into her cozy home. What an experience arriving in London was! We felt so blessed as God was literally opening doors right before our eyes.

London has so much to offer and there are so many things to see and do.  We were really glad to spend two weeks there.

The next day Julie showed us the area around her apartment in Thamesmead and where we would be catching buses in Woolwich.  Mu had to prepare a visa application for China and send it to Kenya for processing.  We went to the library to work on this and then to find a UPS drop area and then some shopping.  At the end of the day we were all exhausted.  In the picture, Julie and Mu are enjoying some Chinese in Woolwich.

On Sunday we visited with our brothers and sisters of the Southeast London International Church of Christ. It was awesome to spend time with them because during our trip through Greece, Turkey and Germany we did not go to Church but worshipped God by ourselves.  The message was about how Jesus both comforts us when we are hurting and confronts us when we sin and need to change.  So grateful to hear the message. Then afterwards, to our surprise, lunch was provided. We ate and chatted with brothers and sisters about life and the things we learned from the sermon.  Another thing we were excited about was that the Church was hosting a seminar for married couples the following Saturday.  Muthoni and I have been on our own for the last three and a half months so finding some marriage wisdom from others was more than welcome. When we arrived at the seminar we found the room so full of people that we had to sit on the stairs off to the side of the room. We couldn't even see. But we took down so many notes.  After the morning session we ran to grab some lunch and talked about our marriage and dreams that we have.  Then in the afternoon the men went to one room and the women another to talk amongst ourselves about beeing husbands and wives.  We were so happy to see the church family and have deeper conversations than "What country are you from?" "Where have you travelled to?" "What do you do at home?" etc. It was great to be talk about life and the non-superficial.
(One thing that challenged me was a point about men being a blessing to their families, or for me, my wife.  The speaker referenced 1 Chronicles16:43. It talks about how King David, after the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Israel, that he returned to his home and blessed his household. For me, I need to remember that when I come home from work, I ought to be a blessing to my wife, not come home and expect to be waited on hand and foot. I should serve. How could I give more to my managers and clients than I do my own family?)




After Church on Sunday we tried to make our way to Greenwich park but got lost because all the buses were diverted due to the London Marathon, which was happening the next Sunday.  As we were wandering about we found this classic British phone booth.



Parliament Building and Big Ben to the right.

Vernon enjoying some Scottish tunes.  The London aquarium is at the background.

The London Eye provides a great view of London, though it is expensive.

Big Ben and the famous double decker buses.

At Westminster Abbey

London has wonderful parks all over.  We really loved this one - Hyde Park.  We planned to come back here to rent a bike and ride around the park but unfortunately the weather did not permit us.

We went to have tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace but she was napping.

Opposite Buckingham Palace is the Victoria Memorial.

St. James Park.  Another park we really enjoyed.

The Horse Guards.  For the olympics coming up in London, beach volleyball will be played here.

Admiralty Arch - Entrance leading to Buckingham Palace.

Trafalgar Square.  We hung out here for a while because the sun came out.

After hanging out at Trafalgar Square we went to the National Gallery and saw lots of paintings by several famous artists e.g. Van Gogh.  Museums in London are all free.

On a different day we finally made it to Greenwich Park.  Though we were drenched by the incessant downpours, we got to see the London Planetarium and stand at the Greenwich Meridian Line.

Half of Vernon is in the Eastern Hemisphere and half in the Western hemisphere.

So happy in this dreary city.  We were by the Queen's House.

Greenwich Park. The sun came out for a few minutes.

Waiting for the bus in Greenwich.  Really cool neighborhood.

We went to visit some friends for dinner.  Mu and Hazel bonding after many years.

The British Musuem.  We spent several hours here.  There was so much to see.




Statue of Egyptian Pharaoh at the museum

This day was awesome.  We went to visit one of Mu's classmates from high school.  Her and her family live in the English countryside of High Wycombe about 40 minutes west of London.  We spent the night with them and the next day had a lunch gathering with another of her classmates who also lives in London.  Much fun.  In the picture: Tracy, Wangari, Vernon and Jonah (Tracy's husband).

Thanks Jonah, Tracy, Wangari and kids for the lovely time.

The Tower of London and the Gherkin (oval shaped building)

London's Tower Bridge, not to be confused with London Bridge.

With the weather being dreary, we looked for places that were indoor to visit.  On this day we spent the afternoon and evening at London's O2 arena, which houses movie theaters, countless restaurants, concert halls and other fun stuff.

Vernon's debut as a sports caster.

The day before we left London, we visited with another of Mu's classmates, Muriel.  We had a wonderful and memorable evening with her and her fiance, Joe.