- Was their house really under the flight path to Heathrow? I didn't notice. :-)
- London is way too big and fascinating to try to do in one or two days.
I slept till around 5am, woke briefly, then went back to sleep till something like 1pm, effectively getting in two days' worth of sleep.
grey_lady was already away on her business trip, but rdmaughan was still there recovering from the con. I had a cup of English Breakfast tea and some cereal while hitting the Internet, arranged for dinner with the_magician and the Sands, showered and dressed, then set off for Harrod's. the_magician had agreed to loan me his USB scanner, thus making it possible for a possible job to happen upon my return (more on that in another entry).Anyhow, I knew to take the tube to Knightsbridge for Harrod's. I like the Underground; it reminds me of New York's subways in terms of convenience and ease of use. I only wish they had bigger maps. With the Maughans' copy of "London A to Z" hidden away in my pants pocket (mustn't look like a tourist!), I set off.
Harrod's was cool. I mostly hit the food area. I picked up gifts for various folks in the states, a mangosteen for myself, and regretted not buying some other weird fruits i'd never seen, including one that kind of looked like it could have been a space alien from some movie. I also did tea with a cheese biscuit, scones, and clotted cream at the cheese bar. Mmmm....
As Harrod's was closing, it was time to get back to the Maughans', where I'd meet up with
the_magician and the Sands for dinner. I arrived ahead of them (phwew!), then set up my computer for when they'd arrive. Due to the Sands' luggage having been hauled in the_magician's car, my entering it would've meant Leo Sands would have had to get out, so we decided I should walk to the restaurant. I did so, getting there seconds after their car did.The restaurant, Saigon, was a Vietnamese place that did an all-you-can-eat dinner where they'd cook up the food as you requested it. This worked extremely well from a mushroom-avoidance standpoint. We ate well and had a lively conversation. In fact, I felt kind of bad for
the_magician because the Sands and I were catching up on gossip between our coasts because we've had so little time to chat at past cons!After dinner,
the_magician drove me back, loaned me the scanner, and I was able to scan in the signed documents to send to the US to start the security check that could eventually lead to my having a job. I then went to bed so I could be up for a long day of playing tourist. 