Last Train to London

I love being home...and I love traveling. But days of major transition, like this past Sunday, when we got up at 7am London time (1am Chicago time) and didn't go to bed until 4am London time (10pm Chicago time) are pretty hard on my body. I am -- not surprisingly -- still jetlagged from our somewhat spontaneous spring break trip to England, and I'm still computing the hours of every event this week into both time zones because my mind just can't be sure yet if it should or shouldn't be awake then, LOL.

Also, it's been 15 years since I've taken a transatlantic flight and, in the past 48 hours, I've felt every one of those years. I'd forgotten just how painfully my ears can pop on a rapid descent...my tendency to get hit with a cold virus the minute I step onto an airplane (I had 2 bottles of Airborne with me and kept nibbling on tablets all week -- that still didn't help)...the discomfort and hassle of super-long flights, stopovers in other countries and snake-like customs lines.

But nevermind any of the inconvenience, the leg cramps or the resulting congestion -- I got to go back to Europe for 9 days!!! I got to take my son to Stonehenge, Jane Austen's House, Conwy Castle in Wales, the Tower of London AND a West End theatrical production! I got to have traditional English breakfasts, fish-n-chips and an obscene number of Cadbury bars! I got to BritRail around England and take the Tube ("mind the gap") all through the capital city and to my little heart's content for a week and a half! (I love the European train and subway systems...) For all of these delights, I can deal with some exhaustion and a head cold.

Since it's 3:50pm Chicago time (9:50pm London time), I'm feeling the need for a nap right about now -- and fighting it. I have to walk around rather than stare at my computer or I'll fall asleep on my keyboard. So, I'll write much more about the trip later and how it came to be, and I'll post many more photos in the coming weeks. I took 580 pictures but, don't worry, I won't make you look at ALL of them. *grin*

For now, though, I'll leave you with this shot I took of Tower Bridge at night and links to two blogs I wrote this week. Yesterday, I talked a bit about the Austen-esque part of the trip over at Austen Authors . Today, I was musing a little more about the writing life at the Girlfriends Book Club and shared five gifts I'd give to aspiring writers. Hope you'll join me!