London Life - Part 1

So I am back home where I grew up and lived for about 33 years. I hadn't really missed it in 14 years in the USA but now I am here I am enjoying it immensely and remembering the things I do miss. It also makes me appreciate Augusta, GA for the space, weather and friendly people.  Here's a brief tour of what London is like to live in.

Where is Lewisham? It's in South East of London considered Greater London meaning it's not in the center of London but an area about 15 mins train ride away.

 

London is very populated hence living space is at a premium and since I was last here there have been many more apartments built. Houses tend to be "terraced" or what Americans call "row" house. The streets are narrow and with parked cars on both sides of the road many streets give you just enough room for one car to drive by. Gas is

£1.36 a litre which is over $7 a gallon!

There are a lot of these micro cars on the road understandably

Space is tight for parking (the house is on a main road)

 

I rekindled my stick driving skills!

Public transport is very developed in a network of buses and trains and underground so it is actually easy to get around without a car.

 Buying last minute needed items is easy as there is a "corner" store close to every house - little grocery stores.

British money is an colorful array of notes and coins (not pictured 5GBP note)

 Shopping in the main part of town is fun at the open-air market which is available 6 days a week. There is also an American-style indoor mall right in front of these stalls.

 Fish and chips is a standard fast food favorite and those shops are also on every high street. You can see one above behind the stall "Something Fishy".

Entrance to the Mall is under the blue sign.

Here's the center of a neighboring town called Catford - notice the Cat above the shopping center entrance

The main supermarkets here are Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda. Lidl is also a chain similar to Aldi.

Beef sausages are much easier to come by than in the USA.

I was surprised to find that groceries tend to be quite a bit cheaper in the supermarkets than in the Augusta.

Maybe we are paying for the clerk to pack our bags - here you do it yourself!

Dublin Heights!

After Trumpets we were invited to stay with one of the brethren who lives close to Dublin city. We enjoyed some great fellowship in a relaxed environment. It's amazing that where ever you go in the world and meet brethren we have an instant connection as spiritual family.
 

 

It's always fun looking at people's old photos

Fresh mint tea from the garden.

 Peter suggested a trip to Croke Park where we could see the Hurling museum (Irish national sport) and take a tour of on top of the stadium. Croke has the only stadium top walking tour with panoramic views of the city. I wasn't too keen on the ride due to a slight acrophobia but with encouragement from Kenny I went ahead, with the caveat that I could back out!

Getting safety instructions

Safety harness on

 

Practicing clipping the harness to the rail that we will use.

After a an elevator ride and a steep climb up 100 stadium steps we arrived at the top and clipped ourselves to the railing which runs between each viewing station.Then we enjoyed an hour's walk around getting spectacular views of Dublin along with narrated history on portable devices and live information from our guide.

Trinity College in the distance

I felt safe being harnessed in!

 

 

Private box area

 

$500,000 for a 10 year lease on a box!

 

 Afterwards we learnt a bit about Hurling and Irish history in the GAA (Gaelic Athletics Association) museum.

 

 

Model of the stadium

Afterwards we drove through downtown Dublin, pretty much a similar city to any other with some very narrow streets :)