Last Stop: London

The last stop on our world tour is London for a few days. We stopped in London overnight on the way to Ghana but now we have a chance to spend a few days exploring the city. We were staying in a very touristy part of London purposely. I knew that this stay would be at the end of our monthlong trip and I anticipated us being tired and weary and no longer interested/willing in traveling very far for food, shopping, and sights. Most of the museums in London are free and we were a block away from Harrod's department store and the Natural History Museum.  

Nighttime view of Harrod's. 

Window display of Christian Louboutin shoes (VERY expensive shoes with the iconic painted red bottoms).

Animated window displays at Harrod's 

I do love a good deal and was in need of a nice pair of casual shoes so when I saw these shoes "on sale" at Harrod's I was excited until I saw how expensive the shoes were even when they were on sale! The shoes are sale priced at £869 (down from £1450) which is about a sale price of $1289 (down from $2151). Yikes!

The Natural History Museum with outdoor carousel.

Sculpture made of tin cups, pots, and pans outside of the Natural History Museum.

The Natural History Museum with outdoor ice skating rink.

We enjoyed the requisite fish and chips for dinner. 

Every part of the trip has a public health component so when we traveled to London I had to visit the Broad Street pump made famous by Dr. John Snow.  This symbol of public health history is one of the most basic discussion points for every public health course. The original pump itself is believed long gone but a replacement was erected at the corner of Broad Street (now called Broadwick Street) and Lexington Street. Across from it is also a pub named John Snow Pub. The replacement pump itself was removed in January 2015 for construction of a new condo building so all I can share is pictures of the pub. There is a campaign to return the pump when the construction ends so I'm hopeful that on my next trip the pump will be back in its rightful place. 

Street sign at the famous corner of Broad Street and Lexington (Broad Street is now called Broadwick Street)

Depiction of Dr. John Snow above the John Snow Pub. 

Outside of the John Snow Pub.

 Street view outside of the John Snow Pub.

Another view of the John Snow Pub.

We visited the NTCG Brixton Community Church on Sunday and enjoyed worshipping with our Christian brothers and sisters in London. 

Storefronts below flats (apartments) in London. Like New York, garbage bags are placed on the street sidewalks for collection. 

Gorgeous home in London.

Typical row home on a London street.

More flats in London. 

Restaraunt called the Mango Room in London.

Enjoying a Caribbean meal of pork chops and basmati rice at the Mango Room. 

Dessert of banana flambé and sticky toffee pudding.

Riding back to our hotel on a city red double decker bus. The underground tube was easy to use to get around the city but the bus allows you to "see" the city as you travel from place to place. 

On our way back to Chicago we were given a complimentary upgrade to business class!! It made our 8 hour 55 minute flight home from London a breeze! We were given the business class welcome kit which allows you to freshen up before departing the plane after a long trip (lotions, toothbrush/toothpaste, lip balm, socks, and a blanket).

Dinner of beef, risotto, and broccoli. It was surprisingly tasty. We were also given real silverware and glassware. 

Dessert of coffee and cake after dinner. We were full but who can resist dessert?!

High tea toward the end of the flight which consisted of tea/coffee, a mini pastrami sandwich, mini egg salad sandwich, a mini prawn salad sandwich (which I couldn't eat because of my shellfish allergy), scones with clotted cream and jam, and small cakes (a petit four, a gingerbread, and chocolate cake). Yum!! we were having so much fun in just business class, we couldn't imagine what was happening in the magical world of first class!

Arriving back at O'Hare! We are finally home to celebrate Christmas with our family. 

It has been an amazing month long trip that we have absolutely no regrets about! I hope that you have enjoyed following us along our travels and I look forward to discussing with you more specifics in person or in class. Thank you for joining us!