Back at home we talk about "throwing people under the bus." Here in London they evidently throw people under trains.
After arriving here Tuesday morning we took the train from Gatwick airport to Victoria Station. From there it should have been a shortride on the underground to our hotel in Kensington.
But while waiting on the platform an announcement was made over the PA that subway service had been suspended due to a person under a train.
Rather than que up for a taxi or schlep our luggage on a bus Allison and I decided to walk the two miles to our hotel.
The stroll took well over an hour but undoutedly saved me many a tortious minute browsing the high-end boutiques we passed on the way. After all, we were pulling our luggage behind us.
After dinner was dropped into a pub called "The Polo Club" and had a chukker or two. Turns out the young lady who was tending the bar had lived in Montecito a few years ago where she had worked as a nanny. It is unknown whether she was sent to the UK under the Rob Lowe witness protection program.
Allison nearly started an international incident when she asked another pub patron, "C.J." ( short for "Champagne Joe") whether the Louis Vuitton portfolio he was carrying was a "knock-off."
Yes, we're doing our part to propogate the image of the ugly American.
As a certain Santa Barbara columnist might say, "Pip! Pip! for now.
