21 July 2005

Checking in from London

We were supposed to have left London yesterday for East Grinstead but were unable to find a hotel there this weekend due to it being tourist season and there were a couple of huge weddings going on. So we had some extra days here to do some more sight seeing. Little did we know that would mean being much too close for comfort to todays events.

So no one worries - We are safe. As it turns out we were on a bus just a couple blocks away from on of the places when it happened. We didn't know anything had happened but there were lots of sirens and police cars which is unsual. I had a bad feeling. We walked up Whitehall and the PMs house was all barricaded off and there were soldiers with semi-automatics across the street. We thought it was because Tony Blair was there that they were doing that, and it very well may have been but shortly after we passed they stormed this guy and threw him on the ground and arrested him near 10 Downing Street. We still didn't know exactly what had happened at that point. We walked and found a place with a television and saw the news. After that it was the most eerie thing. We went in a pub to eat since they were just telling everyone to stay where they were. We ate fish and chips, drank some ale and watched the tv.

It is now 3 hours later and we are just getting back to the hostel. It took us forever to get here because the tube is shut down on the lines we need. We rode a bus but the traffic was crazy because all the people who would normally have been on the trains were not.

Scary, strange, surreal... But we are okay.

Never a dull moment!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Katie,
I saw your response to Val on LJ and I must say I will miss you terribly if you don't update. I've been so excited for your family and would love to still share in your adventure. Take care and don't forget to post to the message board every now and then. Jill

Anonymous said...

Katie~ Glad you all are safe and sound accross the pond. I've thought of you several times during the past few weeks.

I still can't believe you're there and I'm here.

When can I visit? Rebecca