And so it begins. After weeks of planning flights (not me), scheduling meetings (also not me) and booking hotels and restaurants (Now THIS is me!!!!) the Wilkins World Tour 2018 begins! We pull out of the driveway promptly at 1:45pm on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tears are streaming down my face as I say goodbye to Jack the dog. I texted my kids, had a lunch and/or dinner with most of them, gaily waved goodbye but I cry about the dog. Since I don’t want my face to be all red and puffy I compose myself quickly and get on with it. The Rolling Stones are playing on the radio. And we are going to London. Neat.

We drop the car off at the dealership for some service and a detailed cleaning, then get picked up by a car with Bob’s business partner along for the trip. I keep quiet while they talk business. The conversation weaves from business to personal as I can’t keep quiet for very long stretches. We pick up Bob’s new suits at Nordstrom along the way. Before I know it we are at the terminal.

The Delta staff checks us in efficiently and with a minor glitch at TSA we are now headed to the security scanners, but not without me wheeling my new luggage through a pile of barf that the poor little kid in front of me just laid down. I don’t care. Hope he feels better. We are now on the other side and I am starving. I ate 3/4 of one cookie today and a coffee, so we stop at Vino Volo for wine and charcuterie. That worked. Now to the Delta Lounge to await the boarding call.

The plane boards quickly and we push off 10 minutes early! Everything except the puke has been awesome! Time for a quick bite then sleep. We are landing at 6am London time after a 7 hour flight and we will be tired. However our rooms await us, we can catch a quick few winks and then head out on a Sunday in London. My plan is a brisk walk to the Tate Modern and St. Paul’s Cathedral. And food. And more sleeping.

Except there is little sleep on plane, little to no sleep in first hotel. And Bob wants to stay somewhere else. He does a quick search on hotel high-rises in London (he wants a view) and comes up with the Hotel Shangri-la, a few blocks off the Thames in a neighborhood called the Shard. We check in and since our room will not be done for an hour, we have lunch. The view from this place is breath-taking! We are lunching on the 35th floor and our room is on the 36th. This will not suck.

The Shangri-la is decidedly eastern with a few nods to Great Britain and I am feeling the Dover Sole with a steamed Scottish scallop starter. Bob does grilled chicken with rice. Both are amazing and again, the view is 360 degrees of wow. We get a text the room is ready, so we plan to stash our bags and head out! Except I crash for two hours. I am done. Bob goes for a run in the gym (I know, he's not normal), and when I wake up refreshed, it is time to get out and see the town, finally!

We meet up with our travel companion on the 52nd floor of the hotel for a quick refreshment and another view session, this time from 52 floors up. No words, just a picture. Now about that walk...

I get directions from the concierge and promptly give them to someone else, since my sense of direction is not good at best. We make our way to the Thames and cross the London Bridge, which lands us at the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are held. It is all lit up for the night and they are still doing tours. We've already done the tour on a previous trip and it was very cool, it should be on your check list. The real eye candy, though, is the Tower Bridge, which dominates the vista and is illuminated magnificently. It was built between 1886 - 1894. We walk across it and marvel at the detail. At the end, we proceed along the riverbank, which is also beautiful at night. For dinner, we wanted an upscale British pub, and the concierge recommended the Garrison Public House, which is along our walking route. We find it and are seated promptly at a wooden table with four mismatched chairs and a crazy old lampshade over our heads. Time for a pint.

Since it is Sunday, the pub offers, in addition to its regular menu, Sunday roasts. Your choice of chicken, beef (it is all gone), pork (it, too, is all gone) or lamb. The meat is served with roasted potatoes and root vegetables along with a little kale. I'll take the lamb, thank you. Bob gets fish and chips and our dining companion orders roasted cod. The food comes and it is amazing! Tasty and surprisingly light. The Garrison Public House popover that comes with my lamb is worth talking about. It is photo-worthy. Instead of a tall, narrow form, they use a wider, shallow pan and the end result looks like a flower. It is light and delicious, not greasy at all.

The guys talk business so I go to the kitchen to check it out. My first question is to ask if I can take pictures. I can. My second question is about the popover. You already know the answer.

After dinner we walk back to the hotel and call it a night. Tomorrow I will make it to the Tate Modern and St. Paul's. Looking forward to it. Hoping it is a bright, sunny day suited for a nice long walk.