The Layover

It seems a little impractical to take a sidetrip on my way back to Libya after having 9 days off. Unfortunately, that's what I begrudgingly was forced to do. Due to the increased security measures on flights, British Airways decided to delay their US flights to allow additional time for people to clear the screening. They didn't delay their London to Tripoli flight though. When my flight arrived at Heathrow on Monday morning, there wasn't a connection waiting for me. They re-booked me for the next day and I checked myself into one of the airport hotels that was nearby.

London's not exactly the worst place in the world to get stuck. That honorgoes to the 10 hours I had sitting in the Sebha airport one day over the summer admiring the quotes from the Green Book above the entrance: 'Democracy means popular rule, not popular expression'.

I wanted to go see Windsor Castle since I didn't get a chance to on my last trip through London. I soon found out though, that it's not as easy to get to from the Heathrow area as I thought it would be, unless you want to drop 50 quid on a cab, or go through a series of bus and train transfers. It was just above freezing and raining around midday. I decided standing at a bus stop wasn't going to be much fun so I spent the day riding around the London Underground, and went to the Piccadilly Circus area instead.



Piccadilly is a part of London famous for its shops and theaters. There's lots of people walking around and bright lights everywhere. The rain had passed, but it was still pretty cold, so bought an ugly scarf and a pair of gloves. Being a guy from Texas who's not into the metro scene, I didn't know how one was supposed to wear a scarf, but after watching the Londoners for a little while, I figured it out. I spent some time in a few pubs, none as much fun as the Freemasons Arms, but it was still good.

I got a lot of flack from some people for not seeing a show the last time I was here. After walking past about a hundred theater ticket shops, I decided to check out what was available. The Lion King, and Les Miserable were both off on Monday, so I opted to go see Wicked, the Wizard of Oz prequel. I have a lot of friends who have seen it and they are generally liked so I decided it was a safer bet for me than say, Mama Mia, or Hairspray.

I was a little surprised to see that they served drinks at the theater, and let you take them to your seat. I would have rethought the last hour before showtime had I known that. I had always imagined going to the theater to be a much more prim and proper affair. They even let place your order a round of drinks ahead of time for the Intermission so that it's waiting for you when you come down.