My trivial thinking

On April 9th, my daughter was going to take me to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. We planned to meet at Victoria Station at 10:40, and since I still had plenty of time, I decided to walk around Chelsea. I headed toward Chelsea along the Thames. Many people in London commute by bicycle. I crossed Chelsea Bridge and then Albert Bridge. Near Battersea Bridge, I noticed a small, old church on the north side of the road—Chelsea Old Church, which dates back to the 12th century. In front of it stands a statue of Thomas More. I walked a little farther, crossed Battersea Bridge, and strolled along the south bank of the Thames for a while. It was still early, but I took the No. 170 bus to Victoria Station since I had no reason to return to my hotel. My Android tablet was very useful for checking London bus routes.   Battersea Park Chelsea Bridge Cadogan Pier Battersea Bridge Chelsea Old Church Thomas More's statue Cheyne Walk On April...

I arrived at Heathrow Airport on the afternoon of April 3rd and found my daughter quickly in the arrival lobby. We headed to our hotel near Gloucester Road. As I looked out the train window, the scenery told me clearly that I was in London—yet strangely, it all felt familiar, as if this wasn’t my first visit. After checking in, I dropped off my 65‑liter rucksack and we went to Piccadilly Circus to buy a SIM card for my tablet at a Vodafone shop. But the shop had already closed for the day. My daughter had work to do, so she left, and I suddenly had plenty of time. I walked to Hyde Park to breathe in the London air. Soon it began to rain, and since it didn’t look like it would stop, I took the train from Hyde Park Corner back to Gloucester Road. I realized I had no money, so I exchanged the only cash I had—3,000 yen—at a currency exchange in front of the station. Then I bought some food and wine for dinner at Tesco.   Queen's Gate High Street Kensington The next day was ...