My first day abroad was spent in London with my good friend and colleague, Richard Clements. A native Englishman, Rich treated me to a spectacular walking tour around the city. We started on the South Bank and worked our way over the central bridge, past Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and many of the other historical buildings. 9 million people call London their home and it seemed like most of them were bustling about with their daily tasks. I would not have lasted 2 minutes on the roads, which were controlled chaos. Rich was constantly reminding me to not step into the bike lanes as they have the right away and most of them are electric now. Every intersection was a reminder that pedestrians were at the bottom of the food chain. As my High School football coach used to say: “Keep your head on a swivel, Sendell!”
Almost everyone I told about my trip reinforced that walking is how you get around in Europe. Let’s just say my recent life has been a bit sedentary–standing behind a counter at work and hopping into a golf cart at play. I marveled at our 24,000 steps when Rich showed me the stats on his phone.
Just past The London Eye, which is a massive ferris wheel on the river, we started the process of choosing our dinner location. My Dad was always focused on his next meal when he traveled and this trait was definitely passed down to me. He and my Mom were planning on a full time move to Oaxaca, Mexico before the cancer diagnosis–not just for the wonderful people they found there–but for the excellent food!
Right there, under The London Eye, we found a Mexican restaurant called Wahaca, which turned out to be a direct reference to Oaxaca. The meal was spectacular–one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever visited–and we found it on my first day on the South Bank of London. Coincidence? I think I am very much “under the eye” of someone else on this trip.
