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Report 2023: Two Weeks in the Cotswolds and London

By Deva from USA, Fall 2012

Page 15 of 15: Day Fifteen: Heading Home and General Ponderings

We planned to take the tube to Paddington and use our return Heathrow Connect tickets from there. However when we got to the station we discovered the Circle Line was out of service! Eep! But then we realized that it would be just as fast to take the tube directly to Heathrow, so we did that, and it was much more relaxing and easier to manage than switching at Paddington would have been. And no more stairs!

At Heathrow, there was a convenient station to turn in your Oyster Card and get a refund for anything that was left on it (you filled it up as you went, using kiosks in the tube stations).

We spent our last pounds on snacks, souvenirs, and books, then headed off home!

London was not a city I fell in love with, but I did really enjoy myself there. Perhaps I would like it more if I returned again, knowing more what to expect. Generally it was just a bit too spread out, and without the consistent beauty and charm I found in places like Paris or Venice. This trip taught me that I really do love a city I can walk. If we returned, I might stay in Bloomsbury or Fitzrovia, and enjoy myself more thoroughly.

On the other hand, I think the food we had on this trip was some of the best vacation-food we’ve had. A big part of that is my learning better what works for me: cheap but tasty and satisfying sandwiches, pastries, and ethnic foods if we are going to a sit-down restaurant.