... ring out wild bells ...

the last day of the year, the last day of the year ...

i have to say that 2014 has treated me well -- or, maybe, it's more apt to say that i treated myself well in 2014. i've been on a perpetual mission to achieve optimal health - physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual ... while this is, indeed, a lifelong mission (read: lifestyle), i've made some great strides toward self-improvement over the last year on all levels -- i've sort of come into myself, actually, and i feel the best i've ever felt.  in itself, that's reason to celebrate!  it's only fitting, then, that i should end this year on a high note: immersed in the world.

wednesday morning, i set out to explore more of westminster, including the abbey, big ben, and buckingham palace.  coffee in hand (note: plain old coffee, filtered, as it's called here), i stood back on a corner, studying a picture of a google map on my phone, completely unsure which way to turn.  clearly, my face belied the confusion i felt because a kindly old man approached me: "excuse me, dear, can i help you find something?" 

why, yes, yes you can (and, by the way, can i just kiss you?!?).  turns out, all i needed to do to reach my destination was walk one more block and take a left ... and then keep on walking (google maps had me changing lanes all over the place!). and so i walked about a mile and a half and happened upon this, westminster abbey.

even though the queue for entry was three blocks long, i knew i had the time to wait (even though it would mean crossing off a place on my "to-see" list for the day; so be it). so i waited. surprisingly, the queue moved fairly quickly, considering its length.  

and then i was inside, full of wonder and awe.

photography is not allowed inside the abbey -- so, if you've never been, google a few images and you'll get a glimmer of what it's like to be inside. i imagine you'll lose track of time, too, as you move from image to image, almost reluctant to move from one to the next. religion has nothing to do with the spiritual hold this place casts over its visitors. 

after my time at the abbey, i continued walking towards parliament square, where i found big ben -- what a beauty!  a bit further down the road is parliament palace, another magnificent building (which i thought was buckingham palace at first, until i remembered my whereabouts).

since i had matinee tickets to billy elliot at the victoria palace, i decided i better walk myself back to victoria so i'd have enough time to get something to eat before the show. not wanting to have to expend too much energy figuring out where to go, i opted for an "old" favorite: le pain quotidien, the little cafe around the corner from my hotel -- home of the delicious carrot cake and this delicious salad.

seeing billy elliot was the perfect way to pass the afternoon -- the show lasted about three hours, putting me back at my hotel right about 5:45 p.m., just in time to figure out what to do for dinner and how to best bring in the new year, a plan that i'd failed to make in advance. after trying, unsuccessfully, to make reservations at a couple nearby restaurants of interest, i decided to, again, go back to an "old" stand by: the new jomuna, the indian restaurant where i'd been a few nights before and enjoyed. reservation successfully made for 7:15 p.m.

before heading to dinner, i decided to have a drink in the hotel bar, which was busier than i'd ever seen it upon arrival.  a-ha: happy hour. and, thank you, i don't mind if i do. and then on to dinner.

the restaurant was moderately busy but not packed.  i was first seated next two two old ladies, who were nearing the end of their meal.  that was slightly disappointing because i'd hoped to encounter some people closer to my own age, from whom i might get a few recommendations re: happening neighborhood places to ring in the new year.  

where one door closes, another opens.

shortly after the women left, two young men entered and were seated at the table next to mine -- john and owen (i come to find out). i'm in london and take advantage of the liquid courage i'd consumed before dinner and respectfully found my way into their conversation: "excuse me, can you tell me anything about the new year's day parade tomorrow?"

the perfect line. when it's all said and done, i end up ringing in the new year with owen, the more outgoing of the two, who is looking to "smash things up" this new year's eve, while john, the more reserved, would just prefer to go home. after everyone is done with dinner, owen and i take leave of john and find our way to st. george's tavern, which is another "old" favorite from my first day in town (it happens that this fellow is just back to london after having been on foreign assignment for three years and is being housed in the victoria neighborhood). things are fairly quiet at st. george's so we decide to find a place that is a bit more lively.  the tube takes us to st. james', where we find massive crowds - and our timing puts us in the perfect place to see the fireworks over the thames at the stroke of midnight -- without having to pay the 10-pound ticket admission fee. 

happy new year! happy new year!

afterwards, we spend some time sharing in the excitement of the dawn of the new year with the other revelers. and then owen walks me back to the neighborhood, via a stroll by buckingham palace, which is beautifully illuminated, and through st. james' park, a beautiful, tree-lined space in the heart of the city. magnificent. simply magnificent.

the only disappointment? my dead cell phone that is sitting in my pocket. the only image i captured of new year's eve in london is a picture of the indian dish that was so spicy it nearly burned my face off (note to self: "spicy but not too hot" means one thing to an american, and quite another to an indian) -- which i ate and enjoyed anyway.  and while i may not have any pictures from new year's eve, i've got the memory of one of the most memorable nights of my life, which is one i am not likely to ever forget. thank you, london. thank you, owen.