I know that BEFORE you go on vacation is not the time to start complaining about how much everything costs, but … eek! Stuff in London is expensive! Touristy stuff in particular, most of which I will be avoiding thankyouverymuch. However I do wish to see St. Paul’s ($22 entry, acording to their website). Kew Gardens is also in the $25 range. When I went to London in 1997, I wrote in my diary, “In London, you can either walk or choose a way to spend money.” Walking is free. I will be doing a lot of walking. 

On the other and, this is a vacation. And my friend Joe, who is a native, is not a wasteful-spender anyhow. So yeah, I’m sure I’ll be dropping a fair chunk of change while I’m there. But hopefully it will be on things that are really worthwhile. There seems to be an excellent production of Pinter’s The Caretaker right now; that would be worth splurging on. I also should not complain because my friend Sven is putting me up at his flat, which is about a 10-minute walk from Joe’s. This will save me an incredible sum. Sven informed me that he has free unlimited international calling at home, broadband, and will be spending most of the week at his boyfriend’s place. 

!!!

Which gods did I have to bribe for all this good fortune? I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’m also trying not to think about this trip 24/7. The anticipation could drive me crazy.