I’ve missed writing about so much, it is hard to know where to begin. Going backwards was my original thought, but the day I started this was so unexpectedly crazy that I need time to process it all. So I think I’ll begin with New Year’s Eve.

It was Alex and Lucy’s last day in England and we wanted to make the finish memorable. So, after sleeping in, we went to Sushi Samba, a fusion Sushi/South American restaurant on the top of the Heron Building on Bishopsgate Street. It is nearby and you can see the lights of the restaurant from our flat. A number of people had recommended it and it had nice views (we were fortunate that it was a rare clear day in London) and good (if pricey) food. It was lots of fun, especially the glass elevator which zipped up to the 39th floor. A few photos follow:

For the evening, we had planned a package thing that was to start with dinner at an Italian restaurant, followed by a boat trip on the Thames to see the fireworks. It all started in disastrous fashion. After just missing the bus to Tower Hill, we were a little late to the restaurant, which seemed to have no idea about the package, although they did have our reservation. (The restaurant was in this pretty development called St. Katherine’s Dock, which was on the Tower side of the river. It was a combination of renovated warehouses and newer buildings, with lots of restaurants and shops, all around a marina which I imagine must have been a a busy shipping spot back in the day.) It was disorganized. There was no section for the people going on the trip after dinner and no directions to the pier were provided. So we and two other couples got lost, missed the boat and ended up at the wrong pier. Fortunately, there were so many of us that they turned the boat back and came and got us. A bit stressful, but the ride was worth it. We went up and down the Thames twice, going from Tower Bridge, to somewhere past Chelsea and Westminster. The buildings were all lit up and there were thongs of people on all the bridges and along the sides. At one point a huge, half-moon rose over Tower Bridge, which was lovely.

After a while we settled into a spot just off the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abby. The whole area was so chock full of cruise ships of various sizes that there was no way to go anywhere. We were standing out on the back of the boat, facing Bug Ben and the London Eye, drinking wine and beer. It wasn’t all that chilly and the rain from earlier in the day had stopped and it was pretty clear. As midnight approached, the crew handled out champagne and then the fireworks began. They were the best I think I have ever seen. It was like a twenty-minute finale. One of many cool things was that some of the fireworks shot out of the London Eye ferris wheel, so there were rockets going up and exploding at various heights while other rockets where shooting out of the circle of the wheel. I’ll have some pictures at the end, but they don’t do it justice and the video is just to big to embed. We eventually got back to the dock and, because that is the one day that London keeps public transport running late, it was pretty easy to get home. All in all, a great evening, despite the early confusion and stress.