Saturday Surprise

From the time we woke up, it was like a drumbeat in our heads - last Saturday in London. Last Saturday in London.

We decided to spend it in a favorite way - walking around, just taking in the sights - and having an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Wahaca, in Covent Garden.

Wahaca is a Mexican restaurant we discovered in early October. They describe their menu as "Mexican street food." What we love about it is that the food is truly fresh and delicious, really unlike any Mexican food we've ever eaten. The first time we went to Wahaca we were seated next to another American couple and their young son. We had a nice conversation about adapting to London life and they told us about some of their favorite restaurants, which now are our favorites. These folks have great taste!

Tonight we walked into Wahaca and were standing in line for a table when a lady turned around with a huge smile on her face and greeted us. It was Heidi Drysdale, our friend from way back in October.

She and her husband Doug and son Jake invited us to join them for dinner. We had a great time visiting with them. They're in London for a year and they live up in St. John's Wood, right beside Abbey Road studios.

The Drysdales eat at Wahaca every Sunday night so running into them tonight was really serendipitous. They hadn't gone last Sunday because they spent Thanksgiving weekend in Rome, and they were craving a Wahaca fix. We were so glad to see them again. They are such a nice family and we enjoyed spending time with them. It made the night festive and not as sad as it might have been.

After we said goodbye, we headed south toward the Thames and ended up walking across Waterloo Bridge. What a view! Of course, it was night and my camera takes lousy night photos, so I can't actually show you how gorgeous it is. But the lights of London and the shimmering water is a sight you never get tired of seeing.

Once we crossed the bridge, we started hearing live Christmas music. As we walked into Waterloo station, we ran into buskers playing very festive music. Waterloo Station is a vast station that includes railway and several underground lines. It has a very old-fashioned look. To add to that tonight, we saw a number of well-dressed gentlemen in black tie, one even wearing a top hat. On their way to the theater, perhaps ...

No such excitement for us tonight. We walked home in the cold and tucked in for the night. Our last Saturday was a good one.