unplugged

In the days leading up to leaving, I couldn't quite get my mind around this trip-I felt as though I should perhaps pinch myself, because how could it be that things would work out to allow me the opportunity for such a trip? Already after one day here I have settled into a traveling frame of mind, and this now is my reality. Real life has fallen away, helped by not having a phone to check, not being able to text or call folks at home. 

I've discovered that I forgot sunscreen, and broke my sunglasses en route, but these are easy to address.  More challenging is my tablet charger. Last night I had stopped in a coffee shop to get online, and plugged in my adapter, and attached my charger cord.  It popped and smoked and leaked something dark that seemed rather vital.  I quickly pulled it out and laid it on the table.  My neighbor at the next table and I then sort of stared at it for a minute.  There is more than one way to connect to people, it appears.  The guy at the front desk of my hotel could not give me a name of a store but told me which street it is on, so I am detouring this morning to replace the fried plug and adapter. While the idea of being completely off-grid for a time is appealing, I am fairly sure I will get a bit of that later in the trip. 

Yesterday was the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and lots of wandering.  I'm reading (re-reading, it turns out) Patrick Leigh Fermor's book about his travels in Europe in, I think, the 1930's.  Last night when he talked about Picadilly, the Mint, Trafalgar Square and more, I smiled because now I actually have been to those places and the names have more meaning as a result. Alas, we part ways today, because he headed through Holland, and I'm off to Brussels on the 2:00 train.  Why?  I don't know, nor do I have a plan, a hotel reservation or even a map. I know I miss things sometimes by failing to investigate in advance, but there is something freeing about this approach to travel. I did read quite a bit about the various places I will visit, but I found myself getting weary of it sometime before I got to reading about Brussels.