Robin's Journal Continues

Horsesdaily is delighted to present an in-depth look at a para dressage riders' adventure through the eyes of Robin Brueckmann --- Thank you Robin for a great job!!

Friday, July 13, 2007

My parents met with Lauren, Emily, Jenn, and myself for lunch before I headed off to the airport on Friday afternoon. We ate at Mother's favorite Chinese restaurant, which served sushi buffet-style. All of us ate our fill. I felt fortified for my long trip.

Father drove me to the airport. I met with Becca and Barb at the security line, and Keith was, surprisingly, not far behind us. Sharon Schneidman was waiting for us at the gate; the five of us were on the same plane. Hope Hand, FEI Appeals Committee member, was flying in the next day.

Our flight was uneventful, the best kind. We got our luggage, and found the bus to the hotel. It was quite nearby, not walking distance but not much farther. It seemed as if planes were landing in the lobby; it was parallel to the taxiway.

We checked in, and let our luggage stay in the rooms, and got ready to be touristy in London. Sandy Rafferty arrived; she was the FEI Chief Steward. She lived in St. Louis, and she knew my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She was the Chief Tour Guide today. I decided to wait for Karen Havis to arrive; her plane was getting in at eleven, so she should be at the hotel around 12:30 or 1. The rest of the group headed off into London.

Karen did indeed arrive shortly. We were sharing a room. She dumped her luggage, and we walked to the bus station to catch the tube into London. It was quite a lengthy process to get into London. We made the most of our afternoon. We went up in the London Eye, a huge Ferris wheel that allowed us the bird's-eye view of many of the London sights. We saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Wembley Stadium, and many other sights from a great vantage point. We walked past Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews, and ate lunch in Hyde Park at Speakers' Corner.

It was a full day. We headed back to the hotel, and we were both ready to call it a day. By 7:30, we were tucked away in bed.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

We got up luxuriously late. I felt a little under the weather, and did not eat breakfast. Karen enjoyed the British sausages, which were spiced differently than we were accustomed to.

Bob and Nora Grassmyer, and Hope Hand, came in from their flights. Bob and Nora were Barb's parents, and they were great help to us. I was glad to see them.

Again, the group of us split up. Karen and I wanted to do the bus tour, which the others had done yesterday, and they wanted to go up in the Eye. Karen and I signed up for the bus tour, and a river cruise up the Thames. We were first interested in going into the Royal Mews, which had been closed when we were there yesterday. We got off the bus there, and got a nearly-private tour. The carriages were most impressive.

We returned to the bus. It began to pour. The bus leaked. We had a live tour guide, and he continued on in the downpour. We next got off at the Tower of London, for which I had purchased tickets. We had an hour and a half there, which seemed a sufficient amount of time. It wasn't.

We had to leave at five to get started on our trip back to meet with the others. We had planned to meet at the pub The White Hart at six. As it turned out, we were a few minutes late. The others were just ordering. It was a pleasant dinner.