I passed through London on my way to and from Barcelona in 2008. I've been riding public transit since I was 8 years old, but this was my first time outside the

I passed through London on my way to and from Barcelona in 2008. I've been riding public transit since I was 8 years old, but this was my first time outside the USA. Of course TFL is legendary and I absolutely fell in love at first sight with the Tube. I took a few detours just for fun, to see different stations and have a sort of Harry Potter experience. My hotel was two blocks from Paddington Station, but I was unaware of the enormous Paddington Bear monument. I found it totally simple to purchase tickets as soon as I'd alighted at Gatwick. I hopped on a train going into the city and I immediately began to chat with a local. We crossed a large body of water on a bridge and I did a double-take. "Was that the Thames?" Yep! I didn't have a lot of time or destinations in London. Just a few restaurants and my hotel. But I'd arrived at Gatwick and I was departing from Heathrow, so that made for a rail adventure. I didn't venture outside the city, and I didn't ride any double-decker buses or hansom cabs. I think I'd done a bit of research stateside before I departed for the trip. I found the route maps and station signage easy to read; of course since I'm a fluent speaker of the King's English. I rode a few local train lines with my fiancee in Barcelona, and I'm thankful that she acted as my guide. I would've enjoyed taking an AVE to another city center, but those are far-flung in Spain! Interestingly enough, 2008 was the year that my hometown established light rail service. When I left for Spain, there was no train in Phoenix; when I arrived home, there was daily train service running through town, and I immediately became a regular!