London in Retrospect – Part 2 (or All About Dalia)

Before I go much further I suppose I should tell you a bit about our tour director. Dalia is a native Londoner, but I believe both of her parents are from France originally. Dalia learned to speak French before she learned English, and is fluent in both. I am not sure if she speaks French with a French accent, but she definitely speaks English with the accent of a Brit… at least it sounds that way to this Southern boy!

She absolutely made the trip for us. I am not sure that the rest of our group realizes how much she did for us, but the list is nearly endless. She starting working behind the scenes before we got there. She ordered extra theater tickets for us, and paid the deposit out of her own pocket. When members of our group had requests for activities that weren’t on the agenda, Dalia did everything possible to make the requests a reality. Her knowledge of London was seemingly infinite, but that might be more of a statement about my ignorance and not her knowledge!

Dalia taught us all about London. She taught us which lines to take on the tube, and she taught us the meaning of “Mind the gap!” She taught us English phrases for things, and she introduced us to new foods like a fry-up, bangers and mash, and bubble and squeak. We, in turn, tried to teach her some Southern-isms such as the difference between “y’all” and “all y’all.” We also promised her some cheese grits and other Southern favorites if she should choose to visit us here.

Dalia, if you happen to read this, please know that we appreciate all that you did for us. I hope that we rewarded you accordingly!

(And I really am interested in aquiring a piece of artwork!)