By R.L. Bynum
Covering the Tar Heels has taken me to many cities, but last week I traded press passes for a passport.
No Tar Heel Tribune stories appeared last week for a very good reason — I was on a long-overdue weeklong vacation with my wife, Jean.
We spent our first European trip exploring London and its surroundings — no deadlines, no box scores, just a week of history, sports and more steps than my watch could count.
Along the way, I found faint reminders of Chapel Hill — a kid with a Michael Jordan backpack, a park that resembled the campus and a stadium filled with blue-clad fans — but the Union Jack with red, white and blue instead of Carolina blue.
When we went to a Chelsea football match, a tune I’ve heard thousands of times at UNC games was played, but instead of “Go Tar Heels!” at the end, it was “Go Chelsea!”
Usually, I’m discovering new cities while covering the Tar Heels. Except for the trip to Hawaii last November for the Maui Invitational, Jean can’t come along due to work obligations.
This time, there were no deadlines, and no games to cover — just the two of us enjoying our first European adventure. The journey to our Airbnb in East London’s Tower Hamlets took 17 hours door-to-door and put us about 400 yards into the Eastern Hemisphere, according to Google Maps. London is now officially both the farthest north and farthest east we’ve ever traveled (we couldn’t go any farther east or west in either direction because we were at the Prime Meridian itself).
The five-hour time difference was a challenge — especially after barely sleeping on the red-eye from JFK to Heathrow — but a couple of much-needed naps revived us enough to start exploring.
Since neither of us wanted the stress of driving on the left side of the road in a right-hand-drive car, we embraced the London Underground, better known as the Tube, particularly the Jubilee line. It was the most subway time I’ve logged in one week. We quickly learned that “Way out” means “Exit,” and that trash cans in stations might as well be mythical creatures.
Our first afternoon and evening in London set the tone: views of Big Ben, a tour of Westminster Abbey, and an energetic, laugh-filled night at the theatre. My step counter closed out the day at 13,806.
The next day was a highlight — a tour of the All-England Club at Wimbledon. I was lucky enough to tour iconic sports venues like Churchill Downs and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this year when I covered men’s basketball at Louisville and Notre Dame.
But Wimbledon was my favorite, and — unlike the other two — I enjoyed it with Jean.
We visited the museum, press building, and Centre Court, and were among the first visitors to see the newly planted grass on Court 1. The guide explained that no tennis is played on the two main courts during the 50 weeks between Wimbledons to protect the grass.
Later, we rode the London Eye — a giant Ferris wheel with enclosed glass pods — for sweeping views of the city, then capped the day with pints at a pub near our Airbnb. Steps for the day: 19,552.
Day three began with the many activities surrounding the changing of the guard, followed by a tour of Buckingham Palace. No photos allowed inside, but the opulence left a lasting impression. We looped back to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben to see several statues, including one of Abraham Lincoln, then crossed off a Beatles bucket-list item: walking on the famous Abbey Road crosswalk. Steps for the day: 20,391 (including a short run).
On day four, we left London early for a guided bus trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was remarkable — a 4,500-year-old mystery ringed with tourists, though we beat the rush by arriving right as it opened. Bath was beautiful with its river views and largely pedestrian city center. Steps: 15,664.
On day five, we were ready for some football — English style.
We joined thousands of blue-clad fans at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s 4–1 win over AC Milan in a friendly. The atmosphere was intense — coordinated chants, loud reactions to every play, and strict rules like “no alcohol in the stands.” I seem to be a lucky charm for Chelsea, which won 5–0 the last time I saw the Blues in a friendly I covered against Wrexham at Kenan Stadium two years ago.
After the match, we braved packed streets and Tube stations to reach Greenwich, climbing to the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian for sweeping views of East London. Greenwich Park, which surrounds the observatory, reminded me of UNC with its leafy paths and collegiate feel. Steps: 14,866.
Our final full day featured three hours at the Tower of London, with its history of royal intrigue, executions and sparkling crown jewels. Ravens roamed the grounds, and I got a close-up photo of one. For the first and only time on the trip, we hopped on a double-decker bus, a fittingly British capstone to our travels. Steps: 12,541.
The next day, we breezed through Heathrow security tired, happy, and with memories (and photos) we’ll be sharing for a long time.
It’s about time for Carolina sports to get cranked up, and it won’t involve Tube rides or an outrageous amount of steps.
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