England
"When a man is tired of London he is tired of life" - Samuel Johnson

Day 1 - Thursday, May 13 After 6 hours and 40 minutes over the Atlantic we arrived at London's Gatwick airport.  The only reservations we made for the entire trip were our car rental in Germany and a one-day hotel reservation in London.  Thus, we disembarked at Victoria station and headed for the Cherry Court Hotel, our only definite hotel room in the bustling metropolis.  It was cool outside.  Pants were comfortable and a sweater/jacket was needed in the evenings - as far as I was concerned, perfect weather!  We walked down to the Thames and headed north toward Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament.  This picture is of Ali and myself in front of Westminister Abbey.  Fighting London week-day traffic, we made it up to Nelson's Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.  After the museum we headed home for dinner by way of St. James Park, one of London's magnificent city parks.  At first I thought it might be difficult finding hotels without making reservations, but we had no problems.  Actually, I am glad we didn't make reservations.  The hotels not mentioned in the travel books were cheaper and nicer and usually had vacancies.  Occasionally we did have to go in and out of hotels for about half an hour before finding one, but it usually took only ten to fifteen minutes.

Day 2 Despite this European adventure being a vacation we ended up setting our alarm clock almost every morning.  Waking up with the Londoners on Friday morning, we joined them in rush hour on the Tube.  For about a pound we arrived at the Tower of London.  A Beefeater provided an insightful tour of the millenium-old tower.  Churches, torture chambers, and crowned jewels within the tower provided for an eventful morning.  Afterwards we walked (I have a feeling I'll say those two words a lot) to St. Paul's Cathedral.  The picture here depicts my three travel companions, from left, Ali, Heather, and Holly.  This picture was taken right outside of St. Paul's.  We climbed the 583 steps up to the top for a great view of the city.  We caught a cab and showered/rested from our hectic morning.  Enough rest, we were off again.  We walked to Buckingham Palace, residence of Queen Elizabeth II, cut through Greens Park, and walked around Piccadily and the Soho District and finally back to our hotel.  We went to bed early almost every night in Europe and had no problems sleeping.

Day 3
Waking up early, we headed for Notting Hill's Portobello Road which is transformed into a huge flea market on Saturdays.  Mingling with Londoners, I could have people-watched all day long.  Since we were in London we couldn't leave without watching a play.  Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables were all playing but we opted for a less well-known play.  We previously ran into a lady who had recommended The Woman in Black, a thriller.  Since it wasn't as well known, we were able to wait an hour before the play started to buy our tickets at a reduced price.  Normally 23 quid, we payed only 9.  The play was great and the acting was very well done.  If you go to London, don't leave until you have seen a play.