Corus Stevenage

... like a quintessential London moment to be walked in the rain. We stopped in a shop and then ducked into The York since it was raining pretty hard now. We certainly weren't the only ones with that idea! We had a couple drinks (Pimms!) and tried to figure out cricket, as it was on tv, or on the telly I suppose I should say! We didn't really get to far as it was called on account of rain. It started raining and we heard some thunder which got Jodi to ...

... paper card has the "double-arrow" National Rail logo () on it. That way, you can use the paper travelcard to qualify for 2-for-1 attractions. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attractio n-types/2for1london.aspx http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faq.aspx# 1 http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/ fares-and ...

... that the tube (subway) closed at 12:30 AM. Decided then to take a bus. Got off at the wrong stop (way too early) because the bus driver would not announce the stops, so I had no idea where I was. Didn't know how far away from my hostel I was, so I started walking. FYI - London is creepy at night when its 1 AM, no one is around, and not even a taxi/police are in the area. Walked for an ...

... the tour, Deutsch and I went up to him to chat, and had a photo next to this oddly-dressed guard. I asked him if he'd met the Queen, he told us he had several times and that she was really aware of what's going on in her kingdom/queendom/whatever. As Beefeaters have to have been in the military for 22 years, I was not surprised he'd met her. I was about to ask guy if he'd taken any celebrities. His name tag said "R. Stones", I was going to ask if he met Mick ...

... sites including the London Eye, amazing views up and down the river Thames, the London Aquarium, and all of the other amazing architecture that stood high above us.  We walked across the bridge for different views and photos before heading back towards Westminster Abby.  We lacked the finances to actually go into anything that had an admission fee (darn British Pound being so high) so we settled for outside views of everything.  After Westminster Abby we ...

... strong willed person that I am, I was able to resist dropping things on the people below. As un-fun as that was, the view was cool. BUT THEN I learned something new. You could go up even higher. The stairs to get up to this area had been easy except for a short area where the ceilings were kind of low. The stairs to this next area were not. First I had to climb a long stony spiral staircase. Then I had to go through a skinny and short staircase before I emerged ...

... wrong so far that it could not be just a chance. Of course, it was no chance. There is no such thing and everything happens for a reason. Even banal little things like when your nose itches and you need to scratch it, and let alone a loss of your passport and driving licence which for starters as a consequence immediately has your already paid ticket to Guangzhou go to waste without any possibility to either alter its date or get it refunded. Chance is just another name for human ...

... Borremeo family - one has a palace and Baroque garden, another a huge residence with a massive English Botanic Garden. We spent the day on the ferry visiting each and marvelling at the showy displays of wealth. Stresa gave us good food and gelato and the opportunity to relax in a wonderful setting. Cynthia and I sadly said good bye following our flight from Milan to London - she met her cousin at Heathrow and was off to see ...

... wisdom, are incapable of processing extra visa pages in less than 13 weeks. Okay, that is my final passport jab and I'll put that one to bed. From Dover to Belgium, through a tiny part of the Netherlands and probably sleeping somewhere in Germany tonight. Through Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Or at least that is the plan. I'll keep you posted. Serena

Today was the first day that I actually had completely free to do whatever I wanted with. I'm getting a bit spoiled here and once classes and work start, I'm sure I'll miss it. I slept in this morning, then got up and went for a walk around St. James's Park. This park borders Buckingham Palace to the east and is probably only a mile or so around. The park is absolutely FULL of birds - pigeons ...