United Kingdom

Well, the weather here is still wet! It apparently has been all summer. We did have a reprieve when we went on the London Eye - it was cloudy, but still an experience. You could have done it, Mom, as it goes so slow that, unless you look directly down, you don't feel like you're moving. Just really high. In a glass bubble. That's all. I waved at the queen, but she's rumoured not to be home. After the Eye, I left Darrin and his mom as they did not want to spend hours at the British Museum and the National Gallery. They were going to try to join the crowds at Buckingham Palace instead (and also buy tickets for Wicked tonight) (and probably shop some more).

Avenue Q was stupid. It's an obscene parody of Sesame Street, with people moving the puppets on stage. Don't bother with it! Luckily, the tickets were half price.

The British Museum has changed its exhibits since we were there last. The Rosetta Stone, for instance, is in a major doorway and has crowds of people all around it. It was still interesting to go through it and admire all the Greek, Roman, & Egyptian things. There were tonnes of "Don't Touch" signs around, but I still managed a quick handshake with an Egyptian statue. It was warm...others, I guess, had done the same. The museum is still free, although they suggest a donation amount..."to keep it free."

The National Gallery (also "free") had a (not free) display of Rembrandts (and other Dutch painters) that was worth paying for. After that, I wandered through the rest of the (free) exhibits and revisited the Monets.

So long as Darrin managed to get tickets for Wicked, that's where we'll be tonight. Don't worry...I'm only going out alone during daylight, and I must successfully blend in with the locals (unlike everywhere else I've been) as several people asked me for directions today. I was able to help one of the three.

I'm now on my third 2MB photo card. Which means I've taken about 1000 pictures already. Who's up for seeing them all in a digital slide show next week?!!! It'll be free, but I'll suggest a donation of $10, to keep it free. (So long as I get my computer back.)

I shall go and hang out at the hotel room (which, come to think of it, reminds me a little of Fawlty Towers, except the "hired help" is Russian, instead of Spanish) and read (I conveniently timed the finishing of the book I brought with the purchase of my new book from Foyles, so have started that one) and perhaps watch something from a selection of eight - yes, a whole eight! - English television stations! Four of them are NEWS!!! After this trip, where CNN or BBC World was the only English station in the majority of hotels we've been in, I am never watching CNN again. Not that I did before, anyways, mind you.

I have nine minutes left (I like this 30 minutes for one pound thing...on an English keyboard!), so I should be signing off. I think I might be back before Dad has his appointment. Wouldn't it have been easier for them to have called you?! Darrin, by the way, had Dr. Belle when he was a baby because his feet were all twisty and he needed to wear one of those metal bars attached to his shoes. His mom told me.

Cheerio,
Trace

I am sure glad to be out of Budapest! I think the people that suggest that Budapest is perhaps prettier than Prague must have been on some serious drugs. I would not recommend travelling there for any reason. There were a couple of nice buildings, but they were few and far between. The weather was lousy, too...during the days it was unbearably hot; during the nights, it was unbearably thundery. This led to some nasty headaches. The fireworks our last evening were impressive, though. They followed a severe natural fireworks display (thunderstorm), and spanned the entire horizon from our little itty bitty hotel window. They were then followed by more thunder which delightfully lasted until our plane the next morning was supposed to take off, leading to a delay in takeoff. Luckily, it only added a half hour to our time. As per air conditioning, our room DID have it, if you can call a three-speed fan air conditioning.

I should go away more often, Mom, as you seem to be winning lots while I'm away. And Theresa, I am ignoring all mention of the "S" word.

Now we're in London! We had fish and chips near our hotel for dinner and then took a quick walk through Hyde Park. Our hotel appears to be a converted apartment and is full of corridors and staircases. There is a lift, but as we are on a 1/2 floor between the main floor and the first floor, we can't take it. Our three beds are lined up in a row like the beds in Goldilocks...except they're all too hard!!! At least it's quiet, mind you, as our last few hotels have been on very loud thoroughfares.

This morning we did a tour of London with a tour guide that, surprisingly (!) had a very dry British sense of humour. I think we were the only ones laughing at his wit and wisdom in the entire bus. I also bought myself a book at Foyles today. The weather's not great. After the stinking heat of Budapest (literally stinky!), the wet, windy weather is a bit of a shock to the system. I think tomorrow the weather is supposed to improve slightly. This evening, we are going to a musical that we got half price tickets for - Avenue Q, as The Lion King and Wicked do not sell half price tickets, and they didn't want to go see The Lady in Black.

There's no internet at our hotel, but I can get 30 minutes cheap at an internet cafe about two blocks from our hotel (I am currently sitting beside a display of teddy bears wearing London sweaters).

Tomorrow we are going to ride the London Eye (I'm hoping the weather will improve!), and I am going to go to the British Museum for as long as I can. The next day is our Cotswolds trip.

I'll write again tomorrow or Friday.

Luv
Trace

We're now waiting for our flight to Vienna. If we would have stayed on our other flight, we wouldn't have made it as that flight was delayed! Got to go...time's running out on this computer.

Trace