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Alberta 2008 Photos
Originally uploaded by Club Josh.

The photos are now available for perusal at Flickr! Click on the photo above or the link to get there!

It was early rise today as it was time to head home. Silly us, we flew in and out of Calgary instead of flying home from Edmonton. We headed downstairs to enjoy our complimentary buffet breakfast thanks to Mom's Marriott connections. It was actually a nice buffet and it was nice that all of their eggs were made fresh and not sitting in a heated pan for hours on end.

We loaded up our rental car, and I got to drive back down to Calgary. It was a fairly quick journey - faster and more pleasant than the drive from Jasper down to Edmonton. We made one stop at a Wendy's/Tom Horton for a coke and washroom break, but other than that it was smooth sailing. I do wish we had some extra time on the way. There was a few interesting sights that seemed like fun to stop at. There were several corn mazes, which probably were not operating this time of year, but a great photo op was missed at the information station just south of Edmonton that featured an oil derrick. I never knew they pumped over a million barrels of heavy crude out of this area of Alberta. There was an article in the paper that mentioned how people were investing a lot in this area to dry and get more efficient and environmentally friendly drilling established. Sounds like a good idea.

We arrived at the Discount Car Rental place after gassing it up and cleaning out the trash. I was glad Gary went for the extra insurance waiver, because after we got back on the freeway from our stop in Red Leaf, a rock hit the window and we had a nice chip in the window. Interestingly, the lady at the rental car place took us to the airport in our rental car as opposed to transferring us into a bus. "Its just much easier that way", said our rental agent. We had a pleasant conversation with her back to the airport (rather than the awkward silence with a new person in the car). Turns out, she is a recent emigre to Calgary coming here from Toronto and North Africa.

It would have been fun to see the Calgary Stampede, but I am glad to be heading home. We checked in at the US Airways counter and discovered our flight is over an hour and a half late departing. Good thing I had a two and a half hour layover in Phoenix. If the plane pushes any later that a 1700 departure, I will be late! We ate at a local Harvey's fast food. It reminds me of a combo of Fat Burger and Subway. And then we waited and waited and waited. A bit of anxiety because at 1430 they pushed our flight back from the already delayed 1600 departure to a 1630 departure.

After finally getting underway, the flight actually was way better than the flight coming to Calgary. Even though we had a compressed turnaround time, the plane was clean and we had new magazines to read. Also, as an added bonus, the seat next to me was empty. The only hiccup was a plane had some mechanical difficulties on the runway at Sky Harbor, causing us to circle an additional 15 minutes. There was also a bit of turbulence heading into the landing due to some 20mph winds at the airport. With all the delays, I only had an hour to kill at the airport before boarding my flight back to Long Beach.

When I boarded the plane to Long Beach, I thought I had stepped back in time. The entire flight crew was the same one from Calgary! I think that was the first time I had ever changed planes, but kept the flight crew. The flight back to Long Beach was packed, but blissfully short. People wanted to move around, but there was nowhere to go. The gate agent was doing a lousy job of screening the oversized carry on baggage as several people made it onto the plane with huge bags.

Before I knew it I was back in Long Beach. After a bit of waiting, Daniel finally showed up and he was a sight for sore eyes. We headed back to my apartment and it was time to call it a trip!

We woke up to a much cooler Jasper Park Lodge. It was the kind of morning that really makes you feel like you are on vacation. We packed up our things, and instead of paying through the nose for a scenic breakfast, we headed into the Jasper township to enjoy breakfast at Smitty's, a Canadian coffee shop. On the way to the township, we encountered another rubbernecking traffic jam as people stopped on the side of the road to look at a herd of elk in the middle of the Northern Saskatchewan River. Its hysterical that people stop on a major highway to take pictures, but we were just as guilty. Just for Mom, I recorded a bit of their sounds. Arriving at Smitty's, we had to wait a bit to get in, but the food was actually very good. It took a bit longer than expected to get through breakfast, but we finally were on our way to the Jasper Tramway.

When we arrived at the tramway, we discovered a 30-minute queue just to buy tickets. On top of that there was an additional 15-minute wait for the Tramway. We thought about it for a bit, but ultimately decided not to do the tramway. Unlike the Columbia Icefields, this was not a wholly unique experience, and we were all itching to get on the road so we can get into Edmonton at a reasonable time. So with regret, we ditched the tramway and headed downhill to Edmonton.

People had said that the road down slope was pretty boring, and they were right. We had been spoiled by the majestic Rockies. Most of the scenery to the end of Jasper National Park was still scenic and we managed to see some mountain goats for another rubberneck stop. I actually liked the countryside we passed through at the edge of the park - lots of lakes as well as rolling hills.

Once we left the national park, it was pretty normal grassy farmlands and prairie country. We made a stop in Hinton to visit the Alberta Welcome Center where we met a few nice people who told us the ins and outs of what to do in Edmonton. The rest of the drive was just a long journey through some nice scenery. We veered off onto the Alberta 16A highway and headed to our Marriott hotel at the River Cree Resort. Mom selected this one because it was close to the West Edmonton Mall as well as she got a better deal with her Marriott Rewards. As a bonus it is on a Native American Reservation and therefore has an adjacent casino.

We got our room and relaxed a bit and then headed downstairs to enjoy the Prime Rib Buffet. It was then time to head into Edmonton proper to visit the largest mall in the world - the West Edmonton Mall. From the outside, it looks very 1970s mall, but on the inside it was indeed huge. On the overall scale of malls, it is indeed huge with an Ice Hockey Rink, Amusement Park, Water Park, and several themed dining areas. On the downside it is not as well kept up as say South Coast Plaza or the Mall of America. Gary picked up a flash drive so I could give them a copy of my photos, and I really wanted to get a Chocolate Shake, but I was still full from dinner.

Leaving the mall, we took the scenic tour of downtown. Edmonton seems to be a nice town, and reminds me a lot of Grand Forks, North Dakota, just a bit larger. We then headed back to our hotel to call it a night. We have to be up early to get to Calgary in time to catch our flight back to the US. It's going to be a long day, but it is all worth it. Before turning in, we decided to try our luck at the Casino. Sadly we did not pay for the trip with any winnings, so after a brief trip to the business center to check some emails, we turned in for the night.

We woke a bit later than we had wanted to do, but it was needed. Sleeping on the sofa bed was a bit uncomfortable, but thanks to the generous Internet connection, my laptop downloaded the latest Doctor Who episode while I was sleeping. As we were all getting ready, I watched the first half of the episode and I was blown away! I could not wait to watch the rest of the episode, even though I know it is a cliffhanger and will not be resolved until next week.

After packing and loading the car, I checked out of our hotel and we headed to the breakfast buffet. We could not believe it was already 11am! We ate as much as we could and then got on the road. Our first stop of the day was Lake Moraine. Located about 12km from Lake Louise Village, it is a smaller, but equally beautiful lake. There was a landslide at the closest end of the lake that had tourists swarming all over it to take a great photo of the lake. Not wanting to miss a good photo op, I headed across the logs to the rocks. Unfortunately, I stepped on a log that I thought was stable and my right foot disappeared into some bone chilling glacial water up to my ankle. One of the things I hate more in the world is wet feet in sneakers, but you know what? When you are up in the Rockies having a great time it just didn’t seem all that bad.

I sloshed my way up some rocks to take a few photos, then scrambled back down to the lakeshore and met up with Mom and Gary. We took a few more photos and then it was time to hit the trail. When we got back to the car, I removed my wet shoe and sock. At first, I tried to dry my sock in the front windshield and my sneaker with the AC Vent on the floor. After 30 minutes or so, I moved my shoe to the back window on Mom's suggestion. A little while later, I moved my sock back there to get it dry.

We decided to forgo the Lake Louise tramway and instead we will do the one in Jasper tomorrow morning. Along the way to the Columbia Ice fields and Jasper, we stopped at several scenic overlooks. With a little bit of imagination, you can imagine just how awesome a spectacle it must be in the winter when all the lakes are frozen over. Let me tell you, it is not that bad in the summer as well. We stopped at Payto Lake to look at the Crowfoot glacier, and as we made our way towards Saskatchewan Junction we encountered a mini-traffic jam as a young black bear decided to cross the road near the Weeping Wall, much to the delight of the tourists (including us!). Another great aspect of this highway is that there were tons of hanging waterfalls due to the high temperatures (around 90F). Each time we stopped at a turnout to take photos, I would check my shoe, and it was certainly drying.

After an hour and a half, we finally made it to the Columbia Icefields and the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park. We were trying to decide if we wanted to pay the combined $100+ fee to take a tour tractor out onto the glacier. When push came to shove, we went for it. I was glad that we did as well. We had to go back to the car to get our gear, and I had to put on my slightly still damp sock, but mostly dry shoe. Despite the many noisy tourists (some who even kept talking louder to the point that the tour guide had to shush them), it was an amazing adventure. We took a bus up the lateral moraine of the glacier and then transferred to an icebus thingy, which took us out onto the actual glacier. The tour guide told us to stay in the turnaround area due to the dangers of the crevasses, but I was amazed at the number of people who just took off out over the regular glacier proper. I am glad I took my sweatshirt because it got breezy up on there and a bit chilly. We decided to heed the warnings and took our 15 minutes in the immediate area and posed for some photos. All in all it took about an hour from start to finish, but well worth it if you are in the area.

It was then time to finish our trek up to Jasper. We only made one more stop this time at Sunwapta Falls. People had mentioned that it was majestic and beautiful, and while it was beautiful, it was not majestic. It was a nice smallish area to walk around and I took some good photos, but we did not want to linger too long as it was now approaching 6pm. I still can't get over the fact that it stays light up here until after 10pm. Before too long, we descended into Jasper's outskirts and made a b-line towards the Fairmont Jasper Springs Hotel.

Talk about luxury! Mom is a Presidential Club Member so they had all of our check-in details at the bell desk so we didn’t even have to go inside. We found our cabin – yes that's right we are staying in one of a series of linked cabins (usually in clusters of 5). When we got to our room it was a bit steamy since it had been so hot and they do not have air conditioning. We started airing out the room and then headed down to the main building where we enjoyed an expensive dinner, but you could not beat the view. The terrace overlooks the lake and the grass with the Rockies in the background. We stayed well past dinner just to linger and soak it all up. We didn't realize that it was after 9pm (again its still bright outside).

Back in our bungalow cabin, Mom and Gary socialized with our neighbors on our porch as I finished my Doctor Who episode (SO GOOD!). In the middle of downloading the photos on the laptop and beginning my journal, an elk just happened by our patio. It lingered for quite a bit chewing on the clovers in the grass before it continued on its way. The sun finally set on our day and it was time to call it a night. Mom really wants to spend another night here, and I don’t blame her - it really is the pinnacle of our vacation. Tomorrow it is off to the Jasper tramway and then the long trek into Edmonton.

It was up early today - we have lots to do and a long way to drive, and most importantly, we had to get to the free breakfast. Gary and I went to pickup the rental car from Discount Car Rental Service. We got upgraded to a Chevy Cobalt. It is an OK car, I shudder to think what the car we were supposed to get was like. One plus is that despite not having power anything, it had XM Satellite radio which will be useful when we are out in the boondocks. We lucked out because our car rental place was off airport property, but turned out to be just around the corner from our hotel.

We checked out and loaded up the Cobalt and headed into Calgary. The one main touristy site we wanted to visit was Calgary Tower. Located downtown, it is one of the icons of Calgary and since we did not have a lot of time it seemed like a logical choice. At 525 feet tall, it actually is the tallest observation tower in the world (if you take elevation into consideration). After navigating the road construction around central Calgary, we arrived at the tower and took the one functioning elevator to the top. We were surprised to see a young couple getting married at the top of the tower. They stood over the glass floor section of the tower and exchanged vows. It was short small sweet ceremony. After the photo ops, we headed down to ground level and went off in search of an ATM. We took a walk down the Stephens Street Mall. We finally found one that would accept our cards, but not after my Wells Fargo business card with the toll free number accidentally went into one of the ATM machines. Oops!

It was then time to get on the road. Before we left Calgary, we stopped at a Safeway store at the edge of town. It felt like we took forever to get there due to traffic and traffic lights, and then once we shopped for food for the road trip, it was an hour after we left the tower. We finally hit the open road, and I was dozing on and off. The weather was gorgeous and the sun bright and it just felt so good to just close my eyes for a few seconds. Our first stop in the mountains was Canmore. We wanted to get a collapsible cooler for some of the food and water we bought at Safeway. We looked at Rexall and the Canadian Dollar Store before settling on the hardware store at the edge of town. A quick bite to eat later and we were back on the road to Banff. Getting into Banff National Park is very much like getting into the Grand Canyon. There was a lengthy queue and they charge you by the day for access to the parks. It was a good 15-20 minute queue to get the pass, but once we had it we were practically on top of Banff.

Banff is a lovely town that has a very mountain hamlet feel to it. We took the driving tour of most of the highlights, since we still had to make it to Lake Louise. One sight we missed was the Fairmont Banff Springs resort. It is really picturesque, and we caught sight of it from afar, but we decided to skip the close-up and head for Lake Louise.

I totally was excited to head to Lake Louise. It's postcard perfect and the one place I really wanted to visit. We stopped at a photo lookout along the way, but before long it was time. I had read that Lake Louise was a small town, and boy they were not kidding. It is a few hotels and a strip mall that is the gateway to the beautiful lake. We drove up to the Lake to see what it was like before we looked for the hotel, but the parking lot was crowded so we headed back to locate our hotel. After a moment's confusion, we located it and checked in. It turns out our room is next to the main highway, but fortunately, the balcony faces the inner courtyard and its super nice. There are a few worn bits here and there but its to be expected from a ski and vacation resort.

After relaxing for a bit, it was time for the mother lode - Lake Louise. We parked in the lot at the lakeshore and made the slow trek to the shore. It didn't disappoint! One of the great sights in the world. It is tough to appreciate things when they are crowded, but despite the hoards of visitors it still is a great place to visit. The Fairmont Lake Louise is a fantastic hotel as well; I would love to splurge for it one of these years.

We took in the view and then headed down the hill into the village to grab a bite to eat at the Lake Louise Family Restaurant. It reeked of tourist trap cafe, but mom liked her food and as long as you like your food it is a good meal. Everything is expensive here, but that was expected.

It was time to crash at the hotel. I discovered that my sofa bed was not made yet, so I had to call and get some sheets for it. Its time for bed and it has been a long day! Hopefully, we won’t get woken up by the hordes of tour buses in the parking lot.

I find it humorous that I haven't updated the site since I was in Phoenix last week, and here I am in another airport with free wireless updating the site. Why you ask?

It's mini-vacation time, and with the price of air travel as well as gas, a mini-vacation is all anyone can afford. Last week, I visited my mom in Phoenix and we were trying to think of places we could go. I had five days off in a row – I originally planned to go to San Francisco to see Charo in concert, but those plans fell through so I decided that I needed to get away to someplace unusual. My first choice was St. Maarten in the Caribbean, but that just proved to be too costly, so I mentioned to Mom my second choice: Alberta. At first, I didn’t think we would be able to arrange something on a short notice, but Mom was able to redeem her frequent flyer miles and get us a few hotels with some other points. In the end we only had to buy one ticket and two hotel nights for the whole extended weekend.

I chose Alberta, because I have wanted to visit Lake Louise and Banff National Park, but it wasn’t on my top 10 list. Ultimately, because it was closer than say Montreal and Toronto, and I had been to Vancouver and Victoria way back in 1987, and I have an overwhelming desire to visit new places on vacation, we ended up going to Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, and Edmonton.

Today I had to work first thing in the morning to help cover the area, but I was able to leave in time to finish packing as well as be ready for the Super Shuttle to take me to Long Beach Airport. The last time I took Super Shuttle, I was forced to take it from LAX to my apartment when my ride forgot to get me. It was not a pleasant experience, but with my last minute holiday making, there really were few alternatives. The Shuttle arrived about 20 minutes late, and I knew once I was out on the road I would remember if I forgot anything, and sure enough, I forgot my phone charger. I really should just keep a spare one in my backpack, but I am not sure if I should buy a new one. I will see if they have anything in PHX, but I might have to wait until tomorrow morning in Calgary. I also do not know if we will have cell signal out in the boonies, so it might be a moot point since I can just power down the cell phone and re-use it when we get to Edmonton.

I have never traveled out of Long Beach Airport. It reminds me of old school Burbank. It has just a few temp trailers and a tiny art deco design terminal. Yet, despite the quaintness, it has free WiFi access unlike the more posh Orange County Airport. Long Beach has a nice homey feel to it, but of course the airport screeners at smaller airports tend to be the most strict on what you can carry on the plane and such. It amazes me that the same items I traveled with from SNA to PHX last week are not allowed on this flight. I ended up having to check my bag, and since I am traveling with US Airways (first time in forever) I am worried it might end up in Philadelphia. Our schedule in Alberta is a bit tight, so I am not sure we will be able to wait for baggage to show up should it disappear. Our plane is tiny so I would have had to gate check it anyways. So I thought what the heck, its better than lugging the dumb thing all around.

US Airways Express runs puddle jumper flights to Phoenix from Long Beach. I did not think much about it until I saw the plane and the elevated ramp to get on it. It was a pretty small plane (the kind where you have to check most carry ons), but at least it had jet engines. My “window seat” was really a bulkhead seat since the windows did not match up with the seats, and it looks like no one has really cleaned the plane in a few weeks – maybe months. At least the flight to Phoenix was only a bit over an hour so it was tolerable. I was concerned with how I would be able to survive the 3-hour flight to Calgary.

I waited in Phoenix for two hours for the connecting flight and eventually Mom and Gary showed up with time to spare. I enjoyed some decent overpriced airport Burger King while I waited. Sadly, I was not in the gourmet section of the Phoenix airport near Southwest. The flight to Calgary was more of the same, but there was a few more smelly people on it. I suspect it had to do with the people who were living in 110-degree heat. There were some colorful characters including two cowboys in front of us, and a student from the University of Saskatchewan who was returning home from a year in Paris in the seat next to me who was enjoying Season 4 of 24 most of the trip.

Thank goodness for my iPod otherwise I would have gone insane from the heat (it got very warm on the plane – enough to melt Mom’s medicine together) and the stink and the uncomfy seats. I totally forgot my Nintendo DS!! That would have helped a lot as well. After getting stiffed by the Passport control officer in the Calgary airport – no stamp - we headed out to catch our shuttle van to our Hampton Inn and Suites for our first night. The hotel was clean and comfortable, a bit warm but perfect for our first night in Alberta.

This past weekend, I returned to Northern California to visit some friends. The primary reason for the trip was to go to Peggy's Christmas Party and see all of my UCD Co-workers. I was sort of a surprise guest and it was super-nice to catch up with everyone. I ended up staying until the bitter end with Brad and his wife, and the four of us learned a valuable way to get rid of the hiccups (stick a knife in a tall glass and let the handle of the knife hit your forehead as you drink - apparently it helps adjust your throat in a particular way that aids in the restoration of normal diaphragm function).

With my new digicam, I took just a few pictures of campus. The first one was of my namesake lake on the west side of campus and another was the former site of my work. They tore down the old HA2 building that I worked in back in the 90's. it was the old foreman's college and along with central receiving and a few other temp buildings, were tore down this year to make way for a new Physics-Geology expansion.

I also managed to visit Coder in his new home of Rohnert Park. It was great to see what he has been up to as well as enjoy the scenic drive between Santa Rosa and Davis via the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. It was so clear and crisp out when I was driving, it made me want to move back to Northern California ASAP.

Sunday on my way home, I enjoyed a nice breakfast at Cafe Bernardo in Sacramento with Matt and Steve. It was my first time being to this Bernardo, and despite being uber-popular (20-30 min wait for food - but at least they were up front with it) had a great time. Matt keeps trying to convince me that he is not racing to 100 countries, but I don't know he seems pretty keen on hitting some good ones soon. On the way back to their place, we stopped in an open house. It is so hard for me to believe that 3 bedroom 1 bath homes in Land Park are going for 600K. My goodness I remember them being so cheap! The house we walked through had a super neat guest cottage in the back with a pool, but I still like Matt and Steve's house better.

Another funny note: I did a lot of driving this weekend but enjoyed every moment of it. I just wish I received BBC Radio 1 and I would have felt like I was back in Scotland.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I need to upload the photos to Flickr so you can all see how great the new camera is.

For the last time, we awoke in Europe and got ready to head back to the United States. Our plan was to be at Paddington Station around 9am in order to get to Heathrow by 9:40 to check in two hours ahead of time. While we were getting ready, I checked American Airlines' web site to confirm that we still had an on-time departure as well as which terminal at Heathrow we needed to depart the train. According to their website, it was Terminal 4. So Daniel and I headed downstairs and checked out.

The Royal Court Apartments is still a great deal in London. You can get a twin room with a separate room with a TV, kitchenette, and a couch for a reasonable rate. They are in the process of refurbishing the entire complex, and if the reception area is any indication, the place will be stellar. I suspect they will be jacking the rates up, which is unfortunate. Personally, I like the area where we stayed in Phillipe's apartment, and Jonathan mentioned there is a good hotel called the Tavistock Hotel that is pretty reasonable in the same area. I will have to check it out.

Since we were just a few blocks from the station, we walked down to Paddington and arrived at the train station. We found the Heathrow Express ticket office where they informed us that there is about a 15 minute delay on all lines due to rail work. This didn't seem to be that bad, as it was still within my comfort zone at the airport. I went ahead and validated the last day on our Britrail passes and we headed for the platform. It was hard to miss the big sign titled "What Terminal" which helps you locate your airline's check-in counter. I skimmed it over and discovered that American was in fact at Terminal 3. I was sure that the site said Terminal 4, but not wanting to have to retrace our steps, Daniel and I decided to get off the train at Terminal 3.

The train was a few minutes late, but it was a nice smooth uneventful ride to the airport. We found the American check-in lane and was happy to discover that there were not that many people there. I think everyone had checked in already. I was a bit nervous putting my bag on the weigh scale due to the issues we had at LAX, but since I was wearing my jacket and my heavier dress shoes, I made it with no problem. Daniel and I were so happy to finally not have to lug our suitcases around. This whole trip, everyone has been shocked by the size and weight of our bags. I think it is a sign that next time, even if I go away for three weeks, I should invest in a smaller, sturdier bag.

We shopped around at some of the gift shops at the airport. Daniel picked up some things for his friends, and I picked up some food to tide us over. The Pain au chocolate left a lot to be desired. We already miss our Parisian pastries. I did think it was funny that at Heathrow they have one machine to x-ray your bags and then another to x-ray your shoes. A two-step process, which I am sure on busy holidays, makes the whole line crawl. I think I like it better here in the states where you put your shoes on the belt with everything else.

We arrived at the gate (after a 20 minute hike), and got on board the plane. We sat in the exact same seats as we had going over to London, but I felt that this plane was at least a bit cleaner and in better shape than our flight over. Since our plane arrives in LA around 3pm and we left around 6pm coming here, I bet they use the same plane so people traveling to the UK only get 2 hours of cleaning vs. what they can do in the UK.

The flight was pretty uneventful - no major turbulence. I managed to watch Transformers and bits of Hairspray. I enjoyed Transformers, but didn't really like Hairspray all that much. It was OK until I saw John Travolta in drag and it sort of ruined it for me. He does not make a convincing woman. I also watched a BBC show called Life on Mars about a detective who gets hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1972. I thought it was great and now I have to figure out what happens next. It also stars the guy who played the Master in Series 3 of Doctor Who.

After 11 and a half grueling hours, we arrived at LAX. I am always happy when I fly American into the US at LAX because we get the smaller and cleaner Terminal 4 customs station versus the overcrowded and smelly International Terminal customs. We had to wait in a queue for passport control, but it moved rather quickly compared to the queue for people who are not from the US. We grabbed our bags and after asking a quick question at the exit, we were free to go. Daniel's brother David was there to greet us and before we knew it, we were in the middle of rush hour traffic.

I finally made it home in the early evening and crashed. It felt so weird to be back at home again, like nothing had happened for the last three weeks. I got a jump start on laundry and then crashed.

This was a great vacation that really helped me recharge my batteries. Despite being gone for three weeks, I felt that with a little bit of laundry done, I could easily stay out for longer if I needed to. Daniel was ready to go home, he had his fill of foreign languages and the poor performance of the dollar. We really traveled well together which I think added to how much fun I had. I hope everyone has enjoyed my trip as much as I have.

Hopefully, I will be off on another adventure soon!

Today was our last day on the continent and Daniel and I decided to make it a relaxing day. We slept in until almost 9 - I slept in just a bit more as Daniel began to pack. We showered and packed our things and made our way downstairs one last time. Checking out of the hotel, there was some confusion with how much we actually owed, but I had all the paperwork so we were able to clear it up. We left our bags in the hotel and proceeded to head out one last time. We stopped by Pain de Eps one last time. We were trying to figure out our money so we Daniel made sure he got out some more money to make sure we had enough for the pastries, our round trip Metro tickets to Disneyland, and the Taxi ride to Gare Du Nord.

We headed out to Disneyland Paris to catch a few more rides on Space Mountain and do a bit of shopping. We only had about 3.5 hours there, but it was enough to get some last minute snaps of all the Christmas decorations they have put up in the days sine we have been there. We were a bit disappointed that Casey JR and Storybookland were still closed, I guess there is always next time! We managed to get a bit to eat as we were leaving, though it didn't agree with Daniel and he was left with an upset stomach for the rest of the day.

With fond adieus, we headed back to the hotel in Paris. When we arrived, I noticed an Airport shuttle sitting out front, and the lady behind the check in desk mentioned to me that it was mine. Now, I had originally ordered a taxi and I had shrugged it off thinking it could not be much more for the shuttle until they told me it was 15 Euros for them to book it and then another 20 Euros each to get to Gare Du Nord. I told them I did not have 55 Euros and I had originally asked for a taxi. After some negotiating in French, the shuttle driver left and the bewildered, but helpful staff at the hotel called me a cab (I am sure they were just disappointed then lost 15 Euros). After an awkward 20 minutes, the cabbie showed up.

Daniel and I had 28 Euros to our name at this time and we were keeping our fingers crossed that it wouldn't take all of that to get to Gare Du Nord. When we got in the cab we noticed that the meter already said 11.20 Euros. What followed was the most stressful cab ride I have ever taken. We hit a bunch of traffic near Place de Concorde and as we sat there, the meter kept going tick tick tick. In my mind I kept coming up with scenarios: Do we make him stop at 25 Euros and we walk the rest of the way? Do we tell him to wait as one of us runs to get money? Do we make a run for it? Do I try and get money from the ATM as we are sitting in traffic? After 25 minutes of sweating and a fake out as we neared Gare de L' Est, we made it to Gare Du Nord with the meter reading 26.20 Euros. I was so happy we made it, I gave him all the 28.

After finding the Eurostar check-in, we cleared customs. It was a bit unusual because we went from France to Great Britian in two feet. The French exit authority and the GB greeters were practically on top of each other. I guess since they are moving in two days to St. Pancras International Rail Station, they are winging it until then. Good thing Daniel was next to me to correct me. I was asked by the UK people how long I had been traveling and responded "three months" instead of three weeks. Daniel corrected me and I am sure saved us from a cavity search by the authorities. We got on the train fairly quickly and it was a much more enjoyable experience back to London. The couple across from us slept most of the way and after our brief stop in Ashford, they moved so we got to stretch out for the last 45 minutes.

For the fourth and final time we arrived at London. At Waterloo Station, we changed some of our US cash we had left and our jaws hit the floor. In the time we have been here, 100 US dollars is now worth just about 43 pounds, compared to when we arrived it was 48 pounds. The trip just keeps getting more expensive. I am glad a lot of the hotels were pre-paid.

As we were waiting for a taxi, a very nice Pakistani gentleman approached us and asked us where we were going. He had a car that was waiting for someone who no-showed, and offered to take us to our hotel for 20 pounds. I think we got taken for 5 pounds extra than most cabs, but avoiding the extensive queue was worth it. The cab driver was a bit strange. He spent the entire time talking to his girlfriend/wife on the phone. He sang to her, recited what sounded like poetry, and for the finale, he was making kissing noises as we drove around Hyde Park. Needless to say, he missed our turn to take the hotel and I had to jar him back to reality. He was still trying to have phone make out with his significant other as I was telling him how to get to the hotel. We were staying at the same place I first stayed at in London in 1996 so I had a vague idea of how to get here, and my Google research last night helped as well.

We finally arrived and before I could give the guy a tip, he took the 20 pounds and got back in the car, I guess he had some work to finish with his sig other. After 11 and one half years, I was back where it all started for me in London. The lobby has been redone and they now have a new Royal Bar. I talked to the bartender and she told me it just opened last week and they just finished most of the remodeling of the reception area. Upstairs, the rooms look like they have new floors, but for the most part they still have the same patterned wallpaper and worn hallway carpeting. Our bathroom even has some tiles missing. Daniel and I were so used to the cramped Paris hotel, we completely missed the living room with couch, taco bed, and kitchenette. I was surprised that we ended up with a 1-bedroom apartment, I was expecting the studio. Perhaps we got a good upgrade.

At any rate, it was a nice way to end our 3-week odyssey in Europe. Before heading to bed, we made a quick stroll towards Paddington Station to scope out where we needed to go with our luggage in the AM. I am glad the station is really close so we can roll out of bed and get on the express train to Heathrow. Wee grabbed a quick bite to eat and did some souvenir shopping before calling it a night.

It is Remembrance Day in France and we set out at 9:30 to meet Jonathan at the queue for the Tour Eiffel. At the time, we had no idea it was Remembrance Day until we had a look at the Arc de Triomphe from the top of the tower and noticed that the circle around it was blocked off and there were military people everywhere. It was the first time to the top for Daniel and Jonathan and they both enjoyed it. The wind was very strong on the top observation platform and you could feel the tower sway. We then headed for the second floor for some more snaps of key locations and then Jonathan suggested we take the stairs to the first floor.

I don't actually recall ever being to the first floor of the tower, only the second and third floors. Hoofing it down, we ascended to the first floor in no time. It was actually quite humorous to see people huffing and puffing as they climbed. Personally, I think it is a rip off to use the stairs because for 3.80 more Euros you can take the elevator to the first and second floors. The big difference is the queue. If you take the stairs, you can start climbing right away. If you take the elevator you have to wait up to an hour. We got their right as they were letting people buy tickets so we did not have to wait too long.

The first floor actually has some neat exhibits, souvenirs shops, and a cinema that shows a quick history in pictures and movies of the tower. Translation can be expensive and they let the pictures speak for themselves, except on the rare occasion like when they showed a clip from Superman 2. Daniel was disappointed there was no clip of A View to a Kill. The three of us then headed for the ground level. By then we had spent two and a half hours on the tower, which we all thought was getting our moneys worth.

Jonathan had suggested that we take a Seine River Cruise so we scampered down to the riverbank below the Tour Eiffel and hopped on a boat. The day started out nice, but the wind was still blowing and clouds were swirling so I had a hunch the weather would turn on us. The cruise lasted about an hour and we went past the Czar Nicolas III bridge, the Musee de Orsay, Palace Concorde, the Louvre, the Latin Quarter, and Notre Dame among other sights. The narration was a bit cheesy, but I did get to hear the can-can as well as the ever popular "I love Paris in the Springtime". At the end of the ride Jonathan bought the souvenir photo of the three of us which he promises to scan and give me a copy.

Famished, we headed back to the Latin Quarter to get something to eat. We decided on the White House, which was far below what we had the night before. We never got our water and they gave me a cheap dessert instead of the fancy one I got with my menu set. To make up for it, we headed towards where we ate the night before and I took a photo of the restaurant and then proceeded to get another Sugar and Butter Crepe that I had so enjoyed the night before. After a bit of more shopping and browsing and picking up a sandwich for Jonathan to eat on the train from uber-swanky bakery Paul, we got on the RER for a quick trip to the Arc de Triomphe to take some photos. As we were getting ready to leave the RER station, I had the great idea that we should go out to La Defense to take a photo there, since we had to come back to Arc de Triomphe to walk Jonathan back to his apartment. While we were on the train, we realized none of us had tickets that would allow us to get to Defense, so when we arrived, we jumped back on the train back to the Arc de Triomphe. It was like getting stuck in that traffic circle in the UK.

When we finally came up to the air, it was pouring rain. It only lasted for a bit and then trailed off into a light mist. We took some snaps in front of the monument and then crossed under into the center of it. We saw that their were grandstands and soldiers still around from the AM celebrations for Remembrance Day. I took some cool shots of the Champs del Elysais as well as the Avenue de La Grand Armee.

It was time to walk Jonathan back to get his stuff so he could head back to Geneva. We hiked up to his room on the top floor and immediately were jealous of his view of the Tour Eiffel out his window. He was able to lie in bed and just watch it all night. I do not think Daniel will ever let me live it down that we are staying so close to the Tour Eiffel, but cannot see it due to the buildings across the street. I think if we were on the top floor we would have seen it. Oh well, maybe next time.

After packing his stuff, we all walked into the Metro system, us heading for the hotel and Jonathan heading for Geneva. We met up with his intern friend from the WHO, and he went on to the Champs de Elysais. We hugged Jonathan goodbye and hopefully I will get to go on a trip with him. We talked about maybe Argentina or maybe even Spain and the south of France. I sure hope it is not three years before we see each other again.

Daniel and I stocked up on pastries and drinks at our favorite bakery, Pian d' Epis, just before they closed for the night and then headed back to the hotel for an early night. Tomorrow we are sleeping in, and then after checkout we have a few hours to kill in Paris before our train back to London. We plan on meeting Nathan one more time in London and then our three week odyssey comes to an end on Tuesday.

The alarm went off way too early after the night of song and dance. With the theme song from the Moulin Rouge still echoing in my head, We headed downstairs to meet Jonathan. He had trekked all the way from his apartment to our hotel to meet us.

We grabbed some Parisian Pastries and headed off to the catacombs of Paris. My first thought was that it was a rip off since it was just a underground maze of old limestone. Then I came across the actual crypt. It was a sight to behold. All those bones and skulls lying neatly stacked everywhere. It went on for blocks and blocks and was a bit creepy. One lady even gave up due to claustrophobia. Certain parts were no flash photo zones out of respect. Personally, I think they just wanted to sell more guidebooks. At any rate, I enjoyed this piece of history. Doing some checking, I discovered there are actually a lot more than this one catacomb, but sadly they are not open to the public. It is weird that there are people who will go into the unopened ones and just hang out and watch movies. When we reached the top of the spirals, I was out of breath, probably due to too many Pain au chocolats.

The three of us then set out for Monmartre and Sacre Coeur. It is one of the highest points in Paris, and worth the climb. Be careful, there are some people on the steps who will try and wrap these string things around your arm and get money from you. Jonathan pointed it out to us, and like a game of capture the flag, we looked for gaps and made a run for the top. After a few snaps, we wandered down some neat little side streets in the Abbesses neighborhood. It was just a short walk from Monmartre and before long we had seen it all. This was the Paris I have always wanted to visit. It just seemed more like a movie set than the Paris I am used to seeing.

We then hit the Marais for some shopping and walking and shopping and walking, stopping briefly at a cafe for some drinks and relaxation. We then headed to one of the big department stores to check out CDs and DVDs, but alas no Jarre concerts that I am missing. It was time to eat, so we headed to the Latin Quarter near Notre Dame and wandered the streets as Jonathan tried to find this area of restaurants that he had seen on one of his last trips. We ended up in this great place called Le Bistro Saint Andre which had Steak and Fries with dessert for only 14 euros. The food was good and the price was right. We topped it off with a crepe, and then headed back towards Tour Eiffel.

We toyed with the idea of going to the top at night, but there was still a 30 min queue for the elevator and no one wanted to pay 4 euros to hike the stairs. We made plans to meet in the queue at 9am tomorrow and then go to the very top. I think we will also try and do a Seine boat tour before Jonathan heads back to Geneva. It was great seeing Jonathan again!

One last note, at dinner I made Jonathan count his countries. Turns out he has been to 48 countries according to the Travel Century Club. That puts him double my count and more than a dozen more than Nathan. Looks like we have some work to catch up!

After being worn out for the past few days, Daniel and I tried to sleep in a bit again and got a late start. We headed out to Tour Eiffel and found the queue to get up into the tower was over an hour long. Not wanting to waste precious time with it, we were satisfied with some snaps of the overall tower and then decided to do some serious museum time. I wanted to see the Musee Orsay where the famous impressionist paintings can be found, but we decided to forgo it and head into the mother-ship of all museums - the Louvre.

One could spend years inside (and that is just trying to get in or out of the place or trying to get to the toilets), but I like to just take a few hours to get to the highlights. The only other time I was in the Louvre was in 1990 with my good friend Kris on our high school graduation trip. This trip really instilled the traveling bug in me (although at the time I was a bit overwhelmed by it all). One of my favorite memories with Kris was wandering around the museum with one of the chaperones of the trip. It was then we saw the Mona Lisa, the code of Hammurabi, and other famous works of art. In fact, in one of my old photo albums there is a photo of the Code of Hammurabi and not much else from the Louvre. So as Daniel and I made our highlights tour around the museum, I made sure to visit those select paintings that brought back memories of 1990.

One thing I noticed, was that in the 17 years since I visited, some places look completely different, reorganized, and modernized. On the other hand, there are some rooms where it looks like nothing has changed since my previous visit. Daniel enjoyed seeing some great works of art, as did I, and we spent some time taking photos of Venus de Milo as well as some other famous pieces, including the famous Napoleon crowning himself painting by Jaques-Louis David.

After the Louvre, we headed off to Notre Dame for a quick photo op and visit to the cathedral. Not too much excitement there so we then headed off to the catacombs. Now, the catacombs have always fascinated me and it has been on my list of things to do in Paris for a long time. If you are not familiar, the catacombs were old abandoned limestone quarries underneath Paris where after a pandemic of disease and a shortage of space, they moved thousands of dead bodies in the late 1700s and early 1800s. They are mentioned in a lot of literature and have always been something I wanted to see. Unfortunately, Daniel and I arrived right at 1605, 5 minutes too late to see them. We will have to try again later.

We then headed back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation. With Jonathan arriving this evening, we decided to go to the Moulin Rouge and the show doesn't start until after 11pm, so I know we will be out late. We relaxed for a bit and then headed out to do some shopping at Printemps. When we arrived, we discovered it was way overpriced and didn't spend much time there. On a suggestion by Daniel, we headed to C and A. I have never heard of them, but we discovered that they were pretty inexpensive (for Paris) and proceeded to do some good shopping. I picked up some socks, a sweater, and an extra set of underwear to get me through the last 5 days of the trip. Daniel also scored some stuff to get him to the end of the trip as well as a neat shoulder bag.

Armed with our purchases, we headed back again to the hotel to change. We then had to turn around and get to the Moulin Rouge. After some metro-ing and some walking we arrived at the world famous cabaret theater. There was a huge line out front so we jumped in it and waited for Jonathan. Happily, he arrived before the line began to move. I did notice a huge number of Asian tourists disembarking from a tour bus and making a dash inside. Before too long, we were in our seats and ready to go. We got a bottle and a half of champagne to split between us, and since Daniel does not drink it, Jonathan and I had a great time drinking it.

The show at the Moulin Rouge was very cabaret and Vegas. It reminded me of a Charo concert I saw at the Venetian. It consisted of 4 musical acts divided by acrobats, magicians, and a ventriloquist. Overall, there were elaborate sets and costumes and it was a spectacle to behold. Speaking of costumes, someone had warned me that the MR was full of topless women. Actually only about one-third were topless and the rest kept their shirts on. Just thought you wanted to know.

A bit tipsy from the champagne, we parted ways and Daniel and I hailed a cab back to the hotel. It was a great night, and tomorrow we are off to have a day with Jonathan on the town.

Today was kickback day. Daniel and I slept in until 10 am and then headed out to the parks for a leisurely day of riding attractions and shopping. Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without some sort of mysterious downtime of the Metro system. Today, it was the RER system which was shut down between Opera and Nation stations, which meant in order to get to Disneyland, we had to go via the regular Metro line after backtracking to Franklin Roosevelt Station. It meant instead of arriving at the parks at noon, we ended up there after 1pm. We met up with Tom who gave us a CD of photos from yesterday's fun and excitement. We again thanked Tom and then headed out to Walt Disney Studios.

I wanted to make sure I went on a few attractions that were there in 2002 that I missed: Armageddon and Anamagique. Armageddon started out great but just sort of ended after a bunch of explosions. I think if they had a bit where you saw your video mixed in with the special effects it would have made it a great attraction. Anamagique was a cool theater show with characters and black light puppeteers. It reminded me of Mickey's Philharmagic but with live characters vs. 3D animation.

After riding a few of our favorites again, namely Crush and Rock and Rollercoaster avec Aerosmith, we headed over to Disneyland Park. We again dashed around the park in the remaining hours we had. The parks close early this time of year and Disneyland Park closed at 7pm. Basically we would dart to a ride and then look in some shops and then repeat. As the park closed, we headed towards Main Street USA to do some last minute shopping and I picked up some magnets and pins. At park closing, they had an Illuminations event where there was a character song and dance in the hub and then they did some dazzling light effects on the castle.

As a nightcap, we headed to Disney Village to get some dinner. I couldn't believe how expensive some of the places were. For example a steak was over 40 Euros (approx 60 dollars) and a hamburger and fries at another place was 30 Euros. We settled on the New York Deli which while still pricier than the McDonald's (the largest in Europe) was a lot less crowded and had better food.

A quick check of the Disney Store in the village and then it was back to Paris to our hotel. Thankfully, there were no further problems with the trains. Tomorrow we are back in Tourist Mode.

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Originally uploaded by Club Josh.

Like two kids in the candy store, we are having the time of our lives on a tour of Disneyland Paris

Up before the sun, Daniel and I navigated the Paris Metro and RER systems and headed out to Parcs Disneyland. We were there to meet Tom, a member of the DLRP cast who I met two years ago as they were training on Buzz Lightyear. Tom had promised to show me around the parks when I made it to Paris, so after exchanging some emails, the date was set.

We arrived right at 8am despite a delay of 5 minutes at one RER station. The thing that frustrates me about Paris is that when something happens to the transit system and you are a tourist with little or no French knowledge, you are out of the loop and know nothing about what is happening. For being one of the premiere cities of the world, they could do a little to improve their services for tourists. Another big gripe is that every ticket agent knew enough English until I needed help at which they then decided that they didn't know it. I guess I am partially to blame since this is my sixth trip to France and I still know very little French.

Tom immediately whisked us into the park where we were able to see areas with no people and some with just a handful of people. He took us on a whirlwind tour through Star Tours (for Daniel), Space Mountain, Buzz, Peter Pan, Pirates, Indy, Phantom Manor, and Big Thunder. Those of you familiar with my site know that I have this deep found love for Disneyland Paris and it was great to see it from an insiders point of view. We were privileged to see some backstage areas as well, including some of the cast facilities.

We then moved over to Walt Disney Studios Paris where we were shown the newest land Toon Studios as well as some of the placemaking projects for the park. Along the way, we even spotted Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, taking a tour. Tom also showed us around the new Tower of Terror attraction which opens in January, and I think the public will be impressed with all that is going into and around the attraction. Sorry folks, no spoilers here, just a quick rundown of what we did. We wrapped up our day with a ride on the Rock and Rollercoaster, Lights, Moteurs, Action, and finally Cinemagique. That leaves Animagique and the new Cars ride as the only WDSP attraction I have not seen. By the way, the new Crush Coaster is awesome!

To end the night, Tom took us to the Fantasia Bar at the Disneyland Hotel for a drink. I cannot say enough about how amazing the day was and how great it was for Tom to take time out of his busy schedule to take us all around the resort and to share his insights on the Resort. For me, it was an amazing day that I will not soon forget.

Exhausted, Daniel and I looked around the Disney Village and took note of some cool things we might pick up before we go home. It was then time to take the RER back the 17 stops to Paris. We decided to stay on for an extra stop so we could walk the Champs de Elysais to get a quick bite to eat. What better place to get something quick than Quick? After downing our meal and leaving to avoid the scary beggar, we headed back to our hotel to crash.

We need to get some more Chocolate croissants since we enjoyed them at one of the backstage cafes. Before we head out tomorrow, we will need to find a bakery in the Rue Cler that sells them. If all goes according to plan, we are going to sleep in for a bit and then head back to the Resort to enjoy it at a leisurely pace and do some serious souvenir shopping. Friday is shaping up to be the Touristy day in Paris with museums and Eiffel Towers galore.

Today Daniel and I traveled from Edinburgh, Scotland to Paris, France aboard two trains. The first train left at 8am from Edinburgh Waverly station. It took us a little over four hours to get to London Kings Cross Station. The only thing notable was the fact there was this guy who looked a lot like Dick Cheney who kept walking up and down the aisle. I felt like he was glaring at me every time he did it too. I think that poor couple was from Kalamazoo, MI and was having way too much fun on the train.

Arriving at Kings Cross, we posed for a photo at the location of Platform 9 3/4 - where the Hogwarts Express leaves the beginning of each trip. There is even a partial trolly in the wall for effect. We managed to navigate the Tube with our huge bags and end up at Waterloo station with only slight bag trauma in the tube. Coming off of the tube, I noticed that the top handle of my bag is now missing one screw and another is on its way out. It seems this will be the last trip of the mondo bag. Time to get a new one.

Check in for the Eurostar was a bit chaotic with the tons of school kids from France running all over the place. We waited for about an hour in the lounge until it was time to depart. We enjoyed a Snickers for Daniel and a Dark Chocolate Kit Kat for me which seems to be our snack when we are pressed for time.

The train to Paris was uneventful save for a few crazy French passengers who spent the whole trip talking and talking and talking. We were in seats that faced another two gentlemen. One seemed to give me the booboojeebies. I think he was having a bad day. It also seems that Daniel and I are doomed to ride backwards on all of our trains.

Once in Paris, we waited in the Taxi queue and then landed a taxi to our hotel. I had to show him where on the map the hotel was, but we made it despite the crazy central Paris traffic. The hotel has been upgraded since I stayed here 8 years ago. It is very chic. One thing that was weird, when we checked in, we had to wait for the guy to show up (he ran out for some food). Then, when he took my reservation paper, he looked me up in the computer and then made me a key card. He then showed me the elevator. No paperwork to sign or anything.

Daniel and I had to go up one at a time in the elevator and made it to our room. Its a bit small but typical Paris. We went out and grabbed some dinner and scoped out the Metro tickets for tomorrow. Its up early for us tomorrow so I will upload the photos with the Day 16 photos tomorrow night. Tomorrow we are off to Disneyland Paris to meet up with some people I trained back in 2005 at Disneyland. It promises to be a fun filled exciting day.

Today I got up early to return our beloved Mercedes B150. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed driving this car with its comfortable seats. I think it could have used a turbo or a slightly larger engine to tackle all of the hills that we drove over, but overall it is a great car. Just the fact we were able to fit all of our bags in the boot was amazing. I found the Europcar with little difficulty and after it was all checked out, they gave me the OK. They called me a cab and I made it back to the hotel in about 20 minutes. The entire time this cab driver was listening to a CD of his friends and kept asking me if he thought his friend was a great singer or not. I just agreed and tried not to think about the fact it was 7am on a Monday.

Coming back to the hotel, we decided to get some more sleep since the next few days are going to be really hectic. By the time we set out, it was around noon. We walked down to the main train station to get our seat reservations for the train to London tomorrow. It was a bit of a queue in the travel office, but after some initial confusion we got our seats. Hopefully, this will turn out better than our train trip to Cardiff. The reservation agent suggested we take an earlier train to London at 8am to give us three hours between trains, just in case of any difficulty. I was concerned that this might eliminate our chance at our pre-paid breakfast at the hotel and I made a note to ask when we got back.

Before heading up to the castle, we went to the Mercat Tour company and purchased tickets for the Haunted Underground Experience as featured on Living TV's Most Haunted. Daniel and I are big fans and since we missed out on seeing the Most Haunted Live event we were glad we got to do something haunted. From there, we walked up the hill to the Edinburgh Castle. It is actually an amazing castle sitting on one of the volcanic crags. The highlight for me was seeing the Scottish Crown Jewels as well as an exhibit on the history of the Royal Scots. One disadvantage to being on the top of the hill is the chilly strong breezes one gets. At this point Daniel wanted to get his coat so we walked down the hill back to the hotel, browsing through some shops along the way.

We did not have much time back at the hotel before our tour started, but I was able to confirm we had time for breakfast in the morning (6:30!) and I made arrangements for a cab to meet us at 7:15. It was then time to walk back up the hill to the tour meeting place at the Mercat Cross.

Our tour guide was William and he had a great sense of humor and was a very engaging guide who, as we made our way to the Blair Street Vaults explained some of the history of Edinburgh and the vaults. It was then time to descend below grade. Once I got a whiff of the vaults, I knew there was an uneasy feeling in there. I think it probably is due to the staleness of the air, but you do get an eerie sense. We walked through several vaults and William told us some great stories of what has been seen and what has actually happened on previous tours. At one point in a hallway, I could have sworn I heard footsteps or clomping above me, but alas there was nothing above me to make that sound. I took some photos in the rooms and managed to capture some Orbs and light anomalies, but I did not see anything unusual. We did get to play with some EMF meters and mine did in fact go bonkers in a few spots where the spirits roam. I wish our group was smaller for I think the size (18) diminished our chances of seeing anything.

The weirdest thing to happen was that as we were leaving one of the rooms both Daniel and I heard voices as if someone started to say something but stopped. When we turned around there was nothing there. I also wish we could have explored on our own or at least kept it quiet for 10 minutes or so to see if we had heard anything. All in all, it was a cool tour and I recommend if anyone comes to Edinburgh to check out a tour.

After the tour, it was time to get back to the hotel to rest and get ready for bed. We stopped and had pizza for dinner, which seems to be developing into our last meal before we leave a city tradition.

Tomorrow is mainly a travel day - 4 hours on a train to London and then another 3 plus to Paris. I am also not sure of the Internet situation in Paris, so I might need to spread the updates out and send a couple at once. One week left which is funny because usually at this stage I am ready to come home, but we are having so much fun we don't want it to end.

Determined to get to the breakfast buffet, it was up again with the alarm and quick showers to get downstairs. Not too impressed with the buffet at the Palace Hotel, but it was neat that they made toast and delivered it to the table in this neat little holder. The rest of the buffet was the usual assortment of fried and scrambled eggs, back bacon, sausage, and of course haggis. There was also a nice assortment of breads, rolls, and cereal for the taking.

We were of course under the impression that our room came with breakfast, but upon checkout we discovered a nice charge on our bill for breakfast. It made me glad that I we missed it the first day. Not wanting to be lost without a clue, before we checked out we used the free Internet to get directions to Balmoral Castle and then directions from there to our hotel in Edinburgh. Our weakness while driving has been finding hotels in the cities once we arrive, so I was determined not to let it happened again.

It was a pleasant 90-mile drive to Balmoral Castle. We took a direct, but through the countryside, route that took us up by ski resorts, farms (complete with sheep snacking on the side of the road completely oblivious to cars passing by), and wonderful lush landscape. I even let Daniel try driving, but after 10 minutes he gave up because he was tired of me squirming in the passenger seat. We arrived at Balmoral, but were disappointed since they only give tours on Saturdays in the autumn and we missed it by a day. I did manage to take some photos of the gates of the estate and then we made our way back down the road.

Before we knew it we were approaching Edinburgh via the Forth Road Bridge, a nice suspension bridge across the bay. It runs parallel to the famous iron bridge used for the railroads and it was a spectacular site despite the drizzle. Heading into the city center confident with our directions, we again got turned around and hopelessly on the wrong side of the city. I decided to pull into the Holiday Inn Express and ask for directions. The nice lady showed me the fact that it really wasn't very far and as a matter of fact we had passed it on the way to Holiday Inn.

Our hotel didn't have a spot for our beloved B150, but we found a spot on the street right across from the hotel. We have to move it before 8am tomorrow which works out because that is when the Europcar agency opens. This Hilton is way above the one in Blackpool and is very nice. They recently renovated the first floor and fortunately our room is on the first floor. Just like the other hotel, the internet is for pay only so access will be limited until we get to Paris.

We set off to walk around Edinburgh to find a place to eat and ended up settling on TGI Fridays since most other places were closed. The service was OK, but our food took forever to get to our table. After almost 90 minutes in the restaurant, we finally got to leave and head back to the hotel. Since I have to get up early in the am to return the car it was a quick night for me. Of course, I have planned to do that for the last couple of night, but have ended up watching TV until late. But tonight, I will make sure I am off early.

Tomorrow, we are going up to Edinburgh Castle and some of the other sights. We would like to do one of the hunted tours. There is even a group that features a "as seen on Most Haunted" picture in their ad, so I think that is the one we will do. Tomorrow is also Guy Fawkes Night so we need to see where the big pyro exhibit will be at tomorrow night. One last thing, we need to make train reservations for our trip to London to meet the Eurostar.

It was a cold night in the hotel room and we woke up with the alarm ready to have breakfast. Last night, the receptionist told us breakfast would end at 10:30am so we decided to take the opportunity to sleep in just a bit and head down around 10 am. When we showed up, breakfast was already over. The greeter at the hotel restaurant told us, "well she lied to you then". Nothing like top quality customer service in the morning. We decided to walk through the city center of Inverness to see if we could get some bakery items and such, but the best we could come up with was Subway. So I grabbed a sandwich and Daniel took out some money, then we headed back to get our car to hit the road.

It did not take long to get to one of the places I have always wanted to visit - Loch Ness. It really is a beautiful place and you can see why it draws people year after year. We first pulled off the side of the road at a vista point where we could walk down to the shores of the Loch. I took some good photos, but it was really cold so we headed back to the car and went further down the road. Next we came to the Loch Ness Exposition Center, complete with a six-room experience on the myth of the Loch Ness Monster. It was only about 6 pounds to go in, so I decided that since we only live once we should go for it. The exposition opened in 1999, but already looked shaky with some bad video image problems, but overall it was full of cheesy goodness. They basically disprove all of the theories of what the monster could be, but they leave it to us to decide whether or not to believe in the stories. A series of shops complete the experience, a Nessie shop, and trinkets shop, and the ever popular Scottish kilt and tartan shop.

It was then time to head to Urquhart Castle, the icon of Loch Ness. It was just a short drive down the A82 and before we knew it we had arrived. Urquhart Castle actually has a very nice visitor's center complete with a brief movie on the history of the castle that ends with the opening of the curtains to reveal the ruins. For those of you up on your Nessie, this section of Loch Ness is the deepest and home to a bunch of sightings of Nessie. The castle is in ruins because the family who occupied it when the Jacobites attacked it in the 1600s decided to blow it up rather than have it fall into enemy hands. It still is a spectacular ruin. One thing that I thought was unusual is that Scottish Heritage omits any mention of Nessie from all of the displays in the visitor center. Talk about not acknowledging the white elephant in the room!

We then decided to stop off at another of the Loch Ness Visitor Centers, but it was a bit sub par. In the end we did not purchase anything at any center. With some time left to kill, I decided we should drive all the way across Scotland to see Castle Stalker. Castle Stalker you say? Why should anyone drive across an island country just to see a castle that you cannot go inside? Quite simply it is also known as Castle Aaaaagh, the resting place of the Holy Grail in the classic Film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. While driving the 90 miles there on a two- lane road I was tempted many times to just stop and go back to the hotel. We have been running ragged over the last few days and it would be nice to just sit back and relax. But, I figured if I went all the way to Cardiff to see where they filmed Doctor Who, I could make it all the way to Castle Stalker. After two hours we were there. The shop was closed, but the overlook was still accessible and there was a group of photographers with expensive cameras poised for that perfect picture. Daniel and I braved the drizzle and posed for a few photographs and then we headed back to Inverness.

I marveled at the high beams on the B150, it was like using one of those CalTrans construction lights while I was driving, and it helped us make good time back. Arriving back at the hotel, we actually scored a parking spot in the car park of the hotel. We hoofed it around the city center trying to find something to eat and settled on Bella Italia, a chain Italian restaurant. We both enjoyed our dinners and some garlic bread and then headed back to the hotel for an early night. We sat around and watched the telly, including the British Family Feud and a show called Shooting the Past.

Tomorrow we will make sure we get to brekkie on time and then hit a few of the shops in town before we set off to Edinburgh on our last big road trip.

Time to hit the road again. After another interesting English Breakfast (this time with haggis!), we headed out of town towards Inverness. It is a 350 plus mile road trip, but thanks to the plush interior of our Mercedes B150, we were ready for the challenge. Of course it wouldn't be a day on the road without taking the wrong exit on a roundabout and ending up in the middle of nowhere. We did manage to find a gas station where we filled up for only 44 pounds. For those of you keeping score that is 90 dollars per tank of gas! The good news is that our B150 gets 35 miles to the gallon so we can go almost 400 miles on a tank of gas. Since I prepaid for a cheap tank of gas, I figure I probably have to fill it up two more times.

After driving through the rural countryside for about 25 miles, we came upon the M6 expressway and proceeded to head north for Scotland. I challenged Daniel to find us something interesting to stop at along the way. I had suggested a castle I had seen in one of our guides, but Daniel discovered that the actual castle was closed in November so he continued searching. Travel today on the expressway was pretty good no major queues (as they call traffic). We stopped at a few service stops again and then Daniel came up with a good diversion to break up the trip. He came up with Stirling Castle. I did not know what it was, but the picture of the castle on the cliff was enough for me to want to go. As an added bonus, it was right off of the motorway.

Turns out Stirling Castle was home to the Scottish monarch James V as well as Mary Queen of Scots. When James VI became king, they moved the seat of power to London and Stirling declined in importance. It is a fantastic castle with some great views of the surrounding land as well as the Wallace Monument perched on a nearby mountain. We spent about an hour wandering around the castle before getting back on the road. With only one mistake getting to the motorway we were well on our way.

The surrounding countryside is very beautiful, and I think I could take a whole week just wandering around. Before long it got dark, very dark. Up in the Scottish Highlands there are not very many cities and the A9 turns into a two land highway. Just like highways at home, we got stuck behind lorries and at times it seemed like we were going to be on the road forever. After 7 hours we finally crested over the hills and swooped down into Inverness. We managed to find a gas station to fill up (another 90 bucks please) and get some directions to our hotel. Turns out it is a historic hotel on the waterfront of the River Ness, just opposite Inverness Castle.

Exhausted from our trip, valet parked the car and then we checked in to our room. We walked into the town center for a quick bite to eat and then came back to rest up. Tomorrow it is the Gorn meets Nessie. I looked up on the net where they filed Monty Python and the Holy Grail (the castle in the lake) and perhaps if we feel frisky, we will drive the 90 miles to the other side of Scotland to see it. Otherwise it is off to Loch Ness and whatever else we can find.

Today it was drive time. Up with the alarm, we got dressed and headed down to the buffet breakfast that the check in team at the Future Inn pimped on us. It was OK - more of a British breakfast and not as good as the one in Norway. Our cab showed up and with some nervousness I stepped in. Thankfully, this cabbie was not very interested in talking so it was a quick ride over to the Europcar rental facility. I walked up to the counter and started doing the paperwork when the agent asked me for my passport. D'oh! I had left it in my bag back at the hotel. He could not rent the car to us, so we had to get another cab back to the hotel and then come back to the rental car place. I had to ask the new cab driver to take us to a cash machine so that we could afford the cab fares. This cabbie was actually friendly and gave us some pointers for our drive.

We made it back to the Europcar with my passport in hand and proceeded to get the car. First up, the guy was startled I did not purchase any additional coverage for the car. I decided to pony up the cash for the complete peace of mind coverage which gives me 0 liability in case of disaster with the car. I figure considering I was driving on the opposite side of the road it was a good deal. We also got upgraded for free from a Mercedes A150 to a B150. The A150 was a real small car so I was glad for the upgrade. The B150 is actually a very nice plush car with all the modern conveniences like cruise control, CD player, and Digital Radio. Sadly, I was hoping for a cassette player since that is what my iPod uses, so we have to listen to the radio for entertainment.

I made it back to the hotel and we packed and loaded up the car. I was amazed that the boot (trunk for Americans) held both of our big suitcases. Without much fanfare, we headed off on the road to Nottinghamshire and the Sherwood Forest. Originally, we were just going to go straight up to Blackpool, but Daniel wanted to see where the Merry Men used to roam so off we went. After feeling like we got lost in Cardiff, we made it on the expressway and only had to go once completely around a roundabout to get onto the right direction of the expressway. Once on the expressway it was a pretty smooth trip with no major glitches. The fun started when we exited the expressway and started to wind through the countryside.

In the British Countryside you only have once chance to see a road sign. Miss it and you are completely hosed. We followed the signs to Sherwood Forest (complete with Robin Hood's head) and wandered through some quaint villages complete with the Friar Tuck pub and a few other restaurants named after characters. At last we made it after three and a half hours. We got out, stretched our legs, and wandered down to the famous Major Oak which is supposedly a tree that Robin Hood and the Merry Men met at before they would rob the rich to pay the poor. If you read the sign at the tree, it tells you that even though the tree is over 800 years old, it would not have been as big as it is today back then and therefore the real oak they met under was probably somewhere else. This oak however, is a rare type of oak that there are not very many of in the forest. That is why they chose this place to have the museum and gift shop and assorted nature trails and restaurant. I picked up a wood chip magnet and some post cards and before long it was back in the car to head towards Blackpool.

Even though Blackpool is closer to Sherwood Forest than Cardiff is to Sherwood, it took us longer to get to Blackpool. Since we left Sherwood at around 3pm, we encountered some construction delays and worst of all, evening rush hour around Manchester. One stretch took us over an hour and a half to go 20 miles, but it was nice of Manchester to make me feel at home. We stopped at a service stop to stretch and pee. The service stops along the A series of expressways is neat. They have a fast food joint, a shop, bathrooms, and a gas station. They very is service and cleanliness, but so far so good. We finally rolled into Blackpool just after 7 at night, but since we didn't have good directions to the Hilton, we ended up doing some circles around town before ending up on the Promenande stuck in bumper-to-bumper cruising traffic. We managed to call the hotel and get directions and ended up just fine. I had to squeeze into a parking stall which was very nerve wracking, but in the end we were OK.

The Hilton was a bit of a letdown from the Future Inn. It is smaller and more worn. Our room and the rest of the hotel has a mild odor to it and is in desperate need for plussing up. In the end I am glad we are here for just one night. The elevators sound like they are haunted since you hear the sound of voices before the doors open (due to the voice calling out the floors). After getting settled, we headed down the promenade to take in the Illuminations. Here in Blackpool they extend the summer season by stringing up lights all over the streets in various different themes from Showgirls to Doctor Who. It has that home-town feel about it. There certainly was a cacophony of smells on the street from horse manure to urine to fish and chips to BO. Daniel and I managed to walk all the way down to the end of the Southern Promenade enjoying a hamburger and fries along the way. We neglected to get drinks and were suffering the whole way without them. The burgers were picked up at one of the numerous hole-in-the-wall food joints. The lady running the shop was surprised we came to Blackpool of all places. I told her I like to see different things and she kind of rolled her eyes and the lady next to us exclaimed that the kids like it.

Blackpool is nothing to write home about. It has a cheesy charm about it, and I am sure on a busy summer night it is a fun place to go out and have fun. There are lots of discos, bars, casinos, and game areas for all ages. At the end of the season on a Thursday, most everything was closing or closed with the exception of a few bars that had some stragglers hanging about them. Still, I am glad we swung through here. We rode back to the hotel fittingly on a tram shaped like a boat all lit up with tacky lights.

Tomorrow it is back in the car for a loooong drive up to Inverness. Hopefully, our luck with the weather holds out and we get to make a few more discoveries along the way.

Today we were back up with the alarm clock with a lot to squeeze in before heading to Cardiff. First thing was to clean up Phillipe's apartment and then we needed to head out to the British Museum. Before leaving we decided to fire up the toaster in the kitchen and toast some crumpets we had bought the other night. Halfway through, the fire alarm went off in the main room so we had to scramble to get the battery out and open the windows before the fire brigade showed up.

Everything was packed and ready to go just after 10, so we hoofed it over to the British Museum. I wanted to show Daniel the highlights so headed over to the Rosetta Stone, translator of hieroglyphics, as well as the famed Parthenon room with the Elgin Marbles. I am always impressed when you can be in the same room as a valuable historical object. The other stop we wanted to make was in the Egyptian room where they kept actually bodies and mummies all on display for the world to see. I just hope in 5000 years, my shriveled up bones and skin are not on display in some museum. Taking in enough history, we decided to quickly walk over to Carnaby Street and Regent Street to check out some of the stores we took note of last night.

Sadly, most of the stores and their interesting merchandise left something to be desired. Either it was way too expensive, or upon closer examination did not look as cool as it did through a window in the night air. We made quick time of the area and looking at my watch, realized that we were 15 minutes behind schedule. We took the tube from Piccadilly Circus to Russell Square to get back to the apartment to grab our things. We then had to re-trace our steps back to Paddington Station where we arrived just a few days earlier. I literally mean we re-traced our steps since we had to cart our huge suitcases up and down flights of stairs to reach the train. By the time we reached the platform, Daniel was ready to throw out one of the bottle waters he was carrying and the travel books and magazines.

We then had about 20 minutes to get to Paddington and get to our train. Arriving at Paddington, we rushed down the platform and up and over the stairs until we saw the overhead sign indicating that our train to Cardiff was canceled! All that rushing just went down the drain. It appears there was some engineering work on the tracks past Reading and all the quarter past trains to Cardiff had been canceled. We had a seat reservation that was now no good, and worse yet, could not make a new one because you have to do that three hours in advance. It was time to have it my way so we dined on some Burger King in the station. Interesting with all the food places there was not a single rubbish bin in the entire station. I had to ask a security guard what to do with my trash and he directed me to a gentleman pushing a cart around the station. Having deposited the trash the only thing left was to wait for our track assignment. I had noticed a large gathering of people near the monitors and my fears came true when with 6 minutes left before departure, they finally announced the platform and what seemed like the entire population of Paddington Station headed for our train. It was like the running of the bulls in Spain. Needless to say, Daniel and I were at a disadvantage with our huge suitcases.

We tried to make it to Car D for unreserved guests, but due to the high volume of travelers, there were no seats and barely any room for our bags. Daniel managed to score a spot for his and then in the first class car, I found a spot for mine. For the first 25 minutes of the trip, we stood in the doorway between cars. It actually was good because we could lower the windows and try and vent out some of the BO. Once the train stopped at Reading, we were able to get some seats halfway down the coach and by then I was immune to the BO smell. About 45 minutes later as I was listening to my iPod, a huge chunk of something hit the side of the train with a loud thud. I didn’t think much of it until we came out of the tunnel and I noticed the huge window next to me was completely shattered. It looks like a rock hit the window next to the seat behind me and shattered the safety glass. A conductor was called and he had us move out of our seats. When we reached the next station, the railway staff chipped away the remainders of the window and yellow taped off the seats that we were in and the window itself. The driver of the train even asked what happened and I described it to him.

Thankfully, more people got off of the train, but we were now delayed by an extra 15 minutes - so now we ended up in Cardiff a good hour behind where we originally wanted to be. At Cardiff Central station, we took the lift to the ground floor to get out to the tourist information booth. Since we were traveling on Rail passes, we had no way of getting out of the station. An attendant came to our rescue and eventually we were freed. I headed over to the info booth to get directions to our hotel, but she gave us some not-very-helpful directions. I then decided to get a cab to our hotel. I flagged one down fairly quickly and off we went whizzing through Cardiff. Our cabbie asked us where we were from and once we identified that we were Americans, he proceeded to tell us what a mess we have created in Iraq and how we should just leave so things can fix themselves. Not wanting to be driven out of town and shot, we just played along and talked about what people could do, problems facing us, and the like. I just wanted out of the cab so I didn't have to answer any more questions. Next time I get a cab, I will follow Jonathan's advice and tell them I am Canadian. Not that I am ashamed of being an American, it just I’d rather have quiet cab rides.

We arrived at the fantastic Futures Inn Cardiff Bay in one piece. I made sure I tipped the cabbie so he would not return and kill us in our sleep. The hotel has a very Holiday Inn Express feel to it, but our room was massive and the reception crew were nice. I decided to prepay for breakfast. It was a bit steep, but at least we will be able to set off on our driving adventure on a full stomach. After getting settled a bit, we headed towards the Cardiff Millennium Center - one of the big landmarks seen in the newest Doctor Who and Torchwood series on BBC TV and also showing in America. I have been a fan of Doctor Who since college, and I really enjoy the new show. Heading through the neighboring shopping mall, I was startled to discover a huge Doctor Who exhibit and gift shop. We ran in to take a first look at all the neat stuff they had on sale. Since we were going to the Millennium Center, we decided to purchase on the way back.

It was neat to stand on places where they filmed the show. It is very funny because it is much smaller in person than on TV, and you would never guess there was a big road behind the center. After some geek photos, we walked back to the Doctor Who store where I bought my very own die-cast TARDIS, an autographed photo of Tom Baker, and a little something for Atsushi at work. The people operating the shop were a lovely set of grandparents and I think I made there day being so giddy. On the way out I got a penny pressed with the TARDIS on it, and the representative who services the machines gave me a shiny new penny so it would come out better. The serviceman asked where we were from and I mentioned Southern California (I forgot I was now supposed to be from Canada - oh well), and he mentioned that he serviced penny presses at Knott's Berry Farm as well as Disneyland. He ever told us of one up in Loch Ness at the official Loch Ness Museum. We promised to check it out when we got there.

We headed back to the hotel and had some quick dinner before starting our laundry. We are almost to the halfway point of our journey and the hotel had some nice machines so we figured it was a great time to do it. In the room at the hotel we have free Internet on the TV, and free wi-fi in the hotel lobby. I will have to go down there to upload this entry and the photos for the day, but all in all I am very pleased with the room.

Tomorrow we dare to get a rental car and take to the roads of the UK. We start out in Cardiff and head off to Blackpool on the western shores of Britain. I am a bit nervous, as I had thought this was going to be a more rural place to start, but I am eagerly awaiting the challenge.

Today was a good sleep in day. Daniel and I enjoyed a nice leisurely morning with breakfast before we headed out on the town. First up, we headed to London Euston station to get rail reservations for tomorrow's trip to Cardiff. The guy behind the counter stated that we needed our Rail Passes to make the reservation so we decided to go out on the town before it got too late (it was already noon). There was not really anything pressing that we wanted to see, so we headed out over to the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian. I visited this site back in 1996 with Mom and Gary and remember it being fun. I do remember we had to pay to get to the part with the line, but that the rest was free to see. Also in 1996, the Docklands Light Rail only went to the north bank of the river and we had to walk underneath the Thames and then hike to the observatory. I also remember part of the route being closed due to a recent bombing in London. Looking back at the 1996 Trip Diary, I noticed Mom didn't hike up to the Observatory it was just Gary, Wesley, and I.

Well things certainly have changed in 11 years! First, the Canary Wharf development has blossomed and the entire area is full of condos and nice suburbs - offices, shops, restaurants, you name it. Daniel wasn't a fan of how things looked, but I thought I could make quite a nice home here. The second big change is that in 1999 they poked the rail line under the Thames and extended it quite a bit. When we exited the train, there was a whole new development of shops and such above the underground station. That made the hike up the hill to the observatory even better. Finally, the big change was the Observatory itself. It is now free of charge and has more enhanced exhibits. There are several rooms and houses to walk through as well as a new plussed up Prime Meridian complete with a vending machine that dispenses certificates and a laser light that shines on the ground and through the air denoting the official line. In my opinion, they have really made this a destination worth visiting if you are in London, and I am glad that I came back. This is in contrast to the Tower of London which to me just seemed expensive and aged.

Leaving Greenwich, we headed towards St. Paul's Cathedral. Much to my surprise, there was a fee to get in to the cathedral. I think the previous visits have been on tour busses with pre-paid entry, but there was no way I was going to fork over the equivalent of $20 to go inside. We were there around 3:30pm right before they were going to close so they had discounted the tickets to 5 pounds, but it was still a rip off. One good thing is that since we balked at going to see Mary Poppins in the West End, we at least got to pretend that we were feeding the birds, tuppance a bag - just for you Walt!

We then headed back towards SoHo and our flat and stopped by this Pizza Hut on Oxford Street. Now, I have had many numerous bad encounters with Pizza Hut overseas, but this one had a great lunchtime buffet (all you can eat!), and even though it was over, we wanted to give it a try. Turns out they had a special value meal for two people: 1 Medium Pizza, Order of garlic bread, potato wedges, and two desserts all for about 26 dollars. It seemed like a bargain for us, and it turned out it was. The meal had a lot of food and free refills on the drinks to boot. This came in handy when in my usual flair, I knocked my glass over and proceeded to dump a Pepsi all over my white shirt and jeans. By the end of dinner it looked like I had serious bladder issues and I knew I was going to get to test Phillipe's washing machine.

After dinner and apologizing profusely for the mess (oh for dessert we both got a piece of Chocolate cake with cream - Daniel got whipped and I chose the Vanilla Ice variety), we headed out to do some shopping. We made it through a few electronics shops - I am raring to get a new digital camera after all the issues I have been having - and Daniel is chomping at the bit to get some Euro fashion. So far my favorite store is Uni Qlo which is actually a store just opening in London from Japan. It was one of my favorites there as well and I am glad to see it still is very stylish. I wanted to buy a jacket and some new cords and jeans, but alas that is not in the budget for this trip. Not seeing anything, we headed back to the apartment to get our Rail Passes to get reservations for tomorrow's trip to Cardiff and Wales. After taking a breather for a bit as well as a change of clothes for me, we headed back to London Euston. This time the guy behind the counter just made a reservation without even looking at our passes. Where was he hours ago?

We decided to do some shopping on Regent Street and Carnaby Street but alas all was closed for the night. There actually looked like a few cool places to go into, and we are deciding to whether or not to go back at 10 am tomorrow when they open. Daniel also wants to see a few highlights of the British Museum, so I think tomorrow will be crazy busy in the AM. Seems like this trip we have planned it well with a relax day following a crazy day and so on. Funny thing about Carnaby Street is that I had no idea it was off of Regent Street on the SoHo side. From what I remember of 11 years ago it was over on the other side of London. Hmm, maybe that was Portobello Road. At any rate it is time to say bye for the second time this trip to London. We will be back in a week to take the train to Paris and then back again in two weeks to take the flight home.

I was looking at my journals from 1996 and noticed that I am way more verbose than before. I think it is due to the change in technology. Back then, I would write in a notebook and then transcribe to the laptop. Since Hong Kong, I have had my laptop with me and have been able to write directly here allowing me to post with ease. My only regret is that I was lazy in Japan. I really wish I had a good journal of that trip because it was so much fun. The four trips I am missing are Europe 2002, Walt Disney World 2003, and the two Japans in 2004. Europe 2002 went missing when I moved in 2003 and I suspect one day I just might find it somewhere. When I do I will transcribe it.

Enough asides, back to the present day. I am glad I spent time in London on this trip. I feel like I visited some good friends - people and places - and got to know them again. But the vacation begins in earnest tomorrow and I hope everyone reading this is just as excited as I am!

Today Daniel and I set off early to take in some of the free things London has to offer. Our first stop was Parliament and Big Ben. After taking some free photos, we headed over to Westminster Abbey and noticed the large queue to get in the place. I guess I am used to seeing the place as part of the tour because I never remember having to wait in the line to get in. Also, it violated our free policy to go into the chapel and we didn't want to sit through the religious services to get in for free. I took Daniel into the gift shop and had him thumb through the guide book to see if there was anything he wanted to see in person and he declined. I have already been inside twice so it was no great loss for me.

We then headed over to the London Eye. I had always wanted to go up in it, but had ever gotten close enough to see how much it would cost and how long the queue would take. Today the weather was very nice with just some light clouds, so the crowds were out in force. It was expensive to up in the London eye (15 pounds) and then you only got a time to begin queuing up. We will try again before we leave to see if the crowds die down, but neither of us wanted to fork over that kind of dough.

Continuing our free tour, we then hoofed it to Buckingham Palace. It was actually a pleasant walk next to St. James Park. I don't think I went this way either time I went to the palace. After resting a bit and taking some goofy photos, we set off for Hyde Park. Daniel wanted to see the Peter Pan statue to remind him of his Storybookland days. Let me tell you, this was one long walk. We walked along Green Park until we got to the Wellington Arch and then proceeded through Hyde Park along the Serpentine. I had to pull up at one of the waterside cafes to get a snack and some water just to keep going. I was huffing and puffing while Daniel just kept going and going.

We finally arrived at the statue only to discover it was a very popular statue for Americans to come and take photos. There are an exceptionally large number of Americans in London this week due to the NFL game that was on Sunday. Most of them all have their Giants or Dolphins gear on and just wander around making noise and generally being obnoxious. This one guy at the statue took almost 20 photos of the statue from different angles. Some zoomed in, some zoomed out, some with him posing on one side, and then again posing on the other side. I thought Daniel was going to freak out. It reminded me of some of the super annual passholders who take thousands of photos at Disneyland to document every last detail. Finally, I was able to jump in with the Gorn and take a few snaps.

Next stop was the Albert Memorial. We passed a point where we could see Kensington Palace, but we decided it was just too far to go. We then stopped off at the Royal Geographic Society. There was a cone that was marking Kofi Anan’s parking space and we saw an exhibit on the Bombay Africans (free slaves that were taken to India and the middle east for safety). I resisted the temptation to ask where the spot where Phineas Fogg took off around the world in 80 Days. It was still all free!

The Science Museum and the Natural History Museums were all very cool inside. I loved the Science Museum with its Space Exploration, Surveying, Modern Machinery, and Computing displays. There was even an original Apple Computer. The Natural History museum had cool stuff on Volcanoes and Earthquakes and even had a room where you could experience the Kobe 1995 quake. I was a bit disappointed since the guy in the video at the Japanese convenience store seemed to be moving around more than I was, but I guess it will do. It was quickly approaching 4pm so we hightailed it to the Victoria and Albert museum to see some historical musical instruments and some modern art. Having been to the V&A the last time I was in London, I didn't enjoy it as much as the other two. But all three are definitely worth a trip if you are looking for some free things to do in London.

It was time to head back to SoHo to meet up with Nathan for dinner. He is going to be busy tomorrow night, so this was our last chance to see him before we left London and headed out to the rest of the UK. On the way, we stopped in at Harrods and I had a Krispy Kreme at the Harrod’s food halls, mainly just to say that I did. Daniel found some awesome luggage, b