It was all smiles for Marsha and Johnna as they posed with the stoic sentries outside St. James Palace near the Mall.


1.13.04: London, England 
1.03.04: Switzerland  
12.21.03: Holidays in Barcelona
12.19.03: Seville, Spain    
12.01.03: Granada, Spain  
11.11.03: Destination Spain
11.02.03: Luxor, Egypt
10.27.03: Mt. Sinai/Dahab, Egypt
10.24.03: Jordan
10.21.03: Israel  
10.14.03: Dahab, Egypt
10.09.03: Cairo, Egypt     
10.01.03: Gorilla Trekking, Uganda
9.24.03: Masai Mara, Kenya
9.22.03: Lake Nakuru, Kenya
9.17.03: Chobe National Park, Botswana
9.14.03: Okavango Delta, Botswana    
9.10.03: Etosha Game Park, Namibia  
9.03.03: Swakopmund, Namibia          
9.01.03: Hermanus, South Africa 
8.30.03: South African Wine Country  
8.27.03: Cape Town, South Africa       
8.21.03: Siem Reap, Cambodia
8.18.03: Phnom Penh, Cambodia  
8.16.03: Mekong River Tour             
8.13.03: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam  
8.09.03: Hoi An, Vietnam  
8.07.03: Hue, Vietnam        
8.04.03: Halong Bay Boat Trip
8.02.03: Hanoi, Vietnam
7.25.03: Chaing Mai, Thailand
7.23.03: Kanchanaburi, Thailand
7.20.03: Bangkok, Thailand  
7.16.03: Ko Samui/Ko Tao, Thailand
7.09.03: Krabi/Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand 
7.07.03: Penang, Malaysia
7.04.03: Cameron Highlands, Malaysia  
7.01.03: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  
6.27.03: Melbourne, Australia  
6.24.03: Great Ocean Road, Australia   
6.21.03: Sydney, Australia II            
6.19.03: Byron Bay, Australia          
6.16.03: Brisbane/Moreton Island  
5.23.03: Noosa/Sunshine Beach, Australia
5.22.03: Airlie Beach/Great Barrier Reef 
5.19.03: Cairns, Australia
5.13.03: Darwin/Kakadu Wildlife Tour
5.03.03: Sydney, Australia
4.26.03: Christchurch, New Zealand    
4.21.03: Dunedin, New Zealand
4.19.03: Milford Sound Tour
4.14.03: Kepler Tramp                  
4.05.03: Wanaka, New Zealand
3.29.03: Franz Josef Glacier Walk          
3.24.03: Abel Tasman Tramp
3.16.03: Queen Charlotte Tramp
3.13.03: Wellington, New Zealand
3.10.03: Taupo, New Zealand                 
3.06.03: Rotorua, New Zealand              
2.28.03: Auckland, New Zealand              
2.18.03:  Fiji
2.07.03: St. Louis and Memphis
1.27.03: Snowboarding in Frisco, Colorado    
1.24.03: Denver, Colorado                             
1.21.03: Sundance Film Festival
1.19.03: Moab, Utah 
1.11.03: Santa Fe, New Mexico
1.09.03: Southern Utah -- The Canyons
1.06.03: Las Vegas, Nevada               
1.02.03: Pacific Coast Highway, Hwy 1
12.29.02: San Francisco, California   
12.23.02: Big Sky, Montana                  
12.21.02: Yellowstone Nat'l Park         
12.15.02: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
12.12.02: Rapid City, South Dakota
12.07.02: Chicago, IL
12.04.02: Cleveland, OH    
11.24.02: East Coast, USA        
11.22.02: Quito, Ecuador 
11.19.02: Banos, Ecuador                    
11.16.02: Cusco, Peru                          
11.11.02: Machu Picchu, Peru
11.06.02: Copacabana, Bolivia
11.03.02: Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia
10.31.02: San Pedro Atacama, Chile   
10.27.02: La Serena, Chile                  
10.23.02: Mendoza, Argentina             
10.21.02: Santiago, Chile
10.17.02: Buenos Aires, Argentina II
10.13.02: Iguazu Falls, Argentina
10.11.02: Buenos Aires, Argentina
10.06.02: Key West to WPB
10.05.02: Key West, Fl – The Day After
10.04.02: Key West, Fl Kramer’s Wedding
10.03.02: WPB to Key West
10.02.02: West Palm Beach
10.01.02: Atlanta to West Palm Beach
09.30.02: Pretrip

 

 

 

 

 JOURNAL ENTRY

1.15.04: London

For our final few days in London, we met Craig's mother, Marsha, for a nice reunion and some intense sightseeing.  We met Marsha at the airport before noon, and in less than two hours we were back in London, eating falafel and getting ready to visit our first museum, the National Gallery. 

We toured the National Gallery for a few hours taking in the several rooms of fine art, sculpture, and the like.  With Marsha working on only a few hours sleep, and Craig's attention span for museums at an all time low, it was not long until we found our way out of the Gallery and to the Pub for our customary early evening cocktail.  In typical London fashion, it rained on us as we walked to the pub in the West End, and while we sipped our Guinness in a crowded bar, we caught up with Marsha on what had been going on at home. 

With Marsha's eyelids getting heavy (it was really late Florida time), we returned to our hotel for a couple hours of naptime and relaxation.  After a short nap, we all regrouped for a very fancy fish and chips dinner.  The cod was the way to go -- we couldn't recommend the hake.

1.16.04: London, England

After a night of good sleep and our fifth English breakfast in a row (how many times can you eat baked beans at 8am?), we set off for Leicester Square, the theatre district, to score some day of show tixs-- a London tradition.  After waiting in line for only a few minutes, we got ourselves seats to an evening show of Man With Stones in His Pockets.  We had the rest of the day to sightsee, but come early evening, we were booked for the theatre.

After scoring the tixs, our good fortune continued as we strolled down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, just in time to watch the full changing of the guard, complete with royal marching band!  It was quite a crowd, but the show was worth it, and after some quick photos of the Queen's pad, we headed for St. James Palace to grab our obligatory picture with the stone-faced guards.  

After failing to get the guard to crack a smile, we left ready for some lunch and what else -- more sightseeing.  With Marsha only in town for  a few days, we made sure that every minute was packed with tourist value.  To make sure we saw it all, we booked ourselves tickets on the doubledecker Big Bus that circumnavigates London while you listen to a tour guide make some really poor jokes.  We were spared the live tour guide, and the ride through London was a nice change from our usual Lopez Goodmark Militant Walking Tour. 

For lunch we grabbed ourselves nibbles at Harrod's (the largest and most expensive department store in England), and then hopped back onto the bus for ride into Notting Hill, Chelsea, and then back into our neighborhood.  As we had 24 hours to ride the bus, we saved our trip out to the Tower of London and the Tate for the next day.  In order to make it back in time for our show, we rode our bus (along with some very obnoxious American women) back to the West End.  After a drink and a warm up in a nearby pub, we started off for the show. 

The play was a brilliant two man show set in Ireland as a big budget Hollywood movie comes to town.  The players were amazing, and we left the theatre having thoroughly enjoyed the production.  And what else is there to do after theatre...eat Chinese food, of course!  So we did.  The Chinatown in London is centrally located so after our meal we could walk off some of the mu shoo and friend noodles.  The night ended with some tea and good conversation. 



Here is Craig taking the quintessential tourist shot in London with the bronze Lions in Trafalgar Square.


And here is Craig and Marsha with Buckingham Palace in the background.  Notice the Union Jack flying, that indicates the Queen is in residence.  Nice.

1.17.04:  London, England

Another day, another hunt for show tickets.  With such good luck the day before, we tried our hand again at day of show opportunity.  This time we could not get the price we wanted for a modern musical, so we opted for an old time musical with a modern name -- Thoroughly Modern Millie.   We grabbed three seats with only a little difficulty.  From the theatre district, we hopped on our Big Bus tour to Westminster Abbey.  The Abbey, one of the most famous buildings in the world is an impressive structure, but the most amazing part of it is the number of famous people that are buried inside.  Explorers, writers, poets, politicians, etc... you name a famous Englishmen, and they are probably buried in the Abbey.  After paying our respects to the Abbey, we boarded the Thames River Cruiser (a free bonus with our tour bus ticket buy) for a ride down the Thames -- destination London Tower. 

The highlight of London Tower is the crown jewels which are housed inside the fortress, but  before we got there, we spent on hour or so with the Tower Guard or Beefeater, who guided us through the tower entertaining and informing as we walked (but not making us forget the extreme cold that was quickly seeping into our bones).  After the tour ended, we set off for the highlight of the day so far -- the crown jewels.  The jewels are presented inside a hall that shows films of coronations, weddings, and other royal galas where the jewels have been showcased.  We took our time checking out the goods, and when we had sufficiently warmed up, we left the tower for good.  Before hopping on the Tube, we grabbed a nice bit of sushi from the sushi train as Marsha was getting faint from our eating schedule (we had not had a meal since our sixth plate of baked beans and toast).  Once back at the hotel, we regrouped, cleaned up and set off for our second theatre outing in two nights.  The musical was a whimsical tale of modern women in America in the 1920's.  We delighted in the dancing, and Craig really appreciated the early feminist undercurrents.  (Please note the sarcasm).  In any event, we had a fun time at the theatre again, and brought our time in London to a close on a very high note.



At the London Tower we got a tour from the Queen's royal guard, aka a Beefeater.  The tour was entertaining, despite the fact that our feet were frozen by the end.

Craig and Marsha outside the London Tower with the London Bridge behind them. 



As the sun set on our time in London, and on the London Eye seen here, we finished up with a flurry of bus tours, curry houses, and of course -- musical theatre! 

1.18.04:  Last Day in London

After our theatrical triumph with modern Millie, we woke up the next morning in high spirits.  Our last day in London started with a tour of the British Museum.  While Johnna took an extended breakfast, Craig showed Marsha where all the world's artifacts are being held for ransom by the English.  They took their time checking out the Greek and Egyptian exhibits, and by the time Johnna had met Craig and Marsha for lunch, Marsha had just about finished touring the King's Library (man, she studied that place for an hour).  We lunched at the Museum (a LP hint for a cheap meal in London, not something easily found).  After our lunch, we took the rest of the day to pick up the trinkets and souvenirs, including a fabulous Lady Di shot glass for Marsha's sister.  Marsha grabbed some great mantle pieces in Covent Garden as we all soaked in some atmosphere -- listening to a three piece string ensemble play wonderfully upbeat Mozart.  From there we toured the famous high streets of Carnaby and Regent Street, stopping at England's largest and probably the world's most fantastic toy store, Hamley's, in search of that perfect little something for Miss Juliet.  As it was now night, we had a traditional Sunday dinner of roast beef and gravy at the corner pub. 

Our night ended quietly with some good conversation over tea in the hotel sitting room.  As we began to plan for our arrival back into the United States, we started to list the many things that needed to get planned -- but where does one start? 

Our time in London with Marsha was quick but good.  We toured, we ate, and we watched some musical theatre.  Really, what more could we ask for!  It was now time to catch our flight to the States, so we spent the rest of the night packing our bags and thinking about what life would be like back in America.