Yup, today is our last day in Europe - flying back to the States tomorrow. Even so, we decided not to cram the day with too much sight seeing. We started out walking to a breakfast place our hotel recommended, and it was great. I had corned beef and hash with eggs and Joanie had organic porridge… both were very good. We meet a couple there, that we had just seen at our hotel. They were from Canada and had traveled to South Africa for the World Cup. We had a nice conversation with them over breakfast.Then, it was back on the Tube, this time to the Westminster in the heart of London. (by the way, the Tube has been fantastic. Rick Steves, the author of the guide books we’ve been using says it’s the “best people mover on the planet”, and it’s the best one we’ve ever been on.)
At Westminster, we took some great pictures of Parliament and the London Eye, and then we walked over the Thames to the “Eye” and bought our ticket. After about 30 minutes in line, we boarded the Eye for our 30 minute “flight”, as they call it. (The above photo was taken from the top of the Eye... with Big Ben in the background.) It was very cool - not scary or thrilling at all - but a great view of London, and fun smooth ride on this technological marvel.
We then walked across the Millennium Bridge and hopped on the Tube again - this time stopping at Hyde Park, where we went to the London Hard Rock café - the original one. And after lunch, we went to their onsite Museum to take in some legendary rock memorabilia… for example, the harpsichord that the Beatles used on “All You Need is Love” and on some other songs on the Sergeant Peppers Album. Very cool. We then walked through Green Park to Buckingham Palace for some photos, then back on the Tube for a ride home.
Tonight, we’ll just go out to a local restaurant here in Kensington, and take in the last part of the Holland vs. Uruguay World Cup match. With our recent visit to Holland, we’ve kind of becomes fans and are both rooting for them tonight.
A simple, low key night as we wind down, as we’ve both been describing this, a trip of a lifetime. It’s been an incredible adventure. But again, we are both looking forward to being back in States.
Thanks for sharing our Blog with us - it’s been fun keeping a journal of this fantastic experience.
Love - Greg and Joanie
