Although we left Vancouver at 7 pm, we traveled 9 hours until 4 a.m. Vancouver time to find out it was already 12 noon when we landed. Time zones can sure mess you up. Now it's 10 pm here in London but we are wide awake because our bodies tell us it's only 2 in the afternoon! So I'll just take an afternoon nap and get up to catch our next flight 9 hours from now.
The first shock on arrival was the cost of a taxi to take us out of the airport to the Apple House guest house just 12 minutes away. $60! The young proprietor of the guest house was from Venezuela and he gave us some valuable tips. A free city bus back to the airport and then about $20 for all-day passes for the two of us to travel anywhere on the subway. So we did take time to traipse around the city for quite a few hours. First and foremost was to ride the giant ferris wheel known as the London Eye. Another $60 I wouldn't normally spend but it was a unique once in a lifetime time experience and an engineering marvel. The ride lasted about 40 minutes inside enclosed capsules that can hold a dozen people. The floor in the capsule stays level the whole time and you can walk around to all sides for viewing and taking photos. We then crossed a bridge over the Thames and wandered around Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey and walked under the shadow of Big Ben. Then we went for the traditional English fish and chips for supper! That was worth it.
Now to find our way back at night while taking a different route...oh, and the bus driver from the Central Bus Station didn't know about the street we wanted to get off on or even the name of the Guest House where we are staying. So we kept our eyes peeled and yelled when West End Lane came up and a five minute walk later...voila, there we were!
The weather was drizzling when we arrived in the morning but by mid-afternoon the skies had cleared and it was warm and sunny. Tomorrow, Africa!
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