Shinkou

July 02, 2011
London, England

We arrived in London around 5:30pm. By the time we figured out how to take the shuttle to the Sheraton and get checked in, it was 8pm. We spent 15 minutes in the room getting organized and then proceeded back to Heathrow and catch the Underground. Once on the train, I began to relax even though we were all standing - the trains were packed. I just watched the London scenery pass by. Then I felt Abbey lean on me with a glazed look. We hadn't eaten in 8 hours and she was looking faint. I dug out a granola bar for her. We got off at the Piccadilly exit and decided to eat dinner at the closest restaurant. We climb the stairs out of the train station and what restaurant is right there? Pizza Hut!!!! Now I never imagined my first meal in London to be Pizza Hut, and I would be dishonest to say I was enthusiastic. I had to order ice for my Diet Coke and then realized their pizza menu was very foreign to me. I ordered a nan pizza with feta, basil, tomatoes and onions. This pizza was amazing!!!

Next it's time to power walk London! Scott, Richelle and I wanted to see as much as possible. Setting our camera to "night view", we walked down Regent Street towards the Thames River. Here is my first night photo! I was quite impressed with this Sony camera.This is St. James Church on Regent Street. The streets here, despite the stores being closed, are bustling with traffic. People are walking and window shopping. It's a nice feeling.

The weather was perfect for walking - about 65 degrees and calm.What was surprising was the number of homeless people sleeping in the doorsways of exclusive boutiques. They didn't seem to be wearing threadbare clothing but were in sleeping bags, etc.

Buckingham Palace is like the White House - smaller than envisioned. It has great ironwork and is surprisingly close to the street. We spent a lot of time there walking around the gardens, the statuary on the grounds and parks. It was just a perfect evening! Seeing everything by nightlight had an amazingly calming yet inspiring effect. I think we all noticed more as we were paying more attention to details.













Big Ben is a littler smaller than envisioned as well, but just as majestic. I love the stone and brick on these buildings. The Eye is pretty cool at night, but something tells me it may be a little unsightly during the day. The neon lights are very soothing and such a contrast with the bridge lights. Once at the bridge, Dave, Torie and Abbey decided to take a cab back to the hotel. John, Scott, Richelle, Melissa and I still had energy and decided to walk along the Thames River to the Tower Bridge.
First stop, the nut vendor. He was selling freshly baked honey covered mixed nuts at the stairs down to the Eye. Walking along the Thames eating pecans and macadamias - a great combination. There is lively nightlife along the Thames. Cute restaurants and even a skateboard park. We must have crossed a half dozen bridges before reaching the Tower Bridge. It was 3am in the morning! We shot tons of frames of the lit bridge, caught a cab back to the hotel. We were back in our rooms by 3:30. I showered, jumped in bed and was asleep by 3:45.