Europe 2008Our trip starts with a long drive from Florida to North Carolina (via Atlanta) to drop Drew off at camp. Tom, Erin & I will then fly to Florence, Italy for a week. Tom returns back home and Erin & I will then visit Vienna, Austria for ten days and then go on to London for another ten days.Back to USA!- July 21, 2008 As it happens, our last morning in London turned out to be bright & sunny as well! Ravi was so nice to come to the hostel at 7:30 am to help get us to Victoria Station. We got a cab to Victoria to catch the express train to Gatwick Airport which is a cheap and convenient way to get there. We said our goodbyes to Ravi at Victoria and we were on our way! Gatwick Airport was certainly easier to negotiate than Heathrow but still lines were long and the security was extremely high. Once we..http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/back-to-usa.html Last Day in London :(- July 19, 2008 Swami Narayan Temple in Neasden, London Us in Ravi's Apt.Our last day here turned out to be bright & sunny! We came over to Ravi's and I added a bunch of pictures - finally! We then went to a place called Bharathi Vidya Bhawan (A Indian cultural center) to eat as they have vegetarian food but unfortunately the cafe was closed. We saw a small art exhibition that was there and then took the underground to the other Indian Vegan restaurant we had eaten at twice before called Govindas. That...http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/last-day-in-london.html (Untitled)- July 19, 2008 Kensington Palace View of Gardens at Kensington Palace The Sunken Gardens At Kensington PalaceToday is our second to last day and last day by ourselves as we are going to hang out with Ravi tommorrow. We decided to visit Kensington Palace as the forecast called for more drizzle today. Another grey day here! After getting off the underground, we walked to the Palace through some of Hyde Park and Kensington park. The Palace was apparently the birthplace of Queen Victoria and was the main palace..http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/today-is-our-second-to-last-day-and.html Covent Gardens & Rain Again !- July 19, 2008 Neat street around Covent GardensToday was another rainy gloomy day here! The weather forecasters predict no real sunshine till September!! Erin has a cold too. We decided to go back to Covent Gardens as there were covered areas there so we could take shelter even if did rain. We basically walked around some cool areas, saw some street performances, ate lunch and came back home. It did remain damp and drizzly the whole time. Erin also says that when we were walking by an old homeless man he...http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/covent-gardens-rain-again.html Tate Modern & Mohamed Al Fayed!- July 19, 2008 Tate Modern Museum of Modern Art View of St. Paul's Cathedral From Tate Harrods!Erin really wanted to see The Tate Modern art museum so we set off in the am as usual. It was easy to get there although it's across the river. It was free as well like most museums here. It is full of very interesting art and was well worth the visit. We probably saw 80% of the works, then got tired. St. Pauls Cathedral is right opposite the museum back on the main side of the river and is connected with a neat...http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/tate-modern-mohamed-al-fayed.html Walked & Walked!- July 19, 2008 Covent Gardens Market Flowers By Buckingham Palace Buckingham PalaceWe decided to head onto Covent Garden today. We got on the underground at about 9:30 am and all was fine until about three quarter way into the trip the train stopped. I'm still not sure what the exact reason was but we were stopped for about 40 minutes! There was nothing to do but wait! Also London subways have a problem with heat so people were sweating! We were glad to get moving again.Covent Garden (not a garden at all) is.http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/we-decided-to-head-onto-covent-garden.htm... Busy Day In A Busy City......- July 19, 2008 View of Big Ben from Westminster Abbey Area Admiralty Arch Trafalgar Square National GalleryWe have fabulous weather today - high in the low 70's and sunny! The underground is back to normal too! We decided to go to Westminster Abbey first. Got there by 10:00 or so and took the self guided tour. The history of the place is amazing - founded in 1065 AD and functional up to now. We saw the most amazing tombs and we were especially interested in the Tudors and Queen Elizabeth I. Along with...http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/we-have-fabulous-weather-today-high-in.ht... Oxford Street & Shopping!!- July 19, 2008 Flowers at Holland Park Hobbit HouseJapanese Gardens at Holland Park More Pretty FlowersWe had breakfast and then walked around Holland Park (which is where the hostel is located) which is described as Londons most romantic park! It is truly beautiful and has lots of beautiful flowers and a lovely Japanese Garden too. We are actually sort of sad to leave the Holland Park hostel today for the Earls Court hostel because of the park, symphony music etc. but will be glad of the privacy of the...http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/oxford-street-shopping.html Buckingham Palace, Parliment, Big Ben, Westminister.......- July 12, 2008 Westminister Abbey On their way to Buckingham Palace! Closest we can get to 10 Downing Street now Houses of ParliamentI cannot believe how cold it is here!! Rained last night. I almost bought more clothes but resisted due to the high prices! I feel like I am in the winter now!! Today is Saturday and Ravi is not working so he came over to the hostel and we decided to go to Westminister Abbey. The Central Line of the Subway is out this weekend so the subways were confusing and packed. The...http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/buckingham-palace-parliment-big-ben.html (Untitled)- July 12, 2008 British Museum Interior near Entrance One of the exposed mummiesErin & I had a fairly decent breakfast and the night was actually not too bad. The hostel is busy because this is the height of the tourist season with alot of teenagers coming to London from all over the world which Erin finds very cool!We decided to go to the British Museum today. The best part about this museum is that it is free. They have a collection of artifacts from all over the world and most interesting thing for me..http://europe2008gayanierin.blogspot.com/2008/07/british-museum-interior-near-entrance.htm... |