"Mind the Gap" London, England, May 15 to May 17

Dear Family and Friends:

Happy Thursday, Day 3 of our adventure! We have already enjoyed our English Breakfast here at the Enrico Hotel on Warwick Way in Victoria, Westminster. The last two days have been filled with lots of walking and viewing the local landmarks. Here's a quick recap:

Tuesday--Upon arrival by tube from Heathrow Airport, we stowed our bags here at Enrico and had a couple of hours to spare before check-in. So, we walked East (thank goodness we carry a compass!) to the mighty Thames River, then North towards Big Ben/Parliament.

We dodged the crowds amassed around the Westminster Underground to head back to Victoria Station and to get good use out of our day pass in the tubes ("Mind the Gap!"). After eating at St. George's Tavern (St. Geeg?) and finally checking into the hotel, we took naps until 7 PM to reduce our jet lag, and then headed out into the evening.

Another jaunt in the tunnels brought us to Tower Hill, where Tower Bridge looked brilliant in the evening's deep blue hues. My cute new little camera was found to have a killer night-vision setting, so we got a few good shots in the dim light. A nice long walk on the other side of the Thames brought us past Southwark Cathedral, the London Dungeon, and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Not done yet, we headed North in the tubes to Piccadilly Circus, where the Eros statue and theatre district lie. We got lost trying to find Chinatown, but still managed to chow on some noodles at Miso near the Queen's Theatre. Late in the evening, we finally got to bed, our feeties already tired, but feeling good!

Wednesday, we got an early start, enjoyed our English Breakfast of ham, egg, cold beans, toast, and some amazing coffee. Out in the streets once again, we enjoyed a nice walk up to Buckingham Palace, through Green Park, into the midst of a band of Red Coats tooting their horns along the streets (see us post video of the performance soon!), and up towards the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. By 11 AM, we were amongst the gorgeous art, dating back to the 13th century. We learned much about the Saints and the imagery used to describe the life of Christ, and then moved into the 16th and 17th century images. Finally downstairs, we found the Impressionists, my favorite period, to see new-to-us paintings by Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Pisarro, and even one of Van Gogh's Sunflower paintings. Before we knew it, it was past 5 PM! And boy were we hungry!

Fish and chips, a tuna/pepper jacket potato, and a couple of beers later, and we were feeling good enough to wander again. Up into the SoHo district, we checked out the nightlife at a local pub, where we met Josie, a karaoke-seeking Korean-born lady from Sweden. We passed the time together talking about life before walking out into the streets to find that Chinatown was RIGHT THERE! Not only did we finally find Chinatown, but we also found Lee Ho Fook, which some might know from the Warren Zebon song "Werewolves of London." Too cool.

Now, we need to get back out into the world--to Baker Street and Hyde Park. More as soon as we can! Next: an overnight ferry to Amsterdam to see the tulips, Van Gogh Museum, and Anne Frank's House ... a particular treat for me, since I acted in high school as Anne Frank's mother in the play!

Much love,

Martha