LONDON

Skyline with the pickle building.

M and M at Buckingham 2009 Plus

The London Eye (much bigger than it appears here) is, in my opinion, a blight on the Thames.

ABOUT TIPPING

We know that it is not common to give tips in certain countries. Even when it is not expected we usually leave something and we also carry small gifts from California to give to special people we meet in Europe. One of our family members says that they used to take cancelled postage stamps from the U.S.A. and give them out and people enjoyed them. I might imagine this at one time, but today we find that 5, 10 and 20 Euro notes get more attention.

Olympics Envy

We really enjoy going to the Olympics ( LA and Atlanta) and love London. What could be better thaan combining them?  Well, we will watch them from our home, even as we get ready to our own overseas trip. Still, wish we were there.

Rent a funny little car and see the sites/sights

We have rented any number of cars for the sole purpose of avoiding the beaten path. We like to get off on to back roads and find the surprises. It is not always easy to drive in a strange place or to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but it is a means to an end. That goal to find places where real people live their lives day-to-day.  The car pictured here ( Nissan Versa) was parked in Athy, Ireland near the White Castle. It is on a one way street so parking on the right side was fine. We put over 1600 miles on it and only a few were driven on a road much wider than it is. Surprised that those rear view mirrors are still there.

Eight hours in Dublin, Rome or New York

I read travel forums from various sites like Travel Advisor. There is often a post that asks, "I will be in ____ for eight hours during a cruise where do I go?" or "I will have half a day in _____ during a trip, the best places to visit?"

It is understandable that people might like to see the highlights of a place on a stopover, but we have a belief (from first hand experience) that you will see and remember more by getting a video.

It may be important to you to say that your saw the Tower Bridge or the Pantheon, but  you really didn't see London or Rome.

If I had an eight hour stay in one of these places, I might take a Hop On Hop Off bus, but more than likely I would go to a local pub, bar or cafe and sit and talk to the people. I do not travel just to see things. I travel to meet people, to hear stories, to listen.

This is obviously a matter of style, but Dublin is wonderful, not because of the Book of Kells, but because of Irishmen enjoying life in Dublin. I can "see" the Grand Canal in Venice on Rick Steves. I can only talk to a Venetian in Venice.

Miles and miles...

On one of our trips to the South, up the Atlantic Coast to New England and then back to California by train we used the following means of travel: plane, car, ferry, bus, subway, boat, train and ox cart (Williamsburg VA).