Day 8: Monday, June 29, 2009 LONDON, ENGLAND Awoke to a very sunny morning. Up and going just before 10am. Went to Internet cafe to check on a few things (1 euro/hour; 1.65 USD). Internet was a bit sluggish. Today I thought about a visiting the Victoria & Albert Museum located south of Hyde Park. Decided to walk. On the way through Hyde Park, I stopped by Kensington Palace and the Sunken Garden. I had been there yesterday, but my camera battery died. So with recharged camera in hand, I snapped some photos. The Sunken Ga [View Full Entry]

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Day 7: Sunday, June 28, 2009 LONDON, ENGLAND Left room around 11:45 am. Was up late the night before, so slept in. Artists have paintings for sale hung along the exterior wall of Hyde Park. I took time to check them out. Most didn't really interrest me, but one fellow was particularly good. A number of his paintings were of Koi fish and exotic birds. He had others as well, but they all were so colorful and showed that he had skill. I'm guessing he used acrylic paints, but didn't ask. Wandered west towards Notting Hill. Wasn't far. I can't recall [View Full Entry]

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Day 6: Saturday, June 27, 2009 LONDON, ENGLAND Slept in. Didn't get going until 10:30 am. I'd had thoughts of going to Salisbury today as I haven't been to Stonehenge before, but didn't put much effort into my planning. The late start wasn't helpful. Stopped by ATM to get an extra 200 pounds, mailed two letters and a postcard (3 pounds 10 pence total; 5.12 USD), then I was off to Paddington station to check cost of train ticket to Salisbury (29 pounds each way; 47.85 USD). I don't think so. I found that it's much cheaper to take a bus [View Full Entry]

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Day 5: Friday, June 26, 2009 LONDON, ENGLAND Had already decided that today I was going to visit the RAF Museum in north London. I'd wanted to visit it on a previous trip, but it never happened. 8:30 am - Had breakfast in hotel restaurant as it was included in price of room. Pretty basic, choice of tea or coffee, then a choice of how you want your eggs. I had coffee with scrambled eggs and toast. Food was ok, but coffee was terrible. Sure woke me up, though. After I got myself together, I stopped by the Internet Cafe around [View Full Entry]

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Day 4: Thursday, June 25, 2009 REYKJAVIK, ICELAND Fell in and out of sleep all night. It was light all night, but that wasn't it. Up at 6 am. Took shower. water smelled a little of sulfer. Was told at power plant yesterday that even when they heat cold water, they add sulfer to remove oxygen so as to kill off any organisms that might be in the water. Had breakfast just after 7 am. Breakfast was continental and typically european, consisting of a couple types of cereals, milk, juice, yogarts, lunch meat, cheese slices, some sliced fruits, and some different [View Full Entry]

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Day 3: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 REYKJAVIK, ICELAND I awoke in a panic convinced I had over slept and missed a tour. Still very groggy from lack of sleep, I rolled out of bed, threw on some cloths and rushed down stairs just in time to see an Iceland Excursions van pulling away from the hotel entrance. I rushed after it only to find that is wasn't there for me, it was simply turning around. Ugh. Looked at the time,... 8:25 am. My pickup scheduled for 8:30 am. Good, I have 5 whole minutes, whatever shall I do? Off to the [View Full Entry]

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Day 2: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 KEFLAVIK, ICELAND Landed in Keflavik, Iceland around 6:15am to light rain and heavy overcast. I was worn out. Starting my third day without sleep. Keflavik is about 30 minutes south of the capital city of Reykjavik. So after exchanging Dollars for Icelandic Kronur, I caught the FlyBus to Reykjavik. The FlyBus costs 1700 Kronur (13.29 USD) one-way and is really the best way to go. NOTE: The króna (plural krónur) (sign: kr; code: ISK) is the currency of Iceland. The word króna, meaning "crown", is related to that of other Nordic [View Full Entry]

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Day 1: Monday, June 22, 2009 My trip started smoothly enough, but became one of the longest and most frustrating days that I can remember. I left home at 4:45am to catch the MARC train for DC. The cab to take me to the train station was right on time, so I caught the MARC train without a hitch. I used the time constructively, so the ride passed quickly. At Washington's Union Station I had to transfer to the train going to Baltimore. No problem. We arrived at the BWI station right on time and the free shuddle bus was already [View Full Entry]

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