Amazing Race Heads to Europe!!

---

LONDON CALLING

Hi all!

We made it to London - and the flight wasn´t so bad - in fact we had 3 seats each to ourselves, plus a mini tv with movies etc etc...quite a pleasant sleep actually!!

Got in early am and it was COLD, WET, DARK...hmmm we left summer in Perth for this!?

Quite amazed at the lack of security in Heathrow to tell you the truth.

Got our bags and negotiated the tube - really simple and got us where we were going relatively quickly.

Found the GENERATOR hostel - this place rocks! They have around 800 people staying at any one time and have a bar, travel shop, movie room, canteen...the lot!

(Photos will come later sorry - can´t get them off my card yet...)

Anyway heaps pf Aussies here so 'plenty of vegemite available if required!

Stuff we have done:


* Trafalgar Square
* The Monument
* London Bridge
* Tower Bridge
* Knights Temple
* Windsor Palace
* Covent Square
* etc etc

We did all this on a free walking tour they un each day - a young AMERICAN leads it would you believe - but he is very entertaining and takes you to little out of the way places and tells the history in an amusing way - you tip him at the end so its not really free but very well worth doing - thouroughly recommend it!

We have also visited the Camden Markets - again if you have the time, money and space in your suitcase, well worth a shopping trip! From here we went to Kings Cross Station and the platform 9 and 3 quarters (for Harry Potter fans!) Had a drink in a bar and watched the Kiwis play England at cricket...

Went back to the Monument and climbed the 311 steps to the top (yes MORE stairs) great view!

Picked up a pub crawl map and decided to complete this over the next couple of days and get our free t-shirt! (what an excuse...)

When we got up the next day, it had snowed! Awesome! So we wandered around for a while and then went and saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace - this gets packed!! From here to shopping mecca - HARRODS- pretty cool especially the escalator area which is done up with all Egyptian motifs etc...

Headed back along the Thames to Shakespeares Round House and looked around there for a while - bought a couple of his plays that were faves from school...and then fianlly made it to MY mecca ...the TATE MODERN!

Oh my god - could have stayed for days....Dali, De Chirico, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Picasso, Monet, Miro...you name it we saw it...I was in heaven (Dean did well to last as long as he did there!) Also got to ride the giant slides they have installed as part of the latest exhibition...SPECTACULAR fun!!!

Next day - went to Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes) Paddington Station (the bear) Big Ben and the finished our pub crawl....where we met a famous Rugby Player apparently - number 8, Dean something...one of Englands best (bit older so obviously not part of the current team) but he was nice and told us what to visit in France.

So back to the Generator to pack and ge some sleep and then off on the next leg.....FRANCE!!

Till then....have fun and stay safe!!

---