Pre-trip mumblings

---

Geo: 47.4323, -121.803

I have accumulated too much vacation at work so I have decided to take a
month off and hang out in Europe. Originally this was to be 30 days in
London but a friend, Achsa, convinced me to start the vacation in
Edinburgh to view the annual Royal Military Tattoo and the famous Fringe
Festival. From there I will be spending 18 days in London where I will
be visiting all of the tourist sites that I missed on my 2012 trip to
that city. I will also be kayaking on the Thames, go whitewater rafting
on the artificial river that was used for the 2012 Olympic Games, and
spend an afternoon learning how to drive a 55 ton tank (a British
Chieftain which was the largest tank used by any NATO nation), Finally,
it is off to Istanbul for a few days. Surprisingly it is cheaper to book
a flight on United from Istanbul to Seattle than it is to fly from
London to Seattle. I wonder what other surprises await me.

---