Today we began our boating adventure. The day started out in London where we ate breakfast next to a couple from Des Moines Iowa. What a small world it is. They had just arrived and were planning to spend a week in London followed by a week in Paris. We have run into several groups who are doing the same thing. We told them all we had done, what we had liked and what we did not think was worth doing. Then, Andy led us off to the train station and we started the journey up to Birmingham and Burton-on-Trent. The marina was easy to find and they had a nice tea shop where we had lunch. After lunch, we lost track of Mom. She set out looking for restrooms and the next thing we knew, ... read more

Today was a typical London day ...Rainy and a lIttle cool. But we were ready for this and had jackets and rain gear - so we were comfortable all day. Today we went on the London Eye .... A really tall Ferris Wheel on the banks of the Thames. It takes about 30 minutes to go all the way around .. And on a clear day you can see 30 miles. Not sure how far we could see today, but it wasn't a clear day for sure. We tried to start out on the London Eye - but it was closed for maintenance. This made Grandmother a little nervous, so we agreed we would not go on the first ride after it was fixed. So while we were waiting, we went and toured Westminster Abbey. Built ... read more

Well we got here. The flight went pretty fast, but we almost froze to death...those light blankets just don't keep you very warm. Heathrow went surprisingly well. We picked up our luggage and our portable mi-fi device so we always have Internet, found the train to London and off we went. Met a bunch of Americans who were on their first visit to the UK and we were the travel experts. Andy was concerned about this, since we have been known to get lost before and sometimes we make unfortunate travel decisions .... But this time we all got to Paddington Station safely. Then we were off to the underground .... And the stop by the hotel was really by the hotel. The hotel .... Well all I can say is Dave is amazing. The hotel ... read more

Well - we spent today trying to get ready for our trip> Planned our itinerary, made hotel reservations and bought our train tickets. We are planning to spend a couple of days in London - seeing the sights ... and this time I will go on teh London Eye. Mom says she doesn't mind ferris wheels .. and that is good, becuase I bought her a ticket too! We are going to use the Original Tour Company to tour the prime spots in London - the tower, Westminster Abbey. Dave has us staying at the flagship Marriott neat Hyde Park for the first couple of days. We also hope to make it out to Hampton Court - a great tour, and then to eitherCanterbury and Dover or Salisbury and Stonehenge ... we can decide once we ... read more