The Epilogue

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After a marathon of a day we finally landed in London. The first full day we figured out how to use "The Tube" and went to hit some of the major sites which included: watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, checking out Big Ben and Westminster Abbey as well as getting inside Parliament to watch a little of the debates. Actually we just wanted to see if they really wore powdered wigs...and yes they do, it was pretty funny. It was boring though. While in London we had a list of things that we had to do and foods we had to try, so we decided to find a local pub to sample a few pints of some real cask ale. It is really crazy because real ale actually has very little carbonation which makes it smoother to drink. Another fun fact, because it is so flat the tap is actually a manual pump that sucks the ale out of the barrel...we fully endorse this product.

The next day we had our list of things to see and after braving "The Tube" yet again, (I say brave because during peak hours it is jammed with people and you have to basically smash your way into a car...we narrowly escaped losing limbs in the closing doors on multiple occassions) we walked around Hyde Park, which was at one time a stocked hunting ground for Henry VIII, went through the British Museum and of course had to go window shopping at Harrod's. For those of you who don't know what this is (basically, we are talking to all of the males who are reading this because most of the women have probably heard of this shopping mecca) it is a 5 story department store that has everything you could imagine. We decided to pretend we could afford some of the clothes and try on $2,000 Armani suits for a while. They must have been irritated and confused when they saw a couple of unshaven, messy haired backpackers trying on these suits. Then, we headed to Billionaire's corner to try on the $4,500 custom Italian suits, but realized that they had personal shoppers working the area. We decided against it because we thought that there was a good chance they may politely ask us to get the hell out of there if we were trying on random clothes without buying. We really did want to try on some now and later gators with a pimp suit and a nice cane to go with it...haha. Later that evening we went on a walking tour that took us to the murder scenes of Jack the Ripper. It was pretty interesting and the fact that we were being lead through some of the most seedy London back streets by a 60 year old man with a thick english accent wearing a british golf hat made it even better. The best part was he was telling us scary stories the entire time and even sang us some showtunes.

The next day we wanted to see a castle so we headed to the Tower of London, famous for it's torture rooms and beheadings. This place was cool! You walk around cobble stoned streets meandering in and out of rooms occupied by everything from prisoners to weapons to body armor. We got to see the crown jewels exhibit too. These crowns and sceptres were the gaudiest things we have ever seen. They had the biggest jewels ever, one called the Star of Africa was a 500 carat diamond from South Africa. We headed to the torture chambers where there were a couple devices used back then. One had the person sit on their knees and huddle into a fetal type position while there was a metal strap tied from their back to around their knees. They would then crank this machine down until it crushed the victim. It is the opposite of the rack which was designed to stretch people out. With all of the major attractions covered we wanted to try some of the world famous Indian food that London is known for. We went and got some at this nice restaurant near our hostel and we have to say that it is the best Indian food we have had...keep in mind we have only had it a couple times before. We paid way too much for it and then headed to Camden Town where supposedly some of England's younger celebrities hang out. The night before Amy Winehouse was seen in the area in typical trainwreck fashion and we wanted to see it. We went to a bar and Russ swears he saw Ashley Simpson but we heard before we left for the trip that she got a nose job so we are not sure. We hung out for a little bit but were tired from standing and walking all day. We headed back to get some rest for the Old Globe Theatre and The Tate Modern Museum. We headed to Shakespeare's Old Globe theatre in the rain and snapped some pics from the outside because by this time we were low on money and didn't care to take a tour. We cruised around the museum of modern art to kill some time and then over to the natural history museum. Nothing much happened this day because it was the night before we were to leave and we had done everything already. That night neither of us slept because we were so anxious. We caught all the trains and cleared security at the airport with no issues. We ended up flying over Greenland and the far north in Canada because of the curvature of the earth or something, the landscape was so crazy. Giant Icebergs were everywhere! We arrived in LA and breezed through customs and security which was a surprise and met up with our parents. There were no tears exchanged because they were stopped in the road with a bunch of cars behind them so it was like, "lets hurry and get all this stuff in the car." It was strange to be back.

With our trip ending and since many of you were following along we wanted to just say one last thing from each of us:

Russell:

"Well, the trip is finally over. You know I can say that it is real nice to come back and see my family and friends. It's also nice to have a new change of clothes and some real home cooked meals. At the same time, I am a little sad to see things end but understand that all good things do come to an end. The trip was like five vacations all wrapped up into one giant adventure. New Zealand was outdoor thrills, Australia was beaches and deadly animals, Asia was the craziest part of our trip, and Europe was the historical part. We had a chance to meet up with our friends in Asia and party with them on the other side of the world...amazing. (This is where I start to daydream about all the stories that I can now tell.) We also met a lot of really cool people along the way that we will keep in touch with and hopefully host in San Diego. Now I am back and not yet acclimated to the situation of not having to move around all the time. I feel a bit restless and distant but that's gonna take a little time. The major thing that I learned from the trip is that I don't have to pretend to be anyone but myself. I learned a lot about what I liked and what I didn't like and if I didn't like it, I am not going to pretend to. It just made me feel a lot more comfortable with certain pressures life presents I guess. I think everyone should travel, it just exposes you to so many different people and ways of life that it is bound to make you think differently about your place in the world. Aside from the major responsibilities such as kids, family issues, and mortgages....I don't see a reason not to travel. Well I am forever grateful to my parents for helping me out on this trip and giving me an education in life, and memories that are seared into my head forever. But this is the end of only one adventure...another one begins now."

Ryan:

"Hmmm, Well I am not sure exactly where to start. I am really excited to be home to see friends and family, but also am a little sad to see this trip end, knowing that all I have left of it are the memories. Leaving on this adventure we really had no idea what to expect, but it really turned out to be better than I could have imagined. Some destinations that I would have expected to be a favorite turned out to be less than exciting and some of the afterthoughts or last minute detours turned out to be highlights. The trip provided some of the most amazing experiences as well as some of the most terrible experiences of my life, but lessons that I will not soon forget. It is really interesting how much you learn about yourself when you are taken out your daily routine and I really think people should make an effort to do it every once in a while. Interacting with other types of people really does help you figure out your own personality. There are a thousand excuses people use why they can't, very few of which are valid reasons, and the funny thing is that you will never hear a person who has traveled for any length of time saying that looking back on it, they regret it. As for me, being home is a little awkward in that everything feels familiar, but not quite the same. I am not sure if it is my perception that has changed or just being separated for so long that has caused a riff. Either way, I know that in time I will be acclimated, but will never be the same. For some reason, I smile when I smell clean laundry, think of my own bed and see steam coming off my shower. I couldn't have done this without the support of my parents and just want to say thank you. Even though the travel adventure is over for now, a journey of another type awaits me."

Thanks Everybody!

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Photos

Big Ben
Taken at approximately 3:29pm Greenwich Mean Time...

You Don't Say!
Who was it? He didn't say....

Buckingham Palace
Not a great pic but it was the best we could get with the weather

Standing Watch
It's a giant microphone in a uniform...

Tower Bridge
A shot from inside the Tower of London

Tower of London
This castle is seriously cool...

Heads Up!
....and off in the Tower of London

Abbey Road
We would hate to live on this street, tourists running back and forth taking pictures and stopping traffic. But since we didn't, we loved stopping traffic.

Make My Day...
I can't take the law seriously with those hats...I just picture them running around like in a Benny Hill skit.

Homeward Bound
Ryan, Russ and Russ's prosthetic leg are leaving their saga behind.

Comments

[Blackbeard the Pirate]

Arrrrr ye mateys!
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[James]

none
Cool.