I was ready as ever to start my first trip in a long while. I was so ready that I got to the airport WAY ahead of time, and got to kill a couple of hours in Denver International Airport. We pulled out of the gate on time, only to spend an hour on the tarmac! The wind shifted right as our flight was lined up to take off, and we had to taxi all the way to the other side of the airport, and wait in line to take off. Luckily, I made my connection in Munich, though it was by a whisker.
Arriving in London from the Europe side was great, we flew right over the city on our final approach and peeking through the clouds I got to see such landmarks as the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament from the air. It was like Google Earth, only real and a lot more clear! Meeting up with one of the groups, we bussed into London and set about our activities for the first day.
Our hotel was in a very good location, right by Hyde Park, in the middle of a very pleasant residential neighborhood. Everbody was pretty sleepy, but still eager to explore the city.
After a dinner of fish and chips (of course) we cut through the park into central London and saw such sights as Trafalgar Square and a far off peek of Big Ben. By this point is was getting late and most of the people headed back to the hotel for a well earned snooze.
Being of the mind that one can sleep when one is home, I joined up with a teacher and his wife and we went walking all over London! It was a beautiful night, and the lights of the city and her landmarks reflected in the Thames really are glorious.
I was the only one who had visited London before, so I became the tour guide, which was fun. Checking out Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye, and more at night was a really great way to start the trip. I just wish I'd had a tripod so more of my pictures came out!
Around 11 pm it was finally time to pack it in, our feet were sore and our eyelids heavy, so we caught the tube and went back to the hotel, ready for another busy day!
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