Back from across the pond

Chris and I are back from our jaunt across the pond, to London, Paris, Stratford-upon-Avon and Cardiff.

This expedition is the outgrowth of a phone call from our friend Doug, back in December. He casually asked "so, what are you doing July 2?". Turns out Chris and I didn't have plans for that day, so he followed up with "Would you like to go see Monty Python then?". When I said that sounded like a good idea, he told me how much the tickets cost. In Pounds Sterling, of course... Turns out the show was in London.

A very busy 7 months later, June 30th found Chris and I on our way to London, to meet up with Doug and his wife Paula. They had already been in the UK for a week before we arrived. We met up with them on the first, and did some touristy things, including the Tower Bridge on the second before seeing the Monty Python show at the O2 arena. After the show, we boarded the Eurostar for Paris.

I now have a complete mastery of about 7 words of french, including the all important "Je ne parles pas francais", which of course means "I don't speak french".

Paris included the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, a boat ride down the Seine, the Latin Quarter, and the champs d'elysees. Every night seemed to end with a race to the Paris subway hoping to catch the last train.

After returning to London from Paris we wished Paula and Doug adieu and took a train to Stratford-upon-Avon. We biked around the area, took in Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace, along with shopping and a visit to Chipping Campden, to check out the thatched roofs and other architectural wonders.

Our next stop was Cardiff, Wales, where we took in the Doctor Who Experience, biked around Cardiff Bay, and toured Cardiff Castle.

That's the trip in a nutshell. I hope to make some time to post more details (and pictures!) later.