Our first day in London
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: "London Skies," Jamie Cullum
We arrived this morning at 7 a.m. We took the train from London-Gatwick to Clapham Junction and then to East Putney. Saying Clapham made me laugh for some reason. Not sure why. Anyway, Catherine still wasn't feeling well and it was difficult for her to carry her suitcases. The trains were surprisingly very clean and COMFORTABLE. We had to walk about half a mile to Kat and Gary's house on Wadham Road after we arrived (around 9 a.m.). After we arrived, Catherine went to bed to catch up on some rest and I decided to start my sightseeing. It was a bit scary navigating one of the world's largest cities alone, but I did it! I purchased an "Oyster" card, which is a fancy way of saying a travel card, at East Putney. I got lost on the tube and had to ask a handsome Australian gentleman for help. We sat together on the tube and he gave me advice on what to do and where to go. The roads were all brick and all of the stations had rows of stairs everywhere. I then got out of the tube at the Westminster station. As I walked up the stairs to the "Way Out" (British for "exit"), I immediately noticed that right in front of me was PARLAIMENT, River Thames and Big Ben (Stephens Tower). I walked around for a while and went to the Prince of Wales pub near the house. I befriended the bar tender, who suggested some pretty neat wines. I came home, showered and napped. We both decided to go do a bit of night sightseeing. We rode British Airways' London Eye, which is a giant ferris wheel spanning 144m. It is so large that it never stops to let passengers on and off. The enclosed glass capsules can hold about 10-15 people. It was so incredible to see London lit up at night. It was about 14 pounds, which is the equivalent of $26 or so, a bit expensive, but so worth it. We ate dinner at Azzuro's Italian restaurant and had pizza and wine. We returned home after getting lost at the Waterloo Tube Station. Our home was in a quiet neighborhood in the Wandsworth Borough of Putney in London. It is around 100 years old and quite comfortable. Jet lag caught up to us, so we went to bed early after watching some soccer with Gary.

Off to Foggy London Town!
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: "Around the World," The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Today is New Year's Day. After a long night of mischief and revelry, we had to drive all the way to Houston to catch our flight out to London-Gatwick Airport. We left Baton Rouge at 6:30 a.m. and headed west. Of course, Catherine wanted a bagel, so we ended up in Broussard at the McDonald's. I usually boycott fast food, but desperate times call for desperate measures, no? We arrived in Houston at 11 a.m. and had to pay two tolls just to get to the airport- WHAT A RIP OFF! I think I'm going to boycott toll booths, too. Anyhow, we went through checking in and customs and all that jazz and waited at the terminal for about 4 hours. I was aggravated, but I read the U.S. State Department website and they suggested arriving a minimum of 4 hours before an international flight. Thanks, President's Cabinet! Catherine, as usual, began being her friendly self and talking to this girl from some small town in Texas and her dad who were going to see Cross Canadian Ragweed. I should have figured. She had never flown on a plane and insisted that she and her dad eat lunch with us. When I went to get my meal, this woman saw my LSU sweatshirt and started SCREAMING "GEAUX TIGERS!!" Now, this wasn't just a passenger... it was someone working at the food court. Anyway, we both tried to sleep while waiting for the terminal, but that didn't work. They had CNN on and they were replaying the ever-so-loud and obnoxious memorial service of James Brown... and I swear, he has a lot of screamers in his family. I would just be about to go to sleep and then I'd hear these shrills coming from the flat screen TV and I'd jump up. To describe Contintental's Terminal, let's just say it was a giant United Nations and we were probably the only Americans there. We finally boarded the plane. I figured that would be a good time to take some Benadryl. But of course, it never kicked in. Catherine and I sat down next to a kid whose name was Byron, but he insisted we called him "Jace." I have NO idea how those names are related, but let's go with this... anyway, he was a 16-year-old from a London suburb who stayed with some relatives in Houston for a few weeks. He gave us his name and number and told us to call him when we got to London. There were some interesting movie/ TV selections on the plane. I watched "JOHN... TUCKER... MUST... DIE," and I think I got just a little bit dumber. I also watched some Friends, What I Like About You, I Love Lucy, etc. episodes and "Little Miss Sunshine," so that was pretty cool. It was really dark outside so I couldn't see anything, but I could have sworn that 75% of the trip was spent flying over Greenland. Catherine complained that she had the flu and she wasn't feeling well at all...

We arrived in London at 7 a.m. Tuesday.