London, what a fascinating place. And what a change from the quiet tranquility of the Rhine river valley. No more slow cruises, sitting in the sunshine overlooking the river or gentle country rambles. Instead the noise, bustle and many people, buses, cabs, pubs, shops of London city. Quite a change.

It was a long day of train travel from the Rhine river valley to London using four connecting trains, including the Eurostar that travels under the English channel. Quite an interesting experience on the Eurostar - not much to see of course, but the travel through the tunnel only takes 20 minutes and the train travels up to 300 km / hour. Very fast, smooth and comfortable train travel.

Only had 2 days in London - I know what were we thinking! Thought for a moment that the British police were suddenly becoming interested in our travel itinerary, but it turned out that in fact our tourist wanders in London coincided with a visit from Barack Obama. Managed to catch a glimpse of 'the man' as he was getting out of the car at the House of Parliament! Big police presence!

So apart from that moment of excitement we also went to Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' at the Globe Theatre, which has been restored to the original design of the theatre in Shakespeare's time! Greatly enjoyed the performance - very simple stage and not so comfortable narrow wooden bench seats, but the acting was superb and the plot was, of course, very funny and very clever. Great fun!

Had a day trip to Kew Gardens and also Hampton Court Palace, where King Henry VIII kept court. Beautiful gardens, but a very wet and windy day made walking more difficult. A wet, cold, gloomy evening seemed the ideal moment for a Jack the Ripper walking tour in London city that evening - a not so pleasant recount of one of the earliest serial murderers but a fascinating look at life in London in the late 1800s. Now looking at 5'8 tall men with long, slender fingers, wearing a hat, carrying a parcel under their arm and standing under a gaslight in a dark alley with a great deal of suspicion!