Went to a nearby Starbucks for a light breakfast and tried, ultimately unsuccessfully, to get free WiFi there -- rather frustrating. Then we headed to the Tourist Info office near Piccadilly Circus to a get a London Pass, which gets you into a bunch of places cheaper than if you pay individual admissions. It was still closed when we got there and when it finally opened at 9:30 we had to stand in line for about 20 min., trying our patience. Finally got our passes ...

We got up early and walked a few blocks to the Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar to London. Took over half an hour to go through various lines including the French Border Police, UK Customs preclearance and security. The train ride itself, including about 20 minutes in the chunnel, was quite pleasant. 2 1/4 hrs later we arrived in London and found our way to our accommodations via the Underground. Our rooms weren't ready yet, so we went for a nice brunch at a ne...

We said goodbye to Waldemar, our wonderful host for the past three days, and left for Paris at about 6:15 am. We needed to drop the car in Paris by 3:00 pm, so we didn't have to pay for an extra day. The GPS told me that Monschau was only about 12 minutes out of our way, so we made a half way break there. When we visited Germany in 1986 we thought Monschau was the prettiest little German town we saw on that trip, so it was nice to revisit it. It was still pretty ...

The original plan called for us to head back to France today, to visit the Vimy Ridge WW1 memorial. However Jim suggested we spend an extra day in Bielefeld instead and I concurred. We've been on the go for 3 1/2 weeks now, with a lot of driving since the cruise, so we were ready for a bit of down time. In the morning Waldemar (see pic with Jim) took us to visit Bad Salzuflen, a nearby town with natural hot water springs. It's a Kurort (spa town) where a lot of e...

This was the day Jim and I had planned to split up so he could visit with his relatives and I could visit mine. So after a wonderful breakfast spread put on by Waldemar (including champagne!) I headed back to Wuppertal, about an hour and half drive. Arrived just in time for a meat, potatoes and gravy dinner at Erwin and Christa's. Cousins Gertrude and Harry, as well as Elizabeth, were already there. Had a great visit with Harry (see pic) who I have very fond memo...