Last dat in London Arranged a flight from Edinburgh to Cork for the 19th and then Melissa and I set out on the tube to Harrod's. WOW. After months of repeating my shopping mantra, "I have everything I need...I have everything I need." and only taking what I can carry on my back, I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of this store and especially the prices. The opera singers, Egyptian theme, and grandeur were a sight to see! Next we tubed to St. Paul's...

Tea and the Castle Took the train today with Melissa from Richmond station to Windsor Eton Riverside Station to begin the day with a tour of the Windsor Castle! We took a guided tour of the grounds, gardens, portcullis, murder holes, and then headed inside the castle! Unfortunately no photos inside. Queen Mary's insanely detailed doll house 1:12 ratio of the real palace with working electricity, chandeliers, vacuum cleaners, cars, crown jewels and more! ...

Maintenance Day 8am Cup of tea, load of laundry, nap, 11am blog, chat with Kelly, bike ride to grocery store (I LOVE going to grocery stores in other countries and comparing!), bike to tea at Orange Pekoe! Yummy sandwich, cake and tea! Bike back unload groceries, work on a job search and certification in Texas. Caught up on email, FB, blog, planned a trip to Windsor Castle tomorrow and bedtime. Whew! Lessons learned: If the Royal Standard Flag is flying ...

Changing of the Guard + + + Up by 8am to get ready for a busy day beginning with a trip to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. There was so much fanfare; including a band playing, yelling of orders, lots of stomping and marching about. So interesting to see and hear. Stepped over to the Queen Victoria Memorial and walked down through St James's Park to the bridge and on to St. Margaret's Church and Westminster Abbey! I snuck a few photos o...

Landed in London Took the train to Shiphol Airport in Amsterdam and made it in time for my easyjet flight to London. I love the open seating boarding and how exciting it feels to walk on the tarmac and climb the stairs up to the plane. Took the bus from Luten London Airport to Victoria and the tube from there to Richmond where I met my friend Melissa! She and I walked from there to her gorgeous flat in Twickenham and relaxed a bit before heading out to Pit...