Chunneling...and more

We took the train from Paris to London...the one that goes under the English channel. The Chunnel. We were only underground/water for a very short while. It was a good experience. Maybe a little anti-climactic. I enjoyed my first real train ride! The French countryside was in view for most of the trip, and it was beautiful. It reminds me of an extremely well-manicured version of Tennessee.

Sunday after church, during which ironically all the speakers in Sacrament Meeting were American, we went on an outing to Cambridge.

Now, I always thought Cambridge was one school, but that is not the case. It is the location of 15 Independent colleges. All very old and all prestigious. Remember chariots of fire? He was at Cambridge.
We went punting on the river Cam that runs through Cambridge. That was a fun new experience, but I am not good at punting. Greg became a master at it by the time we were done.

Monday Jeanette took us to Warwick Castle. It's history dates back to the 11th century. I liked it a lot. I have never been anywhere with so much history. Warwick town was lovely, too. We went to a tea house and had afternoon tea (herbal, or course). I figure that is an English experience worth having. I loved it!

After getting home from Warwick, we needed to do a long run (training for Ragnar here people) so we went on the trails through Epping forest. Although I have no research to back this up, I like to imagine that Epping forest is a lot like Sherwood forest of Robin Hood's time. The trees are thick overhead and the underbrush is dense. Great places for outlaws to hide from the Sheriff of Nottingham. Loved the forest. Wish I had my own at home.

Yesterday we toured the Tower of London. Turns out, it isn't a tower. I was looking for a really tall building when we stepped off the tube (that's what they call the subway in London) and saw a castle-like fort instead. It dates back to 11th century AD. We enjoyed our tour of the castle, although I understand we should have done the guided tour to get the best experience.

After the tower, we went to lunch at an English pub and Greg required that I order fish and chips. It was yum-o. The best was the sticky toffee dessert Greg ordered.
We wandered around London for the rest of the day, seeing Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, walking along the River Thames, saw the London Bridge (was very disappointed. Why is there a song about that boring bridge falling down? It looks like every other bridge in the modern world), and saw Trafalgar Square.

Our feet were tired, so we wandered back home and did laundry.

We have been getting spoiled by Jeanette's hospitality. She is such a great cook. She made Creme Brûlée for us the first night here. Probably the best I've ever had. She has also driven us all over and been our consultant for all things London. Same with Richard. They have been awesome.

Location:London, England