Hallo!

Here we are in Londontown, sitting in the lobby of the Royal Bayswater Hostel on Bayswater Rd., looking out onto leafy-green Hyde Park. Having just spent two and half hours on the top deck of a big, red bus, we figured now would be a good time to enjoy some AC and bring you up to speed...

On the way to Houston, the Kamperman family paid a lovely little tribute to the late, great King of Pop; we sang all the hits and every one of your old favorites, a capella, sans accompaniment.
And so, ears ringing and hair standing on end, Katie and I boarded flight BA 106 for Heathrow Airport, London, UK, where our still-tender ears were soothed by the sound of many, many British accents. The flight itself was very smooth and rather uneventful, other than the fact that our tickets got upgraded from coach to business class. Katie in particular was thrilled by the coat hooks, night masks, and a little English boy named Benny sitting directly to her left (who, incidentally, stole her blanket and gave her a good mid-flight ribbing in a fatigue-induced fit of passion).

Upon arrival in London, we took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, and from there we strolled through the sun-drenchedstreets towards our hostel, Smart Hyde Park View. This place was smallish; the lobby was full of facial hair and Polish schoolchildren, and the room (which was, of course, in the basement) was perhaps a cupboard in another life. Charming, none the less!

After checking in, we rode the tubes to Wimbledon, where we bought GA tickets and sat on Henman Hill w/ the local yuppies to watch our fellow American Andy Roddick squeak past Aussie Lletyon Hewitt after five total sets. Whew!

From there, we trotted over to Westminster to see the soaring, faux-Gothic facade of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament up close. After munching on some traditional English fare (steak and kidney pie...mmm) in a cozy, wood-panelled dining room, we crossed the bridge and hopped on the London Eye to see the sun set over the sky line. Finally, after snapping a few more photos, we headed home to cozy up w/ four strangers (albeit friendly ones) in an 8'x8' space that couldn't have been intended to lodge anything more than cleaning supplies.

And so here we are, getting ready to pass through the deep dark of the Chunnel into the City of Lights. London was great, and we WILL be back. Until next time!

Cheers,

Sean and Katie