I took the Eurostar underground train from Paris to London. So easy – about a 2 1/2 hour ride, no airport hassle! The only glitch was that after I got my ticket and saw there was no line for security, I ran to the bathroom real quick. I came back 5 minutes later and got stuck behind a giant tour group of seniors, and ended up missing my train! The trains run almost every hour though, so I just got on the next one.

Couple of pics on the way from the train. I like that they tell you which way to look for traffic, because I forget.

Once I got to London I grabbed a taxi to my friend Joyce’s apartment in Camden, and visited with her room mate for a while until she got home. Joyce had come to meet me in Barcelona for the weekend earlier in my trip, so this is the second time I’m getting to see her since I left the US. I’m trying to plant the seeds for her to make a SE Asia trip, but I think I may be out of luck.

The next couple of days were pretty mellow. We went out for dinners, I went running, booked some flights, and did more trip research. Joyce lives near right near Regents Park which was perfect because I need to back in shape – quick!! The tour I signed up for in India is a bicycle tour around Delhi and Rajasthan. We average 70 kilometers a day, with some days up to 85-90 kilometers. Not being able to exercise in some places I’ve traveled to has been tough, and I’m not really appreciating the extra weight I’ve put on as a result. A bike tour seemed like the perfect solution! But I’ve probably ridden a bike less than 10 times in the last 18 years. I’ll let you know how that works out….

Friday I caught a train to visit my cousin Kelly in Leicester for the weekend. She and her husband had moved from the US in the winter, and just had a new baby in June. It was great to see them, and funny to hear about their adjustment to UK life. You’d think it wouldn’t be that different, but things you never think about like cell phone plans, laundry machines, coffee, power switches on electrical outlets – all different.

Another difference? We don’t have stores for these kinds of things in the US….

We had a nice long weekend visiting, and went to Foxton Locks to walk around. You can rent these house boats, and drive them around the canals and locks on your own.

That Tuesday I caught the train back to London. I had emailed my friend Michael that I met in South Africa, and we met up for dinner that night. Why can’t I ever remember to take pictures?!

The next day I met Joyce for coffee, walked around a little bit, and saw the outside of Buckingham Palace. Then the airport for my overnight flight to Delhi!