Mom asked me to blog our trip as she is still trying to get back into the norm on her sleep/awake cycle. We left Portland on the 15th (Weds) and flew to Denver. Waited there 2 hrs and flew non-stop to London over the next 8-9 hours. Not a bad trip, just didn't sleep much as I watched the people in Business class recline those wonderful chairs and sleep the entire trip. Oh well.

We arrived about noon, London time, which was about 3 am the next morning, Portland time. Ugh. We took trains and the tube to our final destination. Little did we know that there are not always escalators or lifts in the subway (tube). We dragged our 50 lb bags up and down stairs with hundreds of people trying to get around us to get to the trains. One particular event was when I came down the last flight of stairs, there was the train ahead with the doors wide open. I made a dash for the train and looked back for Mom. She wasn't down to the bottom yet. I was going to jump out but, egads, out of the blue, this flash of khaki and pink made a flying leap, tossed her 50 lb sack like a lateral pass in football, into the doorway, catching the doors and sending out alarms throughout the train, made the four point landing across the threshold on her belly and slide into the center of the train car like she was making the final home run of the World Series......"SAFE".....and she won the game. She actually made it aboard and on we went. A little red in the face, but, by George, "I made it". And, by golly, because of her antics, a man and his two children made it aboard, too. They thanked her for her great efforts in their behalf.

So, off we went to our hotel near Marble Arch. Little did we know that we were nestled in the center of the Middle East of London. It was no problem for us, but the Army shirt I was wearing probably didn't make me a lot of friends. I know most of them were Taliban. I could tell by their looks. Isn't this fun. Mom and I are having a good laugh over this, so far. Are you?

Now, we're in our Marriott room (free for points) and then strike out for another venture around town, half asleep. After a visit to Winchester Cathedral, where we attended a choir program called Evensong, a evening service with a choir from Cambridge University...absolutely wonderful with the echoing of voices and organ in the cathedral nave. It was about an hour long but so well worth the trip. We just heard about it when a woman from an unrecognized country asked if we know when it started. We looked around and found the way in. Wonderful. We noted the graves of Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, and other famous individuals. We know that many kings are buried there but we were only there for the service and they wouldn't let us walk around. That is available at other times.

Then, down past St. James Park, over to Trafalgar Square, The Horse Parade Grounds near Churchill's War Rooms (will catch that on our return two days at the end of our stay per Mike's suggestion), viewed The Eye (didn't ride it), had dinner at Garfunkle's (fish and chips for me..great), then went back to our room to collapse about 9 pm. Woke up at 4 am and here we are. So, today, we take the train to Devon at 9 am and start the rest of the journey. We will not be taking the tube as we don't want the trouble with the stairs and Mom already won the Series for us as well as performing her wonderful humanitarian service to that family of three. Love you guys, Dad and Mom