London

I want to get an early start but I end up sleeping until 8:15. I feel better though. I try to grab some breakfast in the Sheraton restaurant but after twenty minutes I am starting to wonder if I will ever eat. The place isn't full, and most of the people I see are eating from the over-priced buffet.

After a half-hour my french toast still has not arrived. I get ready to leave but then it arrives. It is mediocre. Not worth the wait. But at least it is hot.

The manager comps my meal.

I am excited to explore London for the first time. My plan is to first hit the Tower of London. I walk five minutes to the bus stop, where I ride another five minutes to the central bus depot at Heathrow's Terminal 3. From there, I take the tube on the Piccadilly Line, transferring to the line that eventually deposits me smack in front of the Tower.

It is already 11 am. Damn.

The Tower of London is an impressive sight. Less a tower than a fortress, it is a marvel of defensive military architecture. I snap some photos of the Traitor's Gate, the place were Anne Boleyn was beheaded, and the tower where Sir Thomas Moore spent his final days. King Henry VIII's weapons and the crown jewels are also on display.

Great stuff that was worth the wait.

I take the Tube over to the British Museum, stopping for some fish and chips along the way, just on principal :) The British Museum is big, although not nearly as big as the Louvre. Coolest exhibit: the Rosetta Stone.

The next couple of hours I explore the shopping district: Leicester Circle, Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. Lots of people. Lots of shops. Very much -- maybe too much -- like Manhattan.

Okay I am way past finishing up this post so I am going to rush through the remainder of this day...

Saw Parliament. Very cool. Tried to go by 10 Downing but it is blocked off. Walked over to Buckingham Palace. Took some pics. Tube back to Heathrow Terminal 3. Bus to Sheraton.

I am too tired to go out to the Ministry of Sound show, so I eat dinner at hotel bar and blog about my week. Tomorrow (Saturday) I depart for the States.

What a great week!