Today we had to sadly leave Paris for our next destination, London. It was very sad to leave Paris since we loved it so much – what a great city.

Our landlord came to meet us at 11am and before that we made sure everything was spic and span and we also visited the neighborhood market really quickly to get some last souvenirs. We made it the Eurostar station with plenty of time to spare and got some lunch while we waited to board. It was our last taste of a French baguette and croissant – so sad.

If the front of the train was cut off, I’m sure we’d look like this. 🙂

Once on board we quickly departed and began our FAST train trip towards London. You can see from the picture how fast the Eurostar really went.

We made it to London in about 2 and half hours which sounds like a long time, but avoiding the hassle of going to the airport and arriving right in London was worth the time and money. Not to mention the people-watching was even better than in the airport – all sorts of people on there, including a woman with possibly the worst teeth you have ever seen (oh, the lovely English). I (tsana here) was even excited about visiting the food car as I imagined men in wing-tipped shoes and fedoras smoking cigars and slicing up pie, but was underwhelmed when the only options were coke and vienna cookies – and the only person in there was a bleached-blond divorcee trying to pick up the cashier.

We finally made to our hotel which is right in Trafalgar square, an amazing and central location. Hotwire is the shiznit for getting us such a great deal in a great location.

We got settled and the had to make it out for our late night bike tour of London. Before departing, we stopped for a coffee and realized that YES! Someplace in the EU has ice in its drinks! (Paris had no ice anywhere to be seen – you don’t realize how much you miss it until you are drinking luke-warm juice on a warm day.) After this, we left for the tour, which was unfortunately in a pretty out-of-place part of town. On our way, we saw this random sign which confused me considering I wouldn’t think you’d want tourists (in a high-tourist area) knowing you found a body in the water – but whatever. I guess the British are more blunt here – right?

An advertisement looking for information on a dead body found in the Thames river- whoever the police’s PR person is - promote them!

We decided to take the bus and realized quite fast the difference between the US and London – exemplified by this pic of people drinking in the streets…

Drinking-London style!

We loved the Paris tour so much we had to take a tour here. It was a little bit different but definitely worth it.

We were the only ones on the tour and the tour was led by a man and his sister (which I thought was his girlfriend the entire time). We basically stayed along the Thames and saw all the famous London landmarks. We saw the Tower bridge, which I thought was the London bridge, and then we saw the real London bridge. We saw the Globe theatre, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and a few other hidden areas. On the way back we took a river boat and then eventually ended up at a local London Pub for a beer which was really nice. The conversation revolved around differences in Boston and London as well as the ridiculous-ness of the I-PAD that the tour guide wanted immensely (it just came out over here). The worst part of the tour was that it was mostly riding over cobblestones, which needless to say are no good for your bike – or your bum. Either way, it was a great way to see the city and meet some real London-ers. Highly recommended. Well off to bed! Have a great night!