Day 4 From London

Highlights: The joys of getting older, Canterbury, Fish and Chips, Shopping

As much fun as Eric and I have on our adventures, we do "feel" the effects of trying to fit in 7+ miles worth of sight seeing every day. Today I woke up and could barely bend my legs. I felt like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy gives him his oil can. What's worse, is sitting on a train for two hours and then trying to get those miles of sight seeing in. But, despite the aches and pains, we had another great day.

Again, we are amazed by the beautiful weather- the clear, sunny skies, and mild temperature. Today was a little bit more brisk, but still a gorgeous day. Today was what we call "an alarm clock day." I was up at 6:30 so that we could make our 8 a.m. train. That was a bit of a challenge since we didn't get back to our hotel until late last night, but we were excited for our trip to Canterbury. So after a few groans, we were up and ready to go.

The train ride took us through a different part of England, where we saw some sketchy neighborhoods, as well as beautiful countryside. Today we saw lots and lots of sheep on those hillsides. We enjoyed the ride.

Canterbury was really cool! Especially the joy on Eric's face as memories came flooding back to him. He had visited Canterbury when he was about 8 years old on a school field trip. Many things were the same, but many more were different. We spent a few hours at the cathedral, which was immense, amazing, incredible beyond words. There were several school groups there - they weren't so amazing. But it's funny to see that kids and teachers are the same no matter where you go. One teacher was yelling at this boy in French, so I couldn't understand what she was saying, but I knew what she was thinking/feeling. As soon as she turned around, the boy started laughing and ran off to play with his friends. Oh they never listen, do they? :)

We enjoyed exploring castle ruins and wandering through gardens and shops, and at the end of our afternoon we took a little boat tour on the river that surrounds the town. That was a lot of fun and a great way to end our time in Canterbury. Dad will be happy to know that we ate fish and chips for lunch, and they were very good - definitely better than in the U.S. I think it's because the fish is very fresh and the batter is really good and crispy.

We were tired when we got back - although we were able to see the London skyline at night from the train. Big Ben was amazing, all lit up, as was the Eye, and the park in that area. We loved it and decided that's that's where we are going to hang out on our last evening. For tonight, we returned to our room, put on warmer clothes, went to dinner at the restaurant we ate at on our first night, and then went to my favorite grocery store. I don't know what it is, but I love shopping in foreign grocery stores! I think it's the best way to find fresh, unique products at reasonable prices to bring back as souveniers. :)

I'll stop now so I can upload some pictures - which you will see before you read this. Hope everyone is doing great!