London calling...second try...

We made it to the last leg of our journey - hoorah! Leigh-Anne and I landed at London Stansted last night, slightly delayed due to fog and turbulence in the air (ya, I was NOT impressed). Leigh-Anne's cousin Colin met us at the airport and drove us in to Bromley, where we are staying with Leigh-Anne's Aunt Vi and Uncle Arther. It has been great so far, and I know Leigh-Anne is ecstatic to see family she hasn't seen in years. They are delighted with her, so all is well.

Today we are in London. We are going to be on our way to Buckingham Palace shortly as we have an invitation from the Queen for tea...or maybe we have an invitation to stand outside and freeze while she has tea no where near us...whichever option works better for you. We also intend to see the Prime Minister's house, Big Ben, Picadilly Circus, and so on. We just came out of the Charing Cross tube station on to Trafalgar Square. Tomorrow we are going to Greenwich (home to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, English lit. fans) and to see the Mary Poppins musical! I can't wait - "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag...." That chick knew what she was talking about, too. You should see all the pigeons hanging around! We hope to get to Canterbury (yes, our very own pilgrimage...maybe I'll make up some stories along the way to add to Canterbury Tales. I'm sure Chaucer would love that. Better yet, maybe we'll meet Heath Ledger...you know, The Knight's Tale?) We are also hoping to get up to the Tower of London to see the crown jewels.

Berlin ended well. We saw Potsdamer Platz, where the Soviet, German, and American pieces of Berlin used to meet during the time of the wall. From 1961 to 1989, while the wall was standing, the area was desolate. No business would touch the place, as it was so controversial. Now the square is prospering, with the Sony Centre front and centre. We also saw the Pergamon Museum, with the famous Pergamon Altar. Leigh-Anne just about died, as she had studied the very same pieces of history in her Classics courses. The Museum was also home to a massive collection of Islamic art, which was incredible, as well as a major exhibit on Babylonian times. I was sad to leave Berlin behind, as I had been so moved by the city, but I intend to go back someday to see things in greater detail. I will also miss the incredibly well behaved dogs that don't have to be on leashes - Molly would have a heyday! Dogs just follow behind their owners, wait outside grocery stores, etc. They are better behaved then some children! I forgot to mention, too - Leigh-Anne and I starred in a German documentary about the Reichstag while we were in Germany...or maybe we were asked to be extras, but it was still very funny. A huge group of Canadians mixed in with the German navy pretending to go to the Reichstag. Oscar calibre, I'm telling you.

That's about all to say from London so far....more when we see the city in greater detail. Don't be too jealous...it's really cold today...but okay, be a little jealous. Especially because we're having AUTHENTIC fish and chips for dinner.

Cherrio, loves...

Katie and Leigh-Anne (on the lookout for Prince William!)