London...and Beyond

HOT SUMMER DAYS IN STREATHAM

I'm still in London, finishing up my packing and paperwork to continue on to the next leg of my journey! Been here about a week now, living with two adorable English girls, chilling at Bernie's house in Streatham Common. It's been a pretty relaxing week and considering the craziness of the last couple of months I think it was much needed R & R. I've tried to update my blog as much as possible, mostly just uploading photos, doing laundry and COOKING! Oh, how I miss preparing proper meals, which never happens on the road. I've been on a spinach and feta cheese kick, drinking proper English tea and have even managed to keep my beer intake to about 2 a day. (I know!) Mostly, because of the depressing fact that whenever I go to the ATM to withdraw cash, it gets doubled. I took out £50 the other day and my back docked me $96 US. Nice. So, I just putter around the yard, chat to the girls and watch telly. I did manage to find £40 that I had tucked away in my drawer here so that was fun, as I could actually go to the store and buy some food and a four-pack of Carlsberg for about £2.50. BRILLIANT! I have enough to kip up to the Pied Bull for a couple of pints, which has to be done to celebrate my impending departure. This time, I won't return, (knock wood, fingers-crossed) until around November.

THE GIRLS

I'm staying with Vicki and Charlotte, both just out of UNI and in their early 20's. Char works for Merril Lynch here in London and Vicks has just taken a job with a tech recruitment firm...she starts on Monday so we have been hanging out round the back garden chatting about life, ex-boyfriends (sniff sniff) and various beauty regimes. They are anxious to get started on thier careers...whilst I...the elder, am happy NOT to be working and find it highly overrated. Alas, I suppose I will have to return to it one day, but I can't bear the thought of it right now. CURSES!

CANTEBURY

On Monday, Vicki and I took a train to Cantebury with her ex Phil, the tri-athlete, and walked along a beautiful English country road before ducking into Phil's dad's pub for a pint. This is where we met 2 of Phil's 5 brothers, Alex the moody chef and Joe, the flirty 18-year old who is off to New Zealand to conquer as many Kiwi girls as he can in one year. Sounds a little blah, but I have never been out of London except to watch the countryside roll by on a train to Edinburgh. We then strolled through Cantebury, a lovely medeival town with cobblestone streets and the famous Cathedral where the Archbishop of England keeps his post. This is also the town upon which Chaucer wrote his famous "Tales." On the way home, the train was stalled due to an "unfortunate incident" involving the police and a person at the front of the train. So very English...apparently, someone tried to jump. Yikes.

The rest of the week I sat in the back talking to Char about life...Vick's about life, Char, Vicks, Vicks, Char. We can't seem to get together the three of us, but we did have a girls night out last Friday, which is why I have been sequestered at Chez Murphy, as I blew my whole week's budget on dinner, drinks, clubbing and a cab ride home.

OFF AGAIN...

Tomorrow I leave for Paris first thing out of Victoria Station in central London. We take the Busabout Bus to Dover, cross the channel and then head into Paris to arrive around 5 p.m. local time. I decided that I would change my tactics a little bit this time...I'm staying in a different hotel, I'm getting out of the Monmartre neighborhood and NO TANGO LESSONS AT THE SACRE COEUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm only there for 2 nights anyway, so I am going to lay low, drink some red wine, eat some cheese and get the hell outta there!

From there I head to the Swiss Alps, first to a sleepy college town called Bern and then onto Lauterbrunnen, which is alleged to be one of the extreme sports capitals of the world. I am staying at a place called "Camping Jungfrau" right near the Trummelbach Falls, which is stunning this time of year. After that, I head to Nice for 5 days, then to Avignon, in the South of France. Next, I go to Spain for about two weeks, splitting my time between Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and San Sebastian. From there I spend four days in the wine regions, including Bordeaux and the Loir Valley and after that one more night in Gay Paree. I will then fly to Ireland, where I will spend a couple of night in Dublin before heading off to Kinvara, County Galway, where I will spend my 40th birthday weekend with Bernie, his family and UltanJohn, as they are playing a 3-day event called "Electric Fest." I can't think of a better way to spend it, he is just like family to me and if I can't be at home with friends and family, this is another home with friends and family. After that, I will visit Belfast and the North, before heading off to Munich, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, back to finish up Italy and then WHO KNOWS????? Maybe a bit more Southern Germany, maybe Budapest, London or back to Prague. Can't say, I have so many rivers to cross until then, anything can happen and I hope it does.

I'm not sure how the internet will be on this next leg, but I will try to post as much as I can. I finally figured out how to post multiple photos, but still can't upload. Maybe I will have luck in Ireland. Now, there's a thought!

Must spend the rest of the day grooming, packing, mud masking, hair conditioning and e-mailing. Will have a nice dinner tonight with Vicks (Char is out on the town) and then bed early for the ungodly call-time of 6 a.m. Tomorrow is a long travel day, so I have to juice up the I-Pod and prepare to grin and bear the ferry, bus ride and annoying service stops that will permeate the day. If you get a chance, please e-mail! I'll need the company for sure. LATERS!