Back in London

Hello friends,

I made it back to London safe and sound. The eight hour bus ride was a real treat, got a little delayed due to the fact that it is a holiday weekend. Yesterday marked the start of the celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, sixty years on the throne. Not only were the roads full, but the Tube too once we made it to London.

But never fear, our group luckily stayed calm and made our way to familiar Earls Court. Arriving at our hotel (different than the one we stayed in the first time), Courtney and I took off for some last minute items. A quite successful trip. We nabbed dinner along the way at a popular chain called Costa and then headed back to the hotel.

A celebration for the Queen was going on at the park across the street from our hotel, complete with jazz music. It was no surprise to find Mike sitting out the hotel, tea in hand, enjoying his final night in London. Courtney and I returned, repacked our suitcases and showered. While waiting for Katie, our third roommate, to return from exploring London with Colin, we watched Notting Hill on the TV. For both of us, it was weird to have time to just watch TV! The movie was pretty good and I think I'll have to watch all of it when I get back. Katie returned and we all went to bed.

Now, it's about 6:15 AM here and I'm up and almost packed. The group will grab breakfast and then take off for the airport at 8 AM. A one thousand boat parade will be happening on the River Thames today, another event to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. Apparently, it's the biggest event the Thames has seen in CENTURIES. Hopefully that means that everyone will be watching it and not be in the airport.