I Made It Across the Pond!

It was a long flight, and had a few tense moments in Chicago when the agents there couldn't find my reservation, but in the end it went off without a hitch.  I slept on the flight better this time, too, getting a whole 90 minutes or so on the way between continents.  Needless to say, was pretty tired when I finally got checked into my hotel today, but after an hour nap, got up and went exploring in jolly old London!  I've successfully used the Underground (subway) system, and managed to take in a few of the sights.  The Tower Bridge is as cool in person as it is on tv, and the atmosphere of the area around it is energetic and full of life.  Of course there were zillions of other tourists around taking pictures of the sights and of themselves, but it made for an entertaining afternoon.  I got back to the Paddington neighborhood where I'm staying, had fish & chips at a local hole in the wall joint, and skyped with Rhonda for a bit.  Now it's about 9:30 pm local time and I'm sipping on a little bottle of wine I picked up at the corner party store, and very soon I expect to be catching up on my sleep!  That's all for tonight folks, but I have a big day planned for tomorrow, so I better get my beauty sleep.