Land of Eternal Clouds...?

The train rolled on to London Waterloo as the clouded French skies saw me off. I like to think that the heavens were weeping for my departure. The posh train service from Paris to London is done up with a full meal service and everything, well, I guess they better have with the price they charge :p

I made random notes in my journal that day, notes on choices we make and places we go to. The paths that we follow and the lines that we draw for ourselves, or that we at least have been taught to draw for ourselves. I hate the linearity of it all. The hills and slopes and loops that the passing countryside and forest were a nice break from it all, as was my great Western Europe circle. The only thing that irked me were the patches of forest that were planned, with neat rows all running down the line, but I wonder what trees are planted like fields for...do they maybe sell them to cities to use?

The skies finally cleared in the oddest of places, as we drove under the tunnel that connects England and France, the skies opened up to a clear British heaven. I was shocked and surprised, and again I like to think that England was welcoming me to her shores, or subterranean pits in my case.

I found my relative at the station, and within all of 2-3 hours, we went on the London Eye, saw all the centrally located attractions, and had time for a coffee before setting off for dinner with more family.

London Chinatown is quite small actually, just one main street and two smaller ones that are nowhere near the crowded dirty Chinatown of New York. The food was real good there, actually, probably something that could vie with Vancouver for good Chinese outside of China. The streets of London are just as well for straggling around and exploring as any other old city in Europe. There is one important lesson for anyone going to London though, never convert pounds into dollars, just think of them as dollars when you're spending, otherwise you'll never enjoy yourself there.