A quick pop over to London

Michael in Kensington Gardens
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Our first stop on our Round the World ticket was a quick one to London.  Partially for us to see the sites but also to give our friends Melyssa, Ahmed, and little Mako a night or two alone to recover from their latest visitor's, baby Mako's grandmother and friend.

We arrived to London early in the morning from the transatlantic flight and found our cheap little hotel, in a little Russia area near Paddington station. We dropped off our bags and headed over to Notting Hill for a stroll, and the off chance we might spot Madonna.  Though we didn't see the pop Queen, we did notice lots of Mommies-to-be walking around.  It seems Spring is also baby season.  We spent the afternoon crashed out (jet lag) and then headed to Picadilly Circus and wandered around looking for a dinner spot.  We found a cheap (relatively) little Japanese spot that was great - filled with Japanese patrons and the waiter barely spoke English.

Swans on the pond
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The next day we went for a long walk through Kensington Gardens, it was cool and misty.  A lovely spring day!  We made our way down to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, taking in some of the sites.  Unfortunately neither of us was willing to shell out the 10 pounds to enter Westminster Abbey.  Guess we'll have to wait to see Newton's tomb another day.  Instead we decided to pay a visit to Mr. Blair at #10 Downing Street.  Alas we were not invited in for tea.

The Mountfords in Picadilly Circus
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We then made our way to the British Museum to check out the Egyptian antiquities.  Erin was still recovering from jet lag and decided to take a nap in the main atrium.  Luckily she wasn't asked to leave.  That evening we decided to get in the mood for some of our future destinations and ate at a nice Moroccan restaurant.

The next day we strolled around Bond street and did some window shopping, and browsed through Selfridges, before we had to catch our train to Bristol.  Check out the sushi carousel!