“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.”   — Chinese proverb   Two different people will be using our passports early in the morning. Tomorrow we fly home, but we are not the same people who boarded that Virgin Atlantic flight the first of June. Our passports declare…

  The London Underground is a fascinating place and an engineering marvel. Michael posted about the Underground a few weeks ago, but today we went on a walk with Harry from London Walks and he shared lots of information that we found interesting. For one thing, last year, over one billion people rode the London Underground.…

If the Girl Scouts bestow a badge for castles and palaces, I am confident that I can claim it after today. I think we’ve seen them all. When/if I get it, I will sew it on my sash right next to my camping badge. (Yes, I have the camping badge. Stop laughing!) I hope it…

  Yesterday we ventured out to the Royal Gardens at the Kew Palace. I know this sounds weird, but we never saw the palace. Palaces, as a rule, just get your attention because of their size. They are palatial. You never hear anyone say, “I looked everywhere, but just never could find the dang palace!”…

Most people probably do not realize that the Thames is tidal. I think you would have to travel about ten miles to find yourself in the English Channel from London via the river. People have lived along the banks of the Thames for probably more than two thousand years. It is very accessible and has…

The first day of July is a date that the people of Great Britain have etched permanently in their collective psyche. One hundred years ago today was the bloodiest day in British military history. Twenty thousand young British soldiers lost their lives on this day. Nineteen thousand perished within the first hour. It has been…