Lots has happened since my last update. Most notably, my travel companions' computer bit the dust so blog updates now have to be done via iPhone. Luckily I have 1 1/2 hours each day of commute time to and from our lodging outside London (in Leatherhead) to the city center to do some typing.
Since my last update, lots has happened. Iceland was awesome. If ever there was a place invented as "man-land" Iceland would be it. The terrain is rugged to say the least. If gravity didn't exist there, one would feel like you're on the moon. The combination of lava rocks and moss would even confuse the Apollo astronauts into thinking they were in orbit. A sample of some of the things I did were; hiked up a glacier, went off-roading in a Toyota Yaris (shh...don't tell Hertz), walked on black sand beaches, ate a hamburger with an over hard egg on top, swam in hot springs (after a 3 kilometer hike), waterfalls, waterfalls, and more waterfalls, plus so much more. If you're into nature, Iceland is a must for your itinerary.
Hanging out at the base of Eyjafjallajokull volcano
On September 22nd, we left Keflavik, Iceland and arrived at London's Heathrow airport. Years ago, I learned a valuable lesson in Mexico...don't screw around with border guards. As I deplaned, I got all my documentation together to enter England. I stepped up to the counter and that's when the interrogation began. You see, when you enter a country as a visitor, governments want to know that you will leave at some point. The problem with my open ended schedule is that I do not have any documents showing how and when I will be leaving the UK. The immigration officer fired off question after question at me trying to figure out what I was doing. Apparently quitting a well paying job to travel the world is a foreign (pun intended) concept to these people. After a heavy dose of Cobb charm, the immigration lady finally stamped my passport (albeit angrily) and let me into the UK. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous for a few minutes that my trip was over before it began!
Life in London has been great so far. The people are much friendlier then what I thought they would be and the girls are way better looking than the one's in Iceland. I really like it here which is odd because I really don't like big cities that much. I think conquering the vast train, bus, and underground (aka subway) system has helped. I've accomplished a lot in the last few days, but my favorites so far have been the Tate Modern Museum and the Imperial War Museum.
The Tate Modern is a converted power plant. The museum has works by Jackson Pollock (a personal favorite), Picasso, Warhol and more. Claude Monet's Waterlillies is also located there. There was also a large amount of "crap" there, but I suppose that's what you get at a museum with the word modern in it. There was also a lot of kid friendly interactive stuff at the museum which was hilarious to me, because I can't imagine any sane parent subjecting their child to Jackson Pollock.
Monet's Waterlillies
The Imperial War Museum is my favorite part of the trip so far. I spent roughly 6 hours there going through the exhibits. The museum effectively documents every war the UK, and transversely the US sans the Falklands war and a few others, has been involved in since World War I. Words cannot describe the level of detail involved. The centerpiece of the museum is the holocaust exhibit. I've been to several holocaust museums/exhibits and by and large I don't like them. The atrocities that occurred in places like Auschwitz make my stomach turn. The Imperial War Museum had the largest holocaust exhibit I've seen by far and if you're ever in London and want to know more, it's worth the price of admission (free).
Imperial War Museum
I have 2 more days in London before heading to Munich for Oktoberfest. All in all, the trip has been awesome so far. I wish I could post some more pictures but without a computer, it's not possible, so until we meet again, mind the gap!
Cheers!
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