CN Tower
Niagara Falls
Golden Gate
Mt. Fuji
Great Wall
Grand Canyon
Hoover Dam
Pyramids
Petra
Colosseum
Leaning Tower
Parthenon
Stonehenge
Big Ben
The Chunnel
Eiffel Tower
Mt. St.Michel
Empire St Bld

Alaska glacier
Tokyo Tower
Forbidden City
Sum'r Palace
LaBufadora
Bilbao Museo
BlarneyStone
Disney Paris

London is Wonderland, the launch city for three Wonders: Big Ben, Stonehenge, and the Chunnel to Paris.

Big Ben It's the big clock near the Parliament buildings; but unfortunately; it's closed.

I also meet up with a few buddies in London.  My friends Chris, Christine and their son Adam, who had been receiving my email trip updates, decided they wanted to be in the pics and see the sites, so they fly over from New York to join me in London and then Paris.  I also meet up with a friend Arthur; who used to live in LA, and Julius from New Zealand.

London Eye
Unlike any US cities, London went all out for the Millennium, building the London Eye ferris wheel (cool), the Millennium Bridge (cool) and the Millennium Dome (dud).  The Eye is a huge ferris wheel, probably the tallest in the world, with great views of the city, so we head over to check it out.

Millennium Bridge
This was the first bridge to be built in London in a few decades, I think.  The futuristic bridge contrasts nicely with the older London architecture, and links St: Paul's Cathedral to the modern Tate Museum.

Notice how the futuristic Millenium Bridge contrasts and complements the older architecture; just as the three ducks (I lured with toffee cake crumbs into the photo) organically contrast and complement the man-made boat.  OK, maybe I've been in museums too long

Tate Museum
On the other side of the Mill. Bridge; the new Tate Museum features modern art.  I catch the temporary Picasso and Matisse exhibit, which shows how Picasso and Matisse influenced and admired each other's work;  It's uncanny seeing Picasso's painting of a "woman with a handkerchief " right next to Matisse's "woman with a handkerchief."  Same subject, different styles (cubist v colorful).

We meet Christine's high school friend and his wife n baby for dinner.

Day Trips
London's a great springboard for seeing England's sights.  I sign up to take a day-trip to one of the most famous Wonders, Stonehenge and the Roman ruin city of Bath, where I almost take a bath...

Language
After a few months of not being able to read signs or newspapers, it's nice to be able to read everything in London, and even the -our and -re endings don't bug me like they usually do.  However, after some lady at the airport says, 'blah blah blah, isn't it?' so condescendingly to me, I despise the phrase.  Either ask a question or don't.  I start counting all the times I hear 'isn't it' - I even catch a news reporter saying it 3 times in a 2 minute inteview.

Chunnel The Chunnel is an Engineering Wonder of the World, zipping at 180
	mph from London to Paris in 3 hours.  It's a lot calmer and less hectic than flying.  The ride is like any other train ride.  Unfortunately, even going in the underwater tunnel seems like any other tunnel.  No bells or whistles go off, which I kinda wish they had.

It's fun zipping along the Chunnel nonetheless, to have our next adventures in Paris. 

St Paul's Cathedral

Chris, Christine and Adam with Big Ben and the London Eye in the background.

Kev oustide the British Museum, packed with artifacts galore.

London Eye

My friend Arthur has a cool red chair.

Line is too long at Westminster Abbey, so we ditch it.

I meet my friend Julius and his girlfriend Claire at Wagamama's for dinner. 

London Bridge