When my flight descended into Chicago there was a perfect view of Lake Michigan and the city’s skyline. This was very welcome, as NYC had been misty, gray, and muggy when I departed. Chicago is a city I know well but haven’t visited in nearly a decade. Without business trips, I didn’t have either a […]

Most of today, our final day in London, was spent walking through two of the city’s glorious parks. To get there, we took a bus that dropped us off near Marble Arch on Oxford Street. Oxford Street, the main shopping street in London, was decorated with Union Jacks and was quite festive looking. We made […]

After breakfast this morning I sent Scott, Sherrie and Brianna off on their own. Scott was interested in visiting firehouses. I was interested in stretching my back and resting. When I had rested, I went out for a walk. I had no destination in mind. Turning left out of the hotel I found myself in […]

This morning began gray and drizzly. After breakfast Scott, Sherrie and Brianna headed to the Tower of London. I didn’t go with them because I knew my back wouldn’t be happy with the amount of standing. Instead, I took off for the Victoria and Albert Museum, my favorite museum in London. It’s a world-renowned museum, […]

When I bought the tickets for the London Eye, I held my breath and crossed my fingers in the hopes that we’d have a bright day. Luck was on our side, when we went on it, there were a few wispy clouds and a bright sky. Later, the clouds thickened, but we had perfect weather. […]

The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace occurs every morning at 11am. At this point, the ceremony has no real meaning, except as a tourist spectacular. And boy, does it ever draw crowds. We arrived around 10:30. I sent Scott, Sherrie and Brianna to see if they could find a spot where they might […]

One of the first things I do in any new city is to take a hop-on-hop-off bus. It’s a convenient way to get an overall feeling for the place and, if I pay attention and am lucky, to figure out the geography. I know London so well that the only time I go on the […]

Though every seat on the plane was filled, the flight from New York to London was a breeze. After the 14-hour nightmare returning from the Middle East, this was very civilized. On this journey, I’m traveling with my nephew Scott, his wife Sherrie and their 12-year old daughter Brianna. This is their first overseas adventure. […]

Short entry today. This morning I flew from Muscat, Oman to Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tomorrow morning I fly home. By the time i got off the plane, got through the airport and immigration, and to my hotel, it was afternoon. With a few hours to kill, I made my way to a local mall, home […]

Today involved even more driving than yesterday. I wasn’t the one doing the driving, but I’m still exhausted. For more than two hours we headed south through areas that became progressively less populated. We passed loads of small villages, each backing up to the mountains, with perhaps ten or twelve homes. Not only were there […]