Cheers from London!

Greetings from London!!  We are now in our second country, and have started the third week of our "trip of a lifetime".  We're having a great time, and have obtained a good taste of Irish and British culture and attractions.  It continues to be cold and rainy, but we are making the best of the weather and seeing all there is to see.

We finished off our time in Ireland with a trip to Connemara, Galway and the Cliffs of Moher.  We gave fly fishing a try, though we had more success in an Irish "Pitch and Putt" golf game.

We arrived in London on Wednesday, and will be here through this Thursday.  Its been nice to settle into one place for a week, giving us a chance to recoup, do laundry, and even make a few homecooked meals.  

We visited Stonehenge to enjoy the summer solstice.  It was a unique experience, where people from all over the world gather to watch the sunrise in the ancient landmark.    

We next went to Bath to see the ancient Roman bath houses.  These were built in the 12th century, and get heated water from an underground Aquifer flowing through the bathhouse - the term "aquifer" was never used on the tour, this is Gretchen's highly scientific interpretation. :)  

We have viewed several ancient buildings, previously Dromoland, Blarney, Bunratty and Ashford Castles, and more recently Warwick Castle and the Blenheim Palace.  It's been interesting to see how differently they have been maintained.  Some are turned into restaurants and hotels, some are preserved in their original form, and some have been turned into kiddie attractions.

We took a trip out to Statford Upon Avon yesterday to see Shakespeare's birthplace.  They have built up the whole town based on his plays.  There are boats you can rent with the names of different characters, you can tour his home, and many of the local restaurants have a Shakespeare theme.  It was neat to see, and interesting to remember how much of an affect Shakespeare had on so many other authors and people from around the world.

Thats all for now!  Thank you for following our trip, we miss you, and hope you are having a wonderful summer!!  Cheers!