Well the incredible journey has begun and we are sprinting to stay on board– sometimes quite literally (and with our packs on). Given the short amount of time in London, we were actually able to take in many of the sites. We spent the first day checking out Green Park which conveniently lead us straight to Buckingham Palace. We finished off day one with a glass of wine and a nice meal at a crowded pub. It’s funny to realize how difficult it can be to understand another person even when they are speaking the same language– I think the locals could tell we were ‘just visiting’. We think it was the flip-flops we were wearing that tipped them off…but then again London is home to Sherlock Holmes.

Day two brought much adventure which included but was not limited to: blowing up a hairdryer and enraging a suite-mate, a stroll through Hyde Park (all of it), a photo shoot at London Bridge, discovery of Little Venice and of course misplacing an entire wallet with all the personal effects that could be sandwiched in there. Yes it was certainly a day to remember. Thankfully upon waking the next day a sweet angel named Rosa had contacted Annie’s Mom, who then contacted her– and we were saved. Let us say for the record we are uncertain of how helpful the US Embassy would have been, and had it not been for this woman’s kindness we might still be in London now.

Which brings us to day three three and four where we discovered just how comfortable a ten hour bus ride across the Channel could be. In efforts to be frugal we decided to take an overnight bus which provided transport to the motherland and a place to sleep for the night. We got to experience millions of middle schoolers on a school trip while we stretched our legs on the showboat ferry. We met a sweet young chap from Canada who kept us in conversation on the long journey. We arrived in Brussels this morning at 6:30 and had no money nor any way to get to our hotel. We waited several long hours on the hope of the Western Union opening so we could convert the cash we had to euros. We were preparing to make an incredible hike across the city center when those beautiful neon lights flicked on. We bought a ticket from a boisterous frenchman (only to find out that the transit system does not really require a ticket because they don’t have a system to check them).

Our hotel has been heavenly and we have taken the cold, rainy day to recover some lost sleep and then enjoy a double croque-monsieur ( because that is all the food they had) at a pub with a pint of MAE. Tomorrow brings the adventure of Amsterdam. We look forward to sharing more soon.