Leaving London

We are going to be taking the Eurostar train via the Chunnel today for Paris.

Buying the tickets we had the nasty surprise of being asked GBP300 for them. Ahem. Maybe we should have flown!

Still, we got them along with a museum pass that ought to cover us for the time we are there, so that will be nice. We are off at 10:40 am local time - so about three-and-a-half hours from now. The trip only takes 2.5 hours.

Just to bring you up to date, we did a walking tour of the city on Monday, which wasn't too bad; saw the Life Guards trotting along, watched a couple of guys from the Royal Artillery mounting guard as two of the regular Guards Regiments are on foreign deployments.

Also passed some of Londons' "Gentlemans' Clubs" - a notion with a very different connotation in Australia. It was interesting to note that the sexist old Tory Club had to make Margaret Thatcher an honourary man so she could be a member.

Our tour Guide was the Queen Mums' medic (so he says) and imparted to us a secret we may never share, even if you ask nicely.

After this we went aboard the HMS Belfast, a WW2 "Big Gun" cruiser and had a good look around. I was very tempted by the Airfix ships in the museum shop and had to remind myself they can be bought in any hobby shop back home. Globalisation homogenises everything.

That evening we went out to Soho for a poke around and some diner. We watched a drug deal go down in frot of our pub - do they stage these for the tourists? - and I was offered a sexual service from a tout, but I informed the person that I was taken, sadly.

Yesterday was started with Westminster Abbey and the train booking heart-attack session at Eurostar. Spent a quiet evening last night reading in the pub and updating our travel diaries.

Washed all of our clothes in the bathroom sink - they are nearly dry now (2 days later!)