London and a Summary of What's to Come

Sorry to those of you who have been checking our page hoping to be entertained by our adventures - we promise to keep you updated going forward.

It seems fitting to begin our first post with a summary of what's to come, so here's the rough itinerary.  Note that most of these dates are flexible, so we'll be making changes as we go along, but the route should stay true to what's below.  Please let us know if you'd like to come meet us for any portion of the trip.  I can guarantee we'll be good travel companions - making all the arrangements, doing on the ground research, etc.  All you have to do is book your flights :)

London: Aug 19 - Sep 2
Croatia: Sep 2-12
France: Sep 12-27
Denmark: Sep 27-30
Germany: Sep 30 - Oct 11
Italy: Oct 11-28
Brussels: Oct 28-29
Kigali: Oct 29-Nov 4
Tanzania: Nov 4-9
Kenya: Nov 9-11
Nepal: Nov 12-28
Bhutan: Nov 28 - Dec 5
India: Dec 5-22
Thailand: Dec 22 - Jan 13
Cambodia: Jan 13-16
Myanmar: Jan 16-31
Vietnam: Feb 1-15
Japan: Feb 16-28
Singapore: Feb 28 - Mar 4
Indonesia: Mar 4-15
Australia: Mar 16-30
New Zealand: Mar 30 - Apr 21
French Polynesia : Apr 21 - May 4
Back in LA: May 7


On Thursday morning, we touched down in London town, which really is a nice way to ease into the trip.  Lindsay hadn't been to London before and is loving it.  It isn't possible to get better weather than what we've had here - it's been in the mid 70s and sunny every day.  I've been to London a bunch of time and always associate it with being overcast and a bit dreary, but when it's clear, it really is one of the most beautiful cities on earth.  It's even warm enough to sit outside at night, and everywhere you go around the city, people are literally spilling out of restaurants and bars into the streets with their pints in hand.  The parks here are also spectacular.

I ended up finding a good deal at the Apex Temple Court Hotel, which was a huge upside surprise in terms of value and quality.  It's a new four star hotel in central London (on Fleet Street - a short walk to all major attractions) and is less than US$150 per night, which is incredible for London.


On Thursday, we walked by the Tate and over the London Bridge while we waited for our room to be ready.  We got some great views of Tower Bridge as you can see in the photo below.

On London Bridge with Tower Bridge in background

We napped in the afternoon, got in a good workout, and went to dinner at a restaurant called the Grain Store in the Grainery just north of King's Cross.  The whole area north of King's Cross is in the process of being redeveloped and the Grainery is full of bars/restaurants with a cool multi-colored fountain outside.  It's a great place to enjoy some food and drinks outside on a warm night.

Because everyone needs a photo like this in London...

Enjoying a nice evening at the Grainery

On Friday, we slept off our jetlag and enjoyed a stroll and a lunch in St. James Park, then went for a long run in Hyde Park.

In St James Park with the London Eye in the background

My friend Padraig met up with us for dinner at Elliot's in Borough Market, which is a market by day and full of great bars and restaurants at night.  I met Padraig on the terrace at Space in Ibiza in 2001 - he was rattling off the name of every track that the DJ was playing.  He has since channeled that same energy into beer, so he took us to a great little craft brew bar called the Rake after dinner.  Craft beer has become very popular in London, and I was surprised to find many imported labels from micro-breweries in the States.  Padraig's taste buds have advanced well beyond your standard ales/lagers and he convinced me to try a sour lambic from Cantillon called the Rose de Gambrinus.  These sours are now collectibles and highly sought after.  They can be aged for 10s of years similar to wine.  Let's just say it's an acquired taste.

Dodgy label on the El Cantillon sour limbic

Beer tasting with Padraig at the Rake

A drink served with Oreo cookies ... Lindsay says, "YES, please!!"

Tomorrow, we'll resume our sightseeing with a tour of Buckingham Palace, Parliament and the Tower of London, followed by lunch with Kate.  We are also planning on attending a service at St Paul's, which is around the corner from our hotel.  Then we leave for Croatia on Monday.  More to come soon!