London, England

In the movie "Fail-Safe," an American and Soviet general are talking on the phone. They are talking about London, where they were both stationed during World War II. The American general asks his counterpart if he liked London.

"Very much," the Soviet replies. "The great cities are those where one can walk; I would walk all the time in London. Wherever you turn, there's history."

He got it right. That's London - New York's economic vitality mixed with Washington's history and government structures. It's tough not to bump into something familiar while visiting. Go to one area, and it is the inspiration for some of Charles Dickens' novels. Go somewhere else, and it's where Jack the Ripper hung out. And walk down Whitehall, and see a string of buildings that are familiar to even American tourists. A turn of the head is all that's needed to go from Big Ben to Westminster Abbey. The list goes on and on.

In our first visit to London, we only had a couple of hours for a bus tour of the area. It was quickly obvious that much, much more time was needed to examine this city. There are so many options for entertainment, so many options of interest. So we went back, about 10 years later, and filled in the gaps. We didn't come close to seeing everything - that might take a lifetime - but we now understand more about what the fuss is about. 

A note about this blog: Stories from our first visit to London have been updated when needed, since we had the chance to look around and take better photos this time. The best way to find a list with all the entries is to search for "London."