- Samuel Johnson (poet and writer 1709 - 1784)
We left Istanbul with one eye on our final destination, Vancouver, and the other on our next short stop - London. We were hoping to meet our good friends Matt, Cora and little Frank but sadly they were out of town but kindly let us use their house.
Upon arrival we made our way out to their area of town and bumbled our way out of the tube at 11pm that evening. Emerging out onto the streets of London we were first hit by the cool northern air and then by the sudden re-entry into "western culture". Within steps of the station, with backpacks on, we bumped into a group of three exiting the local pub. Being fairly inebriated one of them quickly watered down the wall of a nearby building while the other two started to get to know each other a little better. Classy.
Following Matt's directions we made to their friends place, received a map and keys and marched on to their new home. Their home is located in a very attractive, leafy area of the city and the home itself is complete with garden and large yard. We were tempted to extend our stay as squatters in the backyard but wisely decided against it.
(Iconic symbols of London)
(London from the eye - did Joel sniff glue?)Both of us were excited to be here as Joel had enjoyed London previously and Tina had yet to spend any length of time in this great city. After a night spent practicing our English accents and inserting phrases like "bloody hell", "jolly good" and "cheerio" into our vernacular we were ready. For some reason most Londoners looked at us like idiots when we tried out our new lingo. Bloody hell.
(Tower Bridge)
(St Paul emerging on the Thame's shore) We spent the first day checking out the most popular sites of London town. We started at the photogenic Westminster combination of the Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. A walk across the Thames and we were on the South Bank where we strolled the next few hours. Clouds and intermittent rain welcomed us this day and we were glad to have it. We wore jackets and pants for the first time in many months and actually enjoyed it. That'll wear off quick.
(Does it get more "London")
(Looking over the Thames from millenium bridge)A stop at the Tate Modern where Joel again faked interest for a few hours. A remarkable collection of work , it was a nice place to shelter from the summer rains, people watch and appear cultured while exiting.
Crossing back over the northern side we checked out the stoic St. Paul's cathedral, sucked down a tall Pims (Joel's man points were lost), fought the mobs at Buckingham palace, chased massive ducks in the park and ended our day with a curry on Brick Lane.
(Nice hat)
(part of Buckingham's surroundings)
Having done enough of the site-seeing we started our final day of travel by taking in the different market areas around London. Taking into account the relative strength of the Pound and weakness of our wallets it was more window shopping then anything else but a great way to take in the air of the different areas of this impressive city. Jolly good.
While seemingly half the city's summer population appears to be tourists like us, London has several layers of intrigue. Romanticized in both literature and popular culture, everywhere you turn is another moment that grabs your attention. Part of this allure is the theater district of London.
We decided to spend our final night of travel in the Apollo Victoria Theater watching "Wicked". It was such a fun performance and was a perfect way to end such an enjoyable and enriching three years of our lives. Good on ya London.
(Picadilly Circus - where are the clowns?) 
(The other side of Oz)
An early train ride out to the airport and we were on our way to our new lives in Canada. We have tremendous appreciation of our time in Oman and the travel that it allowed. We are sure that this experience will help us as we re-settle in Vancouver.
Hello/Bonjour Canada!
