Thursday morning consisted of breakfast at the hostel in Amsterdam, basically identical to the day prior. Then with the remaining morning before checking out and heading to the train station, Susan and I walked to the nearby Oodepark to see a city park in Amsterdam. This was the first and only we would come across during our visit here since they are located outside of the canal belt where most of the action is. We only barely had enough time to get to the park and see it before needing to get back and grab our packs. I was once again amazed by the bicycle “rush hour” taking place during our stroll.
Susan at the park in the morning
Leaving Amsterdam, we caught an InterCity train to Brussels where we had lunch and a sort of layover before boarding the Eurostar train (aka the train that goes through the Chunnel) to sneak us into England from below the English Channel. Boarding this train was much more similar to boarding a plane, complete with customs and security checkpoints…they are more lax with carry-on items than planes though.
Our last stint in 1st class train riding 
On the Eurostar while inside the chunnel
Thursday evening was spent just hanging out at the Rupert’s house where Kate made us dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing evening. They were getting ready to leave for their own vacation the next morning.
Friday, we awoke to light rain which is the forecast for the remainder of the trip. After seeing Kate, Tim, & Henry off on their trip, Susan and I planned our day. We prepared ourselves for our afternoon departure to Norwich to stay with Susan’s cousin for a day or so, then left the apartment and caught the tube to the British Museum.
Rainy walk in London 
Jeff with the British Museum
The British Museum is an enormous collection of historical artifacts from all over the world, with extensive sections covering ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome…and of course also including more recent historical pieces from around the rest of Europe. A major highlight of the museum (besides the wide-open atrium with it’s glass domed roof) is the Rosetta Stone, which is on display nearly right at the entrance. The best part about the museum…it’s free! We did pony up the 1 pound for a guide to carry with us, but that was it. The museum was well worth a look and would require multiple days to take in completely.
The Rosetta Store 
Roman statues (left) & Susan with an Easter Island statue
Mosaic tile 
Jeff with a famous ancient chess set 
The 2012 Olympic medals with the materials to make them
After only about an hour and a half we left the museum and hopped another tube to get us near the Thames. Neither of us had seen the London Eye (monster Ferris wheel) so we aimed to get a glimpse of it. As luck would have it we took the right line and came out at ground level just across the river from it. There was also a nice pedestrian bridge right in front of us, so we crossed over and back taking pictures of the wheel and parliament (complete with Big Ben) which are directly across the river from one another.
Us with London’s skyline 
The eye and Big Ben 
Susan with Ben
Now looking at getting lunch and on a train out of town we returned to Notting Hill and did some light shopping at the Portobello Road market while making our way back to the flat. We stopped just long enough to grab our things for the next couple days and were on our way back toward the tube stop. Just a few blocks away from the station was our lunch destination, Malabar. This is an Indian restaurant recommended by Kate as one of their favorites. It sits on a less traversed road and has a understated exterior presence so we never would have found it ourselves. The food and ambience were excellent (thanks for the recommendation Kate!) as Susan and I split a spinach and lamb dish, rice, cheese naan, and lentils (dahl). We were also entertained by the only other restaurant patrons (two older women, 1 sounding American and 1 British) who were speaking loudly and probably more candidly than anyone should about people they knew. It was like being on the set of a real housewives reality show or something.
With lunch completed, Susan and I bee-lined in across the city to the King’s Cross station where we boarded the Hogwarts Express bought tickets for the “Cambridge Express” toward King’s Lynn. Our stop was the small town of Downham Market. At the station, Susan’s cousin Mike was waiting for us and took us to their home in another smaller town nearby. All this is in the general region of Norwich, but not really close to any major city. Melissa, Mike’s wife, works at the US Air Force base near there in England and was at work when we arrived. Relaxing a bit, we got the tour of their place, caught up with Mike, and played with their dog (we’re feeling a little pet-deprived of late) before having another homemade dinner of chili.
Hanging with Aspen
Once Melissa arrived home, we ventured back to the base to partake in some bowling with a couple local friends of theirs. Going onto the base was strange, but in a good way…it was like being on an island of America in the middle of Europe. Basically everyone around us was American, the US dollar was the currency of choice, and the music was entirely early 2000’s American pop/rap. It was oddly comforting. Being overseas must have affected our bowling skills because I came out of the gate rolling a 164 (and quickly declined from there) including my first ever hambone (that’s what 4 consecutive strikes is called). Susan also held her own bowling a 141 in the last game including starting off with a (first ever for her) turkey. It was a fun night of doing non-touristy activities…like training for our return to the states.
Jeff bowling his first ever hambone/4-bagger 
Susan celebrating her first ever turkey 
Susan’s record high game - 141
Tomorrow is our last full day in Europe and most of it will be spent with Mike and Melissa before returning to London to prepare for our departure Sunday.
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