We have been on a vacation or as the jolly ole' Brits call it a holiday. The first stop was London for a quick two nights. It had been so many years since we had been in London. I'd been to the UK in more recent times but not London.

We easily found a hotel online in Earls Court - the southwest side of London for about 100 USD a night. The accommodation was small but in an excellent location and spotlessly clean. Princess Di even lived in Earls Court at one time.

Landing in Heathrow is no different today than it was some years ago. But what has changed is now you can take the Piccadilly Tube Line from all Heathrow terminals to central London. This is a far less expensive bet than the Heathrow Express or a taxi. The trains run from 0500 to 2340 (Terminal 4 station closes at 2335 Monday thru Saturday, and 2315 on Sunday. Earls Court is in both zones 1 and 2 making staying in that part of town economical from both an accommodation and transit standpoint. I would recommend buying an Oyster Card for 5  GPB (fully refundable when you no longer need it) and topping it off for travel as you go. Good on both the tube or the bus. It is the most economical way to do it and you can buy just enough to get you where you want to go immediately after landing.

I must say having done much of the "touristy" things years ago, we just decided to walk around London for the most part.....but we did do the London Eye at sunset. Buy your tickets anytime during the day and you can ride it anytime during that same day. The nearest tubes are Westminster or Waterloo. The night we went was atypical London weather - warm and dry which made the ride magnificent. It takes about 35 minutes to go around and you can see so much of London. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Parliament just glistened!

I would love to get a travel blog going - if you are so inclined, please write and offer useful tips about any or all of your travels.

Next up....travel to South Africa....