England

• London (6/9, 6/10, 6/24)

Italy

• Rome (6/11, 6/12)

• Capri (6/14)

• Sorrento (6/14)

• Pompeii (6/15)

• Assiss (6/15)

• San Marino (6/16)

• Venice (6/16, 6/17)

• Verona (6/18)

• Lugano (6/18)

• Como (6/19)

• Milan (6/19)

• Pisa (6/20)

• Florence (6/21)

• Siena (6/21)

• Rome (6/22, 6/23)

Wednesday, 06/08

Skyservice Airline

• Toronto (YYZ) -> London Gatwick (GTW)

• I had originally booked my flight for June 9th, but Skyservice cancelled the charter flight just two weeks before the departure date while I was still busy with exams...  Talk about bad timing.

• My luggage was about 17.5 kg, not bad...

• The aircraft was rather old and the flight was absolutely full.

Thursday, 06/09

• I arrived at Gatwick in the morning and had to wait almost an hour to clear customs.  The line for non-EU passport holders were pitifully long and there were only 2 or 3 customs agents.

• After clearing customs and collecting my luggage, I took the ThamesLink train to go to London.  After getting off at Kings Crossing station which is also a Tube station, I took the Tube to Camden Town to drop off my suitcase at the St. Christopher's Camden hostel.  I really regretted not using an oversized backpack instead of my big suitcase.  Dragging that thing up and down the stairs was quite an workout...  The hostel was on the second and third floors of a pub.  Thank goodness a very nice guy offered to carry the luggage upstairs for me.

• After a few minutes of rest, it was time to go exploring...

• It was very convenient to take the subway (Tube) in London as the major tourist attractions are easily accessible.  Also, a 1-Day Travel Card (good for anytime after 9:30AM) is less than 5 pounds and allows unlimited subway and bus use within zones 1 and 2.

• First stop: United Kingdom Parliament, Big Ben and London Eye

  • As soon as I exited the Westminster tube station, Big Ben was immediately visible.

  • London Eye, a millennium landmark, is situated by the Thames River.  Technically not a Ferris wheel, passengers "fly" on the eye and are rewarded with a panoramic view of the city.  The London Eye official website claims that people can see up to 25 miles in each direction.

• Second stop: Westminster Abbey

  • Only a short away from the tube station. Westminster Abbey is of early-English Gothic design. It is of great importance to the United Kingdom for it's where most of its rulers were crowned and buried.  The second picture shown here is the Prime Minister's residence on 10 Downing St.

• Final stop: British Museum

  • Finally, something free!  By the time I got to the museum, I was really tired.  So I only walked around the main floor and saw famous pieces such as the Rosetta Stone.

Friday, 06/10

More London Sightseeing -> Rome

• Woke up and took the Tube to Tower Hill first thing in the morning to beat the tourist rush. The White Tower is the oldest part of the compound; its construction was first begun by William the Conqueror in 1078. The Crown Jewels, including the Imperial State Crown are Star of Africa, are displayed in the Jewel House. According to some legend, the Tower of London will continue to stand as long as there are ravens that remain there. So 6 (plus 2 spares) ravens have their wings clipped...
   

• Then it was Tube time again to the next destination: Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards.  I must have gotten off at the wrong stop, for it was a 20-minute walk through St. James' Park to get to the palace.  But the park was quite lovely.

• Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the queen. Select rooms are only open to the public every August and September when the royal family vacations outside London. I was originally waiting at the barracks (can't remember whether it was Wellington or Chelsea) and saw the marching guards.  There were a ton of tourists outside the palace gate, trying to get a glimpse of the guards...

• Well, after my morning exercise, aka, running after the guards toward the palace, it was time to have lunch at Covent Garden Market.

• After Covent Garden Market, it was time to go back to the hostel to collect my stuff to get to Gatwick. I thought I had budgeted enough time, but I arrived at the airport with only minutes to spare, just the check-in counter was able to be closed. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at EasyJet.  The aircraft looked new, service was good onboard and the price to fly to Rome was very reasonable (65 British pounds, or approx. $150 CAD).

• Getting thru customs at Rome Ciampino Airport was a piece of cake, the customs officer didn't even say anything to me, just took my passport, stamped it and off I went.

• I stayed at Hotel Del Consoli that night, it was about 3 or 4 km from the airport and really nice. The only down side was that it was a rather expensive cab ride to the hotel. The cab driver claimed because the hotel was outside Rome, the rate would've been more expensive...