Royal Wedding

Tomorrow will be a fabulous day for Britain with the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The world will be watching the wedding of the century and London is going crazy with preparations for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Once again we extend our deepest regrets to the Queen, that we cannot be home in London to share the special event with this lovely couple. We've had plans for months to be out of the country tomorrow for a week, and just couldn't change them. I'm sure that The Royal Family was very disappointed that we would be away, and wanted to reschedule the wedding so we could attend. I was aware months ago that many people around the world had made travel plans to be here on this date. Knowing this, I insisted that it should continue as planned without our presence. We both wish William and Kate all the best with their future life together and look forward to afternoon tea with them upon our return.

Danube Tower

At 352 meters high this tower is the tallest building in Austria. Built in 1964 over 20 million have visited here. We went to the view deck at close to 500 ft. up. Here is a picture of the bungee jumping platform installed in 2000. This is the highest bungee jump sight in the world today. Of course it was closed so we couldn't jump. There is a revolving restaurant that we went to on a higher level. You gotta be careful what you order here as anything round, (olives, tomatoes, small potatoes, etc) will roll off your plate when the restaurant turns. The view looking over the Danube river is breathtaking.

Austrian Food

Again Julie and I are visiting a country for the first time, so we do what they do. We can't speak a bit of German but we can sure eat and drink just like the locals. Wiener Schnitzel is a veal dish and is an Austrian favorite found on any menu. Here is a photo of pancake soup that I had before an evening meal. I couldn't believe it was on the menu. It was very thin pancakes cut in strips like noodles in a broth. It was the best. And you can top it off with the biggest calorie pounder of all, "Apple Strudel".

Vienna Sights

We walked through the city on Saturday until we got worn out, then hopped on a horse carriage for the easy tour. On Sunday we took a bus tour to see several historic churches and palaces. The musical influence of Mozart in the 1700's, and Strauss in the 1800's bring millions of tourists to Vienna. The very popular concerts from these famous composers are regularly performed here. We also toured St Stephen's Cathedral, built in 1147, shown here. In a study of 127 world cities, Vienna was ranked first in a tie with Vancouver Canada, for "quality of life". I believe it's true! This was such a beautiful city on a warm sunny weekend we both hated to leave.

Vienna, Austria

Saturday Julie and I went to Vienna for the Easter weekend. Our flight was 2 hours from Gatwick Airport in South England. We pay 20 pounds extra to have early boarding, so we sit in the front row with lots of leg room. Our hotel was modern, clean, but with no air conditioning. This city of 2 1/2 million is the capitol of Austria and is a major cultural, economic, and political center of Europe. Vienna was occupied by the allies during WWII and did get heavily bombed, where 1/3 of the structures were ruined. This leaves a mixture of old historic and modern structures. German is the common language here.

London Marathon

This year's London Marathon attracted over 36,000 entries. The weather was perfect for the runners with no rain, no wind, and just a bit cloudy. This is a flat course close to sea level and is the perfect race for runners to break records. The 26 mile course started in the Greenwich Park area and ended at Buckingham Palace. We were lucky to watch runners come through Canary Wharf where we live. The winning time for men was 2:04.38 which broke the course record. This was the 4 th fastest men's marathon recorded in history. The world record of 2:03.59 , was set in 2008 in Berlin. The women's winning time was 2:19.17 which was also the forth fastest ever recorded for women. The woman's world record is 2:15.25 and was set here in 2003. I believe the best years of my life were the 15 years I ran these road races. Great memories and friendships I'll always remember. As always there were some wild and funny costumes to entertain the many thousands of spectators. I posted a short video on facebook.

Stomp

Out on the town Saturday in London, with great weather, is always too much fun. With Julie and brother Rich, we took in some West London sights and a great show. We saw the international award wining show "Stomp" at the Ambassadors Theater. This show opened in 2007 at this historical theater which was built in 1913. Stomp was a mixture of theater, rhythm, comedy, and dance, without any dialog at all. The 8 performers used everything from plastic bags, zippo lighters, garbage can lids, and even kitchen sinks to pound out amazing rhythm and sounds. Good times!

Family Visit

I toured London with my brother Rich today who came here for his son's wedding. Rich is a musician so I knew a few places he would like. We spent time in Westminster, Denmark Street, and a visit to Abbey Road. These are some of my favorite places and are always fun to return. We got a photo in front of Big Ben and in the famous zebra crossing at Abbey Road. The white building in the background is the studio where the Beatles recorded this album. You can't forget the picture from the album cover.

Alexander Von Humboldt

This 200 ft. square rigger showed up at my dock yesterday. Built in 1906, the German lightship was refitted in 1986 to a sail training ship. It sails in the European seas in the summer months, and the Mediterranean and Caribbean waters in the winter months. This magnificent sailing ship has travelled 500,000 nautical miles and has given more than 20,000 trainees the unique experience of sailing on a tall ship. It's unusual green sails set it apart from all other sailing ships. The picture from our flat above does make it look rather small even though the masts are 132 ft. high. It sails with 25 crew members and 35 trainees. I love these old ships and will always let them tie up to my dock for free. Click on the pictures for the large version and see the crew working up high on the sails.

Home in London

I've been home here in London for a week and finally back on the blog. I had 5 cold weeks in Washington State, then into Phoenix for three 90 degree days and now enjoying great sunny weather in the UK. Julie and I spend a bit of time in Greenwich Park when the sun is out. I guess I won't be able to climb over this wall anymore but will take the long way around. We always have treats for our little fuzzy friends. Good to be home.