Greetings from London!  Than and I arrived early
Wednesday morning safely and have been going non-stop
since then.  Let's see where to begin.  Our first task
was to find lodging.  After inquiring at the hotel
desks we decided to try on our own to secure housing. 
We headed straight to Picadilly Circus which is where
many travellers congregate around the big fountain and
amongst the bright neon signs much like times square
but much smaller.  Anyways we found a double room for
35£ a night.  After crashing for half the day we began
touring around the city and over the past few days
have seen most of the major sights, including
Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Buckingham Palace (had
lunch with the Queen), Hyde, Green, St. James, and
Greenwich Parks, snapped photos of the Prime Meridian,
and took a quick tour of the Natural History Museum
(some of the most freakish fossils we've ever seen,
including an enormous ancient precursor to the
armadillo). Given our budgetary constraints, we've
been seeing only the exterior of many of these classic
landmarks (e.g., all those that charge admission).
Thanks again to Steven for the magnum of Perrier
Jouet, which we wrecked in one sitting on Wednesday
night (we may have to edit that video footage a bit).
After three days of relative isolation, we broke out
of our shells (and broke our piggy banks) and partook
of some tasty beverages at a classic english pub,
forcing our way into a conversation with some friendly
natives. Tonight we'll be having dinner with some of
them and are looking forward to getting more of a
flavor for the local scene (pardon the pun). Tomorrow
we move on to St. Petersburg and will doubtlessly send
another update from there. Thanks again to all of you
for your support and encouragement.

Chris Tarr
Than Putzig