John's First of Many Top Ten Lists

When I was first told I needed to make my first entry to this blogosphere I thought I could put it off an just ignore it. Unfortunately I couldn't. So with my only option, I decided to create a series of lists on the top then things you need to know when visiting certain countries, cities, areas etc....

The first top ten list is - Top ten things to do and not to do in London - (in descending of order of course)

10 - Definitely take the hop on, hop off Big bus tour in london when you first arrive. It is a great way to see they city and for those of you who are newcomers to London (and to Europe), its basically delivers the cliff notes version of the city. All of the landmarks, none of the walking.

9 - DO NOT take the bus tour on a nice day, around 5 PM, on a saturday afternoon, in the busiest shopping area in the city. YOU DON'T MOVE AT ALL! Get out and walk, stop being lazy.

8 - This isn't really London, but a good tip in general (although we did employ it on our way to London). Do try to make every travel experience a pub crawl. Doesn't matter the mode of transportation or the location, a beer makes everything better. Woke up at 6 am, worked 8 hours, sat at the airport for 3 hours - What will make you feel better? YOU GUESSED RIGHT, a Sam Adams. Spent all night up on an 8 hour flight because a stupid baby wouldn't stop crying (on a side note, crying babies always push back the clock for any women who thinks she wants to have a kid. That's a good tip, fellas) anywhoo, a Guiness in Ireland at 8 am will solve that problem.

7 - Do go see the Tower of London. Castle - Check. Torture Area - Check. Guards who don't move despite foreign douchebags, with popped collars, posing in front of them - check. I admire these guys. If some eastern European idiot, with a popped coller, went jersey shore, when posing for a picture in front of me, I would hit him with the blunt end of my rifle.

6 - Do not wait in line to see the Crown Jewels. Go to the White Tower instead. My biggest gripe was not the Jewels themselves, I get it these people are rich and like to flaunt theirwealth. My problem is the fact that everybody who is in line with you will act like mindless sheep. For example, (this may or may not have happened) if you step out line to wait for a member in you group and move to the nearest corner, the person may follow exactly what you do and nearly walk straight into wall, only narrowly avoiding it. I'm telling you SHEEP. And once you get to the Jewels themselves, which you can roam around freely, they still like to adhere strictly to their line. Maybe it's safer that way.

5 - Do not be scared of the food in London, its really not that bad. It has even gotten better. All of the places we tried were not fantastic by any means but good. Mind you my previous frame of reference was ten years ago, when we watched them cook our food in a microwave. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

4 - Do not show Marla you have the slightest hint of wanting to see anything that was filmed in a Harry Potter movie. She will make fun of you. And will not stop.

3 - If you were recommended a good restaurant a mile or two outside the direct city center, do walk back to your hotel(I dont really need the do portion on the last part of the sentence, but I am trying to stick with the do and don't theme). You get to see an area of the city that you haven't seen yet, and discover more restaurants, bars, and shops that you can go back and explore. And even if, for whatever reason, you overshoot your hotel by a km or more you are only a ten minute cab ride (15 pounds) from your hotel. Not that the previous sentence happened, but if it did, a word to the wise, you can never be too close to a river that divides a major city. thats a great a reference point, otherwise buildings may or may not start to look the same and a person could get turned around. Once again just a helpful tip, this did not happen to me.

2 - Do not agree with your wife to start a blog if you dont really want to to do it. She will make you do it anyway. Trust me. I sit here at 1:45 am, on my first night in Florence, doing my "homework".

1- Do stay more then one night. It's a fantastic city with so much to do and see. We made the easy mistake of thinking we could see all of the major landmarks in roughly a day and a half and were sadly mistaken. We rushed and missed probably half the things we wanted to see. Extend it.

I don't know what the next top ten will be or what it will be on, but I'm sure Megan will answer the first part of that tomorrow, without me asking of course.

(Editor's note: I slept quite comfortably beside him while he wrote this post at 1:45 am.... and I hope to add pictures tomorrow.)