London, England to Perth, Scotland

Oct 26, 2004

Unfortunately for me, I woke up in the middle of the night with such extreme pain in my stomach I thought I might have burst an appendix. I crawled miserably out of bed after a few seconds of rolling around in pain and spent the next half hour trying to piss hot sand. Apparently, with all the excitement, I had failed to drink enough water and my body was working on some kidney stones. I limped back to bed feeling rather like a badly beaten dog, but took a prescription pain killer and managed to get a few more hours sleep before we had to be up.

When we officially woke up that morning we had time only for a quick breakfast before packing our bags and retrieving the rental car from what the attendent insisted on calling a "whirly-park". I admit, it was rather fascinating to watch the car spin down from the upper floors on the lift.

The attendent kept asking us if we'd paid our taxes, which we thought odd at the time, and we assured him we were consistent tax payers. He gave us strange looks and asked again, which made us wonder a little about him, but we assured him we had already paid our taxes.
It turns out we hadn't. In the U.K. they charge what is considered a congestion tax, which I presume helps finance lots like the "whirly-park" and keeps cars off the streets. We had no idea what the fellow was talking about at the time, but we figured it out after we'd returned to the States and received a hefty fine and ticket in the Post only days later.

After hours of driving around the lower portion of Scotland we at last found the hotel we'd reserved. I was in misery by this time, as the painkiller had worn off, so I was eager to head straight to bed. My companions didn't hesitate in following me. A full day crammed into a compact car will wear you out pretty fast!


Next: Dalwhinnie Whiskey Distillery >>

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London, England "City of Contrast"

Dignity airbrushed over dry humor
There is a tipsy turvy humor behind their royal airs
A playful splash of color to their timeless city
Beauty, strength and artistic angles
Pleasantly combined with ridiculous colors and detail
Gaudy uniforms on stoic somber guards
Playful names on noble, ageless buildings
Awkward double buses, versus classic century taxis
Quiet silly humor lurks everywhere
The whole city seems barely able to hide a grin
Just behind this exquisite cathedral
Surely a nun must be smiling
Just behind this grandois tower
There must be a 'Bobby' laughing
Just behind this majestic palace
A queen's eyes must be twinkling...

- Taliahad 10/26/2004