London, England -- night

Today was simultaneously good and bad. The good part was that I saw many of London's well-known sites. The bad part was that I was not happy to be with Cherise.

I may not have much time to write now since I'm sleeping on the floor in Cherise's family's hotel room, and they are now getting ready for bed.

First thing this morning, I was ready to leave on my own, but then Cherise got angry at that proposal. So, in order to show respect to her and her family, I decided to stay with her and her family. Although I ended up doing most of what I would have liked to have done, I would have preferred to be alone. That way Cherise could have spent time with her family without me, and I wouldn't have to deal with her in any way.

As for the sites, I saw the Monument, a 202 foot obelisk memorializing the Great Fire of 1666. Later, I actually climbed to the top, where I got a great photo of the Tower Bridge. From about 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., we took one of the London walks, which led us through the narrow lanes (e.g. Pudding Lane, Lovat Lane) of old central London. We also saw the site of where the Great Fire began and the site of London's first-ever coffee-house. The tour ended at St. Paul's Cathedral, which is one of the tallest buildings in the city. Many business-people were eating their lunches on the grounds of the Cathedral when we arrived there. The end of our walk went through what seemed to be London's business/financial district. Most men were wearing really nice shirts and suits. Also during the tour, we went to the Guildhall, which is the center of London city government. For some reason, we couldn't go inside.

After the tour, we walked over to the Tower of London, which we decided not to enter since it was a bit expensive. From the outside, however, it looked impressive. It was a castle with a moat (sans water) around the perimeter, tall colonnades, and several drawbridges. It seemed to be a large complex, covering a lot of area. Adjacent to the Tower of London was the Tower Bridge, which we walked across.

Since everyone is now going to bed, I'll stop writing. I saw many other sites, and I want to write too of the negative aspects of the day to sort through the causes and effects. I'll do some writing tomorrow morning when everyone is getting ready. Now it's time to sleep on the floor, and escape to my dreams, where I'll be happy.