Tranquility Pike: It's Thursday and I still have no jet lag!

The hotel where I'm staying is a few blocks from Parliament in Westminster. Turns out it's a lot more quiet and normal than the crazy tourist areas I've experienced around town ... like a normal neighborhood.

There's a bike-rental place in the next block. Lots of people are bike riders. At intersections, the city is kind enough to alert you to the direction of the traffic, as seen in one of the pics here. This has saved my fanny several times so far. In fact, I have a new, simple tactic for staying alive -- crossing at intersections where locals are waiting and then just doing what they do.

Here's a pic of the local pub, Mike, the building with the flowers along the top. The tour bus guide told me that a good, real pub is the one called Adam & Eve between Buckingham Palace and Westminster. We passed it today and that's where I'll head for my pint. The tour guide thought I was the cat's meow because I gave him one of my emergency ponchos when the rain started pouring this afternoon. Anyway, this pub was jam-packed with people at 5 pm. They were standing out the doors and all over the sidewalks. Thursday is "Pie Day" where you get a slice of pie with your beer.

Look at the street pic (with signs along the fence) and you will see tents where people slept last night. They are protesting the war in Afghanistan and want British soldiers to come home. This protest is taking place in front of Parliament and getting lots of attention. Big stories in London right now include the Prime Minister's new daughter, the old hag who tossed a cat into a garbage bin and "chugging," their term for professional, face-to-face charity firms that solicit donations for a fee.