I am awake again before the crack of dawn. Looking out the window at six I see the moon. That means a clear sky. So I get dressed, grab my gear and head out. To Westminster. At 6:40 I set up my gear in front of Big Ben and wait for the light. Clouds start moving in making me think I might have gotten up in vain. It isn't a spectacular sunrise, no beautiful low light on the buildings, but it it is not a waste of time either. I do alright. And just after eight I arrive at my hotel to get me some breakfast.

I've met some very nice people today. I am, as usual, awake and up much much to early and walk to the hotel for my first English breakfast here, through the rain. When I leave the hotel the rain has stopped and the rest of the day will be a lovely sunny and dry day. I have a little map to guide me to the meeting point of Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk but instead of just walking straight down there I get distracted. No surprise there really. A bridge across the river Thames catches my eye. Not for it's beauty but for what I could only imagine to be one of the best views towards Westminster. And I am right. I learn later that this Waterloo Bridge is the place to go for a breathtaking view. Nowhere else can you see everything from the Savoy to Westminster and the famed South bank with the London Eye in one glance.

London by train. Home to hotel, door to door, it takes me almost 10 hours. I admit taking a train early. Just in case. But everything goes smoothly. Even the dreaded Brussels Intercity, famous for it's delays. Getting off at Brussels Midi is a bit of a let-down. The Eurostar travels from this station to London so I sort of expected something sleek and modern. But I feel like getting off on some East German platform during the cold war. Until you go underground and get to the check-in for the Eurostar. Then the anticipated vision becomes reality. Only to be blown away again when you enter the platform where the train is waiting. You're back in East Germany and the train itself isn't helping. They've been going back and forth for quite some years now and the wear is beginning to show. I do have a window seat but that's really no plus. You mostly travel underground or in between noise barriers. And when there is a view, it flies by at high speed so you can hardly take it in. I believe it takes less than half an hour to travel the tunnel itself just to be greeted fairly quickly by the national grid on the other side.

The fairy tales, stories of mystery and magic. They are starting to make sense. Forget the tourists, hustlers, the traffic and the noise. Just focus on the place itself. It truly is a magical place.