were you with a tour group or on your own?

Dana W: We were on our own.

Went to Los Angeles last week. Had a blast. I hung out with my children and grandson. We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach it's perfect for children. Several of us saw the play "Crowns" it's african american history, about the women really, and how their Crowns (hats) have and still do effect their lives. If you are in the Los Angeles area I highly recomend you see it. I found a friend on Face Book that I hadnt seen in 10 years. We met and it was almost like old times!

After visiting my children it was off to visit my best friend. We rode the train to San Clemente Beach. I was skeptial about the trip but it turned our just great, no sitting on the freeway trying to get to there, no circling around trying to find a parking spot! No I'm hooked on riding trains to events, NO Streess, just sit back and let someone else do the driving.

Dana W: Thanks for sharing the info about your trip to Los Angeles. I have only been to San Diego. It's nice to get some tips in case I visit LA in the future. Glad to read that you had a good experience with riding a train, too. The trains were stressful on our England trip, because we had so much luggage and didn't know we really needed assigned seats. Overall, I learned a lot and would take the train again in the future.

Like you, we have enjoyed wandering around in London with a goal in mind, but not terribly mindful of the most direct route. This led us to a lot of really enjoyable places, delightful surprises and a lot of good exercise. Mind the pigeons, though! We also found that pub dining in London is not quite as enjoyable as it is in the countryside. It may have a lot to do with access to farmers' markets & really fresh produce. I think your budget-minded meals in the room were very sensible - sure beats being disappointed by runny soup or very stale Yorkshire pudding.

Ms. Potter: Thanks for your comment. You are certainly right that we didn't take direct routes. In fact, the itinerary doesn't make much sense at all! I was often frustrated while we were there, because I usually plan my trip itinerary in advance, but I didn't for this trip. I was very grateful that London has such good public transportation. It was nice to be able to hop on a bus or the tube so easily to get across town.

Is that safe to travel to europe alone?

Contributor: Thanks for your comment. I can't vouch for all of Europe, but where I visited in England would be okay to visit alone, within reason. We were lucky that our flat in Yorkshire and our hotel in London were on well lit streets that often had other people on the sidewalks or driving by in cars. We never had to walk down any lonely, dark side streets late at night or anything like that (we didn't go out clubbing until the wee hours, so it wasn't really an issue). There were a few crowd situations in London (Portobello Road market, for example) when I was a little worried about pickpockets, but I really don't think we were in any danger.

Muggings can happen at any time in any place.... even in rural areas. The best you can do is keep your wits about you, notice if your surroundings are getting sketchy, and get to a safer place quickly if necessary.

Keep on traveling, stay safe, and have fun!

Just thought it interesting that my husband and I were in London from March 9th though the 16th! We had a wonderful time! Thanks for sharing your trip! You helped bring back lots of great memories just reading it!!