May 7th and May 8th: After dropping off my rental car and getting to the train station, I will embark upon my 3rd book-themed activity for this trip: a ride aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. This train is famously the setting for Agatha Christie's 1934 novel, Murder on the Orient Express. The train ride will be around 31 hours long, and all the meals and events are prepaid and provided on the express, though the ticket to ride is quite pricey at nearly $25,000. The lunches are three-courses, and the dinners four-course. Steward service, sommelier wines, and french breakfast served in the cabins are all complimentary features of the ride. The train includes a kitchen, bar car, the Etoile du Nord dining car, the Cote d'Azur dining car, l'Oriental dining car, and 11 lodging cars. All cars are restored from original 1920s trains, and a trip aboard the Simplon-Orient-Express is advertised as both a culinary and social experience. The train promotes passengers to get to know each other along the ride, and socialize in the bar, dining cars, and other event areas. The journey will end in Verona, Italy, on May 8th, where I will disembark and begin my next leg of the trip.

Climate: May in London has an average temperature of mid 40s to low 60s Fahrenheit. The winds are similar to Birmingham and Bakewell, though the chance of rain is slightly lower at 20%.

Culture: In terms of diversity, 37% of London's residents were born outside of the UK. London is a highly ethnically diverse and multicultural city, and is renowned worldwide for its variety of culture experiences. London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, and its inhabitants speak over 300 languages. The city offers so much in terms of art, history, and unique experiences, that it is impossible to experience it all in just one trip.