You sound typically Australian on your first trip overseas. Your're right - going on a cruise toesn't count as travelling in my book either. You were braver than I was when I first went to London alone. I stayed in a hotel at the airport and caught the tube/train into London, got out, walked around the block, got back in the train and went back to my hotel. I don't even remember what I saw but I do remember flowers hanging from baskets everywhere! My sister and niece arrived a couple of days later, we picked up our van and headed to Oxford. We did a three week trip around England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland ( where we hired a different van) before spending our last couple of days in London. I've lost count of the number of times I've returned to London. I love it!