A very FULL day!

What a great day! The morning was bright and beautiful, but it did cloud up around noon, and there were a few sprinkles tonight.

We started the morning at the Parliament Building and Big Ben. We came up out of the Underground and there was Big Ben right above us, so majestic. There's nothing like seeing it in person. We walked across the Thames on the the Westminster Bridge and got great shots of the Parliament Building. Unfortunately, it was closed except for viewing the political debates in the afternoon.

Next, we walked across the street to Westminster Abbey. We had no idea how many famous people are entombed there. Most of the kings and queens of England as well as other royalty, friends of royalty, poets, musicians, etc. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Handel, Charles Dickens are all there. It is a magnificent piece of architecture and truly awe inspiring. the admission fee included an audio tour that really made it very interesting.

We then hustled over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. The area in front of the palace was packed with viewers. Unfortunately, the changing of the guard was cancelled. We still got to see the guards in the palace yard and saw some royal carriages enter the palace with guests. A horse mounted contingent of guards also rode by the palace, so it was still worth the walk.

Next we hiked up to Hyde Park corner to see Wellington Arch and memorial. Then we walked down Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus. Piccadilly is lined with shops, restaurants, government buildings, and clubs. Piccadilly Circus is a like a mini Times Square.

At Piccadilly Circus, we jumped on the Underground and took it to Harrod's, London's HUGE department store. Six stories of just about anything you could want. We had a fabulous ice cream sundae and chocolate cake in their Chocolate Bar - YUMMY! Buildings in London number their floors differently. So when we walked into Harrod's we were on the Ground Floor. The basement is the Lower Ground. The floor above the ground floor is the 1st floor, not the 2nd like in the US. So of course, the 3rd floor is actually the 2nd and so on. Harrod's is so large, there's an entire department just for women's scarves! Our daughter's would love it!

Getting around on the Underground is quite easy. We chuckle every time we hear the announcement to "Mind the gap!" In England, they use the word "mind" for "watch out for." The gap is the space between the platform and the train, thus, "Mind the gap." It's even painted on the edge of the platform.

Tonight we experienced one of the highlights of our trip. We went to the Tower of London for the Ceremony of the Keys. The ceremony has been conduced for over 700 years without fail. It's basically the locking up of the Tower of London. A Beefeater with lantern and a ring of keys is confronted by guards from Her Majesty's guard, then together they lock up the Tower. The weather was chilly and misty, which made the whole experience more British feeling. We actually got the chills during the ceremony. It was very moving to be walking the cobblestone walkways thinking about the famous people who had walked the very same paths as prisoners of the Tower, Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, Thomas More to name a few. No photography was allowed, so no photos to share.

We then took the Underground back to Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey for some gorgeous nighttime views and photos.

A jaunt back to Paddington Station on the Underground, a Burger King ice cream sundae, and we're back in our room. It's 12:30 AM here...I think we've adjusted just fine to the time difference. LOL

Cheerio for now!

Will and Rich