Today, Katie and I cured our cabin fever by going out and finally seeing some of the sights here in London. We started off with a good breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with the boys. I have a feeling they're going to miss our cooking (and company) when we're gone :) Once they headed off to work, Katie and I tried to get ready, but after a sleepless night, due to jetlag, we decided to snooze a couple more hours before touring the town. After some much needed rest and a good meal of plain ham sandwiches, we were on our way. We tried some balsamic honey mustard, which sounds so very scrumptious, but it is NOT! If you want a sandwich spread to burn your throat and clear out your sinuses, try Edmond Fallot Honey & Balsamic Dijon Mustard, made in France. Next time we'll stick to the American French's plain yellow mustard.
After swearing off all condiments made by our friendly neighbors, we gathered our belongings to brave the trains to Waterloo. The weather was somewhat colder today. We were halfway to the train station when we turned back to retrieve some scarves and gloves. Katie decided to not be so English and changed out of her plain tights into a pair of sturdy American jeans. Our indecisiveness served us well, given what we would soon encounter on our journey.
We were extremely proud of ourselves for making it to Waterloo via a few train changes, thanks to Gary's impeccable directions. Our first stop was the London Eye, which was under construction, so we weren't able to ride it. But we got some cool pictures of the world's biggest ferris wheel! After that, we just sort of mosied along, taking pics here and there of the street performers. One guy was dressed up as a stone statue. We wanted to talk to him, but we didn't have any British money on us. He didn't look like he had a credit card machine handy either. We snuck a couple pics of the fellow all the same.
After the London Eye, we were surprised to see that many of the famous sights here are all very close together. At one point we turned around, looked at each other in amazement, and sure enough right across the Thames River was Big Ben!!! We couldn't help but laugh at each other and feel very blonde. Keep in mind that we kept our map in Katie's purse to look less touristy. But it made the trip a little more fun not knowing what was around the corner. We continued our jaunt across some famous bridges over to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Turns out, they charge students 16 pounds to see the Abbey. It sounded like mandatory tithing, but they don't actually charge for services for worship. Katie and I will try and go to a service soon if we get the chance...
After looking at many statues and lush gardens; and laughing at the police officers in their funny hats, the weather turned it's ugly head. First it was just a light drizzle, which we didn't mind. We were enjoying all the history around us too much. But then, it started lightning, and then it started pouring rain. On top of it, a bit of hail decided to join the party too. We found shelter with the rest of the tourists in the entrance of the Abbey. It didn't matter though, because we were soaked to the bone. Katie used our compact umbrella and I had a hood on my ski jacket. Once the rain slowed up some we decided to end the adventure for today and go home.
We made it home with little trouble. Between the two of us, Katie and I are really good with directions and decisions. I'll tell Katie to stop smiling or act serious so we'll blend in a little better and not look so American. However, it doesn't stop the men driving by to honk any less. I give them the evil eye while Katie laughs...we're still working on it.
By the time we made it home, we peeled off our soaked clothes. My jeans are still new, because my legs are blue now. I am too tired to care. We probably should have stayed up to adjust to London time, but a nap sounded too good to be true. It was only a couple hours, which was just enough to give us energy to go to the local grocery store down the street and buy a couple frozen pizzas for a total of 5 pounds! It was a two-for-one special.
Needless to stay, our savvy shopping skills and keen sense of direction have been very helpful on this trip thus far. This has turned into a novel, so I'm calling it quits for today. Good night, or as the Brits say, cheerio! Talk to you tomorrow!
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