Larry and I enjoyed trying out are fake British accents all day. It's fun to speak like them and so many people are speaking another language around us they don't even notice.
Today we started off observing the changing of the guard. This is a tradition that happens at the Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives, every other day in winter, and every day in the summer. The police clear the street and people line up all around the palace to watch as the guards and soldiers march in with a band and switch their posts. This display lasted a half hour, unlike in D.C. where it takes 5 minutes. It was definitely a grand tradition here, but we felt it was kind of overrated.
It was another freezing day today. I had on 4 layers of shirts, but we stilled couldn't beat the cold. We should have definitely reconsidered those winter jackets. We then headed over to Harrod's, which I discovered isn't pronounced like (Jarod's with an H) it's (Har-rods). I asked a man for directions and he looked at me like I was talking crazy, b/c of the pronunciation. It was a 6 level, 1 million sq. feet department store, that makes Somerset look cheap. They had everything you could imagine in this store and it went on for days, from wedding dresses to an ice cream scooper. We soon discovered that while a great attraction, we weren't really the kind of people that were going to by a Burberry handbag today. They only had high fashion designers and hardly any sales rack. We then took a walk through Hyde park which was nice with the sun basting on a faces, like 34 degrees out and at the end we saw a choir, rollerblading team and horseback riding, a lot going on. We took a pit stop by the pond where we saw a little boy feeding cigarette buds to the ducks, (very strange, I almost corrected him, but I resisted). We walked around Piccadilly Circus, which is like Time Square and Leicester Square, also like restaurant and shop district.
We searched a very long time looking for a PRET. This is a sandwich shop which makes fresh salads and sandwiches every day. I loved it!! We need a healthy and fresh sandwich shop in the U.S. where they make it fresh every day.
Our goal today was to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy our last day in London. We didn't have any major plans, so it was nice to slow it down a bit. I apparently didn't get the memo that I needed to train before coming on this trip. My quads, shins, and hamstrings are extremely tight and our shoulders are sore from carrying a heavy backpack (with someones camera) :) . Also, I ran into a metal seat yesterday waiting for the subway and have a LARGE bump on my thigh. This is what happens when I am holding onto Larry and not paying attention.
I finished up my first memory card today. Good thing I convinced Larry to buy 3. No, I haven't taken 650 pictures in 3 days, but I did have my camera on a setting, unknowingly, that shoots the pictures at a higher quality and takes up more space, so I was only able to get 400 pictures instead. We finished off the day visiting the National Gallery, which houses artwork from various artists such as Van Gough, Monte, and Da Vinci. We truly loved all of the biblical paintings depicting Christ and other scriptural references.
We called it an early night because we had to head back and get all packed up to head to the airport tomorrow via subway. It's weird to think that our trip isn't ending, only heading to our next destination. We enjoyed London. It is a great fashionable city with a great emphasis on history, architecture, and the theater. We are ready for Paris. Bring on the Eiffel Tower. We should be able to see it from our HOTEL. :)
In Paris, we won't have the same luxuries as we have had here. We won't have our own private computer to update as we please. There is a computer in the hotel, so I do hope to be able to access each day. However, if I don't post right away, know that I will try my best to post as soon as possible. I do hope I can keep up the communication. It has been so wonderful to be able to share with you our adventure.
Please Pray:
**We have the strength to carry the luggage to the subway, onto the different trains to the airport.
**We awake in time 5:45am to make our flight and safety while flying :( .
**Please pray that the language would not be a barrier during our stay
We love and miss everyone! We are praying for your health and safety.
(This is St. Paul's Cathedral)
double decker bus and riding all over London. This gave me a chance to take lots of pictures and see a preview of what is to come. We both agreed this was our favorite. Then, we went to see the tower of London, pretty cool, historical site, and I got to see the crown jewels. Then, we took a boat cruise back for dinner at a London Pub. We couldn't wait to get back and get some sleep after our short cat naps on the plane ride. We survived day one. Everyone is very friendly and speaks English which has helped. We still can't believe we are here. Tomorrow we are going to see Wicked (broadway play) at night, I'm super pumped. We hope that all is well in MI!
