Canada House in London city center, England.
The heat wave continues in London. It reached at least 27 degrees today, and I am developing tan lines on my nose, arms and shoulders. We were not particularly successful at finding summer clothes, so I took a lesson from Jill and washed my only summery dress in the hotel sink last night.
Our hotel in London is just a few blocks away from Parliament and Westminster Abbey. In fact, as we were toting out luggage out of the tube station, I was so engrossed by the Parliament buildings on my left, I didn't even notice Westminster Abbey on the right side of the street!
The imposing Parliament buildings.
Big Ben clock tower.
The exterior of Westminster Abbey.
We bought a London Pass to save money on admission fees to many of the iconic attractions in London. Some of our major stops include the National Gallery, the London Museum, the Tower of London, and the London Bridge. We walked through St. James Park on our way to Buckingham Palace, and made our way through Trafalgar Square.
A pond in St. James Park.
Tom and I in front of Buckingham Palace.
Tom and I also tried something that was included in our London Pass called the "London Bridge Experience." We didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a cheesy house of horrors based loosely on the history of the London Bridge. At the end there was a tour through the "London Tombs." Actors kept jumping out and harassing the girl in front of me, and she was screaming every other minute! I am ashamed to admit one of the actors startled a good squeal out of me, but I feel better because one of them made Tom jump too!
The London Bridge.
Generally after a full day on our feet we've spent our evenings relaxing in the hotel. On Friday we went to an Indian Tapas restaurant in Soho on the recommendation of a friend. Afterwards we went to see Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. Tom and I realized it has been about five years since we've seen a play together (Of Mice and Men in 2006), and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The theatre was smaller than I expected, but we had great seats and a prime view of the action. There was a band playing the music live in the orchestra pit, and the audience was incredibly enthusiastic.
One of our main stops on Sunday was the Natural History Museum. The museum had a very impressive spread, including exhibits on dinosaurs, birds, mammals, marine life, fossils and geology and ecology.
Great hall at the entrance of the Museum of Natural History.
Hilarious conversation overheard in the washroom between a mother and her two children:
Little boy (from bathroom stall): Mummy! I dropped my car in the toilet!
Mother (from another bathroom stall): You dropped your car? Oh dear! There's no help for that.
Little boy: It's in the toilet, Mummy!
Little girl (from a third bathroom stall): Fish it out and wash it off!
Mother: Don't you DARE!
Little girl: Well I still have my car!
In the afternoon, we took a train out to Windsor Castle to take a look at the State Apartments. Tom and I are becoming experts at getting around on the London tube. We realize we took the longest route possible when getting to our hotel when we arrived.
Royal Guard (aka Beefeater) at Windsor Castle.
Our last stop in London before we head to Paris will be St. Paul's Cathedral.
This will likely be my last blog until we get home on October 6. We do not have a proper adapter for electric outlets in France, so we likely won't be able to use our laptop unless we buy one. But I'm sure we'll have plenty to occupy us (other than blogging) in Paris anyway!
Enjoy your week!
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