London with the Guckian's and McInnis'

"Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament..."

We flew into London on Wednesday evening, and after about 20 minutes of being on the ground in the UK, I had determined that I could definitely live there, and that life has to be so much easier there than Russia! It was confirmed when the high-speed train we took from Heathrow to Paddington station was 1) actually high-speed (about 15 minutes to town!), 2) extremely nice and comfortable, and 3) there was no EEMS (my new favorite, borrowed from my new friend, Lindsey - Eastern European Man Smell). Lastly - they actually speak my language (at least most words translate!). When we arrived at the train station, we hopped into one of the cabs to our hotel. Little did we know the hotel was just about a 2 minute walk from the train station! Oh well - you live and learn.

We checked in, and rested a few minutes waiting around for the Guckians. It was about 7:30-8, so we decided that they must have left us and already gone onto dinner. We were asking the concierge about places to eat when they all showed up - back from a tour across town. We walked around the corner and had a nice dinner at a fun & modern Italian restaurant.

The next day, we had a "Traditional English Breakfast" and then hopped on the Tube to head to see some sights. We came out of the tube right at the base of Big Ben, and then walked by Parliment headed to Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. These are the actual underground rooms which Churchill and his advisors spent time in during the air raids in WWII. In the middle of the rooms, there is a museum dedicated to the life of Winston Churchill. There is some much to see and go through the interactive museum, you could spend several days in there. However, we left after a few hours to see the rest of London.

We walked from there to Westminster Abbey, where Kristin, Trey, & Kenneth decided to go in for the tour. As Cameron and I have been "toured out" of churches thus far into our journey, we decided to go check out the London Eye.

Westminster Abbey

The London Eye

The London Eye was amazing - it continuously runs and takes about 30 minutes to get all the way around. It was a good thing Kristin didn't join us, as we did have to stop once for about 5 minutes, and even though the compartment was quite large (about 10-15 people fit comfortably walking around), I know she wouldn't have liked the trapped feeling! Although we just looked at is as bonus time on the ride!

After the London Eye, we met the Guckians and had a late lunch in one of the many pubs London has to offer. We strolled around town after that, mainly looking for a place we could watch the Russia vs. Spain football (aka soccer) game later that evening. Surprisingly, not many of the pubs have TVs! We finally found one, and Kristin, Ken, and Trey decided to head to dinner on their own (imagine that - not wanting to watch a Russia - Spain football game - ;) ). Claire and her mystery friend were heading out to meet us as well. We knew that Claire was staying at a friend's place in London, so we assumed that this was the friend. When she walked in, her husband, Jeff, was following - he had surprised Claire the day before by telling her he would be able to leave Korea early and meet her in London! How much fun - they had both flown in earlier that afternoon, and let me tell you that Jeff is definitely a jet lag expert! We had a blast catching up with our friends (and I have to admit, I didn't watch much of the football game!).

The next morning we awoke quite early to "queue" for tickets to Wimbledon, and made it out there by 8 am! It was crazy - the number of people "queueing!" But everyone was so extremely friendly and the lines were so extremely well organized - nothing at all like here in Russia!

Queueing at Wimbledon

We waited a few hours, and then we were able to get in. We got ground tickets, which means no reserved seats for the best 3 courts, but the ability to see the games on the other 15 or so courts. It was so much fun! And I actually finally got the hang of the scoring! (yes - Cameron's been trying to teach me for years!) Wimbledon is known for their Strawberries & Cream (see pic of Jeff, Claire, & I), and their Pimms, which is somewhat like a beer/champagne cocktail. Anyhow - the Pimms they were serving must have been a bad batch because it was absolutley horrible! Kristin took one sip and about lost it. I managed to drink about half, and Cameron, ever the saver, drank the rest as we had just paid $12 for each one!!

Strawberries & Cream at Wimbledon with Claire & Jeff

On Saturday, we went down to "The City" where the Tower of London is located. This was one of the best tours - especially as I had just seen "The Other Boleyn Girl." A true Beefeater (or true Beefeater actor!) gave us an hour long tour telling us all about the Tower and the various stories that go along. Cameron, Neth, and Trey were enamored with the Ravens, about which there is a legend that if they all leave, then the monachy will fall. We saw the Crown jewels, which are absolutley beautiful, and the Tower Bridge (not to be mistaken with the London Bridge).

Cameron, Kenneth, & Trey in front of the Tower Bridge

After the Tower, we headed to St. Paul's Cathedral, however, it was closed for a private service. So, we took pictures outside and then headed across the Milleneum Bridge to the South side of the Thames. We walked along the river and stopped and had a beer at one of the markets along the way. Once done with strolling along the Thames, we took the tube to Hyde Park and walked through on our way to the Princess Di memorial. The memorial is a running stream of water in the middle of the park. They encourage you to take your shoes off and put your feet in for a dip.

Cameron, Trey, Kenneth, & Kristin
Dipping their feet in Princess Di's Memorial

We had to leave early Sunday morning, but I'm certain we'll be back in the next few years - I absolutely loved it, and there is too much to see in just a quick 4 day trip!