London Callin'

Safe Arrivals and Happy Days

Greetings from the land of the Union Jack! Our plane arrived safely, early actually, and we were in love with Virgin Airlines- there were numerous movies, food, and Indian people and very homely British patrons aboard. After a longer Tube ride than expected, we arrived at our hostel with no difficulty. The hostel we're staying in is right next to British Museum in a very cute area. The reception staff is quite friendly (and says, "Good morning love" :)) but we were disappointed by the lack of clean sheets on Liz's bed. Our two roommates were very cool and we enjoyed getting to chat with them. After a slight walk around when Grace got very cranky and wanted to sleep but Liz was very excited, back to the hostel it was for a night of difficult sleep (namely because Liz was stressed over dirty sheets).

Today has been glorious! We woke up to a rare sunny London day, much to our pleasant surprise. We took some nice warm showers and toweled off with our pajamas due to lack of towelage. We headed over to Tate Modern Art Museum, after a brisk walk along the River Thames. We booked it thru the minimalist exhibits but enjoyed the rest, especially the kids' games. Next was St. Paul's Cathedral, for a tour with a lil headset and a magnificent view from the top spire. The headsets were Elizabeth's idea, but Grace was most impressed. It was an incredible experience to be able to pray the Lord's Prayer with a diverse group and a priest from the national cathedral (and where Di got married!) The 500+ stairs to the top were quite steep, but well worth the climb for the non-faint of heart.

Borough's Market was the BEST. We wandered around, tasted many treats, and got some lunch, olives and desserts. We appreciated the generosity of the British vendors with their samples. A highlight was that while we were enjoying our delectable lunch, an elderly, intelligent and batty Scottish man talking to us for over half an hour, concluding with a signed print of his painting of soldiers "weeing" due to the cold on the battlefield. Memories...

We attempted to go to the Globe Theater for a tour of Shakespeare's theatrical home, but it was closed due to a show going on. Instead, we walked up to see the London Eye and enjoyed the street performers, and a playground along the way, but did not enjoy the headless Minnie Mouse man who made Liz jump and scream.

Back to the hostel it was for a nap for Liz and a run thru the business district for Grace-she needs to find a better route... Dinner was at a delightful Italian place with funky interior and live music by a guy who sounded like Jack Johnson. Some minimal stress insued over knowing whether or not to tip- still need to figure that one out...

Highlights and Lowlights

+Cherries from Burrough's Market

-Pesky and frightening pigeons

+Best mocha ever made with real melted chocolate

-Hoitsy toitsy Brit thinking we'll steal from his second-hand designer store

+St. Paul's Cathedral was exactly 365 ft high to the top of the dome-cute!

-Almost getting hit by double-decker buses and bikers multiple times