What a day! Since we successfully avoided jet lag by forcing ourselves to stay up til 10PM last night (hence the less-than-pleasant sounding blog entry - we were dead tired and crabby...) -- or in Laura's case 11:00ish, we were able to get up early and make an 11am reservation for the London Eye. Once off the Tube we immediately saw "Big Ben", the Thames River, Westminster Abbey -- made you really feel like a tourist in London.
Found our way to the London Eye -- all the guidebooks talk about the dreadful 2-hour long queues -- well, maybe for summer and for the middle of the day. Since we were half an hour early we just walked on. This oversized ferris-wheel is really something else. Since the weather cooperated we could see everything clearly. London is HUGE. And tons of construction going on so maybe the economy is not doing so poorly over here...if you do go on this attraction make sure you dress like it's going to be a warm day at the beach- there is no ac and the little glass bubbles you go in (see pic) roast you medium well done. Man, as cool as it was to see London from this height we were glad to get out and cool down! 
Headed a block or two over to Westminster Abbey. An amazing place and one of those "you can't leave England without visiting" attractions. Since it was around 11:30 there was a bit of a line and once we paid and got inside we could see the place was packed. This was incredible. The architecture, with parts dating back to the 10th century, the tombs of Elizabeth I, etc. Glad we went, it would have been nicer if we had a guided tour (though Jeremy Irons did a decent job on the audio guide) and NO PEOPLE. 
Our schedule was tight today -- still had the "Duck Tour" and the Winston Churchill Museum to get to. Ducked into a genuine English pub -- very cool and low-key filled with well-dressed government types either talking quietly to their mates or looking down at their food, expressionless. Felt like yelling just to liven up the mood a bit! Ordered some meat pies instead and some light English ale that we never heard of -- for good reason -- and will never drink again. Not a good idea to drink in the middle of the day, plus it wasn't that good. Ducked out -- after Charles broke a 
glass on the floor - guess we did end up livening up the place a bit -- with his backpack... oh well...Walked back to the London Eye area - about 100 yards away was the Duck Tour. This is a group (worldwide) that transformed U.S. amphibious vehicles into tour busses that go on land and the water. About ten years
ago we had done one in Boston and found it to be pretty fun and interesting. Alas, the London version was not. Not much ground covered, a sarcastic guide that liked to make subtle fun of various British celebrities we never heard of, and a short tour down the Thames...Charles started to nod off...
ago we had done one in Boston and found it to be pretty fun and interesting. Alas, the London version was not. Not much ground covered, a sarcastic guide that liked to make subtle fun of various British celebrities we never heard of, and a short tour down the Thames...Charles started to nod off...
Grabbed some coffee at a stand, walked down the Millenium Bridge, took some photos of the strange street performers (shades of Venice Beach!) and took a long walk through the Westminster neighborhood to get to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. This was a truly amazing place. As impressive as the Abbey was, this was an incredibly comprehensive and well laid out museum. The rooms were left exactly as they were when Churchill and his cabinet met between 1940-45 during the war. Everything was 
kept exactly as it was and an audio guide led you to the different rooms - strategy, maps, bedrooms, etc. Then, the second part of the building was dedicated entirely to Winston Churchill's life. This could have been deadly dull but the curators made it lively and interesting, filled with interactive displays, short videos you could watch at your leisure -- even a year-by-year display where you could choose which day you wanted to see from his life. Very informative -- we were actually there til closing.
kept exactly as it was and an audio guide led you to the different rooms - strategy, maps, bedrooms, etc. Then, the second part of the building was dedicated entirely to Winston Churchill's life. This could have been deadly dull but the curators made it lively and interesting, filled with interactive displays, short videos you could watch at your leisure -- even a year-by-year display where you could choose which day you wanted to see from his life. Very informative -- we were actually there til closing.Walked over to Buckingham Palace as the sun set, then took the tube to Oxford Circus --this area reminded us of Manhattan -- to eat at a restaurant one of the guidebooks recommended -- an excellent Turkish joint called Ozer-- a "sumptuous, atmospheric restaurant that draws on the vast culinary influences of the Ottoman Empire, prepared and served with a light, modern touch." 
Very cool place with excellent food and wine. No complaints here!
Very cool place with excellent food and wine. No complaints here!
Took two crowded tubes back to the Kensington area...tomorrow the Tower of London - and god knows what else!
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