Queen Told Us To Beat It

We marched a mile down the mall to see the Queen at Buckingham Palace.  We (along with a 1000 others on her doorstep) were informed by guards that she was tired from her 60 year anniversary and the palace was closed.  No tour today!

We then proceeded to a stupid crowded Westminster Abbey and elected to just walk around the outside.

Onward to the Parliament and Big Ben.  Ben's chimes at the top of the hour weren't much louder than our mantel clock at home. 

Next we had to check out the London Eye and was sure the line would be many hours long.  To our surprise , it was only a 10 minute wait.  I guess the rain and gale force winds scared off the meek.  Even Spencer, who fears heights, made the ascent.

We Overslept

We got a late start (11 am)... I guess we needed the sleep.  We headed out to the National Museum via Picadilly Circus.  Olivia gave us all an art history lesson as we gazed at masterpieces.

Just outside the National Museum the kids tamed the lion in Tafalger Square.

This AIN'T Beef

Everyone was hungry after checking in, so we hit the bar at midnight (7 pm at home).  Spencer and Olivia had a brew with me and we ordered some "Scottish Hamburgers".... which turned out to be ground up sheep.  Welcome to the U.K.!

Back to Travel Reality

Our trip to the hotel was a 45 minute rocky ride on the London underground.  No upgrades on this commute.  After getting off at the Picadilly Circus station, we had a short hike to our hotel near St. James Park.

Burning Up Mileage Plus Points

The kids were pretty stunned when they saw our seats to London.  They were very very nice.  The lay flat feature would of been handy for an overnight flight.

Good flight with only a few bumps.  United gave us a "Fast Pass" to bypass long lines at customs.  That was a first for me.

Cleveland Hopkins Departure

We had to get up at 3 AM to be at the airport by 4:30 for our 6 am flight.  Everybody is wide awake on this sunny morning. 

Final Preparations

We are almost packed and ready to go.  Olivia should arrive from Rochester by 10 pm, allowing us to stuff the car for our early morning trip to the airport.