The Never, Ever, Ending Day

Our day started early today - or, really, just spilled over from yesterday as we started on the same overnight bus.  There was a “comfort” stop, as the co-conductor informed us, a little after midnight at a rest stop outside Edinburgh, and another around 3 am.  We arrived in a cold, dark London around 6:30 am, and James immediately pawed around inside his pack for some warmer clothes and some London-appropriate shoes.  We knew we could not check into our room in Christopher Lodge until at least noon, so we made plans to see some of London in the meantime.  We started in a local café, where we had a light breakfast, and then moved on to another Starbucks to check our e-mail and look at different tourist options.  A note on Starbucks - we were fortunate enough to get several Starbucks cards as parting gifts for our trip and from our jobs.  Erin has endeavored to use these whenever possible, and she has become a guiding light for finding Starbucks in nearly every locale we’ve visited.

Post Starbucks break, we ventured, packs and all, into London proper.  We started by heading to Buckingham Palace, where we lucked into seeing the changing of the guard ceremony.  After some pictures by the fountain in front of the Palace, we walked through James’s Park - that is, St. James’s Park, and brought out Tabitha the Tiger for some pictures.  We walked through the Horse Guards Calvary building and arch, passed as near to No. 10 Downing Street as we could, and then walked over to the Big Ben clock.  A note for our younger readers - No. 10 Downing Street is the home of the British Prime Minister - it is the same as the White House is here in the U.S.   On the other hand, Buckingham Palace, which we also saw today, is the official residence of the Queen of England.

Some cheery smiles in front of Buckingham Palace.  (you can see our heavy packs as well)

No. 10 Downing Street - home of the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Big Ben, the largest chiming clock tower in the world.

Tabitha perched on the Westminster Bridge in front of the House of Parliament.

After Big Ben, we walked across Westminster Bridge for some Tabitha-included photos of Parliament on our way to Waterloo Station, our first stop on London’s “Tube” system.  Today had been different than our tour of Edinburgh, as there was no locker for our packs.  Instead, we had been up early with little sleep, and had been lugging around over 40-pounds each in our backpacks, touring the city and searching for the train.    At this point, we were ready for a break (well, Erin definitely was).  And, after 12 stops up the Northern Line using our brand-new Oyster Cards for the underground railroad, we found our flat (which we acquired through airbnb) and settled in for a nap.

An hour or two later, and awake if not fully refreshed, we set out to explore the nearby town of Hornsey.  Hornsey’s modern claim to fame seems to be as the home of Simon Pegg, star of “Run Fatboy Run” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”  We did not run into Simon.  We did make it back to the apartment in time for a nice dinner, and a streaming broadcast of Michigan’s narrow win over the University of Massachusetts in this afternoon’s football game.  Erin attempted to stay up to watch the Michigan State vs Notre Dame game, but because it was a night game in the US, it didn't even begin until about 1am here - which was simply too late for Erin's tired eyes.

A note on signs we have seen throughout Ireland and the UK - many of the smaller stores carry an “off-license” sign outside, and Erin and James had debated the sign's meaning.  Apparently, this means that you can purchase alcohol at these stores, but you cannot drink at the stores.  In contrast, an “on-license” establishment would allow you to consume alcohol there - as in a restaurant or a pub.