By the time we arrived at our Hotel in London it was 2pm on Friday. So after a quick turnaround we headed out to the nearby Tower Of London. One of my favorite tourist spots in the city. Excellent stories of torture, imprisonments, battles, tradition, treaties, etc. They like to tell you that its "still in operation" because it houses the crown jewels (the line was 2 hours long, we skipped it. So sad.) and its ceremonially locked and guarded every night. If it were really in use, I think there'd be a few more executions available for public display, because they were sooooo into those around those parts. We also found some armor for Sam! They used to believe it was made for a midget, but later learned it was made for a young prince. I'd give anything to see him wearing it!
We rounded out the day with a visit to the Tate Modern museum (we loved the photography exhibit), dinner, and back to the hotel early. That, however, afforded us the opportunity to watch some awesome British television. Lets just say they're pretty loose with what they allow on broadcast TV over there! The view from our window on the back of the hotel was better than I anticipated!
Day two, Saturday, we hit up the super-touristy "Hop-on, Hop-off" bus tour. We only had a few days and I knew it was the best way for Chris to see lots of attractions quickly. 
Chris would want me to tell you about this pub, which is very near to Parliament. There is a bell inside that, for centuries now, is rung when it is time for a vote so all them men can finish their drinks and get back on time. One of the places we hopped off was near Buckingham Palace, but we couldn't get too close because they were practicing for the Trooping of the Color the following weekend. We did, however, get up close and personal with St. Paul's Cathedral. Admission to St. Paul's includes a self-guided audio tour which now comes to you in the form of several podcasts on an iPod touch. So modern! After completing the ground level of the tour we hiked up - and up and up and up a total of 528 narrow, winding, single file, oh look there's more damage from the Blitz, hope you're not claustrophobic steps.*I'd like to make a note here. This is not an activity I recommend for 5 year olds. If you've got one with you on your vaca to London, please think of the child and skip the climb. If you are foolish enough to take her up, be prepared to carry her down. Not willing to carry her? Kindly step aside when there is an opening to let the 100 people behind you pass by. Not willing to do that? Ok, you just continue literally dragging your poor, exhausted child down the steps while the rest of us wait patiently...*
Beautiful views, though. Very windy! And there are some pretty cool stories about how the locals worked to protect the church during WWII.Saturday night we went to the theater. We saw Jersey Boys and had and loved it. Chris was really going to humor me, but he ended up really enjoying it himself. Its such a fun show that is full of songs you know and can sing along to. Good story, too. Perhaps just as much fun as watching the show was watching the other audience members watch the show. There were people there who were clearly young when Frankie Valley and the 4 Seasons were popular, and you could practically see the memories rush back to them. And the two middle aged women in the box to the right of the stage? Wow were they having fun. They literally danced their way through the second act. All this to say, an excellent show that's worth the ticket price if you get a chance to go.
Day 3, Sunday, we visited the Churchill and Cabinet War Rooms. This was a special request by my WWII-obsessed husband and something I'd never done. Basically, its a basement to a random government building that was covered with a 6' cement "ceiling" and used as offices and living quarters for the cabinet and support staff during most of WWII. A few days after VE Day the last employee walked out and no one walked back in for another 30 years. The map still holds the pins that were in place at the end of the war, and one man's desk still held his carefully wrapped ration of sugar cubes. A very neat place to visit.
We also spent a few hours at the British Museum. Interesting thing about this place is that nothing here is actually British, but more like stuff the British have collected as souvenirs from their various conquests throughout history. The mummies were pretty neat to see, and I really liked the clock exhibit! They have lots of pieces old statues and parts of structures from ancient Greece and Rome, and I get it, they're really old and its amazing they survived this long. But really, that's just a leg. You're putting just a leg on display? Anywho, we saw the Rosetta Stone too.
Our last tourist item in London was the Jack The Ripper Walking Tour. We learned a little history and a little lore while seeing a part of the city we hadn't seen yet. It was an enjoyable evening.Lets see, other notes from our time in London... Being in London reminds me that Houston likes to believe its a big city, but we're not quite all grown up yet. London has a lot going for it - awesome public transportation, great theater, fun markets, etc. We actually stayed near a wonderful market (Borough Market) that we stopped at a few times to grab yummy, fresh food, and then visited another one (Spittlefields Market) where I bought a fun dress :-) But the TRAFFIC! I know there's always traffic, but there's also lots of construction right now as they prepare for the Olympics next summer so it was way worse this time.
Next up...Scotland!
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