Big Ben x 87

So, the only thing that we for sure wanted to do when we got up this morning at a ridiculous hour (5 AM!!! I couldn't sleep) was be tourists. I know, I know, LAME! But, you know what, as it turns out, not so lame. Nothing cures culture shock like a double decker bus tour. And tour we did. As we headed out after our first hot showers of the trip, Kara reiterated, "I just want to see Big Ben." Little did she know how many time we would shuttle past this infamous London landmark, named after some guy called Ben (Londoners always tell you what people are called, even though it's kinda obvious) and in fact it is not the tower, but the bell that is named Big Ben, and it weighs 16 tons. That's a hell of a bell. Did you know that 80% of London burned to the ground in 1666? Or that the plague killed more that 100,000 people the year before that? It's true, we heard it live and digitally on one of our many roundabouts through RAINY London today. I bet those folks were ready for the 1670s. Some other fascinating bits of the day...
1. Westminster Abbey - final resting place of the upper crust of London
2. Buckingham Palace - but no changing of the guard today
3. Speakers corner in Hyde Park - It was raining, so no speakers, but thanks for the recommendation, mom.
4. Tower of London
5. Tower Bridge ( And about a zillion other bridges that crisscross the Thames)
6. Full on afternoon tea - with clotted cream, tasty, but needs a new name
7. Awesomely funny street names like "Great Peter Street" and "Black Rod Row" (no joke)
8. Houses of Parliament
9. St. Paul's Cathedral
10. Trafalgar Square

You get the picture - we did it all!!! So we're pretty sure we can give that tour now, if necessary. We even had a beer in the Candy Bar - a local ladies' hangout. Oh yeah, and we got pictures with a real English phone booth - you can guess whose idea that was. We hope to post some pictures soon, but it's tough to find a place that will let you upload. Keep checking though, we got some good ones.

Peace out folks - time for some much needed rest. Cheers, we'll have a pint for ya. Yes, all of you.