Checking things off the list

We did a lot of stuff today. We had planned to have the all you can eat English breakfast at our hotel. But we, especially Curt, didn't sleep well. So we slept in. Well, until the 10:15 a.m. test alarm. I thought Curt knew about it. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when it went off. Curt got a rude awakening this morning. What a way to wake up. 

So after the alarm we went to a little cafe for breakfast. It started raining and we hadn't brought the umbrella with us. We weren't far from the hotel so we went back to get it. Then it was pouring so we decided to wait out the downpour. 

Once it cleared up we were on our way. I got my pic taken with Big Ben. We had walked by it earlier in the week. But I hadn't snapped it yet. 

After Big Ben we took a tour of the Westminster Abbey. It is magnificent inside and out. You can't take pictures inside--so only pics of the outside. The wood work, marble, stained glass, etc. is so beautiful. There was an absolutely breathtaking painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. I could have started at it for hours. There are also a lot of dead people there. Kinda creepy. Some of note are Newton, Dickens, Darwin, lots of kings and queens. 

After the Abbey we headed to Buckingham Palace. The building itself is not that amazing at all. We watched the guards for a bit. We got some pics. And then Curt and I walked to Covenant Garden for lunch. We decided to eat at a place called Porky's Pantry, which serves breakfast all day. So we had each had an English breakfast. I had tomatoes with mine and Curt had baked beans. It was quite yummy. The service was quite good, too. We sat at the table on the sidewalk, which was by a very tight street. There were a couple of times I was worried I was gonna get squished.

After lunch we went to a pub called Punch & Judy's. We sat "outside." The area is enclosed, but still kinda outside. We just people watched and had a pint. 

After Punch & Judy's we took a ride on a double decker bus. That was fun and crazy. Tiny streets but they make their way around. We sat up top and right up front. So we got a full show of the ride.

Eventually off the bus and we took a walk through Hyde Park. It was a nice walk and not too cold. Then the Tube home. 

I was exhausted so I took a nap. Curt and I had dinner at the hotel restaurant so he could watch some football match. 

Now I gotta fill out some postcards.

Gail, not sure about that kidney pie. We haven't had fish and chips yet because we can't have them unless we have them from chippy or chippie (sp?). So we likely won't have them until we are in Newcastle. 

Cheers!

Now the spacing is screwing itself up and I can't figure out why. Oh well.