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**OhToodles!** · 06-01-2011, 12:55 PM

So glad you had a nice dry day for the London Eye!

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 01:04 PM

Rick did manage to get a shot of us in front of the River Thames (and not much else

)

We walked around a bit more and then it started raining pretty good, so we decided to head for our new home -- we were pretty tired. Then Rick spotted his new love -- he was practically drooling every time we'd pass this showroom on our way to/from the South Kensington Tube station.

Can you read the price? 284,950 pounds x 1.6 = $455,920. If any of you would like to donate so that Rick can purchase this vehicle, he would really appreciate it.

Actually, he figures that if he sells everything he owns and cashes in his retirement savings, he could live in the thing. Don't know where he'd park it -- he certainly couldn't afford the insurance on it, so I guess he'd never drive it. Ah well, a boy can dream, can't he?

That evening, we further explored South Kensington. We weren't terribly hungry after our late lunch, so we ended up at:

Where we split a Popeye crepe (chicken, spinach, cheese) and salad and a fabulous dessert they call a Tipsy Cobbler. It was WONDERFUL.

We also shared a bottle of Poire Fermier, a pear cider. (Well, actually I thought I was getting a small bottle of it, similar to what Rick had gotten in Bath -- it turned out to be a much larger bottle. But before Rick could finish his beer, I managed to drink most of the pear cider -- it was delish.)

It finally stopped raining, and it turned out that we didn't have any other significant rain for the remainder of our vacation. So thank you once again for all the weather pixies -- they worked!

Next up: Our first full day in London: Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Imperial War Museum, and climbing the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral!

Until then,

scrappyjae · 06-01-2011, 01:11 PM

$30 for the London Eye- OUCH!

I don't know if I could fork over that amount. But, it did have some nice views. Now you have me curious to try the Pear Cider.

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrappyjae

$30 for the London Eye- OUCH!

I don't know if I could fork over that amount. But, it did have some nice views. Now you have me curious to try the Pear Cider.

I'm telling you, pear cider is fabulous!

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 02:26 PM

Just lookit that blue sky! Yessirree, Thursday was going to be a beautiful day! We decided to explore our neighborhood a bit before setting out.

The British are so very civilized, are they not? This sign

me up.

Just a bit further down our street is St. Paul's Onslow Square.

Then we had our lovely breakfast in L'Orangerie.

They also served scrambled eggs, baked beans (one of those weird British things -- sorry, Cheryl

), and roasted tomatoes. I enjoyed hot tea every morning.

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 02:32 PM

Of course you realize the brilliant blue sky meant we had to take more photos of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, etc. I mean, we did HAVE to, right?

Of course, it would have been a lovely time to get on the London Eye.

So much for my pessimism!

Crowns, crowns everywhere.

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 02:39 PM

Although we wouldn't be going into Westminster Abbey that day, I suggested we take the opportunity to shoot the exterior. And so we did.

The morning sun is the reason you don't see blue sky in this one -- trust me, it was blue up there.

Turn the corner for a side view, and there's that blue sky!

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 02:52 PM

It seemed like the perfect time to see the very center of London: Trafalgar Square. Here's the world's biggest Corinthian column, with Admiral Horatio Nelson standing 170 feet up, looking over London in one of the greatest naval battles in history. In 1805, the one-armed, one-eyed Lord Nelson attacked the French fleet off the coast of Spain at Trafalgar. The French were routed, Britannia ruled the waves, and the once-invincible French army was slowly worn down. Nelson, while victorious, was shot by a sniper in the battle. He died, gasping, "Thank God, I have done my duty."

Here's Lord Nelson's "ship in a bottle," a sculpture of his flagship HMS Victory by Yinka Shonibare. The sculpture is quite large and weighs 4 tons. (We didn't try to remove it.)

You can never have too many pictures of ME, can you?

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 02:57 PM

If you like classical music, you've probably heard a radio broadcast from St. Martin in the Fields. Well, at the edge of Trafalgar Square is where we found this famous church.

**cindybelle** · 06-01-2011, 03:03 PM

Then we walked to White Hall to see (and hear) the beginning of the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony.

It's pretty darn stirring, I can assure you! Very impressive.
.

**OhToodles!** · 06-01-2011, 03:43 PM

What a gorgeous day!

**jennie622** · 06-01-2011, 03:56 PM

Amazing pictures!!! Everyday is a new adventure!

**chezp** · 06-01-2011, 03:59 PM

Beautiful photos - it's so lovely to see my home country through someone else's eyes. I didn't realise the Eye is now £19, that's gone up a lot - although we do usually book online in advance, which is cheaper.

That B&B looks stunning.

lauriep · 06-01-2011, 04:16 PM

Incredible photos! You can really tell that they sand-blasted all the London buildings for the wedding. The city looks beautiful. The B&B looks perfect and what a bargain for London!

cubfancolleen · 06-01-2011, 04:38 PM

LOVE all your pictures! They bring back such great memories of our time in London last summer! My kids really enjoyed the London Eye. We did pre-purchase tickets, so they were a bit less pricey. I think we were able to use them any time on a specific day, but we did luck out with weather too (but not as blue a sky as your day two!!).