Last day in London *sigh*

We woke up raring to go and drink London to its fullest. Okay, it was more of a trudge, but we had London passes and we weren't afraid to use them. We went to the Tower of London first thing in the morning before the lines were too long. It was nice to wave that pass at the entrance and walk past everyone. London passes are a good deal, you can pick them up at the tourist offices or on Expedia, but you have to be very active to get your money's worth. The Tower could easily take a full day, and we only had 2 hours, so it was very compacted.

We caught the tail end of a beefeater tour, and he was hilarious! You really do feel the touch of history there, things come to life for you. Plus they have costumed actors running around. The crown jewels were so huge and glittery that it was difficult to believe they were real. I still think surely they have fakes for the public display, but they say they're the real thing. We had brunch in the cafe on site and were on to the next stop.
London has public transportation barges up and down the Thames, and the dock is right by the Tower, so we hopped aboard and sailed down to see St. Paul's Cathedral. The barge driver also narrated a tour about the various buildings, so we actually got a tour for free. That and beef broth coffee are about the only free things you'll find in London, but we appreciated it. The dock for St. Paul's put us out right at Shakespeare's Globe, so we snapped a quick picture. We walked across the footbridge over the Thames, and St. Paul's was right there. I stopped and had my Mary Poppins feed the birds moment on the steps, and we went in. It was truly breathtaking. Everything is so ornate and carved and gilded, it's hard to believe you're still on the planet Earth. At the back of the sanctuary is a memorial in gratitude for the American soldiers that fell in World War II, and it was very moving. We considered climbing the 400something steps to the top of the dome, but nah.
Since the Queen of England was on vacation in Scotland, we figured we'd drop in on the palace and make ourselves at home. Seriously, the queen is only vacant 2 months a year, so it's rare to be able to see the palace, so even jaded Londoners get excited over this. It is a crowded madhouse, with serious security to get in, but once you make it past Guido with the xray wand it's well worth it. Wow, serious bling. They don't allow pictures because they want you to buy the $15 program, which I did *sucker*, or I would have them posted for you to see. The rooms are color coded, the green room, the blue room, etc., and dripping with brocade and 20 foot gilded ceilings, real gold leaf. It was the queen's 60th wedding anniversary, so there was a special exhibit of her wedding clothes and wedding presents. I actually like her dress better than Princess Di's 80's extravaganza, but that's just me. I can't imagine being a kid and growing up around world masterpieces of art and sculpture laying around your living room just as familiar as the coffee table. It was mind-blowing.
Once we finished our tour of Buckingham we went to Leicester (pronounced Lester) square and had a great steak dinner. We were in a hurry to get to the Lion King, and we couldn't get a taxi, so Mom hired a Polish guy to take us in a rickshaw powered by bike. Talk about careening, cars were zooming by, we were cutting across sidewalks and through pedestrian crossings, gripping the rickshaw for dear life. We arrived a little shaky, but gosh darn it we were on time.
The strange thing to me about London theater is that you can eat a 3 course meal while sitting in your seat and no one thinks a thing of it. Heaven help you in America if you bring food in the theater, but in London, go to it, my lad. Just buy it at the concession stand. The show was fantastic, I had a great time. It was much more creative than the movie, I was impressed at the skill with which they brought it to the stage. We got back to the hotel worn out but ready for a new chapter in our trip. And no we didn't eat the 8 dollar
jellybeans this time. We just had the $3 juice.


Our Polish rickshaw driver