London, England Click any picture to see full size We decided to add an extra day to the end of our cruise so we could spend a day in London before heading back to the states. We will definitely be back in Barcelona to experience it...someday! We got off the ship and picked up our luggage and headed to the shuttle for the airport. The flight was short, I think I even slept a little. Once we landed in London we found the train (not so easily but I'll spare you the details) and headed to the hotel. Lugging 4 suitcases on a train and through the streets in London was fantastic. We arrived at our hotel dropped the bags off, and headed out to see the city. First stop was the Millenium Bridge, it is a walking bridge, fairly newly constructed with great views of the city and other sites. We then walked to Big Ben and the Parliament area where we saw The London Eye and Big Ben (I honestly took 34 pictures of Big Ben alone...). It was so amazing to see these things in person. I really wanted to go to Buckingham Palace (hoping to see Harry and William) and so we headed to the Palace. I read in my London book that if the flag is flying that means the Queen is there...and it was! I dont know why that made it more exciting, but it did. The Palace has a huge public garden that many natives were enjoying with the nice weather. After Buckingham Palace we had dinner. Vinny had fish and chips (of course) and I decided to be All American and ordered a cheeseburger and chips. We then headed to The London Eye, which we had bought tickets online months before. This is definitely a great addition to London, it was so fun to see things from a much tall advantage. I'm not really afraid of heights but things like Ferris Wheels and Cable Cars...they really scare me. Luckily the London Eye didn't feel like a typical Ferris Wheel so I wasn't scared at all (ok maybe a little when we stopped 900 times). Our last stop in London was to watch the Changing of the Keys ceremony at the Tower of London. Although it is no longer occupied by the Royal Family, the Tower officially remains a royal residence, and as such, maintains a permanent Guard. The ancient custom of the Ceremony of The Keys, which involves the formal locking of the gates of the Tower of London, has been carried out continuously every night, without fail, for more than 600 years since 1340. We were not able to take pictures (orders from the Queen) but none the less it was a unique learning experience and definitely something to remember.
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