London - Day 8

Today was the first day I felt homesick. I missed my family all this time, don't get me wrong, but it's not the same thing as being homesick. I miss my family, my friends, my church, my city, my dog and even my pillow.

I even miss driving.

Though, truthfully, I wouldn't survive 10 minutes driving here. Anna thinks I exaggerate - she gave me 3 minutes :P However, I did notice the large number of Fords here! Not at all what I expected!

Today we headed to one of our favorite places - Westminster Abbey. Located near by as well is Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and also the London Eye.

We took a full tour of Westminster Abbey where most of the royalty have been baptized, married, crowned or buried. The latest you might recall was the wedding of Prince William last April. Some of the most famous monarchs that have been buried here as well: Elizabeth I (Protestant), Mary I (Bloody Mary) and Mary Queen of Scots (rival of Elizabeth, imprisoned and executed by her). Also, a few famous people like Isaac Newton. The building is quite beautiful even though it is mostly tombs and monuments now. The ceiling in the chapel is gorgeous - it looks like fine lace. The work was done by hand and then raised and fitted together like a puzzle with one chief stone holding the entire puzzle together. Basically, the roof is self supporting.

After spending a few hours there we did a bit of strolling and taking a few of the iconic photos London is known for. We've even found someone to take a picture of us both (very few of those!).

Back underground we headed to the famous Chelsea Football Club stadium. I've handed over the reigns to Anna when it comes to the underground. She seems to thrive in mastering it. It's quite the labyrinth (still easier to manage than the busses in Edinburgh). I'd rather sit back and watch the colorful array of people. Today we both read the local metro paper and were amused by the amount of notes left to "tube crushes". So, if you're ever on the tube and you see someone who catches your fancy you'd better speak up! You might never catch them again :)

Anna was really excited about visiting Chelsea stadium... again. I enjoy an occasional football game, especially if it's a champion game, but I'm not a soccer fan by any means. Albeit, I did enjoy the tour! Our tour guide was really funny and you can tell he's a life long fan. The tour ended late because a fire alarm went off at the stadium and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Typical. Stuff like this always happens to Anna and I :P

We finished the evening at a few museums. On friday nights the museums stay open late (usually they close around 4-5pm). We visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum. At the British Museum we saw the Rosetta Stone! Google it. Bring comfy shoes as there is much to see!

We headed back to Islington for diner. We only eat twice a day while traveling: breakfast and dinner. Usually a light snack of fruit holds is over till then. We keep returning to our part of town as we have so many great choices! Tonight we headed across the street to a place called "Byron" (like the famous poet). Keep in mind that looks can be deceiving. This place might not look like much but the food was delicious! Such great burgers! Reminded me of Burgers and Brew from Sacramento. We found out from the waiter that the owner is an American who came to London and was appalled at what passes as a burger! Let's just say this place is quite popular!!!

We wanted to head back into the city but they promised rain which started falling as we walked back to the hotel. We'll just have to make it up tomorrow :)