Buildings, Buckingham, and Butt Cheeks

Saturday started out bright and early by taking a "hop on, hop off" sightseeing bus tour. Our tour went to all the major London sites, like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and the Tower of London. They gave out ear buds so you could listen to an automated tour guide as you drove around the city. We also took a free river boat tour down the Thames and got some good looks at the bridges as well as other buildings. Here are a few of the 200 some pictures that I took!

Trafalger Square
I have no clue as to the significance of this building.
Big Benny lives just down the street.
The Thames, some tour boats, and the edge of the London Eye (it's some 400 feet high).
Another shot of the ubiquitous London Eye.
Katie and I on the river boat tour.
Big building with clock face...the biggest one in London.
Blackfriars Bridge.
It doesn't seem to be falling down anymore!
Big old WWII war ship, now a museum.
Quite a spiffy Town Hall!
The Tower Bridge!


Biiiiig Ben

When we went to Buckingham Palace, there were people EVERYWHERE! There was also an air show going on. Strange, we thought. As we drew closer, we saw that there were a group of regal looking people seated on a balcony of the palace. Apparently, it was the queen's official birthday and they were having an air show in her honor. So, yeah. We saw the queen!

Right outside the gates of the palace.
The flag flying means that the queen is home! You can see secret service guys up there too.
Police on horseback! Pretty legit.
The very iconic guards! They marched right past us so we got a front row seat!
Unidentified royal figures peeking from the windows of the palace.

After leaving Buckingham Palace, we went to get lunch. All of you who know me know that fish creeps me out! However, when in Rome, you eat fish and chips...so I did. I have to admit, it didn't taste very fishy with all that fried goodness on it. I don't think I would eat it again but hey, at least I lived it up British style! (I did it for you, MOM!) We then got back on the tour and went past Hyde Park when we saw something that was definitely not part of the tour...butt cheeks. I'm not joking.
This is not normal. Were they camping? Peeing? Are they homeless? We had to find out. We got off at the next stop and ventured bravely into the depths of Hyde Park. As it turns out, there was much, much more naked going on than this pair of cheeks. Apparently there was a protest going on against the oil industry. All participants were in various stages of naked and were riding bikes, claiming things like "Burn fat, not oil." It even made the news! Naked Bike Ride!

Only in London....

Now, back on track. We rounded off the tour with...

The Marble Arch
Almost everywhere in England is covered in closed circuit TV. Big Brother Ben is always watching!

As many of you know, the USA vs. England game of the World Cup was on Saturday. Here is a line outside a sports pub at least 3 hours before the start of the game.
We went to a club to watch a game. Let me just say that it was the craziest thing I've EVER experienced. We were packed in there so tightly. It smelled like smoke (even though smoking is not allowed inside), sweat, beer, and butt. Some guy had a trumpet and was playing what I'm guessing was the English theme song or something. The club was also playing this CD of popular songs in which the words had been changed to be about English football. The only one that I can remember was the song Come On Ilene was changed to Come On England. Apparently this kind of thing is common practice there because all the drunk Englishmen were singing along at the top of their lungs. It was total sensory overload. Just when I thought it couldn't get any nuttier, guys behind the bar began to hand out these blow horns. Just want drunk people need, stuff that makes loud noises! I had had enough of this before the game even started so a small group of us went back to the flat to watch the game. I have to say that the tie was probably the best possible outcome for the game because I would have hated to see the crazy drunkenness in the streets if there had been a definite outcome! It was an experience nonetheless.

By the time the game was over and people returned home, it was about 11 pm. We all just hung out in the common room for a bit before going to bed. Looking back on all this makes me realize just how much we do everyday. We are definitely milking this trip for all it's worth! No complaints here!

Love you all!