London Day Two

Friday morning we woke early to meet Dianne for breakfast in the executive lounge.  We were a little bit late to meet Di, but luckily she forgave us for making her wait!  That place is very nice and really makes for luxury travel.  After breakfast we headed back to our beloved bus to head back toward the Palace.  We got off the bus at Trafalgar Square to take some pictures.

From there we walked down a beautiful flag lined street called "The Mall".  Running parallel to it was St. James Park.  It had a beautiful lake and looked so peaceful in the park. 

Down the street side of the mall, there was a constant stream of cars, bikes and even carriges.

When we spotted the Victoria Memorial Fountain we knew we had made it.  We even found a nice couple to take our picture together.

We had come to see the changing of the guards.  So had everyone else.

I was mezmorized by the gold and all the ornate details in the palace gates. 

We stood in the heat and sun for 2 hours to watch this special ceremony take place.  So many different types of guards came and went.  On foot and on horse.  With guns or with instruments.

This flag was flown to show that the Queen of England was indeed in the palace that day.

Maybe I am a sucker for details, but look at these details!  So Cool!

As the crowd began to dispurse, be decided to take a little rest at the fountain. 

Next we headed to get a close up view of Big Ben, Westminster, and Parliament

It wasn't long until we needed a meal to give us a little energy to keep truckin.  We ended up the Red Lion Inn Pub. 

We had the most amazing fish and chips meal.

The place had a huge chandelier and beautiful ceiling.  Seating was a challenge and people just sat up to any bar they could.

After lunch we went back to catch our bus.  As I approached the open door, the driver literally pushed me aside to help Robyn up into the bus and said he was her new husband.  He had been our driver before and he must have fallen in love with her.  We laughed and laughed about her special treatment while I was literally kicked to the curb!

We rode the bus around the east side of the tour.  We saw St. Paul's Cathedral.

Tower Bridge over the Thames River

The Shard

The Gherkin Building

Train Station

London Eye

Parliament

After we finished our tour, we started to walk back to our hotel, but not before I got a picture with "the bobbies" and a soft serve cone from the street vendor.  Totally different ice cream experience.

We had intended on a little afternoon nap before our evening out, but that was not in the cards.  We had time to change our clothes before we headed off in a cab for Novello Theater.  Dianne had surprised us with tickets for Mama Mia!  Before the show, we had drinks at the famous Waldorf Hotel.  I had the Passion Promise, Robyn had a diet soda and Dianne a Johnny Walker.

Then we were off to the show!  It was so much fun in the second row!  We sang and laughed all night! 

After the theater we headed across the street to a little Italian food place.  We all enjoyed pasta and pizza while we talked about our amazing day in London.