Day One in London - Part 1

Hello from the UK (I can't really say sunny, because, well....that hasn't happened too much). I know I am behind by a couple of days with the blog, but I will do my best to get caught up these next few days and share all our adventures with you.

Away we go - ready for our flight at BWI.

We were quite ready to be rather sad when our flight was delayed about 45 minutes. But some mysterious force (also known as a tail wind) got us to arrive at Heathrow still almost 25 minutes early. Upon arrival, our trip through border control and customs was quick and easy. We headed down to the tube, with Oyster Cards in hand and started the ride into London. Along the way, we had an extensive tour of Acton Town. Here it is. 

Perhaps there was a little jet lag going on already. Rumor has it that there is more to town than the Tube station where we transferred from the Picadilly Line to the District Line, but we didn't get to see any proof. And, in case you need some good entertainment some time, ask Margaret to sing her Picadilly song.

Once we arrived at Westminster Station, Margaret got her first real glimpse of the UK (by the way, that's our hotel in the background).

As you can likely tell from the picture, it was pretty grey out - quite windy and only about 50 degrees. A few light showers would pass through later, but most of the day was just chilly and a little dark. First stop was the hotel, where we checked in and to our great joy, our room was ready. 

Yes, at 9:30am, we were in our room with a little time to relax before we head out for touring. The view from the room was pretty darn nice - the London Eye and Waterloo Bridge!

At 11am, with a little more energy, it was time to head out. First stop was Elizabeth Tower for quite a few pictures. You likely are more familiar with this site via the name of its famous bell, Big Ben. About this time, the first 'issue' of the week really became apparent. Somehow, when packing, I grabbed the wrong Nikon digital SLR. Yes, I have two, and yes, the one I have with me is very nice. But, not as nice as the new one that is sitting at home on the counter. The reason it became an 'issue' is the lack of a wide angle lens. Which means, not quite all of the things we see make it into the picture. But, the picture still is worth a good 850 words.

From there, we headed to Westminster Abbey, where we saw the most dreaded thing you can see while travelling - a huge line. Much to our surprise (twice in one day already), the line moved very quickly and we got inside within 20 minutes. No pictures are allowed inside, so no details there. Margaret did complete the kids activity booklet (scavenger hunt) and Denise and I did the full audio tour. In addition to all the amazing things in terms of decor and architecture, Denise was particularly reverent in the Poet's Corner and I was in awe of the composers tombs.

It is about time for us to get some sleep, so I will complete Day 1 when I have time. Thanks for traveling along with us.