A six hour tour

Late start yesterday, the girls crashed hard and rebooted to London time! Yippee!

We thought of doing Lego land, but it's 2 hours to get there and we wouldn't have had time to enjoy it - so something quick? A big bus tour! How long could it take? Never mind it's hotter than Dante's second level..let's go!

Trained in to Waterloo station, hopped off and picked up the bus. Easy Peary lemon squeezie. Head phones in we started the tour. No one told us Rod Stewart was playing in the Kensington park and traffic would be a nightmare. So slowly slowly we dragged around, finally realizing how long the tour would take.

The kids were wide eyed at the Free Tibet protest and counter protest by Chinese nationals. Unfortunately they were blocking the entrance to Wagamama noodle shop- the place so many of you have recommended to us. So lunch at a Bistro where it was in the 90's and not an ice cube to be found. Now, I promised not to bitch about mayonnaise, but seriously? Hot dogs on pizza? What's could be worse you ask? Dennis ordered it and loved it. Meh I say, meh.

After a couple wrong turns and pop into Harrods (air conditioning, potties) out to the street, poring sheets of sweat we found our way to the big bus tour with the live guide and prayed we would make it back to Waterloo. It had been a long day. For some reason we had passed Big Ben four times. Interesting factoids (or, what stuck in my head)

- the Churchill statue is electrified to keep pigeons away
- 2000£ fine for feeding pigeons in London
- if they didn't control the pigeons the acid in their poop would erode the monuments. (ew)
- London bridge once took 80 men to operate.
- it's hard to concentrate with a 6 year old talking non stop for six hours.

There's so much more we learned, it was truly amazing.

Made it back to the station had an hour to kill spent it trying to figure out how to recognize our train line. Of course when we figured it out, hopped on and finally settled- P had to pee. Mad dash to the bathroom, 30 pence to pee and a mad dash back- think of doing a 100 yard dash in a sauna-all was well. The train was hot, we were a sticky mess by the time we got home.

Last night was rough P and O have decided that sleeping together involves relentlessly talking and tormenting each other. Might have to invest in an air mattress.

Today Dennis soldiers out to Munich taking an afternoon flight. He'll be gone for a couple days. I have to learn how to properly lock the door, reload my Oyster card and find a real grocery store.

Tomorrow Mom and Jenny arrive. :)

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