Off to London to visit the Queen

Unfortunately the Queen was actually home so we didn't get to do the Buckingham Palace Tour. The Royal Mews was closed also:(. But we got there for a front gate seat (or smash is more like it) for the changing of the guard. It was really cool and quite the production! They had very cute little soldiers (they were only 12 I am sure) and 2 bands. One band broke out in theme from Indiana Jones! It was pretty cool. Lindsay said it was battle of the bands. One would play a concert and then the other! It was great and tons of people. I think we have gate imprints on our face from being smashed! Glad we were there early. After Buckingham Palace we went to Kensington Palace where Queen Victoria was born and Princess Diana lived. It was really a great tour. They had a lot of her dresses on display and a huge display and tour about the last "Debs" to be presented to the Queen in 1958. Too bad they got rid of that! Then we toured the state apartments of William the III and Mary the II. Beautiful furniture and art work. We were suppose to have High tea at Kensington Orangery, but someone in the group (NOT a girl) saw the price and threw a fit. Which they will regret for a long time. I have a feeling they will make up for it today. We went to one of Kat's favorite restaurants (That did NOT serve tea) called the Olde Dutch and had 18" pancakes. You ordered your favorite meats etc. to go on them. They were made like a Pizza but thin like a crepe. We hopped on the Tube and went to find Westminster Abbey. We missed going in side but walked around the outside. They are doing a lot of work on it. The last time I was here (38 years ago) it was solid black from the soot. Now it is beautiful. It is very expensive to go in the Cathedrals, about $15 each. They cost so much to keep up and don't get any help from the state. You can go to services for free, so we are going to evansong tonight at 5:00. Darwin is buried there. Isn't that funny? Serves him right. We then went to Harrod's, which was way cool. It is the largest dept. store in the world. They have an entire floor just dedicated to pets! Expensive pet things! Really expensive!!!! They had a blue box with a white ribbon that was a dog bed it said "Sniffany" on it. It looked just like a Tiffany box. They had an entire dept. of dog clothes. I was really temped to get Lizzie and Fiona the Scottish Kilt with black ruffles and patten leather vest, but if he wouldn't go for tea, I know a $200 dog dress was out of the question! Then we came back to the hotel and crashed. No trouble sleeping here! For some reason I wake up at 7am. (I know don't faint) and am the first one up. They should probably be up so I guess I had better go to breakfast (scrambles eggs, bacon the biggest piece you have ever seen, toast served in one of those really cute racks, tea, and strawberry jam.) I was worried about eating that much every day, but we definitely walk it off!!! We are having the vacation of a lifetime and so much fun. Even if we didn't go to tea.