London on foot....

Well, yesterday was quite busy. The day started at 8 when we ate breakfast at the hotel. We loaded the buses and headed to Buckingham Palace at 9:30. After being dropped off at the Palace at around 10, we quickly secured a place at the entrance gate to the palace for the changing of the guard. The area around the Palace quickly became crowded before the ceremony began at 11:30. We saw the band enter the gates and carriages and horses with guards go by. The ceremony was very long and a bit confusing. Also, the people around the gate were pushy and kept smashing us against the Buckingham Palace gate. Although, we are very glad to see part of the ceremony, we left after an hour and a half. We then went to Picadilly Circus where we ate lunch at a small cafe. Then the real walking began. After lunch, we quickly walked to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliment. On our way, we saw the house of the guards, where we took a photo with a horse guard. We then walked to Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church. We did not go in the Abbey, but we took photos of the outside, and went to the gift shops. We then rode the double decker bus to Harrod's department store. The bus was really fun, and of course we set on the upper level. In Harrods we were able to view dresses from designers like Versache and Gucci. The girls loved the experience, but needless to say, this was not Derek's favorite part of the trip. We then rode the Tube (which is like their subway), to the area where the theater was located called Covent Garden. We ate dinner at a small cafe, and went to the small local shops. After dinner, we headed to the theater where The Lion King started at 7:30. The show was amazing. This was my personal favorite part of the trip. The costumes were bright and beautiful, the actors were graceful and talented, and the set design was intricate and detailed. The show ended around 10:30, when we took the Tube back to our hotel and called it a night, after miles of walking during the day. Today, we were able to sleep in until 8. We ate breakfast and then headed across the street from our hotel to Hyde Park. We saw Kensington Palace, where Diana Princes of Wales lived. We strolled through the park, and took a rest on the park benches, before catching the buses to head to the Eurostar terminal at 12:30. The Eurostar is a fast train that took us from London to Paris. We are currently in Paris, and our hotel has a great view. From the top floor, we can see the Eiffel Tour. We went to the grocery store for dinner, to try and learn some of the foods, since everything is in French. This was quite an experience. The store was crowded and we didn't understand any of the labels. We settled on cocoa puffs, milk, dessert, salads, and chips and dip. We will be up early tomorrow to start a tour of Paris.

Hannah and THE TEAM