London Day 2

 Some British Dude, "I bet you Americans will see the whole city in a day!"

Yep, We Did!

London is so very different from the United States of America yet it is so similar.   Yes, the British Men are very handsome and the accent just adds so much more to the attraction.  But there not all that charming, by American standards: rude.

London is a very mixed culture.  Many people that I met were from London but they have only been here the last 10-15 years.  I assume that is because they were all in the service industry and came here for a better life and job opportunity.  My view is that London is a very successful and booming city.  Did you know that there are more banks here that trade in the U.S. than in NYC? The highest priced apartment was also sold for 142 million pounds (A lot more if in American Money)!  Wish I would have gotten the commission check on that property. 

The second day in London was very eventful.  First started off with a FREE breakfast at the hotel provided my AIFS.  I loaded up to save a little money later on in the day.  I had some wonderful croissants, a chocolate pastry, pork sausages, smoked bacon, scrambled eggs (looked reddish and runny but still very good), and orange juice and coffee.  While we were finishing up breakfast we almost missed the bus tour.

But we made it just in time.  We started out on the bus with the girls that I had met the night before (so thankful).  Our first stop was Buckingham Palace.  Wow, that was so beautiful.  So I do have a bummer though, it is only in the movie that you get to pester the non-moving gaurds :(  There was about 50 yards from the Palace to a gated fence so we couldn't even get close enough to pester them.  This is really where the photo madness began.  All I was thinking was Picture, Picture, Picture! So that's what I did.  I took pictures at Big Ben, the London Eye, the national gallery of art,Westminster Abby, Buildings and More Buildings, Fountains and Bridges, and of course My Food.  I will have these up on Facebook in a couple of days I hope ;)  I also went on the Underground, their railway.


We went to the famous Harrods and Harvey Nickels.  Both excellent shopping venues.  Harrods is really amazing you can buy anything there from fresh fruit and meat to perfume to clothes to wine to diamonds.  Sounds like your kind of store right?  But, unfortunately I didn't have that kind of money.  the gloves were running about 400 pounds with fur vest at about 3,000 pounds. 

My Food:

Lunch was at the White Lion.  I had a spinach salad with smoked bacon, honey mustard seed dressing with a fried poached egg on top along side a Pear Cider.  It was all so very yummy.

Dinner was at the Oyster Room.  I had the famous fish and chips (french fries) along with another Pear Cider.  It was a at a local pub by the hotel and very cheap about 10 pounds, so it was the best in the whole world. 

Few things:  Pound is their currency about $.50 to one pound (ouch), they do say cheers a lot and not bloody hell or cheerios,  the sun never shines, foggy, about 10 degrees Celsius, they love fashion and have name brand everything, speak in much quieter voices or rarely speak to the tourist at all, and they all seem to have lots of money.  Now I am talking about just my first 24 hour glance at the city.  I didn't have the chance to become friends with a local or learn from them. 

P.S.  I always felt like Harry Potter was going to jump out at me, only if I would have more time I would have went to all the places it was filmed. 

P.S.S I fly to Sienna, Italy tomorrow.  Ready or not here I come ;)