More London

We started our day out with a tour on a double decker (or decka) as they like to say it here. We wanted to get to Buckingham Palace by 11:00am so we could see the changing of the guard. We got there early and saw the rehearsal for the Queen's birthday celebration on June 17. It was really cool. There were lots of horses, men in funny hats and lots and lots of security. We stood their with our mouths open like we had never seen royalty before. After the fanfare, we ducked into a souvenir shop and bought some t-shirts and some Diet Pepsi. We hopped back on the bus and went by Westminster Abby. Just around the corner was Big Ben, which I discovered is not a clock, but a bell that rings as a result of the clock. They told us the clocks name, but I don't remember it. We took a 50 minute boat tour that took us down the Thames River and under some famous bridges. I assure you London Bridge is not falling down, but it's not all it's sung about. The Tower Bridge is much more exciting. However, the best part of the day was the Texas Embassy in London. Yes that's right Texas was its own country for about 10 years and made a healthy relationship with the British. An Embassy was established, and then later closed. The Embassy re-opened several years ago, not as a representative for Texans in London, but as a restaurant. They serve Tex-Mex food, have Texas bumper stickers, Texas licenses plates, “don't mess with Texas” signs, and a map of Texas painted on the wall that you can sign. San Angelo was not on the map, until I put it there. (You are welcome fellow San Angeloans.) Somebody tell George Strait you can definitely see Texas from here. We signed our names, ate some fajitas and drank a Dr. Pepper. We even heard a few American accents. This is the only place thus far where we didn't feel like a minority. They did a pretty good job of making you feel like you were in Texas. Later we saw cathedral after cathedral, monument after monument, bridge after bridge, and palace after palace. It was pretty amazing. The architecture is just unbelievable. I highly recommend the “Original Bus Tour.” There are routes all over London and Westminster where you can hop off and on the bus. If you need your coffee fix, don't worry; there is Starbucks on every block. Angie isn't quite adjusted to the time yet. We got back to the hotel and she crashed. The kids and I stayed awake so we could sleep tonight. We do the crazy like journey back to the airport in the morning. I think we know so much more now that it will be pretty easy. The hard part tomorrow is flying into the night, moving another six hours ahead and changing planes at 3:00am. However we reach our wonderful destination on the 5th and begin the process of setting up home and meeting new friends. Hopefully, I will be able to continue the blog at that time. Sorry I am unable to post pictures as this time. I packed the cable to move the pictures from the digital camera in a trunk that is stored at the airport. However, this will give you something to look forward to in a few days. Until then.