London Day 2

I woke up to a cool, rainy morning and loved every bit of it. I can't remember the last time I needed to walk outside in the morning with a rain coat and an umbrella. I'm so thankful for the climate change. I went on my Duck Tour around 10am......all I can say is....Ducks are cool!!

For this edition, I will post a picture and tell you a little of what I learned :)

This is the London Eye. It reminds me of a giant ferris wheel, but it moves Very slowly. It takes 30 minutes to go all the way around.  Although the pods look very small, each one can hold up to 25 people. It is an "observation wheel" that is said to offer the best views of London and the Thames River. Here are a few more pictures from different angles.

Oh, here is the duck itself.....

These vehicles were designed by American military personnel and used to storm the beach on D-day. They made 22,000 of them. The London Duck tour group owns many of the originals. The only thing they really changed was adding a roof. They call them 89% authentic :)

The Thames River runs through central London. It is the cleanest city river in the world. It is also the fastest running city river. It has such a strong current that no one has ever survived swimming across it. For the record, it is not very wide.

The rest of these pictures are of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, etc.

When the tide comes in, this boat will be floating....

Houses of Parliament

Our women's and children's hospitals do not look like this.

The "Big" picture. Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Victora's Tower

Buckingham Palace- The Queen is only here approximately 12 nights a year. Apparently you know the Queen is in town when the number of guards multiplies exponentially! (makes sense to me)

The Red Coats

Big Ben- reportedly the most accurate public clock in the world.

Houses of Parliament from the Thames River

If you look very closely, you can see The Red Coats marching in the background.

Westminster Abbey

Thought I would throw this one in for fun. The Texas Embassy (restaurant)....located right off of Trafalgar Square. Comparatively, this restaurant is HUGE!! Of course, I'm not surprised, Big is what we do. The Duck tour guide said, "the food is terrible" (though I would guess it is too salty.....I've had to add salt to everything I've eaten here,) "but they have the BEST margaritas in town." Also, not surprising :)

Overall, fantastic day!

Stay tuned for Zurich Day 1....