Tired Feet

(John) This has been our busiest day so far. We were up early and off to the London Eye by 8:30. Gene will tell you more about that.

Afterward, we had coffee and heard from home via E-mail -- all is well with our furry children. The underground was packed to the gills because of the Hyde Park Live 8 concert benefiting Africa relief. It seemed that all of the 250,000 concertgoers passed by the window of the café.

We next toured Oscar Wilde's London (near St. James palace). Specifically, we walked around Mayfair with an interpreter. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Irish playwright. It was a wonderful adventure back in time. We re-visioned Victorian London along Regent Street, Piccadilly, and St. James. We visited the sites of his original chemist (I bought a Victoria shaving kit as a souvenir), tobaccoist, and haberdasher. We also saw several of the private hotels in which he lived. It was a great way to spend Gay Pride Day in London. We also witnessed part of the London pride parade. Unfortunately, that event left something to be desired. For a large European capitol, London's Pride celebration is fairly small and unsophisticated. That was surprising to us both. Seattle's event is five times larger!

During the late afternoon, Gene and I visited Covent Garden and the adjacent London Transport Museum. We followed that with a tour of the National Gallery. Inside the halls of this venerable institution we were able to gaze upon works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Titian, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Van Gogh, Monet, Rubens, Cezanne, Renoir, and Seurat. WOW! I almost passed out while I was in the Rembrandt room! Even after viewing the works of all those artists, the reality set in - we saw only a small fraction of the collection.

The day was so long and so tremendously overwhelming that we did not have the energy to go out for dinner. Instead we stopped by a nearby Sainsbury's and bought our dinner at that ubiquitous London supermarket chain.

(Gene) As John said, the day was a full one. Let me begin by mentioning the London Eye. First of all, should you want to ride this observation wheel, I recommend you make on-line reservations. We finally did, and it was a breeze. While others waited in long lines to buy tickets we were already done.

The 30 minute "flight" (sponsored by British Airways) takes you on a circular tour high above London. At the highest point each pod is 450' above ground enjoying a smooth air conditioned ride. I love to visit high towers wherever we travel. The Eye has become a new favorite.

While at Covent Gardens we had lunch at a wonderful outdoor restaurant (Piazza Cafe). We had their version of a club sandwich on a ciabatta bap (bun). We also saw many buskers (street performers). They seemed to keep the tourists happy. We didn't stay long though. We had other unique things to do.

I'm packing again tonight, as we leave for Dublin tomorrow. I look forward to returning to London. Wait... we will be back here in 7 days. Until then, cheerio!