Day 2 in London: Monday

Our day started with a guided bus tour of London. We saw the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and countless other sights along the way. At each place, we only stayed long enough for a photo shoot and a tiny look around. Our tour guide was a British man named David who appeared to be at least 65 years old. He was a former journalist for the BBC and ABC and he has decided to work in his retirement as a certified tour guide for London. He was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Our tour ended at Trafalgar Square. From there, we all dispersed to eat lunch. Madame had a wonderful meal in the crypt of the St. Martin of the Fields Church with Mr. Allison and some students. If that place sounds familiar to you, perhaps you know of the choir from this church which is world-reknowned. The crypt has been turned into a first-class cafeteria buffet dining experience. Madame had the most delicious comfort food: pot roast, new potatoes, boiled red cabbage, and crême brûlée.

After lunch, we split into four groups. Participants could go to the activity of their choice:

• A tour of the National Gallery art museum with Caleb Allison

• A tour of St. Paul's Cathedral with Kris Earle

• A shopping experience with Whitney Stafford

• A tour of the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels with Madame Robillard

Of course, every option was great. But, since Madame is writing this blog, the best option was the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. Our tour guide David stayed with us (quite generously on his part and quite luckily for us) and guided us from Trafalgar Square through the Tube to the Tower of London. He briefly shared the history of the Tower of London, all of which is very tragic and sad. This is where Anne Boleyn and Jane Grey were executed. It is also where St. Thomas More spend four years imprisoned before he was executed and martyred. The entire place is still guarded by "beefeaters"who still also live in housing quarters within the Tower of London gates. We even got to see a changing of the Beefeater guard outside the building where the Crown Jewels are kept!

Alexa plays at getting the axe in the Tower.

The Crown Jewels were very impressive. The jewels and gold and fine handcrafting were all very admirable. Yet, I found it hard to really embrace the sight of them with awe. I just kept hearing the question: "What would George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Samuel Adams have thought of this excess?" In a weird way, I felt very proud to be an American and grateful that our forefathers fought against such excess. It was impressive, however, to see the largest diamond in the world:

The Great Star of Africa Diamond

embodied in the Royal Scepter with the Cross

504+ carats

Here are some birds that begged to share a teatime snack with Madame at the Tower of London:

We then went to dinner and we ate an English classic: bangers and mash. This is what Americans would call grilled sausage with mashed potatoes. We learned from David the tour guide that the sausages are called "bangers" because during World War II, when meat was scarce, sausages were made with a high content of water. As the sausages were fried up, the water would expand and the sausages would burst with a "bang". Hence, "bangers and mash". Ha!

After the dinner, we split into groups again. Some went to see "Wicked!", the musical production. Others went to see the play "The Woman in Black", a crime/suspense play. Still others went on a boat ride down the Thames while the final group went shopping and people watching. This last group got to see the unveiling of the Olympic countdown clock at Trafalgar Square.

Finally, back to the hotel so our feet could get some much needed rest. We have to pack tonight, because we will be up at 4am to catch and early train to PARIS!