Big...Ben?

Our day in London didn’t even begin until 12:30, when we caught the train from Epsom to London Waterloo. The morning was humid and hot, but within 5 minutes of leaving the London train station it began to drizzle and by the time we found refuge beneath the stairs of a pedestrian overpass, it was an official downpour. We deliberated for a good 10 minutes before moving to a row of benches sheltered by a cluster of trees just an open field away from the London Eye (known by locals as the London Eyesore) and enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch while large accumulated drops of water played tic-tac-toe on our heads and shoulders. The rain did eventually stop, so we continued on. Because of Tom and Henry having "disabled" status, not only did the two boys, Catherine and Jonathan get in free, but we were fast tracked to the head of the line and waited no more than 5 minutes before stepping into a pod. Unfortunately, the rain returned during the ride making it hard to take a clear picture and the sky was grey and cloudy, but the view was still incredible. Our next stop was the Tower Bridge, so after an unsuccessful attempt to locate a couple of willing cabs, we bought tickets for and boarded a boat that would take us directly to the bridge via the Thames River. This little cruise was an extremely enjoyable way to see the city from a different perspective; including the Globe Theatre, the exceedingly ugly Tates Modern art museum, and a building that was once a school for boys and educated the likes of Winston Churchill. It also came complete with very entertaining commentary courtesy of a young, cheeky, good-looking English bloke and included many priceless tidbits of information; such as how Big Ben is not the name of the clock and tower, but of the large bell that resides within it. Apparently the bell, which was named after the man who constructed it, was originally suppose to be named after his brother, but the powers that were thought it a tad inappropriate; his brother’s name was Richard. Once arriving at the bridge, we wandered around the Tower of London for a bit, fed the boys at a bar/restaurant situated around a beautiful, quaint, and somewhat concealed little harbor, then returned to the pier to take the boat back up the river. The sights that accompanied the walk back to the pier were quite extraordinary: an apparent member of the British Navy had been married near by and a number of its attendees, dressed head to toe in their naval uniforms, were wandering the boardwalk along the river. The journey home was chaotic, the boys’ behavior throughout the day was atrocious and I did step in a few times (when they were driving me crazy), but as I have weekends off and am not required to make any effort, the day ended up being very enjoyable and surprisingly relaxing. London is a beautiful city.

Having Catherine’s brother and sister-in-law here for the weekend made France a common topic of conversation. They have a house there about 5km’s from where we’ll be staying, which is where Catherine’s parents will be settled as well; their place is about 1km from the ocean. I don’t want to spend the next two weeks looking ahead, essentially wasting what time I have left here, but I am getting so excited. I’d met Richard and Nicola briefly in Wales, but this weekend I had the opportunity to really get to know them; Nicola especially. We all ate together and sat together during the evening while the boys were out causing trouble and had such a great time; so having now met everyone and becoming so comfortable with them (Catherine’s parents included), I know France will be something special. As the whole family has been so welcoming to me and I don’t feel a smidge like the foreigner that I am, in a strange way, this just might be the family vacation that I missed out on back home.

Over the weekend, Richard introduced me to an Irish beer cider called Magners which, surprisingly, wasn’t all that bad considering I hate beer. I have no direct intention to get smashed with the locals during my time over in Ireland, but I’m pretty excited to know that there’s something I can order in an Irish pub besides water, if I choose to.