Why did the chicken cross the road??

...because he farted on the other side!  ha ha ha ha!!!  Out of the mouth of about 2nd grade babes...we were in the Tower of London and there were a few elemetary school groups on field trips.  One of the tour guides dressed in midevil attire had them sit in a semicircle and called a few students up to the front to sit on an official looking bench.  To break the ice he asked if anyone knew a good joke.  Of course everyone raised their hand.  The first kid who was called up front shyly looked at the group and admittedly said, "I don't know one."  He was dismissed back to the semicircle and another student was summond.

SHE was so excited to tell her joke that she just blurted it out and coudn't hold off for the guide to direct her.  EVERYONE in the room roared.  Of course the teacher looked mortified and I'm sure the girl got a stern talking to when she got back to school on proper etiquitte.

One word of advice.  If you purchase a new camera before you go on vacation learn to use the damn thing BEFORE you go!!!!

Today I walked almost 20,000 steps....not kidding!!!

OK, so Craig walked almost the same amount.  Here is our dilemma.  Before he got his fitbit, at home he wore a pedometer on his waistband like I do, we tested it to make sure it worked before we went walking.  A few steps around the house.  It worked so we ventured out on our walk.  I walked the same distance together, almost 6000 steps for me, and he walked about half of that, which makes sense since his stride is much longer than mine.  Well, here using his wrist fitbit he "walks" almost the same amount as I do.  I say his isn't true because he dramatically talks with his hands A LOT.  Surely that has to account for some of his steps.  Has anyone ever don't research on wrist movement on the wrist Fitbit?

The food I was looking most to having when I got to London was REAL scones and clotted cream.  Well, I have yet to have one believe it or not.  Everyone serves croissants.

In Paris everyone smokes, in Lonon, almost everyone smokes.  There aren't really sidewalk cafes and there is construction EVERYWHERE.  The streets are very narrow like Paris, and most everyone walks or uses public transit like Paris.  I've heard that London has the largest underground "tube" (subway) system in the world.  Once again, it's pretty clean like Paris.  There are just as many cafes, restaruants, and pubs as Paris, which is A LOT.  Everyone eats out.  Everyone wants to be outside their apartment because they're so small.  After work you meet friends or family in a restaurant and may take in a show or a walk in one of the many squares or parks.  Those are my visual differences between the two.  The FEELING of London is a lot like New York City.  Hustle and bustle and scurring around and everyone is in a hurry.  

Yesterday was another great day.  Firstly (they say that word quite often, it drives me crazy when they don't say secondly! Uh-oh, the grammar police just came out...I'll have to tuck her back in. We toured the Tower of London which dates back to midevil times where people got tourtured in the stretching machines and other different torturing devices and contraptions.  We saw where men were inprisioned and had made carvings on the walls in the stone.  All the while, the King was in his cozy bedroom or one of his many other rooms.

We went on a boat on the Thames to the Royal Observitory and checked off one of Craigs bucket list items....to stand on the prime meridian.  YEA!!!!

Then we went through the observitory and I learned how the early explores learned how to tell time going north and south...the east and west was by the sun of course.  We saw how they figured out, with telescopes and stars, how to navigate the seas.  The first clocks were pendulum, but they didn't work on boats very well beacause they weren't level all of the time.  SO, they had to make new clocks with a different timing mechinism to work on the sea.  BOY oh BOY were there smart people back then too.  Sometimes I think they were smarter than now, because they had to start with nothing....not even a concept.  Now, how did someone figure out that there were constillations that never changed??  How did someone figure out that you could navigate by them?  Now someone had to build something that you could see them more precisely....wow!!

The boat tour on the Thames was really cool.

Looking at things from another side gave us a different perspecitive, and at night on the EYE it gave us even a different perspective.  Our tour guide, a 17 year old boy was terrific and very funny!!!  Big Ben is named after Sir Benjamin Hall but actually his first name was Richard but they couln't call the bell tower Big Richard (Dick).....get it?? ha ha ha ha!!  Actually that was just a funny he made.  I looked it up and the bell tower was indeed named after Sir Benjamin Hall. 

The London Eye was so cool, but the 30 minutes went by very quickly. We had our own private car.

 I would definitely recommend it.  We had a private pod with our own tour guide (and a bottle of champagne and chocolates).  I'd highly recommend you do it that way, otherwise you're on your own figuring out what buildings are and you don't get the history and personal perspecive.  

Today, we're doing a tour of Buckingham Palace and a dinner cruise. This afternoon is still unplanned.  Maybe Harrods, the Beatle museum, Shakespeare theater....um I just don't know.  

Best get ready for the Palace tour now......until tomorrow I bid you farewell and will repeat the beginning joke.  Why did a chicken cross the road......becasue he farted on the otherside!!  ha ha ha!!!

Love you all,

Mom/Cyn