Please sweep a bow in my presence and call me Lady Erica from now on.  I just discovered that my ASU scholarship money was deposited in my account today, and consequently, I am rich!  No--in truth, what seems like such a gargantuan amount is going to dwindle sadly as I gallivant across Europe and then pay horrendous food and housing bills over the fall semester.  For now, though, huzzah!  I can let my money sit relatively untouched in its shimmering splendor for a few weeks more.

Day 37 was another jam-packed adventure.  I let Dylan sleep in until 8:30, and then, after receiving an e-mail full of loving advice from Mom, we were both inspired (commanded?) to write in our journals and record Tuesday's events.  The process took over an hour, and by the time we trotted down the stairs to breakfast, it was almost 10:30.  Jeanette had a wonderful pancake, bacon, and orange juice meal waiting for us.  She is too kind!

Minutes later, we were out the door and on our way to the tube station.  We had originally planned on seeing the Buckingham Changing of the Guard and then visiting the British Library and British Museum, but because of our late start, we had to rearrange our schedule a bit.  We got off at the Tower Hill stop, and Dylan had his first glimpse of the Tower of London.  I'm afraid that nothing is quite as impressive as Windsor Castle, so I doubt the Tower made Dylan catch his breath the way I caught mine when I first saw it.  Still, it was fun to wander around the outside of the castle and snap pictures of the Beefeaters.  We then made our way down to the Tower Pier where we were able to purchase seats on a river ride down the Thames (they were very cheap since we have Travelcards).

As we waited for our boat to arrive, I pointed out the Tower Bridge to Dylan and we chatted about our plans for the rest of the day.  When the boat reached the pier, we climbed aboard and had a wonderful time.  Moving from the Tower Pier to Embankment Pier, we were able to see most of London's major sights (the Tower, the Tower Bridge, Blackfriar's Bridge, the London Bridge, St. Paul's, the Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, Southwark Cathedral, Cleopatra's Needle, the London Eye, Westminster Palace and Big Ben, etc.)   An old man with a very British sense of humor pointed out each sight along the way and told us a bit about it.

Once the boat tour had finished, Dylan and I realized that we had less than two hours before our matinee comedy ("See How They Run") began.  Instead of trying to rush through something like the British Library, we decided that it would just be best to explore the Covent Garden shops and watch the musical performers, street magicians, etc. before heading to our play.  First, we stopped at the Theatre Museum and took pictures of each other wearing 50's costumes.  Then we listened to a string quartet and opera singer perform and wandered down the street to an area where a magician was releasing himself from a straight jacket and chains.  Just as he began the trick, the skies opened and the rain began to POUR!  Dylan and I whipped out our umbrellas and cheered for the soaked man as he managed to miraculously free himself from the jacket and chains.  We also saw several people-statues who absolutely fascinated Dylan.  One was painted silver from head to toe.  This man stood completely still (looking very carved and inatimate) until someone dropped money in his tin, at which point he moved his limbs exactly like a mechanical toy.  It was incredible!

It continued pouring cats and dogs and a couple of chickens, so Dylan and I took off for the theater and ducked inside as quickly as possible.  We were only a few minutes early for the show, so we slipped into our seats (right at the front of the theater!) and prepared to be delighted.  When the show started, I was surprised to discover that I had been watching understudies play the two leading roles the first time I saw it performed.  So, if possible, the cast was even more talented and solid this time.  I had forgotten that there are a few naughty references and situations in "See How They Run," and I squirmed in my seat once or twice (acutely aware that my 13-year-old brother was sitting next to me).  For the most part, though, the show was delightful, and I think Dylan got a kick out of it.

We decided then to visit the British Museum, but unfortunately, we were only able to walk through King George's Library before we were kicked out.  Apparently, the museum closes earlier than I thought it did. :-(  Dylan was disappointed, but I promised him that we would return the very next day.  Outside the museum, we grabbed subs-of-the-day at Subway, browsed some tourist shops (where Dylan sampled his first soft British lolly), and made our way to Harrod's.  I thoroughly enjoyed exploring that gigantic and impossibly posh department store again, since this time I had someone to gasp over the prices and gawk at the food displays with.  :-)  Together, Dylan and I actually discovered several sections of the store that I'd never seen before (a piano department, Christmas Town, etc.).  Christmas Town was pure magic, but I think Dylan's favorite section was the food court, and I don't blame him.  The displays are incredible, and where else could you find an entire room devoted to chocolate?  After gazing at the mounds and mounds of chocolate surrounding us, we finally gave in and decided to sample a fine Belgian chocolate each.  They were delicious!

On our way back to Richard/Jeanette's house, Dylan and I made one last stop in London's financial district.  I was able to show Dylan the square containing London's tallest skyscraper, the Royal Exchange, the Lord Mayor's Mansion, and the Bank of England.  We even poked our noses inside the Royal Exchange quickly.  We didn't actually walk around the place; we figured that we'd had enough ritzy window-shopping for one day.  :-)

We arrived back at the house around 9:15 (after practicing our British accents on each other all the way home) which left us plenty of time to chat with Jeanette and Danielle and to write in our journals before bed.  Tomorrow, we're going to get up early and shower, head for London, and then go, go, go until we return home late from "Mary Poppins."  Wish us strength and enthusiasm and a jolly good time!