Sightseeing Mania Part 2 was just like Part 1, only longer and crazier and twice the fun!  Michelle and I popped out of bed (because we're perfect and never have to drag ourselves from beneath the covers) around 8:30, ate strawberry-and-onion yogurt for breakfast (the onion was not intentional; it had been affixed to my spoon--blech!), and packed some sandwiches for lunch.  Then we trotted (note our peppiness!) down to the station, purchased our day passes, and took London by storm!  Michelle was feeling better and she sightsaw like a trooper, and I have to admit that I was very, very proud of myself, too.  I've learned a lot about London during my month-and-a-half stay.  I know my way around without a map, I've got most of the tube stops memorized, and I have hundreds of odd little facts about the buildings and museums and parks lodged firmly in my brain.   Poor Michelle got to listen as I dislodged them all for her benefit.  :-)  I wanted to give her the full London experience, and I don't think I've ever crammed so much into a single day before!  We went like crazy from 9:30 AM until 9:30 PM, and I think the day's events will be most impressive if I record them in list format (so you can "ooh" and "aah" over everything we accomplished):

9:30--Took the tube to the Bank stop on the Central Line

10:15--Walked past the Lord Mayor's Mansion, the Royal Exchange, the Bank of England, and England's tallest skyscraper.

10:30--Visited Sir Christopher Wren's Monument

10:45--Walked across the London Bridge and took pictures of the Tower Bridge

10:50--Arrived at Southwark Cathedral

11:00--Walked through Borough Market; sampled the focaccia bread and tried not to throw up when we saw an actual, gutted dear hanging from a stand by his hind legs.

11:15--Walked past Sir Francis Drake's ship, The Anchor pub, The Clink, and the Globe Theatre.

12:00--Sauntered right through a movie in the making and were asked whether we were "extras."  :-)

12:15--Crossed Millenial Bridge

12:20--Arrived at St. Paul's and walked around the building, snapping pictures, and eating our lunchtime sandwiches

12:30--Walked into the Museum of London and spend through the entire thing

1:30--Hopped on a double-decker bus (I think this was one of Michelle's favorite experiences!)

2:00--Got lost searching for the British Museum; eventually found it.  :-)  Saw the Egyptian, Roman, and Greek exhibits as well as some of the smaller upstairs displays.

3:00--Rode a double-decker bus. (Note:  My feet were ACHING by this time, and I felt completely wiped out for some reason.  It took an hour or so for me to get my second wind.  After that, I was fine, but around 3:00, all I wanted to do was NAP!)

3:15--Got off the bus and took a tube to Baker's Street

3:30--Took pictures with the Sherlock Holmes statue, walked into the Emporium and took pictures with the mannequins, passed Madame Toussaud's, and headed for Queen Mary's Gardens.

3:45--Strolled through the rose gardens and past the waterfalls as an enraptured Michelle shot picture after picture.  (This was Michelle's FAVORITE part of the day!)

4:30--Hopped back on the tube and got off at Leicester Square.  Passed several theaters and finally reached Trafalgar Square.   Made our way past St. Martin-in-the-Fields and into the National Gallery.

5:15--Stopped at Tesco Express for dinner (20 pence rolls), then rode the bus to Covent Garden.

5:30--Wandered the Covent Garden streets, and then headed to Leicester Square and Chinatown.

6:00--Explored Chinatown, then slipped into a McDonald's where Michelle sampled her first flake ice-cream cone.

6:30--Took a bus to Knightsbridge Road and explored all six floors of Harrod's (the food court, the designer clothes shops, Christmas Town, the Egyptian Hall, the toy shops, etc.).  (Note:  Michelle was as thoroughly disgusted by the babies' designer clothing store as I had been.  THINK OF THE STARVING CHILDREN IN AFRICA!!!)

7:45--Took the bus to South Kensington where we walked past all the museums (Natural History, Science, Victoria and Albert) and saw the LDS Hyde Park meetinghouse. 

8:00--Passed Hyde Park and the Prince Albert Memorial.  Saw the Prince Albert Hall and went to the box office to see if tickets were on sale for the evening's performance.  Unfortunately, the concert had already begun at 6:30.

8:15--Passed the Royal College of Music and walked into Kensington Gardens.

8:30--Went down the Flower Walk, and then took a look at Kensington Palace.  (Note: The entire gate in front of the palace was covered with roses and poems and letters and dolls and pictures and newspaper clippings--all in honor of Princess Di.  Michelle and I spent awhile reading the tributes; they were very interesting.)

9:00--After some confusion on on the Circle Line, hopped on the correct tube train and headed home

9:30--Walked to Richard/Jeanette's house from the station

10:00--CRASHED in bed!!!

And there you have it!  Impressed, aren't you?

PLEASE NOTE:  I head to Ireland tomorrow, and I'm not sure when I'll have internet access again.  I may or may not be able to make more posts.  Keep checking!   (Note:  If I don't update this page for awhile, I am not dead, near-dead, or in any sort of a pickle.  On the contrary, I'm probably climbing through an Irish castle, eating at a French cafe, or attending an opera in Vienna!)