No rain today!!! After a great breakfast, we made a quick stop at Stonehenge. You can either pay £8 to get in, or just walk along a sidewalk next to the highway, raise your camera over the fence, and get better photos! We chose the second option. Stonehenge really is amazing; the stones are enormous and it's impossible to think how they were placed there so long ago. We also did a drive-by of the castle at which Dowton Abbey is filmed; however, it doesn't open to the public until July.
We returned Betty, our rental car, about noon and took the Heathrow Express train into London. Once we checked into the hotel, we caught a taxi to Westminster Abbey. They no longer allow photos inside, which was quite disappointing. Actually, compared to the other cathedrals I've seen on this trip, this was the least impressive. It's very touristy, busy, and loud. It was, however, neat to be in the place where every king and queen of England since William the Conqueror has been crowned.
We next visited the Churchill War Rooms. This is the bunker near Downing St that Churchill and his War Cabinet went into during the air raids. This was a great museum and very well done! I can't imagine having to live with a gas mask within grasp 24/7 and to live & work underground. The bunker has been recreated to exact detail (from photos) to about 1940. It was chilling to think that the Brits were in fear of German invasion during that time.
We then split into groups and I visited the National Gallery where I saw several different renowned artists including Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, etc. We all met back up at Trafalgar Square and headed to dinner. After some great Italian, we walked to the Royal Haymarket Theater where we watched the play, "One Man, Two Guvners." It was hilariously funny and we had great seats! We laughed for the entire 2 hours! And we followed that up by walking to a gelato restaurant near Leiscester Square, then caught a taxi back to the hotel.
No pics tonight as the Internet connection is very poor and we're all in one big giant room, so I can't stay up late typing and uploading like normal.
Tomorrow will be packed: Greenwich, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London and more! Our last day; hard to believe!
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