We’ve been in London for two days now, and have spent an equal amount of time asleep and awake. Yes, our jet-lag was brutal, but what would one expect after a 36-hour journey? Our flight(s) here included stops in Brisbane, Singapore, Dubai, and Frankfurt. We arrived late on Tuesday night to our hosts’ home in South London. Peter Ride is Whit’s (6th) cousin, and he and his partner Ian have opened their comfortable home to us during our time here. On Wednesday I didn’t wake up until two in the afternoon, so the day was almost lost. We walked out to the South London Gallery, and then took a nice walk around Camberwell Junction. Ian made a lovely vegetable curry for dinner, and then it was time for more sleep! Thursday was a big day - we were up early and headed out for a walking tour around 10am. Our first stop was Buckingham Palace, where the Changing of the Guards was happening at 11:30. There were tons of people out to watch in the brisk late-winter weather. When it finally started, at least 25 arms raised up with digital cameras flashing. It was pretty neat seeing the guards march out with their big furry hats. The whole thing is quite a to-do: the marching band, the horses, the uniforms, the setting itself (see video). A fter we had our fill of British ceremonial practices, we walked through St. James Park towards th e Horse Guard Parade - a huge, beautifully ornate building with traces of Eastern European architecture (that’s what we thought, at least). On the way there we stopped to eat our lunch in the park before going on to Trafalgar Square, a quintessential London site. There were probably more pigeons than people there, but that didn’t take away from its extravagance. We went into the National Gallery and walked around for a bit to warm up and enjoy the collection. Piccadilly Circus was nearby, so we headed that way. I was sad that its not actually a circus, but it does seem to be London’s version of Times Square. On the way, we stopped at a half-price theatre ticket booth. We have been wanting to see the show “Wicked” for months, and were really excited to get half-price tickets for a production that evening. After Piccadilly, we continued to walk - meandering through small side streets. Golden Square and Carnaby Street filled the rest of our afternoon, along with a cream puff on Oxford Street. Once it got dark we went to dinner at Pizza Express, and then took to the tube to the theatre for “Wicked.” The show was awesome. Anything based on the Wicked Witch of the West’s childhood and beyond has to be good, but we were both really pleased with the show. Unfortunately, I haven’t read the book yet, but still really look forward to it. We weren’t home until almost 11pm, so it had been a successful day of experiencing London. It is so exciting to be in Europe and explore fun, old cities. We are just about to step out for another day of exploring, on what looks like the first day of spring!

- Claire